All downloads are corrupt [Moved from XP]

swani30 · 01-19-2008, 07:52 PM

Hi,

I'm having kind of a strange problem. All files I download from the internet appear to be corrupt. I could understand if I was downloading files from unknown sources, however, that is not the case. The last file I just tried to download and install was Ad-Aware from CNET (a.k.a. download.com). Last night I had the same problem trying to install Visual Studio Express from MSDN.

The downloads are completing OK, however, at install I keep getting errors indicating that the source file is corrupt. I had this same problem on another computer on my network a few weeks ago. I haven't tried any downloads on that PC in a while, but I assume that it probably has the same problem.

Here's where it gets interesting

The first PC that experienced this problem was my personal PC that is on my home network. I've run as many AV and ASpwr scans that I can think of (that I already have downloaded, that is). Found nothing...

I figured, no big deal. If I couldn't figure it out, I was just going to reinstall my OS, and just be done with it

Well, now I'm having this problem on my work laptop. I'm connected to the wireless router on my home network, but I don't think that any potential viruses or anything could be affecting this laptop. My work laptop (Thinkpad T40) is running XP Pro (SP2 or greater), while all of the PCs on my home network are on XP Home (SP2). With that (no workgroup support on XP Pro), and the lack of admin rights since it is my work laptop, I don't think that this laptop is really part of my "network" when I'm connected to my wireless router. At the very least, my home network can not share any resources from my work laptop. (I could be wrong though. There are a lot of network nuances that's I'm not good with).

I've heard it said before that there could be a problem with the physical wiring connections to/from my modem and routers. I've never had a problem with losing connectivity on my network, so I never suspected an intermittent data exchange issue. This is even more evident when I establish a VPN connection to my office network, since I would know if my network went down intraday. My VPN client doesn't auto-connect after losing internet connectivity...which I haven't seen.

Is it possible that my downloads could be corrupt due to a problem with my network's physical connections? Are there any settings on my PCs that I can check to see if the problem is localized on the PCs themselves?

Any help would be appriciated. As you can imagine, this is quite frustrating. Not to mention that I can't download and install any add'l AV or ASpwr programs to try to pinpoint compromised software.

Thanks in advance for any suggetions that you can give me.

**justpassingby** · 01-19-2008, 08:04 PM

Hi swani30 !

You can try Karen's net monitor to watch your connection :
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptnetmon.asp

Download one of those softwares you have problems with on another computer (check that there's no error message when you try to install the software on that other computer) then copy it to yours via an USB pen drive or a CD and try to install it. If it says the software is corrupt then the problem is not with your network.

Please give us more informations about your network layout : how many computers are on the router, are you using wireless or ethernet, ... ? Try with an all-wired network and a new ethernet cable and see if it helps.

swani30 · 01-19-2008, 08:41 PM

I will definitely try Karen's net monitor. thx

As far as my network is concerned, I have a mix of wired and wireless. Right now I have my DSL modem running into a Linksys VPN firewall router. That router is daisy-chained into a Netgear wireless router (802.11g). I have one desktop PC connected to the Linksys wired router. The idea there was to run a webserver, and have it on a different router than the rest of my home PCs (setting up my webserver is still in progress).

I have my other desktop PC connected to the Netgear wireless router via ethernet. The 3rd (and final) computer on my home network is a Gateway laptop (XP Home SP2) that is connected wirelessly. That leaves my work laptop, on the occassion that I bring it home, to connect to my Netgear wirelessly as well.

I will try to download some of these programs that I've had issues with on my webserver PC, since that is the only one I haven't tried yet. If I can get eveything to install correclty, I will try copying to my other PCs, and see if that works.

Thanks for the suggestions!

**justpassingby** · 01-19-2008, 08:50 PM

1 ADSL modem and 2 routers is out of the ordinary, most people only have 1 modem/router or 1 modem and 1 router. I don't know whether this could be the cause of the problem so I'll move this thread to the networking section where you'll have better help.

If the problem ends up being software related (if a program you downloaded and copied on CD or on an external drive works fine on a friend's computer but not on your computers) then they'll move the thread back here.

If your DSL modem supports more than 1 ethernet output I'd try to plug both routers directly to the modem and see how it goes.
Edit : on a second thought, I'm not sure this would work if the modem is not a modem/router... better wait for someone more knowledgeable than me about network issues.

**bhahar84** · 01-21-2008, 06:35 AM

Hi swani30!!

Did you tried the Karen's net monitor?

