[Can't open or run downloaded programs]

My OS is XP Home with SP2. My computer cannot RUN (open or install) the programs downloaded and saved in Temp folder from legitimate website such as Microsoft etc...
Is there something missing in my OS. Please help.

 

Please use a 'meaningful thread title' as specified in the forum Posting Rules. I adjusted this one for you.

Need more details.
- only downloaded apps?
- can you download them to a folder and then run them from there?
- did you install a service pack or hot fix right before the problem started?
- do you have a restore point that was made before the problem started?

 

Thanks Newt for your critique. I have performed restore, but problem persist. This is what happen after enter "RUN ", the screen show following:
"Erro in C;\docume~1\lc\local`1\tem\stub.dll missing entry:and "
Can you help..
Thanks.

 

OK. Three likely possibilities and I'll list them in the order of how easy they are to fix and you'll probably need #2 done if you need to progress on to #3 - at least you will based on the problem you describe.

1. Sludge in your temp folder(s).
- Open My Computer, right-click on the C: drive icon and then left click Properties. Click the button to do a disk cleanup and let it run. Unless you do this regularly it can take a long while but it will work. When the box pops up with a list of sections that have stuff to remove, check all of them and then let it clean. Big drive and first time to do this and an hour wouldn't be unusual - it will seem to stall but hasn't.
- Open your browser and dump all temporary internet files, cookies, and history.

At best, this will cure your problem. At worst, this will clean the PC and give a slight performance improvement with fewer strange errors.

2. Corrupt user profile.
- Create a new profile and add it to the administrator group. Good how-to Here and if the new profile works OK while the old one gives trouble, the same link has directions for copying most of your personal settings from the old/bad profile to the new one.

3. Spyware/malware/trojan/virus.
- from quicklinks in my signature, download, install, update, and run all of Ad-aware, Spybot, Microsoft Windows Antispyware. Let each of them clean any items they find. Not sure if your problem profile will allow this but if not, boot to the new one and do the job from there.
- from quicklinks in my signature, go to any two of the online AV sites and run a scan. Check every box except autoclean. Scan and if it finds items it can't clean, let it delete them.