How to troubleshoot Setup problems in Microsoft games (258496)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Flight Simulator X Deluxe
  • Flight Simulator X Standard
  • Links 2003 Championship Edtn EN
  • Microsoft Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings 2.0
  • Microsoft Age of Empires II Expansion: The Conquerors
  • Microsoft Age of Empires II Gold Edition
  • Microsoft Age of Empires III
  • Microsoft Age of Empires III Expansion: The War Chiefs
  • Microsoft Age of Mythology
  • Microsoft Age of Mythology: Gold Edition
  • Microsoft Age of Mythology: The Titans
  • Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater
  • Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series 1.0
  • Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe
  • Microsoft Dungeon Siege 1.0
  • Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna
  • Microsoft Dungeon Siege II
  • Microsoft Fable: The Lost Chapters PC
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Professional Edition
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Professional Edition
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 - Century of Flight
  • Microsoft Freelancer
  • Microsoft Halo: Combat Evolved
  • Microsoft MechWarrior 4: Black Knight
  • Microsoft MechWarrior 4: Vengeance
  • Microsoft MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries
  • Microsoft Motocross Madness 2 2.0
  • Microsoft Rise of Nations
  • Microsoft Rise of Nations: Gold Edition
  • Microsoft Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends
  • Microsoft Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon 2
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs Expansion Pack
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania Expansion Pack
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon 2: Dino Danger
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania
This article was previously published under Q258496
Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows registry

SYMPTOMS

This article describes how to troubleshoot problems that you may experience when you install Microsoft games. The following are typical problems that may occur during installation:
  • The game Setup stops responding.
  • You receive an error message that resembles one of the following:
    Game Name Setup encountered an error while reading the file File Name. Make sure that the disc is inserted correctly in the CD-ROM drive, and then click Retry.
    Game Name Setup encountered a disk error while writing to the file File Name. Make sure your hard disk is not full, and that the file is not in use.
    Game Name Setup cannot continue because your hard disk is full or write-protected. Close any applications, delete unnecessary files from this drive, and then try again.
    Setup was unable to find or could not read the language specific setup resource .dll.
    Wrong volume is in the drive.
    Setup.exe is not a valid win32 application.
  • You receive an error message that includes an error code, such as "Error 1305, 1603, 1335, or 1935."

RESOLUTION

To troubleshoot the game problems, use the following methods in the order that they appear in.

Method 1: Clean the disc

Clean the CD or DVD. To do this, use a disc cleaning kit, or gently wipe the silver side of the disc with a soft, lint-free cotton cloth. Do not use paper cloth that can scratch the plastic and leave streaks. When you clean the disc, wipe from the center of the disc outward. Do not use a circular motion. If the issue continues to occur, clean the disc with a damp cloth or a commercial CD or DVD cleaning solution. Dry the disc thoroughly before you insert it in the drive. If the issue continues to occur, go to the next method.

Method 2: Restart the computer by using a clean boot procedure, and then empty the temporary files folder

When you start Microsoft Windows, typically there are several programs that start automatically and run in the background that may interfere with the game. These programs may include antivirus and system utility programs. When you perform a clean boot procedure, you prevent these programs from starting automatically. You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to finish this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.

To restart your computer by using a clean boot procedure, follow these steps when you are using Windows XP.

Note You may experience a temporary loss of some services functionality when you follow these steps. Restoring the settings restores the functionality, but may cause the return of the original error message or behavior.
  1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. On the General tab, click Selective Startup.
  3. Under Selective Startup, click to clear the following check boxes:
    • Process SYSTEM.INI File
    • Process WIN.INI File
    • Load Startup Items
  4. On the Services tab, click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.
  5. Click OK, and then click Restart.
To clean boot your computer, click Play to view this streaming media demonstration. To return to a regular startup after you clean boot your computer, click Play to view the streaming media demonstration

For more information or to view steps for other operating systems, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

331796 How to perform a clean boot procedure to prevent background programs from interfering with a game or a program that you currently use

After you perform a clean boot, empty the temporary folder in Windows. To do this, use the method that is appropriate for your computer.

Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows 2000

Note The temporary folder is located in each specific user folder--for example, C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Local Settings\Temp. To empty the Windows temporary folder, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type %temp% in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Select All.
  3. On the File menu, click Delete.
  4. Click Yes when you receive the following message: Are you sure you want to send these items to the Recycle Bin?
  5. Test your game.

Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition

To empty the Windows temporary folder, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type temp in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Select All.
  3. On the File menu, click Delete.
  4. Click Yes when you receive the following message: Are you sure you want to send these items to the Recycle Bin?
  5. Test the game.
If the issue continues to occur, go to the next method.

Method 3: Create a new user account in Windows XP

Windows XP Home Edition

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.
  2. In the Pick a task list, click Create a new account.
  3. Type the name that you want to use for the account, and then click Next.
  4. Select the account type that you want, and then click Create Account.
Note Some games require a user account that has Administrator account type to run.

Windows XP Professional Edition

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.
  2. On the Users tab, click Add.
  3. Type a name for your user account, your full name, and a description for your account.
  4. If your computer is set up as part of a client/server network, type the domain name, and then click Next.

    Note If your computer is set up as an individual computer (without a network) or is in a peer-to-peer network, you do not have to provide a domain name.
  5. Type a user password. Then, type the user password again to confirm it.

    Important Passwords are case sensitive. For example, "MyPassword" and "mypassword" are treated as two different passwords.
  6. Click Next.
  7. Select the level of access for your user account. Then, click Finish.
Note Some games require a user account that has Administrator level access to run.

Method 4: Install the game in safe mode

Note These steps are only for Windows XP. Windows XP has a built-in troubleshooting mode called safe mode. safe mode bypasses startup files and uses only basic system drivers. This includes basic networking and system services. When you start Windows in safe mode, Windows uses only the mouse, keyboard, and standard video graphics adaptor (VGA) device drivers and those system services that are required to start. This makes safe mode useful for isolating and resolving error conditions that are caused by startup programs, services, and Windows-based drivers. Windows XP also has troubleshooting features that may help you identify the problem. To start Windows XP in Safe Mode, follow these steps.

Note You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to finish these steps. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing these steps. You can gain access to Safe Mode by using one of two methods. If one method does not work, try the second method.

Use the F8 key to access safe mode

To start your computer in safe mode by using the F8 key, follow these steps:
  1. Restart the computer, and then press F8 to enter Troubleshooting mode.
    • Multiple boot:
      If the Windows XP-based computer is set up for multiple boot, the boot-up process stops at the Please Select the Operating System. At this point, press F8.
    • Non-multiple boot:
      If the Windows XP-based computer is not set up for multiple boot, press F8 when the Starting Windows progress bar appears at the bottom of the screen.
      Note Be prompt, you may have only a few seconds to press F8.
  2. By default, safe mode is selected. Press ENTER. You see the words Safe Mode appear in the four corners of the screen.
  3. Start the game's Setup program from safe mode.

Use Msconfig to access safe mode

To start your computer in Safe Mode by using the Msconfig utility, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. Click the boot.ini tab.
  3. Click to select the /SAFEBOOT check box.
  4. Click Apply, and then click OK.
  5. Restart your computer.
  6. When Windows starts, select the Administrator account.
  7. Install the game.

Method 5: Try to install the game on another directory or drive

If the game stops responding (hangs) or generates an error message during setup, try to install the game on a different directory. If you have another hard disk, try to install the game on another drive.

Note The following steps may be different for each product that is listed in this article.
  1. Insert the game disc in the drive.

    Note Do not click Express Install during setup.
  2. Follow the setup menus until you see the Change button.
  3. Click Change.
  4. In the Path box, delete the existing path, and then type drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\game name. In this example, drive is the drive letter of the hard disk and game name is the name of the game that you are trying to install.
  5. Click OK when you are finished.
  6. Follow the directions that appear on the screen to install the game.
If the issue continues to occur, go to the next method.

