Windows 2000 Reboots Continuously with Upgrade of Windows 98 and HP5000 Series Scanner Installed

After you upgrade your Microsoft Windows 98-based computer to Windows 2000 Professional, the original Windows 98 drivers for the Hewlett-Packard (HP) 5000 series scanner are retained in the registry, and this prevents you from upgrading or installing the HP scanner. After you install the scanner software, your computer may stop responding (hang), or restart or reboot continuously.

This issue can occur if you are still using the Windows 98 drivers on your Windows 2000-based computer.

To resolve this issue, obtain and install the HP patches for this issue. For information about how to do so, please view both of the following HP Web sites: Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.


After installing the patches the user may receive a DOS command prompt window each time the system starts. To resolve this issue, the user needs to remove the entry in the Startup menu and from the following Registry Keys: Search for Hpppt.exe. This device is removed when the patches are installed from HP but may still have an entry in the Startup menu or the Registry. If the .exe file is present, delete the file and this eliminates the command prompts appearance during Startup. The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

For information about how to obtain the HP scanning software, view the following HP Web site: Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.