Cannot Remove Windows XP, Error Message: Cannot Create the Folder (810880)

SYMPTOMS

When you try to remove Windows XP, you may receive the following error message:

Cannot create the folder drive letter:\Windows folder\folder name

If you click Retry, you receive the same message. If you click Quit, the computer restarts, and then you receive the same message.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue:

Use a Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition startup disk to start the computer.
At the command prompt, manually create the folder that is specified in the error message. For example, if you received the following error message
Cannot create the folder C:\Program Files\folder name
type the following commands and press ENTER after each line:
cd \
cd "program files"
md folder name
Remove the startup disk, and then restart the computer.

If the problem is not resolved, follow these steps:

Use a Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition startup disk to start the computer.
At the command prompt, type the following commands and press ENTER after each line:
C:
cd undo
edit mkdirs.txt
In this file, locate the line that is specified in the error message, and then delete that line. For example, if you received the following error message
Cannot create the folder C:\Program Files\folder name
locate, and then delete the following line in the Mkdirs.txt file:
C:\Program Files\folder name
Hold down the ALT key, and then press the DOWN ARROW key to select Save on the File menu.
Remove the startup disk, and then restart the computer.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to remove Windows XP after an upgrade, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

303661 How to Uninstall Windows XP and Revert to a Previous Operating System