CRC

[darth_donkey]

I need help i while ago my comp had a big crash after i installed WinME, i formatted went back to 98 when i went online i tried installing ICQ, Winamp etc and i couldn't because my comp said "CRC Check on installer failed" i know i havent got a virus as i have done several formats, i've even taken out the drive and put it in another comp to format it that didnt work so i'm lost and a bit mad at it, its been driving me mad and recently it happened to my mate as well so any help would be nice thatx /images/w3t/icons/mad.gif

[tHE DSS]

CRC stands for 'Cyclic Redundency Check' (hope that's all spelt right) :) And it's basically a built-in file system error checking thing.

Need a bit more info though.

When does this error pop up? As you are trying to install any program?

You've formatted many times and installed Windows from scratch, but how? From the normal Windows CD, or from the CD(s) you got from your computer manufacturer?

Try this first. Run ScanDisk and see if that pops up any errors. It should do, and it might be able to fix this. Run it from DOS if you can.

In short, you have a fault in the file system somewhere. This could be down to a defective HD, or a defective Windows CD.

Try re-installing the Install program aswell after the ScanDisk.

Keep your posts coming on this one... we'll get to the bottom of this.

[RWSchlatter]

Comment: there is never a need to format the disk and to re-install so many times. Believe in your work, you will have done it right the first time.

But what you should do once you re-install a Windows operating system, and before starting to install your applications, that is to go out to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com (http://www.winguides.com/external.php?url=http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com) and first complete the installation with any bug fixes that Microsoft has prepared since distribution of the OS. Probably that also means to download the current Internet Explorer. One item may probably download is a newer version of the Windows installer.

After this, if the CRC message still appears, J would believe that the installation files are for some unknown reason bad. Then do a fresh download of these files.

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Regards - Richard

[darth_donkey]

I've updated IE from 4 to 6 but 6 wouldn't take me to any URL's, i then got rid of 6 and installed 5 off a CD and that had the same problem. The CRC message keeps popping up when i try to install anything but for some reason i can install Yahoo Messenger, i can only install a few games for instance Half Life wont run but it will install it says "Your Half Life executable has been modified" or something like that. After i formatted it in another computer i put Win 98SE in but that had the same problem as well but it would let me install Windows Office 2000 as opposed to Win98FE which wouldn't. Winamp says "CRC Check failed, ...............something.......check your system for virii and try again" but i installed a virus scanner updated it and it couldn't find anything. Also originally a few formats ago Scan Disk found errors it said and fixed them but i still have the problem....HELP!! /images/w3t/icons/mad.gif
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by darth_donkey on 07/10/01 13:24.</FONT></P>

[RWSchlatter]

best get IE v5.5 now.
if you cannot find this versin on a cd, download it from windowsupdate site.

______________
Regards - Richard

[darth_donkey]

It doesnt matter what IE i get anything different to what i got on win 98 won't run it's something to do with my CRC prob, thou thanx for suggesting it

[tHE DSS]

If you can find another Windows setup disk, try installing from scratch with that.

If you still get the problem, then like I said before, your HD could be knackered.

[darth_donkey]

i aslready have tried to install other windows version they just don't work so i take it my HD is buggered thanx for all the help

[tHE DSS]

Yep, it looks that way... though not the whole HD, just a small section, but that can be enough to stop functionality. Some programs claim that they can "cover" over the bad areas. ScanDisk claims so, but I've never known it to work.

[RWSchlatter]

this sounds very strange to me, actually formating the drive with FORMAT should detect bad sports and not map them into your usable space. J hope you didn't use the /q (quick) option, cause that one will only initialize the directory area, but not scan the disk.

______________
Regards - Richard

[reghakr]

I'd have to say after all that installing and uninstalling different versions over different versions, your hard drive is a bunch of mismatched versions of files. Richard was right on with the Windows Installer comment.

