Windows XP Setup Cannot Continue

When you run Windows XP Setup, you may experience one of the following symptoms:

• You may receive an error message that is similar to the following:
  Fatal Error: An error has been encountered that prevents setup from continuing.
  One of the components that Windows needs to continue setup could not be installed.
  Press OK to view the setup log file.
• Setup may stop unexpectedly, you receive a black screen with a blinking cursor, and then the computer restarts.

This issue may occur if Setup cannot correctly read files from the Windows XP CD.

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

1. Remove the Windows XP CD from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and examine it for damage or scratches. If the CD shows any signs of damage, skip the following steps. Use the information that is listed at the end of the "Resolution" section of this article to obtain a replacement CD from Microsoft. If you have to, clean the CD.
2. If you upgrade to an existing installation of Windows, follow these steps:
   1. Insert the Windows XP CD in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
   2. Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then press ENTER.
   3. At the command prompt, type xcopy CD-DriveLetter\I386\*.* c:\i386\*.* /s /e, and then press ENTER. For example, if your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive is designated as d:, type d:\I386\*.* c:\i386\*.* /s /e.
      
      Note Because of the size of the I386 folder, this process may take a few minutes.
   4. Type c:\i386\winnt32.exe, and then press ENTER.
3. If you install Windows XP on a computer that is not currently running Windows, follow these steps:
   1. Insert a Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) or Microsoft Windows 98 Startup disk in the floppy disk drive, and then restart the computer.
   2. Insert the Windows XP CD in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
   3. Type xcopy CD-DriveLetter\I386\*.* c:\i386\*.* /s /e, and then press ENTER. For example, if your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive is designated as d:, type d:\I386\*.* c:\i386\*.* /s /e.
      
      Note Because of the size of the I386 folder, this process may take few minutes.
   4. Type c:\i386\winnt.exe, and then press ENTER.

For additional information about what to do if you do not have a Windows Millennium Edition (Me) or Windows 98 Startup disk, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: If the steps that are listed in the "Resolution" section of this article do not resolve the issue, use the following contact information to order a replacement Windows XP CD from Microsoft.

If you are calling from the United States, contact the Microsoft Order Desk at the following phone number: If you are calling from Canada, contact the Canadian Order Desk at the following number:

If you order replacement media, you can view the status of your order. To do so, visit the Microsoft Web page: To obtain your order status, enter the order number and zip code or postal code.

You can also check the status of your order by calling one of the phone numbers that is listed earlier in this article.