Nothing will download

Hi,
Everytime I try to download something from the internet, and even new software, I get thru the whole process. Then when the InstallShield Wizard goes to install anything a big gray box appears that says," an error occurred while launching the setup. Unexpected failure ".
There is a smaller rectangle box with an OK in the middle of it in the same box with the error message. I click on the OK and the whole download disappears like it never went thru the download. This happens EVERY time I attempt to download or upload anything to my computer.
I have Internet Explorer 6 installed, Windows 98SE and a pretty powerful computer withan AMD Thunderbird 900 that supports 1500MB of RAM.
This hasn't always been a problem maybe somewhere along the line I lost a necessary file or function when I got the KLEZ and BugBear, and Trojan Viruses.
Is there any special diagnostic tool that will be able to diagnose exactly what is going on and tell me what to do to fix this problem????

 

The first thing I'd suggest, is doing an online virus scan at Housecall to ensure that there's no infections left on your machine.

Daizy

 

Hi Daizy........Did that twice no residuals left behind. Maybe something was eaten in the interim.
I also did System File Checker....Nothing to restore.
Just don't know what is the responsible file I am missing that allows this to happen.

 

Your problem then is with the install I gather.... not the download, since the failure occurs when the downloaded setup program begins.

I would follow brett's suggestion to Empty C:\WINDOWS\TEMP which hemade in your earlier thread:
Nothing will Install

Additionally, I would use the "save to disk ", NOT the OPEN option, when clicking on a link to a setup program (exe file). Save the download to the desktop or other folder on the harddrive, and close Internet Explorer. Next scan the download with your antivirus program and if all is OK, disable your antivirus program, close all other running programs and attempt the install again.

 

Hello Alice,
Yes,,,, the information seems to gather well but as soon as the InstallShield Wizard completes it's hash marks the Error message occurs. This occurs even when I am trying to install new software from a manufacturers CD. It seems nothing new can be put on my computer.

Exactly step by step how would I empty my C:\WINDOWS\TEMP?
What is the pracitical theory behind doing this?
How would this allow my InstallShield Wizard to do it's job successfully?

I have downloaded and SAVED TO DISK but when the install Wizard does it's thing I get the same error message.
At some point my computer simply stopped accepting new material.

 

After you first start Windows, or after a restart, do this:

Open My Computer, then C-drive, then the Windows Folder, then finally open the Temp folder. Click on Edit ...Select All, so that all files and folders are highlighted. Then Click on File, ...Delete.

The theory is that install programs place files inside the C:\Windows\Temp folder that are needed for the installation. Files already in there might interfere.

Don't forget to stop your antivirus program from running before you try any installs since sometimes antivirus programs also interfere with an installation. You can do a Ctrl/Alt/Delete and "end task" on everything, one at a time, except Explorer and Systray, which has the benefit of closing ALL running programs, any of which might interfere with an install. Other people just end task on tthe antivirus program, or disable it by either double-clicking or right-clicking the antivirus program's system tray icon and selecting "disable" if that option exsts.

 

Thanks Alice,
Sounds sensible enough. I'll give it a try and come back with the results

 

Alice,
I followed the instructions you gave me for emptying the TEMP folder and tried to install a game that would not install before. The message has now changed to the following " The InstallShield Engine (iKernel.exe) could not be installed. The system cannot read from the specified device. "
Any suggestions, any info on what to do from here?

I went into the game file and clicked on autorunexe. The old message came up. " An error occurred while attempting to launch the setup. Unexpected failure ". So no matter what I do I cannot get any new software or online downloads to install.

 

I found a number of newsgroup posts on that error coming up when trying to rerun a previously-failed install . Do a Find on iKernel.exe and REname it iKernel.XXX as a safety precaution. Then try the install again.

Here is the NG post recommending that as a solution:
===========copy/paste========
From: Laura Stansfield (laura.stansfield@whitefriars.com)
Subject: Re: Setup failed to launch installation engine
Newsgroups: installshield.is6.general
Date: 2000-12-05 02:15:43 PST

Sorry, this is not a solution, but I have a user who is getting a similar
(the same?) error on Windows 98.

Error - 'The Installshield engine (Ikernel.exe) could not be installed.
System cannot read the specificed device'

From: Hugo Logmans (hlogmans@edb.nl_removethispart)
Subject: Re: Setup failed to launch installation engine
Newsgroups: installshield.is6.general
Date: 2001-01-23 14:19:15 PST

We've got customers with the same problem: but it happens after an
installation failed. Just normal win95 & 98 computers. I did never convert
from IS5.

Removing the ikernel.exe solves the problem.

