Trouble Installing

Engelnator · January 8th, 2005

Hi all,

I recently bought HL2 CD and attempted to install it. When the Installer begins, it says: "Could not extract Wise0132.dll CRC does not match, Cyclic Redundancy Check... I know I have the techology to run it, but I haven't even been able to install it. Has anyone had this problem, and if so what did you do to fix it?

***demonseed9000*** · January 8th, 2005

the program can't match the last string of data it received with what it expects to get to continue. this is usually a read error from the cd-rom drive itself, not a software problem - but the latter does happen, too. usually the disc is deformed (can't fully center on the spindle in the drive) or is scratched (really rare with new discs, but can happen). if neither is the case, check to see if your cd-rom drive is using pio mode or dma mode. pio relies on apportioned time from the cpu, so the faster the drive 'wants' to go, the mode cpu load you have, and the higher the chance for read or write errors like your crc error. if it is pio, try enabling dma in your bios. you shouldn't need a patch to enable dma in windows98 se. the last time i needed one was with nt4 sp2. if you enable dma (usually, "dma if applicable" in both bios and system/hardware manager/cd drives {or similar}) and, on restart, it is still pio, you might need to update the firmware on the drive itself. go to the manufacturer's website and check for "bios updates" "firmware updates/upgrades" and "bios/firmware flashing" to find out if an update is available and/or needed. flashing drive bios is similar to flashing m/b bios. there should be detailed instructions at the site for your drive or m/b manufacturer.

if you already have dma functionality, see if you can alter the maximum read speed of the drive. lower it to 8x or 4x if you can. also, check to see if the drive has any buffer underrun errors - these will often lead to crc problems, because the onboard cache (usually at least 128kB, often 256-512k, sometimes 1-8MB+ for burners) is either too little or too slow to keep up with the reading process.

if you have ever gotten any of these errors in the past, and have the most recent revision drive bios (or it sometimes works fine), you might need to also check on the m/b bios for the drive controller - i assume you're using ide/atapi for the cd-rom. sometimes m/b's ship with an 'old' or buggy bios. if the drive is attached to an add-in card, look up bios updates from the manufacturer of that card. flashing the add-in controller is less dangerous than flashing the m/b bios. if you DO decide you need to update the bios for your m/b, be sure to follow any of the manufacturer's instructions exactly. improperly flashed bios can cause your entire system - peripherals included - to fry (worst case) - or just function very poorly (best case).

lastly, does the crc error occur at the same (or nearly the same) place each time? this would point to a disc defect. i had this problem with a win2000 disc that worked on some systems (er... hehe!) but not others. the defect was small enough that many (mostly newer) drives could continue to load. older ones would fail. this is a small optical defect that can be overcome with better laser tracking. again, lower the read speed if you can. some drives also have an option under windows for error correction - see if this is checked under the device profile (if available).

i hope that something here can help.

Engelnator · January 9th, 2005

Thanks a lot, havne't chnged anything yet, but I just got the computer this month, so I really doubt it's the hardware, how do you change the speed or settings like you were saying?

Also, when I got into My Computer and doublie click the drive, it doesn't respond, however the other disks work fine and tell me to start at the first one, maybe the first disk is just defective...

***demonseed9000*** · January 10th, 2005

i'm fairly certain that your first disc is defective. when i read your reply, i first thought you meant the first cd drive, not the media itself. (and i wrote a novel on possible things to check.) sorry. if the other discs initialize correctly, then replacing the first disc is your best bet. even minute optical imperfections can make a disc unreadable.