General Troubleshooting Steps to Use If Installation Fails

Q148352

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

This article contains troubleshooting steps you can use if Setup fails when you run the Setup program from a floppy disk or Compact Disc.


MORE INFORMATION

TEST FOR DAMAGED DISK

To test for a damaged disk or malfunction of the disk drive, use the information given in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q110622 "Insufficient Memory..." Error Message on Disk 1 During Setup

KNOWN SETUP ERROR MESSAGES

For procedures to correct specific error messages, refer to the article(s) listed for that error: Any time an error occurs when you attempt to run the Setup program, check for errors on the hard disk, and optimize the drive if possible. This will help to insure that the volume that Setup is installing to is in good order.

To check for Hard Disk Errors and to Optimize the Drive

THE CLEAN BOOT PROCESS

Many device drivers and terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) utilities cause conflicts with the set up process. You must remove all device drivers and TSRs that are not absolutely necessary to boot the system and run the Setup program. This can be done in several ways.

Method 1: Create a bootable floppy disk and create a new Autoexec.bat and Config.sys file on this disk. You can make a bootable disk by typing either of the following at the MS-DOS prompt:
format a: /s
-or-
sys a:
Method 2: Rename the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files and create new ones on the root directory of the hard disk.

If you are using MS-DOS 6.2 or later, you can use the F8 boot procedure.

You can create the new Autoexec.bat file using the MS-DOS editor by typing edit at the MS-DOS prompt or you can use Windows Notepad.

THE CONFIG.SYS AND AUTOEXEC.BAT FILES

The following sections list the basic entries in the Config.sys file that are necessary to run Setup. If the Config.sys file contains the line device=c:\dos\setver.exe, you can remove it (this line is optional).

These Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files make the following assumptions:

Windows 3.0 or 3.1 with MS-DOS versions earlier than 5.0


Config.sys:

   device=c:\windows\himem.sys
   Files=60
   buffers =20
   stacks=9,256

   Autoexec.bat file:

   prompt $p$g
   path=c:\windows;c:\dos;c:\ 
   set temp=c:\temp
   set tmp=c:\temp

MS-DOS versions 5.0 and later


   Config.sys file:

   device=c:\dos\setver.exe
   device=c:\windows\himem.sys
   Files=60
   buffers =20
   stacks=9,256
   shell=c:\dos\command.com c:\dos\ /p /e:512

   Autoexec.bat file:

   prompt $p$g
   path=c:\windows;c:\dos;c:\ 
   set temp=c:\temp
   set tmp=c:\temp
   c:\dos\share.exe /l:500 /f:5100

   **(any disk compression managers)
   **(if installing from a network include any network drivers necessary
      to install from the network)

   **(if installing from compact disc include compact disc driver)

Windows for Workgroups 3.11


   Config.sys file:

   device=c:\dos\setver.exe
   device=c:\windows\himem.sys
   Files=60
   buffers =20
   stacks=9,256
   shell=c:\dos\command.com c:\dos\ /p /e:1024
   device=c:\windows\ifshlp.sys

   Autoexec.bat file:

   prompt $p$g
   path=c:\windows;c:\dos;c:\ 
   set temp=c:\temp
   set tmp=c:\temp

   **(include any disk compression managers if necessary to access drive)
   **(if installing from a network include any network drivers necessary
      to install from the network)

   **(if installing from compact disc include compact disc driver)
Always remove the following: 

   dos=high,umb
   logimenu,click
   anti-virus programs (vsafe, f-prot, nav, and so on)
   install=fastopen
   memory managers(emm386.sys, qemm.sys, and so on)
   unnecessary drivers(sound, modem, fax, scanners, game ports, networks**,
   COMPACT DISCs**, and so on)
   MS-DOS level mouse/keyboard drivers
   smartdrv.exe

VIDEO DRIVER CONFLICTS

When an error occurs, set the video display to the standard VGA display. This uses the generic VGA driver that ships with Windows and is known to function correctly with Windows. To change the display, use the following steps:
  1. In Program Manager, select the Windows Setup icon.

    This icon is normally found in the Main program group. If this icon cannot be located, an alternative method to run Windows Setup is to click Run on the File menu in Program Manager or File Manager. This will bring you to the Windows Setup dialog box.


  2. Note the current driver that appears next to the Display option so that you will know what driver to switch it back to.


