SP2 FILE EXTRACTION FAILURE

[Guest]

XP Pro w/SP1
cable modem
2.53 GHZ Pentium 4 w/533FSB
nVidia Ti-4600 128MB vid

Hi,

After FINALLY getting my system virus- and pest-free, I disconnected from
the Net to download and install SP2, the 266MB version. Not long after the
extraction started, I got the following message:

"Extraction Failed" "File is corrupt"

Extracting File: i386\msnmsgs.ms_

To Directory: c:\b93509cd462b3ffc9e9d

Anyone have any ideas, assistance for remedying this so I don't have to open
the system builders' CD I purchased as a last-gasp backup?

THANKS in advance,

Goob

p. s. -- I've saved the download to a CD and it's still on my Desktop. I
tried it in both Regular and Safe Mode to no avail. I was not connected to
the Net.

 

[Maurice N ~ MVP]

Presuming you downloaded it first, then disconnected from net.
The message seems pretty much straight forward. I'd say delete that download file & redo the download.

One note of caution & concern: Before you actually begin the setup phase of the service pack update, be very sure to turn off antivirus (via MSCONFIG) & most all user apps (except for firewall).

If you burned the sp2 file to a CD, then I would suspect you had a flawed burn to CD.

 

[Guest]

Time for bed, with my tail between my legs. I tried the download/install
again -- no dice...and each time I tried another install, another corrupt
file message appeared -- to a different directory.
Was it all supposed to be this difficult?

Anyone wanna tackle this one? Heck, all I want is SP2!

Goob

 

[oldsman]

hi,

yup, sounds like a bad download.

3 things spring to my mind that could cause this(there are more than
3!, of course)

1) noise.. i was a HSD/VOIP tech for the cable co, i know a noisy cable
connection can cause problems with data. does your connection seem
slower than a cable modem should? do a speed test at
http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest if it is slow, that can be because
of resends of data, etc. if so, get a tech out there to find/fix the
problem.

the next two are kinda related:
2) your computer doesnt sound real old... but how about the harddrive
itself? is it a good brand? if you built your own computer, i can
understand using an older harddrive to save some money, heck i do it
sometimes. but like all things, harddrives have service life. not all
harddrives are created equal, either. its one of the places oem's like
dell and emachines cut costs on their low-end machines. anyway, it
might be getting wierd on you. search for and use a test utility to
check for read/write and I/O issues that may not be apparent under
daily use.
3) even if your harddrive is working ok, it may be overworked. how
often do you defrag your harddrive? the industry-correct answer would
be once a week, but who does that? LOL. anyway, it would be a good
idea before a big download like sp2, so your harddrive doesn't go crazy
jumping all over the platter trying to write it, and do it all over
again to extract and update. plus your computer will stay faster,
longer.

Hmmm.... i know i said 3, but how's the heat situation? inside your
computer, i mean. poor ventilation combined with overworking can turn
harddrives into frying pans. when was the last time you open your
computer? if it sits on or near the floor, it draws alot of dust that
get into the cpu cooler, sticks to fans(changing their flow
characteristics), clogs up intake air filters; even if you dont have an
intake filter, if you have pets, hair will collect at the air intake
behind the plastic front bezel and act sorta like a filter, collecting
all kinds of dust and inhibiting airflow. if you are like me, and
smoke(i know, i know...) the dust will get 'sticky' and compound the
problem.

well...sorry for the long post, but i wanted to give you some solid
ideas all at once, not that back and forth stuff,
best of luck.

 

[Maurice N ~ MVP]

Good morning.
You can get the SP2 CD from MS
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default.mspx

But first check on things as oldsman suggested. Another point: try downloading at off-peak times: late, late at night, or early morning.

Keep this page handy and do study it.
http://aumha.org/win5/a/sp2faq.htm

 

[Guest]

THANK YOU for the detailed response, oldsman...WOW!

Fortunately, I had downloaded and installed BeLarc Advisor before my clean
install.

My drive is a Western Digital 100GB, I don't know what age.

You mention a utility "to check for read/write and I/O issues that may not
be apparent under daily use." Can you point me to any? THANKS #1...

Regarding my cable connection, here's what I got by going to your
recommended site:

dslreports.com speed test result on 2006-03-30 09:18:33 EST:

2953 / 195

Your download speed : 2953 kbps or 369.2 KB/sec.
That is 30.7% better than an average user on charter.com

Your upload speed : 195 kbps or 24.4 KB/sec.
That is 26.9% worse than an average user on charter.com

Regarding your statements about defrag...what is the best way? Command
prompt, 3rd-party utility? I used to do it quite regularly, through
Symantec's NSW, first purchased in 2003 and updated through 2005, but quite
frankly, I'm happy to be free from Symantec! That's why I have eTrust at the
moment -- it came highly regarded.

Speaking of command prompt, do you have the recommended commands for
chkdisk? I think I remember something like chkdisk /f and chkdisk /r, but
please don't quote me on them : )

Regarding heat...well, my box has been open for almost two months ever since
I got the harbinger of nasty things to come re config file corrupted or
missing -- and maybe more missing or corruption in the other 4 hives! So I
don't think heat is a prob at this point -- the rig is very well ventilated,
but since it is so near the floor, about 3-4 inches above it on a platform,
maybe the compressed air technique or something else which would be unknown
to me at the present time?

THANKS AGAIN SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!

Goob

 

[netkracker]

I just resolved a similar "File is Corrupt" problem while trying every
method possible to install the latest service pack. Turned out to be a
defective memory module! Once it was replaced, everything worked as
advertised.

If you have more than one memory module installed, try leaving just one
in place. If you still have a problem, try swapping the modules. If
you only have one module, I suggest replacing it with a new one.

Netkracker

 

[blove]

bad memory to blame

I tried the suggestion from netkracker and it was indeed a bad memory module that was holding up my progress... no more file corrupt error now.

I just resolved a similar "File is Corrupt" problem while trying every
method possible to install the latest service pack. Turned out to be a
defective memory module! Once it was replaced, everything worked as
advertised.

If you have more than one memory module installed, try leaving just one
in place. If you still have a problem, try swapping the modules. If
you only have one module, I suggest replacing it with a new one.

Netkracker