Vista - Can't install any applications!

Hey all, this has been driving me crazy, and I'm about to start crying.

It seems that I'm unable to install *any* third party application on my new
Windows Vista Home Premium installation. Firefox, Thunderbird, Nvidia
drivers, VNC, any .exe file that tries to install an application fails with a
generic error message:

"firefox has stopped working - A problem caused the program to stop working
correctly..."

Looking in the Event Log shows:

"Faulting application Firefox Setup 2.0.0.2.exe ... faulting module
ntdll.dll .... "

I've activated my install, restarted the machine a million times, looked
everywhere on the 'net, I've even reinstalled the OS several times, trying
upgrades vs. clean installs, vs. 30 day trials. I've updated the system (the
updates seem to apply fine). All hardware seems to be recognized fine in the
Device Manager... My xbox 360 connects just fine as an Extender... I just
can't seem to install any new programs!

My machine is a run of the mill Dell Dimension 4700.

Any help or pointers at all will be much appreciated!

You could try this. Right-click on the setup file, say the Firefox Setup
file, choose Properties, and click on the "Unblock" button (Apply, OK).
Then, right-click,on that same file again, and this time choose Run as
Administrator.


"JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:883B63D4-E03A-48FA-BED4-35CE645DF335@microsoft.com...
> Hey all, this has been driving me crazy, and I'm about to start crying.
>
> It seems that I'm unable to install *any* third party application on my
> new
> Windows Vista Home Premium installation. Firefox, Thunderbird, Nvidia
> drivers, VNC, any .exe file that tries to install an application fails
> with a
> generic error message:
>
> "firefox has stopped working - A problem caused the program to stop
> working
> correctly..."
>
> Looking in the Event Log shows:
>
> "Faulting application Firefox Setup 2.0.0.2.exe ... faulting module
> ntdll.dll .... "
>
> I've activated my install, restarted the machine a million times, looked
> everywhere on the 'net, I've even reinstalled the OS several times, trying
> upgrades vs. clean installs, vs. 30 day trials. I've updated the system
> (the
> updates seem to apply fine). All hardware seems to be recognized fine in
> the
> Device Manager... My xbox 360 connects just fine as an Extender... I just
> can't seem to install any new programs!
>
> My machine is a run of the mill Dell Dimension 4700.
>
> Any help or pointers at all will be much appreciated!

Nope, no luck. Same behavior after unblocking.

"dean-dean" wrote:

> You could try this. Right-click on the setup file, say the Firefox Setup
> file, choose Properties, and click on the "Unblock" button (Apply, OK).
> Then, right-click,on that same file again, and this time choose Run as
> Administrator.
>
>
> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:883B63D4-E03A-48FA-BED4-35CE645DF335@microsoft.com...
> > Hey all, this has been driving me crazy, and I'm about to start crying.
> >
> > It seems that I'm unable to install *any* third party application on my
> > new
> > Windows Vista Home Premium installation. Firefox, Thunderbird, Nvidia
> > drivers, VNC, any .exe file that tries to install an application fails
> > with a
> > generic error message:
> >
> > "firefox has stopped working - A problem caused the program to stop
> > working
> > correctly..."
> >
> > Looking in the Event Log shows:
> >
> > "Faulting application Firefox Setup 2.0.0.2.exe ... faulting module
> > ntdll.dll .... "
> >
> > I've activated my install, restarted the machine a million times, looked
> > everywhere on the 'net, I've even reinstalled the OS several times, trying
> > upgrades vs. clean installs, vs. 30 day trials. I've updated the system
> > (the
> > updates seem to apply fine). All hardware seems to be recognized fine in
> > the
> > Device Manager... My xbox 360 connects just fine as an Extender... I just
> > can't seem to install any new programs!
> >
> > My machine is a run of the mill Dell Dimension 4700.
> >
> > Any help or pointers at all will be much appreciated!
>
>

That seemed very promising... but, no luck. The scan completed, with:

"Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."

Anything else I can try? I'm even ready to try a reinstall of the OS, if
there's an interesting twist to the install that I can try (I've already
reinstalled four times, at this point).

