Corrupted files: reformat has no effect

Okay I'd like to to know what any of you think about this problem I have yet to overcome.

The unfixable problem is, when I try to install (namely download and install) certain programs or applications, quite a few fail due to corrupted files. Not all of them say this, but it's obvious what the problem is.

For example: I play the game EVE online, and when I download any of the installers (there is an online installer that integrates downloading the bulk files, and an offline installer that pre-downloads), both check the files after extracting, and fail repeatedly.

Countless other installations either fail and stall out, or cancel themselves, sometimes with an error message like " 7zip blahblah ", so I can tell it's problems with extracting and corrupted files.

Another main problem is that Firefox simply crashes to desktop at completely random times. Now the interesting parts...

All of these strange issues are very recent, and started when I reformatted my computer around a week ago. I re-installed windows with a Complete NTFS format, and started noticing the problems when I was first installing drivers, programs, etc...

Unsatisfied with a dirty format (which is what I thought I had), I re-installed again, with a Complete format again. Had the same exact problems right from the start. So I started troubleshooting, I made sure only the C: drive was plugged in and full formatted again, didn't plug in my external to install programs, because I thought some virus must be infecting every fresh install. I downloaded everything new to test on a new install and got the same problems.

So I decided that the only cause could be that my C: drive is permanently corrupted. I ran checkdisk however, and there was nothing detected. But I was still sure that the C: drive had to be the problem. So I took it out and reinstalled on a Complete NTFS format on my old D: drive, and I still got tons of corrupted files, with the same programs failing in the same ways.

So my next thought was ok the only possibility is the XP bootable disc I'm using, that must be corrupted and installing windows with corrupted files.
I Complete formatted again using my older XP copy, and still got the same problems after installing service pack 3.

So thats where it stops, and now I'm just thinking of what could be causing this mild but really annoying data corruption. So far I've considered the IDE cables from HDDs and CD drives being the problem, or else something on the motherboard. And I don't know yet what that could be.

 

Did you install the chipset drivers on the CD that came with the motherboard?

 

lol yes everytime.

 

Are you using FF or IE for the downloads? Have you tried another browser? (Not sure this would be applicable because you've done multiple formats but it could be if you were using FF and restoring a corrupt profile each time you reloaded Windows)

 

i have downloaded programs from both browsers, with the same results.

 

It might be a memory problem although there is no reason why it would suddenly become apparent after a reformat. Extracting and installing large programs uses a lot of memory.

If you have more than one memory module try taking one out and see if you get the same corruption error. Might be worth ruling out a bad memory module.