I'd suggest you format one more time, then download the latest version of the Windows Installer:

Redistributable v1.2 for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME
http://msdn.microsoft.com/code/sample.asp?url=/msdn-files/027/001/455/msdncompositedoc.xml (http://www.winguides.com/external.php?url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/code/sample.asp?url=/msdn-files/027/001/455/msdncompositedoc.xml)

You might want to take a look at this article also.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/msi/hh/msi/over_6rhq.asp (http://www.winguides.com/external.php?url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/msi/hh/msi/over_6rhq.asp)

reghakr

[darth_donkey]

i cant update windows installer it brings up this error message about how it cant write a temp file or something like that i thinks it related to my HD error could a big lightning storm do it?

[RWSchlatter]

"...could a big lightning storm do it? ..."
can be very nasty to electronics of any kind (eg consumer electronics too) - even when the hardware is not running. You would have to disconnect the power cord connected from the mains socket to be safe. Having a surge protector attached to the power cord can prevent such damage while remaining connected.

Altogether J am very unsure about the possible source of your problem. If your harddisk got damaged, than many other functionality should not work well either. You still seem to be possible to start the system and work on the internet. You never mentioned anything of a Blue Screen, or of applications cancelling out in mass. A bad HD would not only affect downloaded files.

In your case, if J would have to make a wild guess, J would now assume that your CPU chip may be damaged, so that it doesn't calculate CRCs properly. J believe this is nowadays something done with specific instruction subset and not anymore wholly within software. But that is where my wisdom ends, J don't know where to look for a hardware diagnosis program, that checks out a CPU.

______________
Regards - Richard

[darth_donkey]

well i dont have any programs cutting out in mass although i occasionally get a blue screen error eg. I/O error my mate managed to get and fatal exceptions occur occasionally so it could be my CPU... so if i put another CPU in and tried it if it worked it wouldnt be the HD. Could the lightning storm of affected the CPU in anyway instead of the HD?

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[RWSchlatter]

A lightening storm could affect just about anything - there are no rules if the machine gets hit. But actually J would assume that the whole CPU chip would fail and not just a subset of its instruction set. After a couple of hours of sleep and rereading my post, J would really assume that some other part of the mother board would have gone up in smoke rather than just a partial CPU. It's still working too well according to your post.

Before switching CPU chips ( a more costly item) - try and find some hardware test utitlity. Check the manufacturers site, if you have not done that already.

J am still at loss, cause your problem seems to only affect downloaded installer files, and that even after a fresh install.

After J have reread my previous post once more, J would also suspect anything from the modem over the modem cabling to serial port (assuming external modem) or the modem card self if internal. If your modem is external, replace the serial cable (or are you already on USB?), and try another download.
Actually J don't believe this is the problem, cause a sporadic hit on transfered bytes would not only have influence on file contents, but also hit software protocol control information and J would expect you to have many retries (resulting in low thruput) and communication errors reported.

______________
Regards - Richard

[coolsights2000]

have you tried to fdisk the hard drive then reformat it

clear all partition then make a dos bootable parition on it then let the windows setup disk do its thing

the fdisk is on the emerg start up disk that you can make from windows 98 make a disk on a machine that you know is working correctly with windows 98

then boot the putter from the A:/ drive with that disk

Mac!!!!!!!!

[darth_donkey]

could the lightning storm affect phone lines? if so that might be what happened because the area i live in (plymouth in the UK) had the biggest lightning storm in 30 years not long ago and my mates comp has devolped the same CRC problem as mine it's not just downloaded files that are affected as well certain programs wont install off a disk like Acrobat reader off delta force and half life won't run so i dont know what it could be.

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[RWSchlatter]

"...could the lightning storm affect phone lines? ..."
actually yes, any cable that is connected to a computer can be the cause with lightening.

There are two physical effects that can occur: one is direct by transmitting electricity at a power above the usual 110/220-240 volt specification, and is normally the result of a near hit. The other has to to with induction, where magnetic (?) fields are built up by the lightening storm and any connected cable will act as an antenna and transmit electricity at an unknown voltage into the machine.

My education in physics is some years back. Hope this explanation of electricity and hardware by a software oriented person does not give any hardware people a headache.

______________
Regards - Richard