Cannot Complete Setup After Receiving Scanreg Error Message

When you attempt to install Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition (Me), you may receive the following error message from Registry Checker (Scanreg.exe):

However, if you attempt to install Windows 98 in a different folder, you may receive the same error message and Setup may not finish.

This problem can occur if you have a damaged registry.

This error can also be caused by insufficient (or not properly installed) RAM.

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods, and then run Setup again:

• Rename the Windows folder.
• Rename the registry files.

WARNING: Using any of these methods causes Windows to lose information about third-party drivers, customized features, installed programs, and e-mail and Internet settings. After you use either of these methods, you must reconfigure all settings and reinstall all programs.

NOTE: Before you run Windows 98 or Windows Me Setup, you may want to back up all your data using an MS-DOS-based backup program, or by copying your data files to floppy disks.

We recommend that you perform these steps after restarting your computer and choosing Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu. To do so in Microsoft Windows 95, restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu. For Windows 98 or Windows Me, restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key until you see the Windows 98 or Windows Me Startup menu, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only.

For more information about how to use the Startup menu in Windows 98, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Rename the Windows Folder

Type the following line, and then press ENTER

ren c:\<windows> c:\oldwin

where <windows> is the name of your Windows folder.

Rename the Registry Files

Type each of the following lines, pressing ENTER after each line

cd\<windows>
attrib -h -r -s system.dat
attrib -h -r -s user.dat
ren system.dat system.old
ren user.dat user.old

where <windows> is the name of your Windows folder.

NOTE: As one possible solution, you may want to try uninstalling back to Win95, cleaning up system (removing any unused programs), and reinstalling back to Win98 before doing a clean directory.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows 98/Me.

Registry Checker is a Windows 98/Me tool to check the registry and attempt to repair it (if it is damaged). Registry Checker is run as a normal part of Windows 98/Me Setup. Each time Windows 98/Me starts after Setup is complete, Registry Checker scans the registry for corruption and creates a backup of the registry if one has not been made for that date. Registry Checker restores a backup of the registry if it cannot repair a damaged registry, or it attempts to repair the registry if no valid backup is available. For more information about Registry Checker, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: