You receive an "Error 1913. Could not update the ini file WIN.INI" error message when you install Office 2000 (235242)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office 2000 Premium
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Professoinal
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Standard
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business
  • Microsoft Office 2000 Developer
  • Microsoft Access 2000
  • Microsoft Excel 2000
  • Microsoft FrontPage 2000
  • Microsoft Outlook 2000
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2000
  • Microsoft Word 2000
This article was previously published under Q235242

SYMPTOMS

During Microsoft Office 2000 Setup, you receive the following error message:
Error 1913. Could not update the ini file WIN.INI. Verify that the file exists and that you can access it.
Your only choices are Retry and Cancel. The error message repeats when you click Retry, and the installation rolls back if you click Cancel.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if one of the following is true:
  • The following conditions are true:

    • Microsoft Windows 2000 is your operating system.

      -and-

    • -and- Your account is a member of the Users local users group.

      By default, members of the Windows 2000 Users local users group can operate the computer and save documents, but they do not have appropriate permissions to install programs or make changes to the system files and settings.

    -or-

  • -or- The Win.ini file is marked with the Read-only attribute.

    -or-

  • -or- The file size of the Win.ini file is greater than or equal to 64 kilobytes (64 KB).

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods.
  • Log on as the Administrator and run Setup again.
  • Change the attributes of the Win.ini file.
  • If you are an administrator, set the Windows Installer Policy to AlwaysInstallElevated.
  • Temporarily rename the Win.ini file and install Office.
See the appropriate section below for detailed steps.

Change the Read-only Attribute for Win.ini

To change the attributes of the Win.ini file, follow these steps:
  1. Locate the Windows directory on your computer.
  2. In the Windows directory, locate the Win.ini file, and right-click the file. In the menu that appears, click Properties.
  3. In the Properties dialog box, in the Attributes section, make sure that the Read-only check box is not selected. If the check box is selected, click the check box to clear it, and then click OK.
  4. Run Setup again.

Set the Windows Installer Policy

You can implement the right to install programs with elevated privileges with Group Policy. This policy appears in both the Computer Configuration folder and the User Configuration folder. To make this policy effective, you must turn on (enable) the policy in both folders.

To add this right with Group Policy, follow these steps:
  1. In Windows 2000, log on as an administrator.
  2. Click Start, click Run, and then type MMC. Click OK to start the Microsoft Management Console.
  3. Add the Group Policy snap-in.
  4. Click the plus sign (+) next to Local Computer Policy object to expand the view.
  5. Click the plus sign (+) next to Computer Configuration to expand the view.
  6. Expand Administrative Templates.
  7. Expand Windows Components, and then click Windows Installer so that the Windows Installer policy settings appear in the right pane.
  8. Double-click the Always Install with Elevated Privileges policy setting.
  9. Click Enabled, and then click to select the Check to force this setting on check box.
  10. Click OK to accept the new policy settings.
  11. Repeat steps 6-10 with the User Configuration folder to complete the policy configuration.
  12. Quit Microsoft Management Console and then restart the computer.
  13. Log on as the user, and install Office.

Rename Win.ini and Install Office

  1. Locate the Windows directory on your computer.
  2. In the Windows directory, locate the Win.ini file, and right-click the file. On the menu that appears, click Rename.
  3. Type win.old and then press ENTER.
  4. Restart the computer.
  5. Install Office 2000.
  6. Repeat steps 1 and 2, and rename the file back to Win.ini.
  7. Restart the computer.

REFERENCES

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

259377 Published Program Setup Stops Unexpectedly

For more information about how to add the Group Policy snap-in, click Help Topics on the Help menu, click the Index tab in Microsoft Management Console Help, type the following text

Group Policy and MMC, snap-ins, adding to new MMC

and then double-click the selected text to go to the topic.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/13/2006
Keywords:kbtshoot kbprb kbsetup kbdta KB235242
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