install won't go past creation of pdnsetup2 folder in temp

[mnc54]

First, I am running WindowsXP SP2 Home with 1.5gb RAM and 2.8Gh processor. I was successfully running Paint.net version 3.20 when I attempted to upgrade to 3.22 in January the installation failed. I e-mailed paint.net about the problem and sent the error log, but never heard back. I decided to let it go until a newer version was released. I have now attempted to install 3.30 with even less success. The installation fails after about one quarter of the progress bar fills. It just flashes and stops. There is no error log created or error code posted. From what I can tell it creates an empty folder named pdnsetup2 in the temp file found in Documents and Settings\HP-Owner\Local Settings.

I have read all of the postings regarding similar problems and did the following as a result:

1. uninstalled and reinstalled all of my Net Framework Programs including 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5.

2. I used Windows Installer Cleaner to remove Paint.net. After I did this I found I still had another working Paint.net program that was not shown either in Add & Remove Programs or in Windows Installer Cleaner. I manually removed that program and all of it's registry entries, so that as far as I could tell there were no remnants of Paint.net either in my program or any folders or in the registry.

3. I then deleted all zip and unzipped installation files and the pdnsetup2 folder and redownloaded and unzipped the 3.30 installation files. I reran the installation and got exactly the same problem.

So now I have NO working version of Paint.net and no idea in how to proceed. I hope someone may have some suggestions.

Thank you

[HITMAN-X-]

Hmm

Go to My Computer and type %temp% in the address bar. Clean out the whole temp folder. Note there may be some files you can't delete as other programs are using them to dump data to. So don't worry about the ones that can't be deleted.

Now try to install it again. If it crashs again can you tell us were you were in the installer ?

[mnc54]

Thank you for your support.

I attempted to perform your suggested fix, but when I typed %temp% in the My Computer address bar I get the error message 'cannot find 'file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/HP_Owner/LocalSettings%7Ctemp' Make sure the path or internet address is correct'

When I manually follow the path to the temp file I do find it and that is where the PdnSetup2 folder is located. When I delete that folder it just reappears the next time I attempt installation.

Could there be some connection between the file not found and the installation problem?

Oh, also my progress in the installer hasn't changed from my initial posting.

[HITMAN-X-]

1st thing I have to ask is, are you logged in as an Admin ? If not you should log in as an Admin.

%temp% is a variable in windows it self just like %systemroot%. I don't see how that variable can't work unless you have a corrupted registry or install of windows.

Matter a fact google search shows me notthing for that error on the %temp% variable.

Just try it again but this time in Command Prompt.

Click Start > Run.

Type cmd in the run box and click ok.

Now you should have a dos looking window.

Type cd %temp%.

That should put you into your temp folder.

Now type dir just to see if you can view the files in there.

See I want you to clean out your temp folder. That means all files in there except the ones that are in use. They will come back with an error saying you can't delete them. But 1st we need to make sure you don't got a temp folder problem.

Because everyones temp folder path is different you need that variable as most programs will use that variable instead of having to ask you were your temp folder is. I am guessing Paint.NET install uses it to dump files during the install.

You said you played with the registry before. Was this by hand or by a 3rd party software ?

It highly recomaned to not play with registry. I can tell you that right now as every hardware book I have and Networking book I have says it. Even though you have to edit it sometimes like in Windows Server 2003.

[mnc54]

Yes, I am logged in as Administrator.

I am aware of the potential problems of making changes to the registry and approach any changes with a great deal of caution. The problem that I am having existed prior to any current registry adjustments to uninstall. That doesn't preclude a problem created by some past activity, though I don't seem to be having problems in any other programs at the moment anyway.

I attempted %temp% through the command window as you suggested. This was also unsuccessfull with the result:

'C:\Documents' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

Again, though, the temp file is there in Local Settings just as it is supposed to be.

I can't say for sure that the system isn't corrupted. but you would think it would show up in other places.

Thanks again for your continuing interest.

[HITMAN-X-]

NOTE: Look at the PS: 1st as it is a setting you can do to your autoexec.bat file.

Do you have your Windows XP CD with you ?

There should be a repair option on your windows CD. I believe that doing the repair option will only fix windows and will not delete any other files on your system.