"Skydog I" <tbushell-nospam@hotmail.com-nospam> schreef in bericht
news:3a6810b5$1@12.41.20.38...
> Yeah, I get exactly the same thing when installing from a network share onto
> a Windows '98 machine! (Installshield 6.22)
>
> Previously my 4 or 5 installs, also from the network share, had worked fine
> from that workstation.
>
> I deleted the folder on the workstation containing the iKernel.exe file and
> the tried the install again. This time it worked fine.
============end c/p===========

Alternately, do you have any new programs or updates to install, something that didn't fail before?

 

Alice,
Thank you for the info. Definitely worth a go. I will post results as soon as I do that later today.

 

Alice,
I did what you wrote and When I try to install anything I still get the, " An error occurred while launching the setup. Unexpected failure. " message
What happens everytime is the InstallShield Wizard gets to it's last hash mark and this same message appears without fail.
What is this InstallShield Wizard and is it possible it isn' working correctly?
Sometimes I get thru a whole download and everything is OK untill I try to open the downloaded material and install it on my computer. Is there some kind of special specific diagnostic tool that can identify any functions that have problems. Or is this still a halfwitted medium that simply puts stuff out there without beta testing or any diagnostic equipment that can actually diagnose a system effectively?????

 

From what I can gather, InstallShield is a program that actually installs the software, a process which includes creating folders, extracting files and placing them in the appropriate folders, creating desktop and start menu shortcuts and adding registry or .ini entries.

I did a Find on InstallShield and came up with the following folders:
C:\Program Files\InstallShield Installation Information
C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield

My own ikernel.exe file is located here:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Engine\6\Intel32 (created July 15 2002)
I checked the properties of ikernel.exe, version tab, and it shows
version 6, 30, 100, 1255
InstallShield (R) Setup Engine
Copyright (C) 1990-2001 InstallShield Software

I checked my notes and 7-15-02 is the date I installed the Sun Java JRE 1.4.0_01 so it seems that the folder and file were created by the installation.

You might also try either renaming or deleting the entire folder that contains the ikernel.exe file.

Either rename Intel32 to XIntel32
-or-
Delete the entire Intel32 folder (you may wish to copy Intel32 to a temporary backup location as a precaution)

Then try the install again.

Is your problem only with certain installation programs? Maybe if you tell us what specific software you are attempting to install (name and manufacturer)and give us a webpage link we could figure out the problem?

PS:
Newsgroup posts I found that seem to apply:

==========copy/paste========

From: glee (glee29@mindspring.com)
Subject: Re: InstallShield Error. Need help!
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.win98.apps
Date: 2002-10-13 13:50:08 PST

Have a look here:
http://support.installshield.com/kb/view.asp?articleid=Q104985

Particularly try numbers 9 and 10 in the first group listing:

9. A potential cause is missing Stdole32.tlb, stdole2.tlb, or Stdole.tlb files.
These are core Windows files and should exist on your machine. Make sure that if you get these files from another machine, the machine is running the same operating system as the target machine.

10. If you are trying to install to a Windows 98 machine, download and run
DCom98.exe from the following site:
http://www.microsoft.com/com/dcom/dcom98/download.asp.

...glen
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems

Dinshu wrote in message <109601c272e5$46a76d10$37ef2ecf@TKMSFTNGXA13>...
> "The InstallShield Engine (iKernel.exe) could not be
>launched.
>Error loading type library/DLL. "
>
>The above is an error I get while trying to install
>anything. From games to applications, I am running Windows
>98 and I would like some help in trying to fix this
>problem. Thank you.


===========copy/paste=======

From: CanOpener23 (chandlerdesign@home.com)
Subject: Re: B&W, iKernel.exe error
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic
Date: 2001-04-23 01:30:15 PST

I found a way to fix the error you and I have with B&W install. I made two
corrections at once so I'm not sure which one corrected the problem.

First, download a file called "DCOM98 ver1.3" from Microsoft. Here is the
URL:

http://www.microsoft.com/com/dcom/dcom98/dcom1_3.asp
THIS WILL ONLY WORK IF OU ARE ON A WINDOWS 98 OS!
This will update drivers that the install shield uses. Reboot after
install.

Second, Change the name of the following folder:
C:/program files/common files/installshield/engine Change "engine" folder
to "engine_old" (just rename the folder). This is where B&W will install
the ikernel program during the install.

Now run the setup.exe for B&W. It worked the first time for me. Again I'm
not sure how all this fixes the problem. I just found several articles on
the internet suggesting these correction. They worked for me.
==========end c/p===========

 

Alice,
Actually nothing will Unstall, The game with iKernel was just another one with a further complication. I went online to try and download upgrades and new things like Java 2 and the download went well but the minute the InstallShield Wizard did it's thing that error message came up and all the time I spent downloading the particular program was shot, because it would not install.

Thank you for all the specific links for installing. This is the stuff I am pretty certain I need to use for my problem. I will try them after work and see which one solves the problem and post the results. Thank you very much for the info .

