SYMPTOMS
When you attempt to install Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition (Me), you may receive the following
error message from Registry Checker (Scanreg.exe):
Windows found an error in your system files and was unable to fix the
problem. Try deleting some files to free up disk space on your Windows
drive. If that doesn't work then you will need to install Windows to a
new directory.
However, if you attempt to install Windows 98 in a different folder, you
may receive the same error message and Setup may not finish.
RESOLUTION
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:
ARTICLE-ID: 178548
TITLE : No "Starting Windows 98" Message at Startup
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.