Article ID: 810880 - Last Review: May 27, 2003 - Revision: 1.4

Cannot Remove Windows XP, Error Message: Cannot Create the Folder

View products that this article applies to.
System TipThis article applies to a different operating system than the one you are using. Article content that may not be relevant to you is disabled.
Expand all | Collapse all

SYMPTOMS

When you try to remove Windows XP, you may receive the following error message:
Cannot create the folder drive letter:\Windows folder\folder name
If you click Retry, you receive the same message. If you click Quit, the computer restarts, and then you receive the same message.
Back to the top

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue:
  1. Use a Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition startup disk to start the computer.
  2. At the command prompt, manually create the folder that is specified in the error message. For example, if you received the following error message
    Cannot create the folder C:\Program Files\folder name
    type the following commands and press ENTER after each line:
    cd \
    cd "program files"
    md folder name
  3. Remove the startup disk, and then restart the computer.
If the problem is not resolved, follow these steps:
  1. Use a Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition startup disk to start the computer.
  2. At the command prompt, type the following commands and press ENTER after each line:
    C:
    cd undo
    edit mkdirs.txt
  3. In this file, locate the line that is specified in the error message, and then delete that line. For example, if you received the following error message
    Cannot create the folder C:\Program Files\folder name
    locate, and then delete the following line in the Mkdirs.txt file:
    C:\Program Files\folder name
  4. Hold down the ALT key, and then press the DOWN ARROW key to select Save on the File menu.
  5. Remove the startup disk, and then restart the computer.
Back to the top

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to remove Windows XP after an upgrade, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
303661  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/303661/EN-US/ ) How to Uninstall Windows XP and Revert to a Previous Operating System
Back to the top
APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Back to the top
Keywords: 
kbprb kbfix KB810880
Back to the top