Can't install Windows Defender

Z

zero

Windows XP Home SP 2:

After performing a virus scan and removing 29 virus/trojans and a worm,
I am trying to install Windows Defender after a reboot.

Because of the long delay after first trying to launch the setup,
with no indication that it was running, I launched it again.

Soon I was notified that i could not install that second instance, etc because setup is already running.

After another reboot, and being careful to have only one instance running,
I still have the same problem. It says"Another installation is in progress. You must complete that installation before
continuing this one."

Add Remove Programs
has no Windows Defender in it.

Using "Sysinternals Process Explorer" I see only the on instance of msiexec.exe running and it is the one showing the
message.

Appropriately closing all the windows causes the msiexec process to vanish form the process explorer window. I see
nothing else to suggest setup is running anywhere.

I launched "Windows Installer Cleanup"
and I gat a similar message:
"Error 1500. Another installation is in progress. You must complete that installation before continuing this one"

Now I am thinking the problem is not a Windows Defender install problem. SOmewhere there is a flag indicating
installation in progress.

How do I fix this?

feeling dumb about now
 
G

Gerry

Open Disk Defragmenter and click on Analyse. Select View Report and
click on Save As and Save. Now find VolumeC.txt in your My Documents
Folder and post a copy. Do this before running Disk Defragmenter as it
is more informative.

How much RAM memory?

Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance
Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak?

You should be able to gather more information from Task Manager. With
the Processes tab open select View, Select, Columns and check the boxes
before Peak Memory Usage and Virtual Memory size. What are the figures
for the 4 processes using the largest amounts?

What are your anti-virus and anti-spyware arrangements?


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Z

zero

Gerry said:
Open Disk Defragmenter and click on Analyse. Select View Report and
click on Save As and Save. Now find VolumeC.txt in your My Documents
Folder and post a copy. Do this before running Disk Defragmenter as it
is more informative.

How much RAM memory?

Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance
Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak?

You should be able to gather more information from Task Manager. With
the Processes tab open select View, Select, Columns and check the boxes
before Peak Memory Usage and Virtual Memory size. What are the figures
for the 4 processes using the largest amounts?

What are your anti-virus and anti-spyware arrangements?


RAM is 256m
Machine is 3+ year old Dell

Hard Drive was pulled and mounted as slave in another machine and scanned with Windows Live OneCare. Nothing found.

Reinstalled into the Dell and uninstalled the McAfee that had not been kept updated.

Installed Grisift Free AVG and it removed 29 demons, and 122 more infections form the _restore folders.

Then I tried to install Windows Defender and that's where I am now.

In the registry I find the "In Progress flag set to
C:\Windows\Installer\1347c.ipi

Task Manager Processes show
System Idle Process 99%
Clicking "Retry" I see occasional 2% for explorer.exe and msiexe.exe.

I can post links to screen captures if useful.

Defrag info:
Volume (C:)
Volume size = 37.22 GB
Cluster size = 4 KB
Used space = 11.86 GB
Free space = 25.36 GB
Percent free space = 68 %

Volume fragmentation
Total fragmentation = 6 %
File fragmentation = 13 %
Free space fragmentation = 0 %

File fragmentation
Total files = 102,580
Average file size = 145 KB
Total fragmented files = 2,337
Total excess fragments = 11,612
Average fragments per file = 1.11

Pagefile fragmentation
Pagefile size = 350 MB
Total fragments = 5

Folder fragmentation
Total folders = 9,775
Fragmented folders = 62
Excess folder fragments = 544

Master File Table (MFT) fragmentation
Total MFT size = 140 MB
MFT record count = 112,498
Percent MFT in use = 78 %
Total MFT fragments = 3

-
Carl
 
Z

zero

Gerry said:
Open Disk Defragmenter and click on Analyse. Select View Report and
click on Save As and Save. Now find VolumeC.txt in your My Documents
Folder and post a copy. Do this before running Disk Defragmenter as it
is more informative.

How much RAM memory?

Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance
Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak?

You should be able to gather more information from Task Manager. With
the Processes tab open select View, Select, Columns and check the boxes
before Peak Memory Usage and Virtual Memory size. What are the figures
for the 4 processes using the largest amounts?

What are your anti-virus and anti-spyware arrangements?

Commit Charge (K)
Total 222528
Limit 603880
Peak 222552
 
G

Gerry

You have not copied the most fragmented files list from Disk
Defragmenter. Can you do this?

Windows Defender can be either a standalone programme or come as part of
Windows Live One Care. If you have Windows Live OneCare installed you
should not try to install Windows Defender. However, whilst I rate
Windows Defender and AVG 7.5 Free I would not have Windows Live OneCare
on my computer. You should not run two anti-virus programmes on a
computer -Windows Live OneCare contains a poorly rated anti-virus
programme.

Change your set up to AVG 7.5 Free and Windows Defender. Add the
freeware version of Ad-Aware to boost your antispyware capability.

http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

Your system would benefit from adding RAM. What exactly is the Dell
model? As computers get older it gets more difficult to get the right
RAM.

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
D

DrJoel

Gerry said:
You have not copied the most fragmented files list from Disk
Defragmenter. Can you do this?

Windows Defender can be either a standalone programme or come as part of
Windows Live One Care. If you have Windows Live OneCare installed you
should not try to install Windows Defender. However, whilst I rate
Windows Defender and AVG 7.5 Free I would not have Windows Live OneCare
on my computer. You should not run two anti-virus programmes on a
computer -Windows Live OneCare contains a poorly rated anti-virus
programme.

Change your set up to AVG 7.5 Free and Windows Defender. Add the
freeware version of Ad-Aware to boost your antispyware capability.

http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

Your system would benefit from adding RAM. What exactly is the Dell
model? As computers get older it gets more difficult to get the right
RAM.
AVG also has a free Anti Spywear available, and I found it to be very good.
 
Z

zero

DrJoel said:
AVG also has a free Anti Spywear available, and I found it to be very good.


This is a Dell Dimension 2400 built late 2003.
It came in with 128 MB.
How ridiculous can that be?

I added another 128 MB PC2700 I had laying around.

I clean up a lot of PC's for family friends and barter exchanges... basically for people who never have enough money.
In this case a Spanish man and his two son cleaned up my yard leaves and in exchange to fix the PC.

My standard procedure for people who can't do better, I install AVGVFREE and Windows Defender...
but I can't install Windows defender. I now know that I can't install any microsoft product that used msiexe because
"it is always running" (but not really.)

The machine is cleared of viruses.

I used SpyBot Search and Destroy to clear the rest of the adware / spyware, but I don't think it is a suitable program
for most non-techies. Windows Defender is.

So I need to find out how to clear the "always busy" indication of msiexe.exe. I do not have access to msizap which
comes in the SDK.
 
G

Gerry

Zero

You do not seem to have understood. Windows Defender is the anti-spyware
component of Windows Live OneCare. The unsatisfactory part of Windows
Live OneCare is the anti-virus component and it has a cleaner which goes
places it should not.


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

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