I've found through trial and error that a lot of wallet problems (for various coins) are resolved by clearing redundant registry items. This can't be done with a standard registry cleaner. You need a Uninstaller such as Revo or CClean which will search for registry traces and files left behind by previous versions. Revo works best for me.
Avoid wallet installers if at all possible, and install manually. If my suggestions work, pleas leave feedback so that others can adopt them if they encounter difficulties.
The blockchain zip was updated a while back when I asked for help with sync problems. But even so, it's a painfully slow business catching up. Run your wallet every few days to avoid it getting stuck. Let it run for a few hours, not just minutes, after it's synced.