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Bought this as a present for my cousin during a recent visit -- then got a call from him looking for advice (he mistakenly assumed I know anything about computers).

He has a Dell Pentium IV 2.80 Ghz with a stock graphics card and 248 RAM. Not a powerhouse machine in terms of handling games -- but well above the original system requirements for Starshatter and even with the warning that the patch bumps up the requirements, this seems strange:
All versions up to 4.5 work fine with the graphics set at 1024X780 and 32 color.

But 4.5 won't even run. A windows.exe error message keeps saying the game had to close.

This doesn't seem to be a graphics problem. I've had games myself were you're simply alerted you don't have the right kit. I mean, he's stuck at the actual game menu that first pops up on his screen.

Could the patch DL be corrupted? Anyone seen anything similar?

its likely a virus or spyware/malware
http://www.liutilities.com/products/win ... y/windows/
windows - windows.exe - Process Information

Process File: windows or windows.exe
Process Name: W32.HLLW.Nulut WORM

Description:
windows.exe is added to the system as a result of W32.HLLW.Nulut WORM. IT attempts to spread itself through file-sharing networks and e-mail applications. This program is a registered security risk and should be removed immediately. If found on your system make sure that you have downloaded the latest update for your antivirus application.

Well now I see it's stars.exe that's having the problem. He sent off an error report and copied it to me.

Maybe his computer isn't up to snuff -- but it would have helped to have known what the exact specifications were before hand. Saying it "bumps it up" is kinda grey.