"dean-dean" wrote:

> Bummer. I'm assuming, after doing the "Unblock", that you right-clicked on
> that same file again, and chose Run as Administrator. Try this. Open
> Command Prompt, by right-clicking it, choosing Run as Administrator, and
> copy and paste this:
>
> sfc /scannow
>
> The System File Checker checks all the current system files and
> can restore the cached approved copies. I'm not sure this will work, but it
> might be worth a try. For
> more information regarding the System File Checker with Vista, see:
>
> http://vistasupport.mvps.org/system_file_checker.htm
>
>
> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news06ABF64-2046-48E5-A7A0-09F0FB0949DF@microsoft.com...
> > Nope, no luck. Same behavior after unblocking.
> >
> > "dean-dean" wrote:
> >
> >> You could try this. Right-click on the setup file, say the Firefox Setup
> >> file, choose Properties, and click on the "Unblock" button (Apply, OK).
> >> Then, right-click,on that same file again, and this time choose Run as
> >> Administrator.
> >>
> >>
> >> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:883B63D4-E03A-48FA-BED4-35CE645DF335@microsoft.com...
> >> > Hey all, this has been driving me crazy, and I'm about to start crying.
> >> >
> >> > It seems that I'm unable to install *any* third party application on my
> >> > new
> >> > Windows Vista Home Premium installation. Firefox, Thunderbird, Nvidia
> >> > drivers, VNC, any .exe file that tries to install an application fails
> >> > with a
> >> > generic error message:
> >> >
> >> > "firefox has stopped working - A problem caused the program to stop
> >> > working
> >> > correctly..."
> >> >
> >> > Looking in the Event Log shows:
> >> >
> >> > "Faulting application Firefox Setup 2.0.0.2.exe ... faulting module
> >> > ntdll.dll .... "
> >> >
> >> > I've activated my install, restarted the machine a million times,
> >> > looked
> >> > everywhere on the 'net, I've even reinstalled the OS several times,
> >> > trying
> >> > upgrades vs. clean installs, vs. 30 day trials. I've updated the system
> >> > (the
> >> > updates seem to apply fine). All hardware seems to be recognized fine
> >> > in
> >> > the
> >> > Device Manager... My xbox 360 connects just fine as an Extender... I
> >> > just
> >> > can't seem to install any new programs!
> >> >
> >> > My machine is a run of the mill Dell Dimension 4700.
> >> >
> >> > Any help or pointers at all will be much appreciated!
> >>
> >>
>
>

It's so odd that you can run programs (.exe types) but not installer
programs (.exe types or .msi types, I assume). It seems something's running
interference, incorrectly, either not allowing the files to be expanded, or
letting items be written to the registry, or both, and balling up the works
by malfunctioning. Try this, if you haven't done so. Open the start menu,
and click on your User picture. When the User Accounts window pops up,
click on "Turn User Account Control On or Off". If it's off, turn it on.
If it's on, turn it off. They try installing again, using the "Run as
Administrator" right-click.


"JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:902FA132-6754-44A1-B9C4-4E15766DB0C5@microsoft.com...
> That seemed very promising... but, no luck. The scan completed, with:
>
> "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."
>
> Anything else I can try? I'm even ready to try a reinstall of the OS, if
> there's an interesting twist to the install that I can try (I've already
> reinstalled four times, at this point).
>
> "dean-dean" wrote:
>
>> Bummer. I'm assuming, after doing the "Unblock", that you right-clicked
>> on
>> that same file again, and chose Run as Administrator. Try this. Open
>> Command Prompt, by right-clicking it, choosing Run as Administrator, and
>> copy and paste this:
>>
>> sfc /scannow
>>
>> The System File Checker checks all the current system files and
>> can restore the cached approved copies. I'm not sure this will work, but
>> it
>> might be worth a try. For
>> more information regarding the System File Checker with Vista, see:
>>
>> http://vistasupport.mvps.org/system_file_checker.htm
>>
>>
>> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news06ABF64-2046-48E5-A7A0-09F0FB0949DF@microsoft.com...
>> > Nope, no luck. Same behavior after unblocking.
>> >
>> > "dean-dean" wrote:
>> >
>> >> You could try this. Right-click on the setup file, say the Firefox
>> >> Setup
>> >> file, choose Properties, and click on the "Unblock" button (Apply,
>> >> OK).
>> >> Then, right-click,on that same file again, and this time choose Run as
>> >> Administrator.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> >> news:883B63D4-E03A-48FA-BED4-35CE645DF335@microsoft.com...
>> >> > Hey all, this has been driving me crazy, and I'm about to start
>> >> > crying.
>> >> >
>> >> > It seems that I'm unable to install *any* third party application on
>> >> > my
>> >> > new
>> >> > Windows Vista Home Premium installation. Firefox, Thunderbird,
>> >> > Nvidia
>> >> > drivers, VNC, any .exe file that tries to install an application
>> >> > fails
>> >> > with a
>> >> > generic error message:
>> >> >
>> >> > "firefox has stopped working - A problem caused the program to stop
>> >> > working
>> >> > correctly..."
>> >> >
>> >> > Looking in the Event Log shows:
>> >> >
>> >> > "Faulting application Firefox Setup 2.0.0.2.exe ... faulting module
>> >> > ntdll.dll .... "
>> >> >
>> >> > I've activated my install, restarted the machine a million times,
>> >> > looked
>> >> > everywhere on the 'net, I've even reinstalled the OS several times,
>> >> > trying
>> >> > upgrades vs. clean installs, vs. 30 day trials. I've updated the
>> >> > system
>> >> > (the
>> >> > updates seem to apply fine). All hardware seems to be recognized
>> >> > fine
>> >> > in
>> >> > the
>> >> > Device Manager... My xbox 360 connects just fine as an Extender... I
>> >> > just
>> >> > can't seem to install any new programs!
>> >> >
>> >> > My machine is a run of the mill Dell Dimension 4700.
>> >> >
>> >> > Any help or pointers at all will be much appreciated!
>> >>
>> >>
>>
>>