  3. On the Options menu, click Change System Setting.


  4. Scroll the list to locate the VGA display entry, and select that display.

    CAUTION: Do not the select the VGA 3.0 driver. This is a different driver from the VGA driver, and it may not work correctly on all systems. You will then be prompted and given a choice to use the current driver or to install a new driver. Select to use the current driver.


NOTE: If you do not have a current copy of the VGA driver on your system, you will be prompted to insert the Windows Installation Disk in your floppy disk drive. Place the requested disk in the drive and press ENTER.
  1. Select to Restart Windows.


  2. Hold down the Shift key to disable the Startup group programs.


THE SYSTEM.INI AND WIN.INI FILES

The Win.ini file has two lines that automatically start programs when Windows is started. These two lines are in the [Windows] section and are the load= and run= lines. If there is anything being loaded in these lines, remark these lines out by placing a semicolon at the very beginning of the line.

In the System.ini file, check the following lines in the [boot] section. If they contain something other than what is listed here, change them to the following: 

   shell=progman.exe
   comm.drv=comm.drv
   system.drv=system.drv
   drivers=mmsystem.dll
If one of these lines is not present, add it. If any changes are made to the Win.ini or the System.ini files, save the changes and restart Windows.

Make sure there are blank lines between the section headings in the Win.ini and System.ini files. The section headings are designated by the braces. There should be a blank line directly before each section heading. This line should not contain any characters (including the space character), the tab character, or any other non-printing characters. Also, eliminate blank lines in the body of a section.

Make sure there is a valid temp directory. Confirm that the "set temp=" line points to an existing folder. When you use DMF disks, it is important to set a TMP variable as well as the TEMP variable. This variable can be set to the same folder as the TEMP variable. You can suggest, for example, c:\temp as the temp folder (using a folder named "Temp" makes it easy to clean up old files that are left there).

Check to make sure the path statement in the Autoexec.bat file is correctly typed. Make sure each folder has the following and that each folder listed is a valid folder, as in the following example:
path=c:\windows;c:\dos;c:\
Check to make sure that Windows is starting from the Windows folder. To check where Windows is starting from type "set" at the MS-DOS prompt and press ENTER. This will display a list of environment variables. The ones to pay particular attention to include:
path=<search path> temp=<temp folder> windir=c:\<windows folder>
The windir variable should refer to the valid Windows folder. If it references only the root drive or a folder other than the one containing Windows, refer to the following articles to correct this problem:
Q100836 Setup Error Message: "While Registering OLE Servers..."
The temp variable must refer to a valid folder. If it references the root directory, the MS-DOS folder, or the Windows folder, change it in the Autoexec.bat to a valid temp directory. If the temp directory does not exist, you should create it.

If the path statement contains any invalid folders or has typographical errors, edit the path statement in the Autoexec.bat file to correct the mistakes.

VIRUSES

Viruses are a major issue with failed setups. If you are having trouble with the disk errors or read/write errors, be sure to check for viruses. The file names on the DMF disks should indicate the product name and disk number, and have a ".cab" extension. Some examples of these files are:
Microsoft Excel Setup Disk 2 contains the file "Excel2.cab" Office Setup Disk 10 contains the file "Msoff10.cab"
If these are not the file names you have (on DMF disks only), or if the file sizes are 0, the likely cause is a virus. A particular file name to look for is one containing "EMSDMF.3.2". This name is known to be caused by a boot sector virus. The virus will need to be cleaned out of the boot sector and the entire hard disk should be cleaned. Likewise, clean any of the setup disks that where infected.

For more information on detecting and cleaning viruses refer to the following articles:
Q49500 List of Anti-Virus Software Vendors
Q82923 Methods to Detect a Boot Sector Virus
Q88410 Windows Err Msg: The Microsoft Windows 32-Bit Disk...
Q72796 Common Ways of Detecting a Virus in MS-DOS

MAINTENANCE MODE INSTALLATION

If you run Setup and it starts up in maintenance mode (the options to Add/Remove, Reinstall, or Remove All indicate that you are in maintenance mode), try running the Setup program from the floppy disk drive. In general, Setup is started in maintenance mode when you run it from any of the following sources: To run Setup from the floppy disk drive, put Disk 1 of the Office Setup disks into the floppy disk drive (usually the A or B drive). In Program Manager, click Run on the File Menu, and type "<drive>:\setup.exe" (for example, if your disk is in drive A, type a:\setup.exe).

Additional query words: 1.00 1.10 2.00 6.00a tshoot

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Last Reviewed: August 26, 1999
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