If you have never done a repair before make sure you read through the screens as you do not want to reinstall windows but only repair it.

Here a doc at MS on it http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/usin ... oug92.mspx

To be on the safe side I would do backups of anything you want to keep.

PS: I am not sure if this topic will help you as I don't have this setting in my autoexec.bat file. But who knows maybe you can set it in yours and it may work. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/92635

[mnc54]

I'm afraid I am lost.

Your first statement look at the PS: 1st as it is a setting you can do to your autoexec.bat file is incomprehensible to me. I don't know how to check my autoexec.bat file or how to access it to set it.

I don't have a Windows CD - my system didn't come with one.

I looked at the link for kb/92635, but I don't know how to change directories in MSDOS or how to open an autoexec,.bat file or what a tilde character is. Basically I sort of understand what they are saying, but have no idea how to do it.

Sorry I'm so ignorant.

[HITMAN-X-]

[rant]I wish computer companies would stop being so stupid and give there customers the CD's for Windows when selling a computer that has Windows on it. Geez I format my computer 2 or more times a year and start new just so Windows wont bog down over time.[/rant]

Sorry about that. Now lets get back to your problem.

Don't worry about that autoexec.bat file as I did some more digging on it and that command is only for the temp folder in the windows folder and not the %temp% folder.

I don't know what to tell you other then the repair. I really can't find any other topics on people having Windows %temp% being corrupted.

When you were in the DOS window did you type cd %temp% just like that. cd is change directory and %temp% is the directory you want to change to.

[Simon Brown]

I wish computer companies would stop being so stupid and give there customers the CD's for Windows

It is probably to reduce piracy. And why can't you just click the option to make a backup disk?

[mnc54]

I have attached two screen shots of my attempts to use the command window as you suggested. Am I doing something wrong?

I have my system on another partition of my hard drive, though I'm not sure I can do a system repair. I will do a little research to check it out.

I thought I attached two screen shots, but I can't seem to find them?

[HITMAN-X-]

It is probably to reduce piracy. And why can't you just click the option to make a backup disk?

When you pay for it you should get it as it is useless to the companies because you are only allow to do one install for one computer. Your not even allow to take it and put it on another computer even if you are getting rid of the old computer. If you order right from Dell or HP they send you the CDs with your computer. However you go to a shop and by a Dell or HP laptop you got to ask them most of the time to give you the CDs. The Windows CD are needed for many things as Windows is not perfect. You can't even install some things with out the CDs. Go ahead and try to install IIS for website hosting, and FTP hosting. You will get to step 2 were it will go give me the CD.

As for a backup disk what are you talking about ?

Sure he can make a backup of his hard drive. I do that every month for my 150 GB hard drive and store it on my 500 GB hard drive. (Well he can do that if he got XP Pro, If he got XP Home he will need the Windows CD to install Windows Backup Tool.)

But still doing a backup of his system is only good if the repair does not work. Other then that it pointless as his Windows seems to be corrupted and when restoring the backup he only going to restore the problem with it.

If your talking about if he got a hidden partition with some of the windows files on it then all I can say is good luck to you on that. You can find info on that here http://vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/ ... y_disk.htm

[Simon Brown]

Go ahead and try to install IIS for website hosting, and FTP hosting. You will get to step 2 were it will go give me the CD.

Um, actually I am running Vista Home Premium and managed to install IIS without the CD.

[HITMAN-X-]

On XP and XP asks for the CD. Also Windows Server 2003 will ask you for the CD as well for IIS to be install on the Server.

XP uses IIS 5

Windows Server 2003 uses IIS 6

I think Vista uses IIS 7 (Not sure what Vista got done for IIS)

mnc54 look at this video I did of me doing the command cd %temp% to go to my %temp% folder in CMD. I also do a dir to show that it works as it lists the files.

http://www.dextut.com/misc/tempcmd.htm

[mnc54]

hitman-x-

Thank you for the video. When I follow the exact same command sequence as you did I get the message(after entering cd %temp%):

'temp' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

When I initially open the command window so that it says

C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Owner

and type dir at that point I do receive a directory of my Documents and Settings folder.