Is it possible that the extension has been associated with an incorrect
opening function? Since you say you have installed it several times, is it
possible you are doing something early after the install that is resetting
your .exe extensions. There are other postings and a KB article related to
resetting .exe if it gets improperly associated.


"dean-dean" <dean-dean@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:%23fo6PJaaHHA.3272@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> It's so odd that you can run programs (.exe types) but not installer
> programs (.exe types or .msi types, I assume). It seems something's
> running
> interference, incorrectly, either not allowing the files to be expanded,
> or
> letting items be written to the registry, or both, and balling up the
> works
> by malfunctioning. Try this, if you haven't done so. Open the start
> menu,
> and click on your User picture. When the User Accounts window pops up,
> click on "Turn User Account Control On or Off". If it's off, turn it on.
> If it's on, turn it off. They try installing again, using the "Run as
> Administrator" right-click.
>
>
> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:902FA132-6754-44A1-B9C4-4E15766DB0C5@microsoft.com...
>> That seemed very promising... but, no luck. The scan completed, with:
>>
>> "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."
>>
>> Anything else I can try? I'm even ready to try a reinstall of the OS, if
>> there's an interesting twist to the install that I can try (I've already
>> reinstalled four times, at this point).
>>
>> "dean-dean" wrote:
>>
>>> Bummer. I'm assuming, after doing the "Unblock", that you right-clicked
>>> on
>>> that same file again, and chose Run as Administrator. Try this. Open
>>> Command Prompt, by right-clicking it, choosing Run as Administrator, and
>>> copy and paste this:
>>>
>>> sfc /scannow
>>>
>>> The System File Checker checks all the current system files and
>>> can restore the cached approved copies. I'm not sure this will work, but
>>> it
>>> might be worth a try. For
>>> more information regarding the System File Checker with Vista, see:
>>>
>>> http://vistasupport.mvps.org/system_file_checker.htm
>>>
>>>
>>> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>> news06ABF64-2046-48E5-A7A0-09F0FB0949DF@microsoft.com...
>>> > Nope, no luck. Same behavior after unblocking.
>>> >
>>> > "dean-dean" wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> You could try this. Right-click on the setup file, say the Firefox
>>> >> Setup
>>> >> file, choose Properties, and click on the "Unblock" button (Apply,
>>> >> OK).
>>> >> Then, right-click,on that same file again, and this time choose Run
>>> >> as
>>> >> Administrator.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>> >> news:883B63D4-E03A-48FA-BED4-35CE645DF335@microsoft.com...
>>> >> > Hey all, this has been driving me crazy, and I'm about to start
>>> >> > crying.
>>> >> >
>>> >> > It seems that I'm unable to install *any* third party application
>>> >> > on
>>> >> > my
>>> >> > new
>>> >> > Windows Vista Home Premium installation. Firefox, Thunderbird,
>>> >> > Nvidia
>>> >> > drivers, VNC, any .exe file that tries to install an application
>>> >> > fails
>>> >> > with a
>>> >> > generic error message:
>>> >> >
>>> >> > "firefox has stopped working - A problem caused the program to stop
>>> >> > working
>>> >> > correctly..."
>>> >> >
>>> >> > Looking in the Event Log shows:
>>> >> >
>>> >> > "Faulting application Firefox Setup 2.0.0.2.exe ... faulting module
>>> >> > ntdll.dll .... "
>>> >> >
>>> >> > I've activated my install, restarted the machine a million times,
>>> >> > looked
>>> >> > everywhere on the 'net, I've even reinstalled the OS several times,
>>> >> > trying
>>> >> > upgrades vs. clean installs, vs. 30 day trials. I've updated the
>>> >> > system
>>> >> > (the
>>> >> > updates seem to apply fine). All hardware seems to be recognized
>>> >> > fine
>>> >> > in
>>> >> > the
>>> >> > Device Manager... My xbox 360 connects just fine as an Extender...
>>> >> > I
>>> >> > just
>>> >> > can't seem to install any new programs!
>>> >> >
>>> >> > My machine is a run of the mill Dell Dimension 4700.
>>> >> >
>>> >> > Any help or pointers at all will be much appreciated!
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>>
>>>
>

His .exe associations seem okay, since he was able to run cmd.exe, IE7 to
download the installers, and Media Center was mentioned. I don't think it's
an association problem.


"John Barnes" <jbarnes@email.net> wrote in message
news:ewh5laaaHHA.1244@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Is it possible that the extension has been associated with an incorrect
> opening function? Since you say you have installed it several times, is
> it possible you are doing something early after the install that is
> resetting your .exe extensions. There are other postings and a KB article
> related to resetting .exe if it gets improperly associated.
>
>
> "dean-dean" <dean-dean@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:%23fo6PJaaHHA.3272@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> It's so odd that you can run programs (.exe types) but not installer
>> programs (.exe types or .msi types, I assume). It seems something's
>> running
>> interference, incorrectly, either not allowing the files to be expanded,
>> or
>> letting items be written to the registry, or both, and balling up the
>> works
>> by malfunctioning. Try this, if you haven't done so. Open the start
>> menu,
>> and click on your User picture. When the User Accounts window pops up,
>> click on "Turn User Account Control On or Off". If it's off, turn it on.
>> If it's on, turn it off. They try installing again, using the "Run as
>> Administrator" right-click.
>>
>>
>> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:902FA132-6754-44A1-B9C4-4E15766DB0C5@microsoft.com...
>>> That seemed very promising... but, no luck. The scan completed, with:
>>>
>>> "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."
>>>
>>> Anything else I can try? I'm even ready to try a reinstall of the OS, if
>>> there's an interesting twist to the install that I can try (I've already
>>> reinstalled four times, at this point).
>>>
>>> "dean-dean" wrote:
>>>
>>>> Bummer. I'm assuming, after doing the "Unblock", that you
>>>> right-clicked
>>>> on
>>>> that same file again, and chose Run as Administrator. Try this. Open
>>>> Command Prompt, by right-clicking it, choosing Run as Administrator,
>>>> and
>>>> copy and paste this:
>>>>
>>>> sfc /scannow
>>>>
>>>> The System File Checker checks all the current system files and
>>>> can restore the cached approved copies. I'm not sure this will work,
>>>> but
>>>> it
>>>> might be worth a try. For
>>>> more information regarding the System File Checker with Vista, see:
>>>>
>>>> http://vistasupport.mvps.org/system_file_checker.htm
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>>> news06ABF64-2046-48E5-A7A0-09F0FB0949DF@microsoft.com...
>>>> > Nope, no luck. Same behavior after unblocking.
>>>> >
>>>> > "dean-dean" wrote:
>>>> >
>>>> >> You could try this. Right-click on the setup file, say the Firefox
>>>> >> Setup
>>>> >> file, choose Properties, and click on the "Unblock" button (Apply,
>>>> >> OK).
>>>> >> Then, right-click,on that same file again, and this time choose Run
>>>> >> as
>>>> >> Administrator.
>>>> >>
>>>> >>
>>>> >> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>>> >> news:883B63D4-E03A-48FA-BED4-35CE645DF335@microsoft.com...
>>>> >> > Hey all, this has been driving me crazy, and I'm about to start
>>>> >> > crying.
>>>> >> >
>>>> >> > It seems that I'm unable to install *any* third party application
>>>> >> > on
>>>> >> > my
>>>> >> > new
>>>> >> > Windows Vista Home Premium installation. Firefox, Thunderbird,
>>>> >> > Nvidia
>>>> >> > drivers, VNC, any .exe file that tries to install an application
>>>> >> > fails
>>>> >> > with a
>>>> >> > generic error message:
>>>> >> >
>>>> >> > "firefox has stopped working - A problem caused the program to
>>>> >> > stop
>>>> >> > working
>>>> >> > correctly..."
>>>> >> >
>>>> >> > Looking in the Event Log shows:
>>>> >> >
>>>> >> > "Faulting application Firefox Setup 2.0.0.2.exe ... faulting
>>>> >> > module
>>>> >> > ntdll.dll .... "
>>>> >> >
>>>> >> > I've activated my install, restarted the machine a million times,
>>>> >> > looked
>>>> >> > everywhere on the 'net, I've even reinstalled the OS several
>>>> >> > times,
>>>> >> > trying
>>>> >> > upgrades vs. clean installs, vs. 30 day trials. I've updated the
>>>> >> > system
>>>> >> > (the
>>>> >> > updates seem to apply fine). All hardware seems to be recognized
>>>> >> > fine
>>>> >> > in
>>>> >> > the
>>>> >> > Device Manager... My xbox 360 connects just fine as an Extender...
>>>> >> > I
>>>> >> > just
>>>> >> > can't seem to install any new programs!
>>>> >> >
>>>> >> > My machine is a run of the mill Dell Dimension 4700.
>>>> >> >
>>>> >> > Any help or pointers at all will be much appreciated!
>>>> >>
>>>> >>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>

