How to Troubleshoot Installation Issues During Setup in Windows Millennium Edition

This article provides basic, linear troubleshooting steps that you can use to help resolve issues when you are installing Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me).

If you are looking for assistance with an issue after Windows Me is already installed, try using the Microsoft Knowledge Base to search for articles using the tips suggested on the following Microsoft Web site:

Searching the Knowledge Base (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;en-us;kbinfo)

Windows Me Setup includes four major sections:

1. Preparing to run Windows Me Setup
2. Collecting information about your computer
3. Copying files to your computer
4. Setting up hardware and finalizing system settings

If your computer stops responding (hangs) while the Installation Wizard is running, while checking your computer, or while the Preparing to Run Windows Setup screen is displayed, verify that you have quit all programs and all running tasks are closed. After the Setup wizard has checked your computer, you may receive messages in dialog boxes that may prevent you from continuing with Setup if incompatible drivers or programs are detected.

For additional information about this issue, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
During an upgrade you may also receive the following error message: This is known to occur when the following files are in use:

• Netdi.dll
• Netos.dll
• Setupx.dll

If you click OK, Setup restarts your computer and returns you to the Windows Me Setup Wizard. Some common programs that are known to cause this are the ATI video drivers and the Diamond In-Control tools.
If Setup stops responding while checking your computer or upgrading your registry database, verify that you have quit all programs and all running tasks are closed. You can also check the Setuplog.txt file for information about the registry split, because a successful split generates the following information for an upgrade:

NOTE: Scanreg.exe does not run during a clean installation.
If you encounter an error about your processor speed being less than 150 MHz, but your processor is over 150 MHz, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

When the Product ID portion of Setup occurs, your computer may stop responding, or you may encounter issues while you are entering the Product ID. If this occurs, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

If you are not prompted to save your system files during an upgrade, see the following article for more information:



If you receive error messages while the system files are being saved, try to restart in Safe mode and clean boot the computer.

If you receive an error message that Setup must be able to create short filenames, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

During the creation of the emergency boot disk (EBD), from 0 to 20 percent of files are gathered for EBD creation. From 20 to 60 percent, the disk is being formatted, and at this point you may receive errors if you have a damaged floppy disk or a damaged floppy disk drive. From 60 to 100 percent, files are being copied from the Wininsto.400\Ebd folder to the floppy disk.

If you encounter issues during this process, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:


After the EBD has been created, Windows Me Setup is ready to begin copying files. If you are installing from a CD-ROM, from 0 to 10 percent of the file copy process, cabinet (.cab) files are copied to the Windows\Options\Install folder. If you encounter file copy issues, verify that your CD-ROM is clean and that it is not scratched, and then place the CD-ROM in the drive to try again. If that does not resolve this issue, perform the following steps:

1. Insert the Windows Millennium Startup disk into the floppy disk drive, and then restart your computer.
2. Start your computer with CD-ROM support.
3. At the command prompt, type:
   c:
   
   Then press ENTER and type:
   md flat
   
   Then press ENTER.
   
   NOTE: If you do not have enough free space on drive C to create a flat folder, create the flat folder on any drive with enough free space.
4. Change to the CD-ROM drive. For example, if the drive letter is "G", type:
   g:
   
   Then press ENTER.
5. Type:
   
   cd win9x
   
   Then press ENTER.
6. Type:
   copy *.* drive:\flat
   
   Then press ENTER, where drive is the drive that contains the flat folder you made in step 4.
7. After the files have been copied to the flat folder, change to the drive where you copied the flat folder. For example, to change to drive C, type:
   c:
   
   Then press ENTER.
8. Type:
   
   cd flat
   
   Then press ENTER.
9. Type:
   
   setup
   
   Then press ENTER. Windows Me Setup should now restart.

If file copy issues persist, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

After the file copy process finishes, Setup tries to restart the computer automatically. If your computer stops responding at this first restart, restart your computer. At the beginning of the first restart, Plug and Play detection occurs, including hardware and devices that you have attached or installed. In some hardware configurations, your computer may stop responding during Plug and Play detection, and this generally occurs with 12 to 13 minutes remaining. This occurs when the Windows Millennium Configuration Manager (Configmg.vxd) is unable to successfully detect the devices that are attached to the computer.

For a step-by-step procedure to troubleshoot detection issues, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

After all devices have been detected and the computer has been restarted for the second time, the "Setting up Hardware and Finalizing System Settings" procedure occurs. PNP devices that have been detected are set up, followed by setting up the Control Panel, Start Menu and Windows Help. This is all being run from the following keys in the registry: Failures at this point in Setup, which include the items that are run from the RunOnceEx key are logged in the following location Windows\RunOnceEx Log.txt file. At this point, you are in Windows Me for the first time, and the Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 files are being installed. This process concludes with the third restart, and then the desktop is displayed with the "Welcome to Windows Millennium Edition" message.

For more information about this portion of Setup, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:


The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

Support WebCasts

Support WebCasts (http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=http%3a%2f%2fsupport.microsoft.com%2fdirectory%2fcontent.asp%3fid%3dfh%3ben-us%3bwebcst%26amp%3bfr%3d0%26amp%3bsd%3dgn%26amp%3bln%3den-us%26amp%3bct%3dsd%26amp%3bse%3dnona) are a product support information service offered to all Online Support customers. To view a basic WebCast on Troubleshooting Setup issues in Windows Me, visit the following Microsoft Web site:



To view a more technical WebCast on Troubleshooting Setup issues in Windows Me, visit the following Microsoft Web site: