Problems with MS Installer!!!Help!

[ShanerJ]

I just got my computer up and running. More problems just seem to plague my computer. Anyway I was putting Command and Conquer on my computer and it got all the way to the end and an error message popped up. It said Data2.cab corrupt. It also said someone like Problem could be from network, cd and something else. It does that with all of my games i have. Then it says you may have problems with ms installer. Could this be not allowing me to install games unto my computer?

[Cricket]

More info please. System specs and operating system.

Cricket

[ShanerJ]

I have windows xp pro. I have 2gb ram at 2100 psc. ATI Radeon 9600 128 mb video card. Gigabyte motherboard. 160 gb maxtor hard drive 7200 rpm. IF you need the motherboard info I can get it.

[GaryRouth]

Tested the Ram since your new build? Try more conservative settings if you've gone for the gusto with aggressive timings or are overclocking.

I wouldn't expect you'd have the wrong version of the installer if this is a new build. But you could grab a new version anyway - it's over on the MS download site.

Poke around in your Bios settings with the motherboard manual handy (or Adrians famous Bios Optimization Guide http://www.rojakpot.com) and see if somethings a bit off in there.
. . . Gary

[& hi Cricket! . . . I'm loose from the Win9x forum again.]

[. . . P.S. #2 - just looked at your other thread. Disconnect from any networks while you're troubleshooting your box. And scan the drive to death with as much antivirus/antispyware programs that you can. If you don't have a firewall yet, by all means get one. glc posted a good list in your other thread.. . . Oh, and to test the memory, you can use MemTest86+ over at http://www.memtest.org/]

[ShanerJ]

Can you be more specific becuase i am really computer illiterate. Sorry

[ShanerJ]

Ok now my computer is really messing up. Besides the fact that I can't install games or even winxp it gives me the blue screen of death. It says all these codes and then physical memory dump. Could my cd-drives be crap? I can't install anything. And maybe my ram is bad. I have 2 gb ram at 2100.

[GaryRouth]

Hmmm ... a couple of questions:

1) Did you build this computer yourself, or did someone else put it together for you? [...and are they available to help?]
2) Did this new computer start out clean, or did you transfer files from a previous computer or hard drive? ---> and if you did transfer files, were they scanned for viruses and spyware before transferring them onto the newer drive?
3) Do you have active firewall/antivirus/antispyware tools on that PC yet?
4) Do you have backups of data you need to keep, and is a complete erase (zero-write) of the hard drive and a full new clean install an option?
-------------------------------
From the troubles you've been describing, you might have a witches brew of spotty hardware, misconfiguration, and malware infection. Might be just one from that list, might be all of them. If you truly are at the very first rung of the ladder in learning about computers and repair, I suppose I should plainly tell you that what you're facing isn't a simple cure, and you might find it easier to have an experienced friend help out. That said, here's a list . . .

You need to check:
Hardware
---> memory (test it with MemTest+ from the earlier link - instructions on how to use it are there at that site)
---> hard drive (test it with the tools that came with the drive when you bought it - there should be a CD with Diagnostics that you can run to test the drive
---> optical drives (you can run a DVD/CD test with a tool like SiSoft Sandra, which has a free-for-personal use version http://www.sisoftware.co.uk

Configuration
---> Bios Setup. If things are wrong in here, nothings going to work like it should. Try to get the manual out for the new motherboard. Visit Adrian's Guide for detailed guidance.

Virus/Spyware Scans & Necessary Tools
---> I have a feeling your drive is infected. Probably both the older as well as the newer. You can use DOS tools like F-Prot http://www.f-prot.com/products/home_use/dos/ . . . or you can have a computer-savvy friend or tech try slaving the drive http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=106182 . A zero-write will kill anything on your drives, but you'll be starting from scratch & reinstalling everything. And if you restore infected backups without cleaning them first, voila! - you'll be back in the same boat.
---> As I mentioned in the previous reply, glc's list of AntiVirus, AntiSpyware, and Firewalls is exactly what you need to have running to prevent recurrances. Even if your trouble at present turns out to be not infection-related, if the anti-malware programs aren't present on your system, it's only a matter of time before you will have an infection.

There are a great many details to go over in all this, but this should get you (or a technically minded friend) started. Feel free to post again with more questions.
. . . Gary