Symptoms
When you try to install the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system, you receive the following error message:
Windows Setup cannot locate a valid hard drive to store temporary installation files.
Setup does not continue past 0 percent when it tries to copy installation files.
Cause
This problem occurs if you install Windows Vista to a new formatted partition that does not have a drive letter assigned to it. This problem may also occur if Setup tries to write temporary files to a formatted partition that does not have a drive letter assigned to it.
Resolution
To resolve this problem, make sure that all the hard disk drives on your computer either have unallocated disk space or contain partitions that have drive letters assigned to them.
More Information
When you install Windows Vista to a partition, Setup is more likely to try to write temporary files to the partition.
