Unknown error - any advice help etc welcome

[Andrew Kaufmann 959589]

background - been running FSX and FS9 on a very adequate system. No issues with either, including add-ons until several days ago. I think I have exhausted my other forum with this problem so I bring it here for a wider viewing in hopes that my weekend plans of reformatting and reinstalling don't have to occur:

 

FSX - just stopped. No blue screen of death, no errors, no nothing. Files were all there, nothing changed, etc. I use WinXP Pro, so I decided to roll back to the day prior, when I had last used FSX...no luck. I went and did an uninstall (not Add/Remove) and put in my FSX Deluxe disk and got the following error:

 

"This patch package could not be opened. Verify that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer patch package. D:\Microsoft Flight Simulator X.msi"

 

So I did what every self-proclaimed computer nerd did, and searched google, microsoft, geeks, etc. Then found this and tried it to no avail (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928080)

 

I then decided that I would clean out the reg very methodically and painfully I might add, the entire registry and deleted all relations to FSX. Rebooted and inserted the DVD - and again, same error. Went to MS again and found that there may be an issue with Windows Installer - so I ran the MSI fixer/cleaner etc..that program - and again the error popped up.

 

So I reformatted the drive that housed FSX. Then ran through the registry again to make sure there was nothing at all that had anything to do with FSX on the system - not just the drive. Rebooted and tried again - and this time I received the message in the picture here:

 

 

So I read in a forum that a gentleman had the same issue, and installed the FSX Demo, then some moving of files, and was able to get his FSX to reinstall...so I tried that and guess what - that worked - I could fly it in the demo only.

 

I've tried the Standard DVDs and the Deluxe version....any help would be greatly appreciated...I have done an exhaustive search through anything I can find - but lead me - anyone!

 

I've tried the Windows Cleaner, the MSI check for strings longer than 12 characters - everything

 

And if anyone can discipher the characters in the pic - that would be helpful as well!

 

Thanks much

[Garry Morris 920567]

Checked for Viruses, Malware, Spyware, Rootkits...etc?

[Andrew Kaufmann 959589]

Yes - done all that...however rootkits...have not - didn't think of that. That will be the first try this evening.

[Sean Harrison]

Any updates on this issue??

 

I now have same issue. Can't run, uninstall, or repair FSX due to "Patch Package could not be opened......."

[Abhirup Chatterjee 1137741]

 

 

THIS IS TO BRING INTO YOUR ATTENTION THAT FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS I AM EXPEREINCING A NUMBER OF THREATS. ESPECIALLY FROM LAST NIGHT. I DID A FLIGHT FROM LONDON HEATHROW TO FRANKFURT MAIN. AND I EXPEREINCED SO MANY THREATS THAT MY COMPUTER DID'NT START UP. I HAD TO DO STARTUP REPAIR AND DO SYSTEM RESTORE TO WORK MY COMPUTER. I HAVE NOD32 VERSION 4 INSTALLED. WHEN I WAS DOING THE FLIGHT I GOT AN WARNING MSG SAYING THAT A SERIES OF TROJAN ARE TRYING TO GAIN ACESS BY ALLOWING THEM WILL GIVE ACESS TO A HACKER TO EXECUTE PROGRAMS. IN WINDOWS DEFENDER I GOT THE SAME MSG. NOD32 ASKED ME DISCONNECT FROM THE LINE BUT I IGNORED IT AND NOW MY COMP IS INFECTED WITH TROJANS OF HACKING NATURE. NOD32 IS THE WORLD'S ONE OF THE BEST ANTI-VIRUS IF U DONT BELEIVE ME GOOGLE IT UP. SO MY CONCERN IS THAT VATSIM SERVERS SHOULD HAVE SECURITY AS HACKERS PROWL THE SERVERS DAY IN AND OUT. THE GENTELMEN IN THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION WITH WINXP PRO IS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH HIS FLIGHT SIM AS IT IS ALREADY UNDER HACKER'S ATTACK AND ALL YOUR DLL AND SYSTEM FILES HAVE BEEN DELETED. TILL THE VATSIM SERVER IS NOT SECURITY ENABLED AGAINST HACKERS I WILL SUGGEST ALL MY FLIGHT SIM ENTHUASTIST FRIEINDS NOT USE VATSIM TILL THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN SOLVED.

[Andrew Kaufmann 959589]

Not sure what that post is all about.

[Sean Harrison]

Hey Andrew, Did you get yours fixed??

[Richard Gerrish]

THIS IS TO BRING INTO YOUR ATTENTION THAT FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS I AM EXPEREINCING A NUMBER OF THREATS. ESPECIALLY FROM LAST NIGHT. I DID A FLIGHT FROM LONDON HEATHROW TO FRANKFURT MAIN. AND I EXPEREINCED SO MANY THREATS THAT MY COMPUTER DID'NT START UP. I HAD TO DO STARTUP REPAIR AND DO SYSTEM RESTORE TO WORK MY COMPUTER. I HAVE NOD32 VERSION 4 INSTALLED. WHEN I WAS DOING THE FLIGHT I GOT AN WARNING MSG SAYING THAT A SERIES OF TROJAN ARE TRYING TO GAIN ACESS BY ALLOWING THEM WILL GIVE ACESS TO A HACKER TO EXECUTE PROGRAMS. IN WINDOWS DEFENDER I GOT THE SAME MSG. NOD32 ASKED ME DISCONNECT FROM THE LINE BUT I IGNORED IT AND NOW MY COMP IS INFECTED WITH TROJANS OF HACKING NATURE. NOD32 IS THE WORLD'S ONE OF THE BEST ANTI-VIRUS IF U DONT BELEIVE ME GOOGLE IT UP. SO MY CONCERN IS THAT VATSIM SERVERS SHOULD HAVE SECURITY AS HACKERS PROWL THE SERVERS DAY IN AND OUT. THE GENTELMEN IN THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION WITH WINXP PRO IS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH HIS FLIGHT SIM AS IT IS ALREADY UNDER HACKER'S ATTACK AND ALL YOUR DLL AND SYSTEM FILES HAVE BEEN DELETED. TILL THE VATSIM SERVER IS NOT SECURITY ENABLED AGAINST HACKERS I WILL SUGGEST ALL MY FLIGHT SIM ENTHUASTIST FRIEINDS NOT USE VATSIM TILL THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN SOLVED.

 

your net connection is constantly dealing with many other network connections at any given time when you're flying then just vatsim. Trojans and viruses tend to be spread more often by infected websites, email or modified software. The vatsim tech team from experience is on top of things like this and if a server was to become infected they'd pull it from use and send out a notam with the details to the membership.