You receive an "Error 1706. Setup cannot find the required files" error message when you repair or install a feature in Office (297834)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office XP (Setup)
  • Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Student and Teachers Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Basic Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Access 2003
  • Microsoft Office Excel 2003
  • Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
  • Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
  • Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
  • Microsoft Office Publisher 2003
  • Microsoft Office Word 2003
This article was previously published under Q297834

SYMPTOMS

When you insert a Microsoft Office CD-ROM, either to repair an Office installation or to install a feature set to Installed on First Use, you may receive the following error message:
Error 1706. Setup cannot find the required files. Check your connection to the network, or CD-ROM drive. For other potential solutions to this problem, see C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\1033\Setup.hlp.

CAUSE

This problem can occur if all the following conditions are true:
  • You originally installed Office from a network administrative installation.
  • The network administrative installation is no longer available to you.
  • You are trying to use an Office CD-ROM when you are prompted by the Windows Installer for an Office source location.
  • You click Cancel when you are prompted to insert the CD.
Because the files in an administrative installation are uncompressed, and the files on an Office CD-ROM are compressed, the Windows Installer cannot resolve the differences between the two source types.

RESOLUTION

The resolution to this problem depends on whether you can obtain access to a network administrative installation. Use the following methods, as appropriate to your situation.

Use an Alternative Network Administrative Installation

If the original administrative installation from which you installed Office is not available, you can use a different administrative installation for the Office source file location. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box, type a command line similar to the following, and then click OK

    new network path\Setup.exe /fvm package name.msi

    where new network path is the full path to the alternative network administrative installation, and package name is the name of the Windows Installer .msi package on the root of this administrative installation (for example, Proplus.msi).

  3. Click OK when the update is finished.
Note After you follow these steps, the Windows Installer uses this new server location whenever it needs to reinstall, repair, or add a feature to your Office installation.

Create an Administrative Installation on Your Computer's Hard Disk

If you do not have access to a network administrative installation but have more than 700 MB of free disk space on your hard disk, you can create an administrative installation on your hard disk to use as the Office source file location. To do this, follow these steps.

Note To create an administrative installation, you must use an Enterprise edition of Office.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

281934 Errors when you install Office XP from the command line using Setup.exe

  1. Insert your Office CD-ROM.
  2. Click Start, and then click Run.
  3. In the Open box, type a command line similar to the following, and then click OK

    CD-ROM drive:\Setup /a

    where CD-ROM is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive.

  4. In the Administrative Installation dialog box, specify the location on your hard disk for the Office administrative installation, and then type your Product Key (CD key). Click Next.
  5. Click OK when the installation is finished.
  6. Follow the steps listed in the "Use an Alternative Network Administrative Installation" section to change the Office source file location to the administrative installation on your local hard disk.

Use a CD-ROM for the Office Source Location

To change to a CD-ROM for the location of the Office source files, you must remove Office, and then reinstall Office from the CD-ROM. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Quit all Office programs.
  2. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel.
  3. Double-click the entry for the Microsoft Office 2003 or Microsoft Office XP product that is installed.
  4. In the Maintenance Mode Options dialog box, select Uninstall Office, and then click Next.
  5. Click Yes to confirm the removal of Office.
  6. Click OK when the removal is finished.
  7. Insert your Office 2003 or Office XP CD-ROM.
  8. Follow the Setup dialog boxes to install Office from CD-ROM.

    Note If you use a CD key that is not a Volume License Key, you will be required to activate your Office product after the installation from CD-ROM is finished.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

MORE INFORMATION

For more articles about troubleshooting Setup issues with Office XP:

Click here to view a list of Troubleshooting Installation of Office XP: Pick Your Operating System articles

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

828451 Service packs, updates, and security patches may require the Office XP CD-ROM

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:8/29/2006
Keywords:kbRepair kbsetup kberrmsg KB297834 kbAudEndUser
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