At least now I know I was typing it properly, but not yet why cd %temp% doesn't work.

[HITMAN-X-]

Which will be a problem as %temp% find the right path to the temp folder.

Eg yours is C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Owner\temp

mine is C:\Documents and Settings\HITMAN-X-\temp

how does a program know were the temp folder is. Well it don't have to, all it needs is the %temp% variable as that variable stores the address to the temp folder.

Sorry again but I can only see a repair of Windows fixing this. You may have better luck on finding an answer on google on this problem then I did.

[mnc54]

Thanks to all for their suggestions and assistance.

I understand the indication that the failure of %temp% command might indicate a Windows problem, but what I don't understand is that many programs don't seem to be having any problem locating this folder, even the Paint.net setup finds it when it establishes the pdnsetup2 folder. So why won't %temp% work and does it really matter. I just wonder if maybe we have been distracted from the real issue.

Thoughts? I really, really don't want to do another restore. I like the program, but I'm not sure I like it that much.

One more thing that 'might' shed some light. I typed 'path' in my command window and the following was returned:

C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS\System32\wbem;C:\Program Files\Su

port Tools\;C:\Program Files\QuickTime\QTSystem\

I suppose that could be OK, but it sure doesn't look like it to me. What should it look like?

[HITMAN-X-]

I still think it a problem with your temp folder but if you want to go through some more steps to see if we can get around it then sure I got no problem with that.

Ok I asked you this is my 2nd post and you never said anything on it. When installing Paint.NET at what part of the install screen does the error happen.

I do know a work around that should work and so far has worked 100 % on many systems I done it to but there is a problem with it that has to do with uninstalling. Ok if your interested let me know and I will point you to the best option and my 2nd option for it.

[mnc54]

I'm sorry about not answering your question. I thought I had in one of my posts. Anyway, when I start the install the progress bar gets about one quarter across the page and the install screen flashes and disappears. As far as I can tell the only thing that has happened at that point is that the folder pdnsetup2 is created in the D & S HP_Owner, Local Settings, temp folder.

By the way, at one point I had completely deleted the temp folder to see what would happen on boot up, but the same problem with %temp% remained.

Yes, I would like to attempt a work around if you are up for it.

While I think of it do you have any thoughts or comments about the path I listed in my previous post?

Thanks again.

[HITMAN-X-]

The path command has notthing to do with Paint.NET so don't worry about it. I get the same thing you get when typing it into a command window.

Ok on to the work around.

As you can see in my sig I did a tutorial on how to make a Paint.NET boot CD / USB Drive. What that does is allow you to burn a full copy of Paint.NET to a cd and bring it to any computer with .NET Framework 2.0 or higher and boot it right from the CD. Now guessing you don't got a 2nd computer that you can install Paint.NET to and do this I have taken the time to do most of the work for you.

Ok 1st thing I need to ask you is if you know how to burn an image file (ISO file) to disc. An ISO image file is not a image as in a pic but a file that contents are data.

If you do know how to burn ISO files then download this ISO file http://www.dextut.com/misc/pdn3-3-0.iso

That is Paint.NET 3.30.

Go to your burning software and pick the burn image to disc option. On nero it is found under back up. Find the ISO file and burn it to a CD. You should end up with a CD filled with the Paint.NET program.

You can now run Paint.NET from this CD whenever you want to use it and not have the uninstall problem or you can create a folder on your computer called Paint.NET and copy all the files on the cd to that folder. So you can run Paint.NET 3.30 right from your computer but you may have an uninstall problem.

[mnc54]

Thank you so much Hitman-x-. I was just now able to get some time to set up your program. I wasn't able to make a CD I suppose because my free ware Ashampoo Burning Studio wouldn't do the whole folder, though it does have an ISO option. So I set up the program on the computer and will deal with deletion when it becomes necessary.

I suppose at some point I will have to run a recovery, but at least not for now.

I really appreciate all of your help and concern.

[HITMAN-X-]

As long as you were able to open the iso file to put the Paint.NEt program on your computer. If not I could always zip it up for you.

[mnc54]

Thank you, yes, I was able to get the program running on my computer. The file I downloaded from the link you gave me was a zip file.