GTA IV not working in Windows 7

I am having difficulty getting mt GTA IV to work properly and I have found many different fixes to resolve it but I'm not sure which one is most recent.
The first three times I tired it the game will run normally for about 15 minutes and shut off stating a "Fatal Error" (I don't have the code with me but I can include it later).
The last two times I tried it the game ran really choppy like I was online and had a ton of lag.
Is there a patch or fix for this issue? I am finding conflicting remedies.

I just installed it for the first time on a brand new system and I'm having the issues I stated.

mindinka said:

If you install the game it will automatically install latest updates for it. It works well on Windows 7 64-bit.

Uber Philf said:

Has it done any updates before you play?

I'm not sure. Is there a way to force updates?

If you could give us the error code(s) that would help us to help you...

Oh...I installed the online social club thing but never actually logged in because I wasn't planning on playing online right away so I just exited it an ran the game.
Should I log into it and see if it updates?

Uber Philf said:

Well you would know because before you play, you need to sign into 2 online addons, and one of them does the updates..

Your game would be updated by logging into WindowsLive games... And check the usual things/troublemakers like drivers...