Issue with .msi files on Win 8

[brucek 38]

I'm not sure if this is strictly a Win 8 topic or not.....  but I couldn't see anywhere else here to post this.  I am running Win 8.0, have yet to upgrade to Win 8.1 and don't know yet if that would fix this issue or not.

 

I recently downloaded an addon for X-plane (nothing against that sim, I use it often, as I do FSX/P3D), and fell into a trap where I saw a big green "download" button, which downloaded not the file I wanted (that was a link in small letters), but the download app iLivid, and without realizing it installed it on my system (still thinking this was the download that I wanted).

 

I posted to the CNet forums yesterday about an issue I'm having, and I'm cross-posting to here to see if anyone has any ideas:

 

"

When I download software onto my Windows 8, often there is an .msi file to install the application.  When I double-click on the .msi file, I get an error "Error while Opening File", and it requests a password.  This occurs on various software packages, so is just not a bad download.

 

When I click "OK" to this error message, I get a big green button on the screen, with "Download" in big letters, and "ilivid" in smaller characters.

 

I did mistakingly download  the ilivid app onto my PC (once again a big green button on a download site that I thought was the download link to the file I wanted), however I uninstalled it once I read some articles online about it, also ran Malwarebytes to check for malware.

 

Do I need to re-associate  the .msi files with the Windows Installer?  Any  help most appreciated.

 

Thanks, Bruce."

[Jeff H 63]

Oh, I hate download sites like that. They go out of their way to trick people into downloading their "crapware"  onto your system.  I have a couple of suggestions.  First is just a rule of thumb I use, and that's that the bigger the download button, the more careful you need to be about installing the file at the end of the download.  If you happen to have a backup that was made prior to that download, by all means, now is the perfect time to use it.  If not, then I recommend a program called Spybot Search and Destroy.  It's freeware, it's safe, well supported and it will find things that others, like MalwareBytes, will miss.  Hope this helps.

Cheers.  :smile:

[jmdriskell 178]

I've been able to install *.msi files by downloading the package and copying it to a temp folder on the root of the c drive (one that I could find), unpacking the package using "file explorer", opening a command prompt as the administrator, changing directory to the temp file (i.e., cd \ (gets you to the root of the c drive), cd temp (gets you to the temp folder), dir (shows you the contents of the temp folder), and then typing the filename.msi and hitting enter which runs the file.

 

Let me know if this makes sense.  Hope this helps.

 

Jim Driskell