Yeah, it's not a file association problem (as far as I can tell).

I had previously tried turning UAC on and off, but the behavior was the same
(well, without the "Allow" dialog, but it still faulted).

Now, here's a wrinkle for you. I thought perhaps it was something with the
installer being downloaded with IE. On my Mac I downloaded the same Firefox
installer to a USB drive and then copied the installer over to the Vista
machine. I copied the installer from the USB drive to the desktop and ran
it.... and, sure enough, it ran and installed fine.

I checked the file sizes of the two installers, and they are identical. I
haven't yet tried to compare md5 checksums for the two files, though.

So, looks like I've narrowed it down. Files downloaded with IE cannot be
installed. Now that firefox is installed, I'll try downloading an installer
with that, and see if it works.

"dean-dean" wrote:

> His .exe associations seem okay, since he was able to run cmd.exe, IE7 to
> download the installers, and Media Center was mentioned. I don't think it's
> an association problem.
>
>
> "John Barnes" <jbarnes@email.net> wrote in message
> news:ewh5laaaHHA.1244@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> > Is it possible that the extension has been associated with an incorrect
> > opening function? Since you say you have installed it several times, is
> > it possible you are doing something early after the install that is
> > resetting your .exe extensions. There are other postings and a KB article
> > related to resetting .exe if it gets improperly associated.
> >
> >
> > "dean-dean" <dean-dean@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:%23fo6PJaaHHA.3272@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> >> It's so odd that you can run programs (.exe types) but not installer
> >> programs (.exe types or .msi types, I assume). It seems something's
> >> running
> >> interference, incorrectly, either not allowing the files to be expanded,
> >> or
> >> letting items be written to the registry, or both, and balling up the
> >> works
> >> by malfunctioning. Try this, if you haven't done so. Open the start
> >> menu,
> >> and click on your User picture. When the User Accounts window pops up,
> >> click on "Turn User Account Control On or Off". If it's off, turn it on.
> >> If it's on, turn it off. They try installing again, using the "Run as
> >> Administrator" right-click.
> >>
> >>
> >> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:902FA132-6754-44A1-B9C4-4E15766DB0C5@microsoft.com...
> >>> That seemed very promising... but, no luck. The scan completed, with:
> >>>
> >>> "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."
> >>>
> >>> Anything else I can try? I'm even ready to try a reinstall of the OS, if
> >>> there's an interesting twist to the install that I can try (I've already
> >>> reinstalled four times, at this point).
> >>>
> >>> "dean-dean" wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Bummer. I'm assuming, after doing the "Unblock", that you
> >>>> right-clicked
> >>>> on
> >>>> that same file again, and chose Run as Administrator. Try this. Open
> >>>> Command Prompt, by right-clicking it, choosing Run as Administrator,
> >>>> and
> >>>> copy and paste this:
> >>>>
> >>>> sfc /scannow
> >>>>
> >>>> The System File Checker checks all the current system files and
> >>>> can restore the cached approved copies. I'm not sure this will work,
> >>>> but
> >>>> it