 

OK BlackStone

Since nothing else has worked do the following.

Configure CleanMgr to max settings
Go to Start-Run and type

cleanmgr /sageset:1
The above need only be ran once (these settings will be remembered as the default until another sageset is ran).

It will present a menu select all except compress, then

Go to Start-Run and type

cleanmgr /sagerun:1
As long as /sageset above has been ran on this computer from now on the /sagerun is the only thing that needs to run.
-----------------------------------

Now reboot hit F8 continually untill you get the boot menu

Cleanups
These are for 95 98 ME only!

Boot to DOS (not shutdown to DOS). While booting hit F8 to startup menu. Chose "command prompt only ".

Type these commands exactly hit enter at the end (do not type the notes that are in parenthesis like this).

del c:\*.swp (may get file not found, is ok)
del c:\windows\*.swp
deltree c:\windows\shelli*.*
deltree c:\windows\temp\*.* (answer yes to all) "ALL "
deltree c:\windows\tempor~1\*.*
deltree c:\windows\history\*.*
deltree c:\windows\spool\printers\*.*

Hit Ctrl Alt Del to reboot
Hit F8 again to get the boot menu again, this time chose "Safe mode"
So now test for problem and report back!

Mike

 

BlackStone

I left this off of my last message

After rebooting back into full mode, test for problem.

If it still exists

do this

Start-Run

type

msiexec /unregister

OK it

if successful then

Start- Run

type

msiexec /register

click ok

Now retest for problem.

Mike

 

Mike,
I followed your instructions to the letter but quite a few things never happened. When I typed cleanmgr /sageset:1...... then pressed OK ther was never a menu presented,,,,,,,,,,just a select drive box like the one that presents itself when I go to DISK CLEANUP in my System Tools. So there was no option to select anything and not select compression.

Next,,,, I went to the f8 command prompt only.
I typed in the list one by one exactly as you wrote out. Each time pressing Enter to make it so.
The file not found came up after both del c:\*.swp and del c:\windows\*.swp. As you said may happen.

I typed in deltree c:\windows\shelli*.* and my computer changed the shelli to all caps and asked if I wanted to delete it. I said yes.
Next I typed deltree c:\windows\temp*.* and answered yes to that one.
Then the computer asked me if I wanted to delete deltree c:\windows\tempor(squigley line)1 without my typing in the line. Good thing cause I have no squigley line on my keyboard.

I was not allowed to add the last two \history and spool\printers because the little indicator never returned for me to continue after I entered YES for the windows\tempor line.
So I hit ctrl,alt,del to reboot and when I got to safe mode I tried to install the software (which is what I hope you meant by test for the problem) and it still would not install.
I also did the Start,Run,type msiexec /unregister,,,,,,,,,,,OK'd it and nothing happened except the box disappeared never to appear again.
When I tried to do msiexec /register a box headlined with Windows Installer appeared. This is the message the box had in it......incorrect command line parameters. Windows Installer. V 2.00.2600.1 copyright@2000 microsoft corporation. All rights reserved. Portions of this software are based in part on the work of the independent JPEG Group.

 

Been out to dinner!

Then if you typed them correctly we definately have problems because they all should have went.

1. Did you type it like this cleanmgr {space here} /sageset:1.

2. No space after the colon and the one.

3.do you have another drive that contains the win386.swp file.
Do a search for it in windows and write down where it is. This file cannot be deleted from windows.

4. The tilde is below the ESC key on the left 2nd row from top before the number 1.

5. You must have had many temp files and did not let it finish deleting, did you not hear the HD churning?

6. Do all that did not complete then get back I will be here unless it gets extremely late.

7. If you found the *.swp then type deltree d:\*.swp (or whereever you found it)

Mike

 

After you do all the above we will deal with the msiexec which is the windows installer.

Do not do the below untill we have finished the other steps. Because if we can not finish these we have a problem.

Appearently this is your problem.

If you typed it correctly then it is some how gone belly up!

So to install a new one go here:

Win98 & ME installer latest version
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...&FamilyID=CEBBAC8-C094-4255-B702-DE3BB768148F

Mike

 

Mike,
OK I see the tilde..thanks.
I did type according to what you did, placing the space where you did. I printed out your post and made certain it looked identical.
I have only one drive. It is an IBM 41 gigabyte drive. It is partitioned into three drives. would the other partitions possibly have the file win386.swp???

I didn't hear my hard drive churning after I pressed enter on the tempor question.
How do I search for the win386.swp file in windows??? What are the exact steps to take to do it accurately?

I will redo the previous instructions and get back to you shortly.

 

Start-Find-Files and folders

Type in, in Named

win386.swp

Make sure Look in says

My computer

Mike