I'm really really annoyed right now. I've downloaded the installer for "Baldur's Gate" at least a half-dozen times in the last 24 hours, both manually with FireFox 3.6 and with the GOG downloader. The download takes about a half-hour to 45 minutes, and I end up with a 1.74 GB file named "setup_baldurs_gate.exe". This file has a generic icon (it's the white command-line-looking unidentified program icon). The second it finishes downloading, my hard drive starts thrashing and my machine slows way down (I have my anti-virus set to NOT automatically scan downloaded files, so I know that's not it). If I try to run the file, or check its properties, or even drag it into another folder, after about 5 minutes (I timed it) an error message pops up saying that the file is in use by another process (this happens even if I've just rebooted the machine). I have to boot into safe mode just to delete the damn thing. I've also sent two support queries to GOG in this same period, and so far have gotten no response from them. GOG gave me some bonus games ("Lure of the Temptress", "Under a Steel SKy", etc.), and all of those download and install with no issue, so I'm thinking that the installer for "Baldur's Gate" on the GOG server is actually corrupt. At this point, I'm about ready to demand my money back and cancel my account. Has anybody experienced anything like this, and how did you resolve it? Thanks..

No problems here. The file DLs fine and no issues installing it. Got to be something on your end, especially seeing how you're getting that weird behavior once it's DLed. Did you try switching off your AV while DLing/installing?

Re the support request: it's the weekend now in Poland, so you won;t get a response for a couple days at least.

I never experienced the hard drive thrashing. That sounds to me like you may have some malware on board or some such. Perhaps its time to use Avast, Spybot Seach & Destroy, and possibly also do some disk defragmentation thereafter.

After that, my advice regarding downloading the file would be:

1) DL the file, and don't use your PC for anything else during that time.
2) Once the file has been fully downloaded, turn OFF your internet connection so you can....
3) turn off your firewall (these are the steps I took when I D/L'd my 1st game from here).
4) Click on the BG exe file, allow it to do its integrity check
5) Then install the game.

I'm not a computer whiz, but I've had no problems D/L'ing games from here since my 1st game (I don't even need to follow the steps anymore that I've given you). Sometimes all it takes is a little troubleshooting.

Failing that, or if you'd like even better advice, go here:
http://www.gog.com/en/support/baldurs_gate_the_original_saga

or here:
http://www.gog.com/en/support/website_help/downloads_and_games

And if that fails, then hopefully someone better in knowledge than me about PC's can help! Hope it works out! Baldur's Gate is one hell of a game.

did you download all three files? just a thought...

As far as the hard drive thrashing, I think that's Windows doing the file integrity check after the download finishes. It finally stops after about ten minutes, and I think it's due to the unusually large size of the installer (1.74 GB).

There's only the one file to download (excluding the manuals, artwork, music, etc.); if I'm missing files, I'm not being given the option to download them.

I do use Spybot, as well as McAfee and Malwarebytes. All three report my system's clean, and I don't use warez, so nothing could have snuck on board that way. I also clean and defrag the hard drive about once a week.

As far as turning off my anti-virus and my firewall to download a file: thanks, but that's a non-starter. I download files from other vendors all week long with my current setup with no problems whatsoever, and for this one site to give me such grief is really torqueing me off.

I wish I'd read through the forums before I placed my order, 'cause I would have seen other people having issues with downloads and getting the installers to run.

Sorry if I sound kind of harsh, but I've been debating this purchase for a while now and was really looking forward to playing the game, and to have it all just blow up in my face like this -- well, it's not helping my mood right now. Getting snubbed by the vendor in the process is just gravy.

But I do want to thank the folks who've offered advice or insight on this issue (Coelocanth, bladeofBG, and fawkingaye). I do appreciate it. Hopefully I can still get this thing to work.

Odd download behavior like that cannot be the fault of the server, as the server and the file you are downloading do not have control over your computer or your hard drive. The cause is with whatever program you are using to download the file, or with your OS or hard drive itself. (Or Virus scanner as has been mentioned, but you state you are pretty sure that's not the cause)

What are you using to download the file? If you are using the GoG's download program, that has always been buggy for me, but I never have issue downloading with firefox. Try your browser if you haven't already. If you have been using your browser, you could give gog's downloader a try. But yeah, it would help to have some more info about what version of windows you are using, amount of ram and free hard drive space, and what you are downloading with.

This is a BIG file, are you able to download other 2gb files without trouble?

Adding to that, perhaps using Google Chrome would be a better option for your download. Firefox is great for alot of things, but I successfully D/L'ed my Baldur's Gate copy from gog using Chrome.

Also, the gog downloader is specifically designed for big files such as Baldur's Gate, but I took the time (over an hour, almost 2hrs IIRC) w/Chrome, for a successful D/L.


Perhaps try the instructions found here:
http://www.gog.com/en/support/baldurs_gate_the_original_saga/_i_general_corrupt_or_broken_downloads_i_

But instead of doing number 3) there, do number 4) from this link:
http://www.gog.com/en/support/baldurs_gate_the_original_saga/_i_general_download_problem_troubleshooting_steps_i_

That's what I did for my 1st gog D/L (and I remember I used FIrefox for that one, but all the rest of my D/L's thereafter have been using Chrome), and then turned off my internet, then turned off my firewall, and my game installed easily, after plenty of frustrating tries, like what you're going through now.

GOG, I apologize and I take back all the mean, horrible, nasty things I said about you: I finally got it to work. For whatever reason, it takes an ungodly amount of time for the "Baldur's Gate" installer to run on my machine, so long that the machine appears to have locked up. But, once it does run, it installs and it plays, so yippee.

saluk, my comment about the possible corrupt file on GOG's server wasn't that their server was causing my machine to act oddly -- it was that I was thinking their server was feeding my machine bad files that was causing it to choke, or that the files were getting corrupted somewhere between here and there (although I admit that's pretty unlikely).

I think the odd behavior is due primarily to the fact that this is a BIG installer (1.74 GB) and my machine is taking its own sweet time verifying its contents or integrity. I purchase a lot of content from DAZ 3D, and I think they're using BitRock for their installers -- I dunno what GOG is using, but I don't think my machine likes it.

BTW, I use WinXP Pro w/SP3, and FireFox 3.6 with the latest versions of AdBlock and NoScript loaded.

"Thank you" to everyone who commented and offerred advice or insight. I really appreciate your time and help.

The way you described it it sounded like it was the download process itself and not the installation.

Glad to hear you got it installed!

Don't feel bad - I got Fallout GOTY for Christmas and took it back as I thought there was something wrong with it. Turns out I needed to wait almost a half hour for the installer of disk two to kick in.