Method 6: Test the disk in another drive or on another computer

If your computer has multiple CD, CD-R, CD/RW or DVD drives, try to install the game from a different drive on the same computer or a different computer. If the installation is successful in this test, the problem may be that the original drive is not correctly reading the disc. If the installation is not successful then the CD is likely bad and must be replaced. For more information, see the "Obtaining a replacement disc" section. If you see the same issues with a replacement disc as with the original disc, go to the next method. If the issue continues to occur, go to the next method.

Method 7: Clean the drive

If cleaning the CD or DVD does not resolve the issue, clean the disc drive by using a CD or DVD drive cleaning disc if you have one. If you do not have one, obtain one after all other steps in this article do not resolve the issue. Drive cleaning discs are available in most computer or home electronics stores. If the issue continues to occur, go to the next method.

Method 8: Run the Xcopy command

You can use the Xcopy utility to identify if the disc or the drive is bad. To run Xcopy command, follow these steps:
  1. Insert the game discs in the CD drive, if the game setup starts, exit it.
  2. Click Start, point to Run, and then type the command line for your version of Windows:

    Windows XP and Windows 2000: Cmd

    Windows 98: Command
  3. The MS-DOS window appears on the screen.
  4. Type the following command at the prompt: cd\.
  5. You should end up at the root drive the hard disk drive--for example, drive C.
  6. Type the following command at the prompt:

    Xcopy CD drive letter:\*.* /s c:\text.txt

    After you type this command line, press ENTER. You receive the following message:"Does C:\text.txt specify a file name or directory name on the target? (F=file, D=Directory)."Press F for file. Click A to select All. Depending on the speed of the computer's CD or DVD, the steps to Xcopy may take several minutes to finish. If there are any files that cannot be read from the CD that indicates that the CD is dirty, damaged, or the game CD is bad. If no error messages were generated by running Xcopy command on the game disc, go to Method 9.

Method 9: Check the hard disk for errors

To check the hard disk for errors, use the following method that is appropriate for the system.

Windows XP or Windows 2000

  1. Open My Computer.
  2. Right-click the hard disk that you want to check, and then click Properties.
  3. On the Tools tab, in the Error-checking section, click Check Now.
  4. Click to select the Automatically fix file system errors check box and the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
Check hard disk for errors

Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition

  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click ScanDisk.
  2. Select the drive where the game is installed, and then click Start.

Method 10: Defragment the hard disk

When a program is installed on your computer, the program's files may be stored in multiple, noncontiguous locations on the hard disk drive. This is fragmentation. If the hard disk drive is fragmented, programs on your computer may run slowly. The Disk Defragmenter tool optimizes the performance of your computer by reorganizing the files on the hard disk drive in contiguous blocks. When the Disk Defragmenter tool finishes the defragmentation of files on the hard disk drive, your programs may run faster.

Note You can use your computer when Disk Defragmenter is running. However, your computer operates slowly during the defragmentation process and restarts if the contents of the drive change during the process. To defragment the hard disk drive, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Programs (or All Programs), point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
  2. Select the drive where the game is installed, and then click Defragment.
Note On Windows 98-based and Windows Millennium Edition (Me)-based computers, click OK.

Method 11: How to troubleshoot CD issues in Windows

If the issue continues to occur, follow directions in the following knowledge base articles for the version of the operating system that you are using:

218617 How to troubleshoot CD-ROM or DVD-ROM read issues

314096 How to troubleshoot CD-ROM drive problems in Windows XP

321641 How to troubleshoot issues with reading CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD discs

REFERENCES

Obtain a replacement disc

To obtain a replacement disc from Microsoft, contact the Microsoft Order Desk at 1-800-360-7561.

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

326246 How to replace lost, broken, or missing Microsoft software or hardware

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/10/2006
Keywords:kberrmsg kbArtTypeSHOWME kbenv kbhowto kbsetup KB258496
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