I recently have developed a problem on my Sony VAIO Windows XP home edition computer.
I can download any program on the internet ok. But when it comes time to install or setup the program, nothing happens. Here is and example.
I download a program and it places a "setup.exe" Icon on my desktop fine. The download process says "download completed".
Yet, when I double click on the desktop ICON, nothing happens. This same thing happens if it is an "install" icon.
Has any one seen this; or can anyone point me in the right direction? Somehow I think a critical system "install" or "setup" file either is corrupted or missing altogether.
Carl,
Do you know if the setup.exe in question is a 16 or 32-bit program ? If it's a 16-bit one and you don't have any other 16-bit programs on your computer you, MIGHT have an operating system related problem.
If it's a 16-bit one and you DO have other 16-bit programs running fine (like Band In A Box for instance), then I don't think it's a problem with your computer.
If it's a 32-bit program, and you DON'T have any problems running already installed programs (like Word or even the built-in notepad.exe) then I DON'T think you have any problems with the PC either and the problems would most likely be with the downloaded programs themselves.
All this COULD be caused by a virus or some strange problem with your Internet connection/modem causing corrupted downloads.
What kind of connection do have to the Internet ?
Sorry for the long rant, but there are numerous potential sources to problems like this !
Let me know all the details you have about this problem and I'd be happy to assist you in any way I can !
It happens with ANY download that requires either a "setup" or "Install"; after the download.
This problem just happened. I have never had a problem with installing a downloaded program before.
If I download ANY program that requires a "setup", and double click on "setup.exe", NOTHING happens. The same thing happens if it requires and "intall". It is though my computer NO longer recognizes any "setup" or "install" file.
I feel something has gotten into a critical system file and either removed it or corrrupted it. My browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer. My computer is a new Sony with a 1.2GHZ processor, 512MB of Ram, 60GB HDD. I get on the internet thru a DSL line. I am using Windows XP home edition.
I do not feel it is a problem with 16B or 32B downloads as I cannot make downloads work that have worked in the past with this computer. In other words, it is NOT the download. That happens OK. It is AFTER the download; when I am trying to setup or install the download, where the problem is happening. My computer is just NOT recognizing any file that is titled "setup.."; or Install...."
Carl,
Hmmm that's odd indeed ! (The 16 vs. 32-bit idea was simply because I've seen a problem like this lately, which turned out to be related to 16-bit only.)
Have you tried installing from the CR-ROM lately and if so : Did that work ?
I can't think of anything that would stop you from running "setup.exe" and "install.exe" while still allowing your PC to run normally.
Have you tried starting up in safe-mode and then tried running one of the culpritt programs ?
One last thing to try : Rename the "setup.exe" to "abc.exe" to check if something IS indeed related to the name of the filename, which I doubt.
Ole<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Ole Dantoft on 17 May 2003 at 03:58 PM.]</p></FONT>
We found a bug with InstallShield's setup.exe at work where if a previous 16 bit setup hadn't completed properly, it wouldn't let another one run. A reboot would fix it, so if you have rebooted and still have the problem, I don't know what to suggest.
I am unable to either do a setup (or install) from a CD Rom OR through a download.
Everything appears to download OK. But when I try to open the setup file (or install file), NOTHING happens.
I may have to reformat the HDD and go back and reload windows XP from scratch. I hate to think of doing this, since I have sooooo much that I use, and much I would not know how to recreate.
Carl,
Before considering a reinstall, try the "System Restore" function. It's in Start->rograms->Accessories->System Tools and it enables you to specify a restore of your system to the state it was in at a specific date.
Be aware that you'll lose any changes you've made to your system FROM that date and up until now though !! (Not your personal data-files, but system changes/installed programs.)
There's no doubt that what is wrong here is that a previous setup-program went haywire and is now blocking for all subsequent tries, but how to get it out of that loop I don't know. A long and risky ride through the registry might reveal something, but exactly where to look is difficult to tell beforehand.
The only thing I can think of that MIGHT be worth trying, is to go to Add/remove programs and try to uninstall whatever program that you could easily re-install again. This MIGHT clean it up but I admit that it's a long shot.
Thanks so much for helping me. I do believe I KNOW when it happened. As I mentioned in another thread in the computer category, I inadvertently clicked on "OK" while in a program when I got a "Pop Up" ad several weeks ago. I believe something was done to the basic windows files.
So it looks like I am going to have to reprogram windows. I don't know enough to spot anything amiss in windows "registry". I will wait awhile to see if maybe I can find a way around it.
I linked to their website, but for some reason, the view was many many times wider than my screen, so it was impossible to read. A Single letter was the entire size of my screen. I tried linking more than once thinking it might be a glitch. But the same thing happened.
I don't know of anything that would make file names "Setup" or "Install" different to the OS than other program-file names.
Have you tried Ole's suggestion to rename the files? Or, more easily, can you double click other 'exectutables' (.COM or .EXE) and have them run??? Have you tried means OTHER than d-clicking??? --Try RIGHT clicking the file(s) and then LEFT clicking 'Open' from the context menu.
Some (but not all) of these downloads are 'archives' (like 'Zip' files) and, perhaps the default extractor program on your system is non-functioning???
Nothing suggested has worked. I have tried every conceivable thing I know to do; shy of reloading windows XP which I am avoiding with everything in me; since I have sooo much on this PC that I do not want to lose.
Here are the latest facts:
1. Some Setup.exe files will execute. Most will NOT. Same for Install files.
2. Some will look like they are going to, then just stop in the middle and then nothing happens.
3. Most setup.exe (or install) files will do NOTHING when double clicked; or I right click then left click on "open".
Yet, EVERYTHING else on my computer appears to be working great. I have NO other known problems.
So whatever happened just appears to have affected the "setup" and "install" files.
Carl,
One thing I'm missing here is information about what kind of anti-virus protection you're using - this kind of behaviour is soooooo virus-like that it's scary !
Carl, I found this with a Google search for setup.exe and XP:
<SMALL>Maybe this will help as a temporary workaround: Right-click on the setup file in question and select Properties. On the Compatibility tab, specify "Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows 2000."</SMALL>
I've never used XP, but can't you re-install over the top of a previous installation? On older versions of Windows, that used to be the easy way of repairing corrupted files. Hopefully someone can tell you for sure. If so, you won't lose any of your programs or data.
Hi Carl, I may be out of line but you might check out www.askjeeves.com I've had a lot of good luck with problems thru this website. Might be worth a try.