You might also try any download manager and try to see whether all the downloads are working fine

01-19-2008, 07:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
swani30 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 8 OS: Windows XP SP2	All downloads are corrupt [Moved from XP] Hi, I'm having kind of a strange problem. All files I download from the internet appear to be corrupt. I could understand if I was downloading files from unknown sources, however, that is not the case. The last file I just tried to download and install was Ad-Aware from CNET (a.k.a. download.com). Last night I had the same problem trying to install Visual Studio Express from MSDN. The downloads are completing OK, however, at install I keep getting errors indicating that the source file is corrupt. I had this same problem on another computer on my network a few weeks ago. I haven't tried any downloads on that PC in a while, but I assume that it probably has the same problem. Here's where it gets interesting The first PC that experienced this problem was my personal PC that is on my home network. I've run as many AV and ASpwr scans that I can think of (that I already have downloaded, that is). Found nothing... I figured, no big deal. If I couldn't figure it out, I was just going to reinstall my OS, and just be done with it Well, now I'm having this problem on my work laptop. I'm connected to the wireless router on my home network, but I don't think that any potential viruses or anything could be affecting this laptop. My work laptop (Thinkpad T40) is running XP Pro (SP2 or greater), while all of the PCs on my home network are on XP Home (SP2). With that (no workgroup support on XP Pro), and the lack of admin rights since it is my work laptop, I don't think that this laptop is really part of my "network" when I'm connected to my wireless router. At the very least, my home network can not share any resources from my work laptop. (I could be wrong though. There are a lot of network nuances that's I'm not good with). I've heard it said before that there could be a problem with the physical wiring connections to/from my modem and routers. I've never had a problem with losing connectivity on my network, so I never suspected an intermittent data exchange issue. This is even more evident when I establish a VPN connection to my office network, since I would know if my network went down intraday. My VPN client doesn't auto-connect after losing internet connectivity...which I haven't seen. Is it possible that my downloads could be corrupt due to a problem with my network's physical connections? Are there any settings on my PCs that I can check to see if the problem is localized on the PCs themselves? Any help would be appriciated. As you can imagine, this is quite frustrating. Not to mention that I can't download and install any add'l AV or ASpwr programs to try to pinpoint compromised software. Thanks in advance for any suggetions that you can give me.

01-19-2008, 08:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
justpassingby Moderator, Microsoft Support Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 6,219 OS: XP Home SP3 / Ubuntu My System	Re: All downloads are corrupt Hi swani30 ! You can try Karen's net monitor to watch your connection : http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptnetmon.asp Download one of those softwares you have problems with on another computer (check that there's no error message when you try to install the software on that other computer) then copy it to yours via an USB pen drive or a CD and try to install it. If it says the software is corrupt then the problem is not with your network. Please give us more informations about your network layout : how many computers are on the router, are you using wireless or ethernet, ... ? Try with an all-wired network and a new ethernet cable and see if it helps. __________________ Malware removal steps. Post your logs there and not here ! Posting system specs

01-19-2008, 08:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
swani30 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 8 OS: Windows XP SP2	Re: All downloads are corrupt I will definitely try Karen's net monitor. thx As far as my network is concerned, I have a mix of wired and wireless. Right now I have my DSL modem running into a Linksys VPN firewall router. That router is daisy-chained into a Netgear wireless router (802.11g). I have one desktop PC connected to the Linksys wired router. The idea there was to run a webserver, and have it on a different router than the rest of my home PCs (setting up my webserver is still in progress). I have my other desktop PC connected to the Netgear wireless router via ethernet. The 3rd (and final) computer on my home network is a Gateway laptop (XP Home SP2) that is connected wirelessly. That leaves my work laptop, on the occassion that I bring it home, to connect to my Netgear wirelessly as well. I will try to download some of these programs that I've had issues with on my webserver PC, since that is the only one I haven't tried yet. If I can get eveything to install correclty, I will try copying to my other PCs, and see if that works. Thanks for the suggestions!

01-19-2008, 08:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
justpassingby Moderator, Microsoft Support Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 6,219 OS: XP Home SP3 / Ubuntu My System	Re: All downloads are corrupt 1 ADSL modem and 2 routers is out of the ordinary, most people only have 1 modem/router or 1 modem and 1 router. I don't know whether this could be the cause of the problem so I'll move this thread to the networking section where you'll have better help. If the problem ends up being software related (if a program you downloaded and copied on CD or on an external drive works fine on a friend's computer but not on your computers) then they'll move the thread back here. If your DSL modem supports more than 1 ethernet output I'd try to plug both routers directly to the modem and see how it goes. Edit : on a second thought, I'm not sure this would work if the modem is not a modem/router... better wait for someone more knowledgeable than me about network issues. __________________ Malware removal steps. Post your logs there and not here ! Posting system specs Last edited by justpassingby; 01-19-2008 at 08:54 PM.

01-21-2008, 06:35 AM	#5 (permalink)
bhahar84 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Malaysia Posts: 1,386 OS: Windows XP SP2, Vista Ultimate My System	Re: All downloads are corrupt [Moved from XP] Hi swani30!! Did you tried the Karen's net monitor? You might also try any download manager and try to see whether all the downloads are working fine __________________ .:CPU-Z::Power Supply::Recuva::Unlocker::SensorsView::PSU Calculator::Everest:.[/center]