Article ID: 927297 - Last Review: March 15, 2007 - Revision: 2.7

You cannot select the Upgrade option when you try to install Windows Vista, and you receive the following message: "You must rename or remove <FolderName> before upgrade can continue"

When you try to install Windows Vista, you cannot select the Upgrade option that is located in the Install Windows dialog box. Additionally, you receive the following error message in the dialog box:

Upgrade has been disabled

- You must rename or remove <FolderName> before upgrade can continue.

Note In the error message, <FolderName> represents one of the following folders:

Windows
Users
ProgramData

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CAUSE

This problem may occur if one of the following conditions is true:

You are trying to upgrade a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer.
Your current Windows directory is not named Windows. Also, another folder that is named Windows exists on the computer.
A Users folder exists on the same drive as the Windows directory.
A ProgramData folder exists on the same drive as the Windows directory.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, check for one of the folders that are mentioned in the "Symptoms" section. Then, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

Rename the folder. To rename the folder, follow these steps:

Right-click <FolderName>, and then click Rename.
Type <FolderName>_old, and then press ENTER.
Restart the Windows Vista setup from your current version of Windows.

Method 2

Delete the folder. To delete the folder, follow these steps:

Use a backup program, such as the Backup utility for Windows that is included with Windows XP, to back up the folder. For more information about how to use the Backup utility for Window XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
308422 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422/ ) How to use Backup to back up files and folders on your computer in Windows XP
Right-click <FolderName>, and then click Delete.
Click Yes on the Confirm Folder Delete dialog box.
Restart the Windows Vista setup from your current version of Windows.

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