> >>>> might be worth a try. For
> >>>> more information regarding the System File Checker with Vista, see:
> >>>>
> >>>> http://vistasupport.mvps.org/system_file_checker.htm
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >>>> news06ABF64-2046-48E5-A7A0-09F0FB0949DF@microsoft.com...
> >>>> > Nope, no luck. Same behavior after unblocking.
> >>>> >
> >>>> > "dean-dean" wrote:
> >>>> >
> >>>> >> You could try this. Right-click on the setup file, say the Firefox
> >>>> >> Setup
> >>>> >> file, choose Properties, and click on the "Unblock" button (Apply,
> >>>> >> OK).
> >>>> >> Then, right-click,on that same file again, and this time choose Run
> >>>> >> as
> >>>> >> Administrator.
> >>>> >>
> >>>> >>
> >>>> >> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >>>> >> news:883B63D4-E03A-48FA-BED4-35CE645DF335@microsoft.com...
> >>>> >> > Hey all, this has been driving me crazy, and I'm about to start
> >>>> >> > crying.
> >>>> >> >
> >>>> >> > It seems that I'm unable to install *any* third party application
> >>>> >> > on
> >>>> >> > my
> >>>> >> > new
> >>>> >> > Windows Vista Home Premium installation. Firefox, Thunderbird,
> >>>> >> > Nvidia
> >>>> >> > drivers, VNC, any .exe file that tries to install an application
> >>>> >> > fails
> >>>> >> > with a
> >>>> >> > generic error message:
> >>>> >> >
> >>>> >> > "firefox has stopped working - A problem caused the program to
> >>>> >> > stop
> >>>> >> > working
> >>>> >> > correctly..."
> >>>> >> >
> >>>> >> > Looking in the Event Log shows:
> >>>> >> >
> >>>> >> > "Faulting application Firefox Setup 2.0.0.2.exe ... faulting
> >>>> >> > module
> >>>> >> > ntdll.dll .... "
> >>>> >> >
> >>>> >> > I've activated my install, restarted the machine a million times,
> >>>> >> > looked
> >>>> >> > everywhere on the 'net, I've even reinstalled the OS several
> >>>> >> > times,
> >>>> >> > trying
> >>>> >> > upgrades vs. clean installs, vs. 30 day trials. I've updated the
> >>>> >> > system
> >>>> >> > (the
> >>>> >> > updates seem to apply fine). All hardware seems to be recognized
> >>>> >> > fine
> >>>> >> > in
> >>>> >> > the
> >>>> >> > Device Manager... My xbox 360 connects just fine as an Extender...
> >>>> >> > I
> >>>> >> > just
> >>>> >> > can't seem to install any new programs!
> >>>> >> >
> >>>> >> > My machine is a run of the mill Dell Dimension 4700.
> >>>> >> >
> >>>> >> > Any help or pointers at all will be much appreciated!
> >>>> >>
> >>>> >>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>
> >
>
>

dean-dean wrote:
> His .exe associations seem okay, since he was able to run cmd.exe, IE7
> to download the installers, and Media Center was mentioned. I don't
> think it's an association problem.
>
>
> "John Barnes" <jbarnes@email.net> wrote in message
> news:ewh5laaaHHA.1244@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> Is it possible that the extension has been associated with an
>> incorrect opening function? Since you say you have installed it
>> several times, is it possible you are doing something early after the
>> install that is resetting your .exe extensions. There are other
>> postings and a KB article related to resetting .exe if it gets
>> improperly associated.

>>>>> >> JoshB wrote:
>>>>> >> > Looking in the Event Log shows:
>>>>> >> >
>>>>> >> > "Faulting application Firefox Setup 2.0.0.2.exe ... faulting
>>>>> >> > module ntdll.dll .... "

I googled ntdll.dll and found tons of stuff, but I'm not sure any of it
is relevant here.

