Alex Ruben
How To Fix the “Setup Files Are Corrupted” Error in FitGirl and DODI Games in 2025
If you’ve ever tried to install a game from FitGirl or DODI Repack and get slammed with the ‘Setup Files Are Corrupted’ error, you’re not alone. It can be super frustrating, especially when everything else seemed fine at first. Usually, it’s caused by your antivirus or Windows security jumping into action and blocking or quarantining essential setup files. The good news? There are a few ways to fix this without tearing your hair out. This guide will walk through common fixes—like tweaking Windows security settings, checking quarantine, or re-downloading the setup—and hopefully get your game installed without more fuss.
How to Fix ‘Setup Files Are Corrupted’ Error in Windows
Disable Windows Security Real-Time Protection
This is often the go-to fix because Windows Defender or Security can misidentify setup files as threats, especially if they’re compressed or from unofficial sources. Disabling real-time protection kinda ‘lets’ files pass through without interference, then re-enable it later once everything’s good. On some machines, this step needs to be repeated a few times—believe it or not, Windows can be a pain about timing. But generally, it helps clear false positives and allows the setup files to run smoothly.
- Open the Start Menu and type
Windows Security. Click to open it. - Select Virus & threat protection.
- Click on Manage settings under the Virus & threat protection settings.
- Toggle off Real-time protection. Confirm any prompts about turning it off.
After turning it off, try running the setup again. If it still reports files are corrupted, move on to checking if Windows Security quarantined anything.
Check for Quarantined Files and Restore Them
Sometimes, Windows Security or your antivirus picks up setup files as threats and quarantines them. If that’s the case, it’s kind of weird, but restoring them can fix the error. This worked for me on a few setups where files kept being flagged but then re-allowed after restoration. To check:
- Go back to Windows Security and click on Protection history.
- Look for entries related to your game’s setup files—these might be marked as threats or quarantined items.
- Select the suspicious or quarantined entries, then choose Restore.
If files aren’t being quarantined but the error persists, it’s worth trying the next step.
Adjust Antivirus Settings & Exclusions
This is the more permanent fix—if Windows is blocking stuff, tell it to back off a bit. Head to Add or remove exclusions in your Windows Security settings. Then, add your game folder or the folder containing the setup files as an exclusion. Doing this prevents antivirus from interfering during installation, which can prevent the ‘corrupted’ error from happening again.
- Open Virus & threat protection in Windows Security.
- Scroll down and click Add or remove exclusions.
- Hit Add an exclusion and choose Folder.
- Navigate to your game’s folder (like
C:\Games\MyGame) and add it. - Once added, turn real-time protection back on. (Because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary.)
Re-Download the Setup File if Needed
If nothing so far worked, maybe the setup package itself is corrupted or incomplete. Re-downloading the setup executable often sorts this out, especially if it was downloaded via torrent. Here’s the usual routine:
- Open your torrent client (qBittorrent, Transmission, etc.) and find the game torrent.
- Right-click it and select Copy Magnet URL.
- Stop the current download or delete the corrupted setup files.
- Rename the game folder to something like GameName_old to keep backups if needed.
- Add a new torrent with that magnet link and only select the
setup.exeor similar files to download. Faster and safer if you’ve verified the torrent’s good. - Once downloaded, replace the old setup file with the new one, do a quick scan with your AV (just to be safe), then try installing again.
Run the Setup as Administrator & Compatibility Mode
Sometimes, simple things like running the setup with admin rights or in compatibility mode can help dodge strange registry or permission errors that cause the ‘corrupted’ message. Right-click on setup.exe and choose Run as administrator. For extra safety, try toggling compatibility mode:
- Right-click setup.exe.
- Select Properties.
- Go to the Compatibility tab.
- Check the box for Run this program in compatibility mode for and select an older Windows version, like Windows 7.
- Click Apply, then try again.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
While these fixes cover most scenarios, also keep in mind:
- Always download setup files from legit sources. If they’re from shady sites, they might be genuinely corrupted or tampered with.
- Update your antivirus—sometimes, false positives are fixed with updates.
- If the error keeps coming back, double-check the integrity of your game files or even try a fresh Windows install if you’re desperate.
Wrap-up
Getting past the ‘Setup Files Are Corrupted’ error isn’t always smooth sailing, but these tricks tend to help clear the blockages. Disabling security temporarily, checking quarantined files, adding exclusions, or re-downloading the setup—whatever works for a given setup—can really save your day. Not sure why it works, but on some machines, a mix of these fixes is what finally does the trick.
Summary
- Disable real-time protection temporarily
- Check for and restore quarantined files in Windows Security
- Add your game folder to antivirus exclusions
- Re-download the setup if it might be corrupted
- Run setup as admin or in compatibility mode if needed
Fingers crossed this helps
Most of the time, messing around with your security settings and re-downloading does the trick. Didn’t hurt to try, right? Hopefully, this shaves off a few hours figuring it out and gets you into the game faster. Good luck, and happy gaming!