For the last couple months, there's been something going on with my PC. Either it's due to bad Windows 10 Insider Program builds, or failing RAM or CPU, or some sort of issue with BOINC setup or cache or something like that.

Occasionally, multiple tasks from the same project (WCG, Asteroids, Einstein) will get an immediate computation error and fail. This is almost always a set of tasks that downloaded seconds before. They'll download, start up, and boom! Instant computation error.

I started to get various programs (AVG) failing. Odd error messages with very little information and a single option: OK

Would not allow upgrade to BOINC 7.10.2. "Do you want to allow changes to your device?" You click Yes to allow install, and nothing happens except that window disappears. It never installs. Neither BOINC install nor BOINC are running in Task Manager.

So, I uninstalled BOINC 7.8.3, per the BOINC FAQ, and tried again to install vbox and non-vbox versions of BOINC 7.10.2. No joy. So, currently, BOINC is no longer installed, and I cannot install it.

Identical results when trying to reinstall BOINC 7.8.3 (windows_x86_64, or 32-bit version).

Thanks in advance for any advice. Would love to keep my BOINC tasks going.

One thing I read about future Windows 10 versions is that Microsoft is eventually trying to go to the situation where only apps from the Microsoft store are allowed to be installed. Although they said that would only be for Windows S initially, I've read later reports that it's set that way in newer versions as well and that you have to disable that if you do not want to use that.

It might be worth pursuing that.
Also know that because you choose to run at the bleeding edge for your Windows version, that you can run into intentional and unintentional bugs and that you best report behaviour like this at Microsoft first. I don't see how BOINC is going to fix it that you cannot any longer install it. That's something Microsoft should fix.

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It's SOLVED.

It had to do with AVG anti virus.

AVG had stopped working after a Windows update, so I'd tried to remove it with Revo Uninstaller. But even the "advanced" method of uninstalling it left behind vestiges. Two AVG services kept running.

When I learned that, I tried disabling them, as well as all other non-MS services. That didn't help; I still couldn't run some programs, including the BOINC installers (I tried 5 or 6 different ones). I tried running System File Checker. No dice. I tried to run AVG_Remover.exe. Still no joy.

But it really ticks me off when I can't fix my own computer -- people usually come to me for help -- so I didn't give up. What finally worked was to reboot into Windows Safe mode and run AVG_Remover. Now the BOINC, GIMP and other installers all work again!

Sure. My only reason for coming here was since I was at wit's end, thought maybe a fellow BOINC person might have a better clue, and that BOINC folks might need to be warned about Win 10's bleeding edge.

As it turns out, the problem was a combination of AVG and Revo Uninstaller.