So, the game didn't crash on start up with the dev.exe? Sounds like it might be a resolution or settings issue.

Thank you for your replies. I have followed the guide and I still have the same issue.

I managed to activate the game though so that is a start. I've tried to run the dev exe and now I am getting "unable to open errors" and they are all pointing to the settings files.

I've replaced them with the ones from the guide and still no luck.

P.S. playing this game again better be worth it

Delete your settings and try launching again.

Did you verify it is still not read only? Sometimes if a folder above the folder you are changing is also Read Only, your change won't take effect. So if your entire "Sins of a Solar Empire Rebellion" folder is read only, you may need to undo it there as well.

I remember having some fun times with that on Vista. Haven't noticed it as much on Windows 7.

Thanks both with your help. Apologies for my late reply have been away from home for a few days.

I've submitted a ticket hopefully we can get this up and running.