Help...w7 and i cant update or download!!!!

baroniuk · 15 Sep 2009 at 03:16

ok this is bugging the hell outta me, i recently returned from week holiday and when i turned on pc i cannot update or download from the the net.
I use windows 7 beta and never had a problem before now, i have now re-formatted hard drive re installed o/s 3 times, reset bios, changed installer to administrator, checked forums from microsoft for error help but no joy.
Basically when i try to download something it says 'file is corrupt' and when i try to update it always fails.
The problems when downloading seem to suggest a virus but i have run a full scan and none were found also on task manager if i try to stop a process it says 'access denied'
Pleas please can any one help me out here?

Rainmaker · 15 Sep 2009 at 03:24

When I encountered issues like that, while fixing my sister's laptop, it turned out the hard drive was failing. The symptoms were virtually identical to those you're describing. Do you have, or can you get, a different drive to try?

It might be worth checking your RAM too. Type 'Windows Memory Diagnostic' into the start menu and run it (a reboot is required) to test. But my money's on your hdd.

baroniuk · 15 Sep 2009 at 03:29

ty for response, tried the diagnostic and memtest and all was fine, also w7 says hard drive was 'healthy' but i think you could be right on it may be failung because everything else makes no sense at all to me!
I am so confused because I had not been on pc all week so i cannot see why the sudden refusal for it to obey admin commands.
Any other things i might try before getting new hard drive would be appreciated.

Rainmaker · 15 Sep 2009 at 03:39

You're lucky if you get a notification your hdd's failing; apparently they usually just die. That said, I noticed you've squeezed 4.75Ghz out of your E8600 - have you tried resetting your clock to stock and reinstalling? You can always save your present settings in your bios so you can restore it if that turns out not to be the issue. 4.75Ghz is a monster clock, and could be causing issues. Worth a try.

baroniuk · 15 Sep 2009 at 03:47

I have in my anger cleared everything in my search to the route of the problem i am back on all stock settings atm, battery removed, jumpers everything!
I am sure it is hard drive or software failure but i use pc everyday and find it so strange that i cannot do tasks that are everyday jobs as stated before, simple tasks. Can a failing hard drive really cause issues like this within software related issues?
By the way i cannot even upgrade bios as i cannot download from internet, how can a failing hard drive cause these problems i am intrigued to know.

Rainmaker · 15 Sep 2009 at 05:45

I don't know mate tbh, my only experience was my sister's laptop with failing WD hdd. It was exhibiting all the symptoms you describe; downloads corrupting, admin failures, warnings over missing/corrupt Windows components, and persistence across reinstalls. Malware scans came up clean, and a new hdd cured it all instantly. Maybe someone else has an alternative suggestion but my money's on the hard drive for sure.

Mujja · 15 Sep 2009 at 05:57

baroniuk said:
I use windows 7 beta

Are you still installing Win7 Beta or the RC? If using Beta it will have expired disabling fuctions including Windows Update.

Rainmaker · 15 Sep 2009 at 06:05

Mujja said:
Are you still installing Win7 Beta or the RC? If using Beta it will have expired disabling fuctions including Windows Update.

Indeed. I didn't catch that; that's what no sleep does for you lol

But still, with downloads corrupting on completion there still seems to be an underlying issue. You can always grab the RC and try a fresh installation (again), at least it will narrow down the possibilities if it doesn't work. Good luck.

baroniuk · 15 Sep 2009 at 15:35

Thanks for responses iI think i am just going to get a new hard drive as when i turned pc on just now two more files have corrupted this cant be software or even a virus so its a new hdd any recommendations or shall i go on an ordwe the WD caviar blue 640gb.

Rainmaker · 15 Sep 2009 at 17:58

WD are meant to be good drives, but you'd be better off posting up in the Hard Drive subforum, or at least giving it a skim read. I'm on the lookout for a 1TB drive myself, so we're in the same boat there lol