"Error Reading CD-ROM" Error Message When You Upgrade to Windows XP

When you attempt to upgrade your computer to Windows XP, you may receive an error message similar to the following during Setup:

This behavior can occur if either of the following conditions is true:

• You attempt to upgrade a computer that contains more than one CD-ROM drive, or a combination of a CD-ROM and a CD-RW or DVD-ROM drive. Windows XP Setup may attempt to locate the Windows XP CD-ROM in a drive other than the drive that contains the Windows XP CD-ROM.
  
  -or-
• Windows XP Setup is unable to detect the CD-ROM drive that contains the Windows XP CD-ROM.

To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods, as appropriate to your situation.

Method 1: Use an Alternate Drive

If you have a second CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or CD-RW drive in your computer, insert the Windows CD-ROM into it, and then restart Setup.

Method 2: Install Windows from a Flat

If you are unable to install Windows XP from the CD-ROM, copy the Windows Setup files to a folder on the hard disk (this is known as creating a flat), and then run Windows Setup from the local hard disk. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Start Windows Explorer, and then browse to the drive that contains the Windows XP CD-ROM.
2. In the right pane of Windows Explorer, right-click the I386 folder, and then click Copy on the shortcut menu that appears.
3. Browse to the location on the hard disk at which you want to create the flat.
   
   NOTE: You will require about 446 megabytes (MB), or 468,217,079 bytes, of free hard-disk space.
4. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
5. After the files are copied to the hard disk, quit Windows Explorer.
6. Click Start, and then click Run.
7. In the Open box, type the following command, where drive is the drive that contains the I386 folder that you copied from the Windows XP CD-ROM:
   drive:\i386\winnt32.exe
8. Click OK.
   
   Windows XP Setup starts.
9. Follow the steps in the Windows Setup Wizard to upgrade the computer to Windows XP.