To set the stage, I'm running a Dell with wifi, 8 GB RAM and Windows 10 Home version 20H2. All versions of the TT file downloaded successfully, but when I run the downloaded .exe file the installation gets 2 progress bars and stops with the message: "failed to extract archive". I analyzed this downloaded file with the 7Zip app and it reports a checksum error. I went to my Mac and downloaded the TT Windows file there and copied it to the Windows machine. No checksum error, and the installation progressed normally until it got to the window where you enter the license code. TT would not accept the license code and would not recognize a right mouse click to paste in the code - so manually entered the code from both the TT download page and the order confirmation email. Still did not accept the code.
I have tried a long list of things to diagnose this problem including: 3 different browsers, firewall and virus scanner off, Windows Defender turned off, ran the SFC system software check (no problems), ran installer as administrator (my account is already admin), ran a full virus scan of the system (nothing found), ran the exhaustive pre-boot system analyzer which took a couple hours (zero problems found), switched my network from wifi to Ethernet to download the TT file, used Task Manager to stop the Intuit update service process. None of this made any difference- the TT download file (3 different versions) has a checksum error and will not install. Oh, and I downloaded the TT 2019 and 2018 files which installed on the same machine just fine back then. Same problem- checksum error and failed to install. Other apps I recently downloaded had no checksum error and no installation problem.
This points to something in Windows 10 Home 20H2 and/or a wifi/Ethernet driver which are at their latest available versions. If people can install TT under this same Windows version, then it might mean something specific on my PC, despite the 100% clean bill of health.