Two responses sounded interesting -- one stating that a faulty memory
module was the problem, and the other said that exempting the crashing
program from Data Execution Prevention fixed it.

Now, exempting anything from a security feature is not a real solution
to any problem, but I thought this might be interesting to try as a
one-time experiment. Just substitute e.g. the Firefox setup executable
for 'explorer.exe' in the instructions I've cut-and-pasted below:

1.click the Start button at the bottom left of your screen
2.click the Control Panel menu item
3.then double-click the System icon.
4.Click the Advanced tab
5.Find the item marked Performance right under there is a button that
says Settings.
6.Click the Data Execution Prevention tab.
7.You'll see two options in that window click the second option that
says "Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select."
8. When you are finished with that then click the 'add...' button it
should be visable at the bottom of the box. then you have to find where
the file 'explorer.exe' resides on your computer most of the time it's
something like this c:\windows\explorer.exe anyway add explorer to that
list. It'll give you a warning just ignore it and click ok. Then you
reboot and if you try it everything should work just fine.

Well, this is very interesting. And a little bit of good news for you. I
guess download from Firefox in the interim. What IE7 does is stamp, or
"block", a file until it's unblocked in the file's properties. If the file
is blocked when you click on it, it will show a warning dialog, and also put
a "Block" stamp on any files it spawns. The same is true for .zip files,
for example. A blocked .zip file will have blocked files when extracted.
An unblocked .zip file will not have blocked extracted files (the behavior
in XP is slightly different). But that shouldn't keep the installer from
installing, and I haven't figured out why you're having this problem. Their
shouldn't be any crashing going on (Faulting application..., etc.). Don's
post about DEP warrants some investigation, too, but if DEP were invoked,
you should be seeing a clear dialog to that fact. Hmmm......


"JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8E6A19EE-9D31-4678-8581-321DF2D46D23@microsoft.com...
> Yeah, it's not a file association problem (as far as I can tell).
>
> I had previously tried turning UAC on and off, but the behavior was the
> same
> (well, without the "Allow" dialog, but it still faulted).
>
> Now, here's a wrinkle for you. I thought perhaps it was something with the
> installer being downloaded with IE. On my Mac I downloaded the same
> Firefox
> installer to a USB drive and then copied the installer over to the Vista
> machine. I copied the installer from the USB drive to the desktop and ran
> it.... and, sure enough, it ran and installed fine.
>
> I checked the file sizes of the two installers, and they are identical. I
> haven't yet tried to compare md5 checksums for the two files, though.
>
> So, looks like I've narrowed it down. Files downloaded with IE cannot be
> installed. Now that firefox is installed, I'll try downloading an
> installer
> with that, and see if it works.
>
> "dean-dean" wrote:
>
>> His .exe associations seem okay, since he was able to run cmd.exe, IE7 to
>> download the installers, and Media Center was mentioned. I don't think
>> it's
>> an association problem.
>>
>>
>> "John Barnes" <jbarnes@email.net> wrote in message
>> news:ewh5laaaHHA.1244@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> > Is it possible that the extension has been associated with an incorrect
>> > opening function? Since you say you have installed it several times,
>> > is
>> > it possible you are doing something early after the install that is
>> > resetting your .exe extensions. There are other postings and a KB
>> > article
>> > related to resetting .exe if it gets improperly associated.
>> >
>> >
>> > "dean-dean" <dean-dean@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> > news:%23fo6PJaaHHA.3272@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> >> It's so odd that you can run programs (.exe types) but not installer
>> >> programs (.exe types or .msi types, I assume). It seems something's
>> >> running
>> >> interference, incorrectly, either not allowing the files to be
>> >> expanded,
>> >> or
>> >> letting items be written to the registry, or both, and balling up the
>> >> works
>> >> by malfunctioning. Try this, if you haven't done so. Open the start
>> >> menu,
>> >> and click on your User picture. When the User Accounts window pops
>> >> up,
>> >> click on "Turn User Account Control On or Off". If it's off, turn it
>> >> on.
>> >> If it's on, turn it off. They try installing again, using the "Run as
>> >> Administrator" right-click.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> >> news:902FA132-6754-44A1-B9C4-4E15766DB0C5@microsoft.com...
>> >>> That seemed very promising... but, no luck. The scan completed, with:
>> >>>
>> >>> "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."
>> >>>
>> >>> Anything else I can try? I'm even ready to try a reinstall of the OS,
>> >>> if
>> >>> there's an interesting twist to the install that I can try (I've
>> >>> already
>> >>> reinstalled four times, at this point).
>> >>>
>> >>> "dean-dean" wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>>> Bummer. I'm assuming, after doing the "Unblock", that you
>> >>>> right-clicked
>> >>>> on
>> >>>> that same file again, and chose Run as Administrator. Try this.
>> >>>> Open
>> >>>> Command Prompt, by right-clicking it, choosing Run as Administrator,
>> >>>> and
>> >>>> copy and paste this:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> sfc /scannow
>> >>>>
>> >>>> The System File Checker checks all the current system files and
>> >>>> can restore the cached approved copies. I'm not sure this will work,
>> >>>> but
>> >>>> it
>> >>>> might be worth a try. For
>> >>>> more information regarding the System File Checker with Vista, see:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> http://vistasupport.mvps.org/system_file_checker.htm
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> >>>> news06ABF64-2046-48E5-A7A0-09F0FB0949DF@microsoft.com...
>> >>>> > Nope, no luck. Same behavior after unblocking.
>> >>>> >
>> >>>> > "dean-dean" wrote:
>> >>>> >
>> >>>> >> You could try this. Right-click on the setup file, say the
>> >>>> >> Firefox
>> >>>> >> Setup
>> >>>> >> file, choose Properties, and click on the "Unblock" button
>> >>>> >> (Apply,
>> >>>> >> OK).
>> >>>> >> Then, right-click,on that same file again, and this time choose
>> >>>> >> Run
>> >>>> >> as
>> >>>> >> Administrator.
>> >>>> >>
>> >>>> >>
>> >>>> >> "JoshB" <JoshB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> >>>> >> news:883B63D4-E03A-48FA-BED4-35CE645DF335@microsoft.com...
>> >>>> >> > Hey all, this has been driving me crazy, and I'm about to start
>> >>>> >> > crying.
>> >>>> >> >
>> >>>> >> > It seems that I'm unable to install *any* third party
>> >>>> >> > application
>> >>>> >> > on
>> >>>> >> > my
>> >>>> >> > new
>> >>>> >> > Windows Vista Home Premium installation. Firefox, Thunderbird,
>> >>>> >> > Nvidia
>> >>>> >> > drivers, VNC, any .exe file that tries to install an
>> >>>> >> > application
>> >>>> >> > fails
>> >>>> >> > with a
>> >>>> >> > generic error message:
>> >>>> >> >
>> >>>> >> > "firefox has stopped working - A problem caused the program to
>> >>>> >> > stop
>> >>>> >> > working
>> >>>> >> > correctly..."
>> >>>> >> >
>> >>>> >> > Looking in the Event Log shows:
>> >>>> >> >
>> >>>> >> > "Faulting application Firefox Setup 2.0.0.2.exe ... faulting
>> >>>> >> > module
>> >>>> >> > ntdll.dll .... "
>> >>>> >> >
>> >>>> >> > I've activated my install, restarted the machine a million
>> >>>> >> > times,
>> >>>> >> > looked
>> >>>> >> > everywhere on the 'net, I've even reinstalled the OS several
>> >>>> >> > times,
>> >>>> >> > trying
>> >>>> >> > upgrades vs. clean installs, vs. 30 day trials. I've updated
>> >>>> >> > the
>> >>>> >> > system
>> >>>> >> > (the
>> >>>> >> > updates seem to apply fine). All hardware seems to be
>> >>>> >> > recognized
>> >>>> >> > fine
>> >>>> >> > in
>> >>>> >> > the
>> >>>> >> > Device Manager... My xbox 360 connects just fine as an
>> >>>> >> > Extender...
>> >>>> >> > I
>> >>>> >> > just
>> >>>> >> > can't seem to install any new programs!
>> >>>> >> >
>> >>>> >> > My machine is a run of the mill Dell Dimension 4700.
>> >>>> >> >
>> >>>> >> > Any help or pointers at all will be much appreciated!
>> >>>> >>
>> >>>> >>
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>
>> >
>>
>>