"Failed To Install Product Catalog" Error Message When You Install Windows XP (823303)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP1
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP1

SYMPTOMS

When you try to install Microsoft Windows XP, you may receive an error message similar to one or both of the following error messages:
Failed to install product catalog.
-or-
STOP 0x0000008E (0x00000005,0xBF869F22,0xF9470688,0x00000000)

CAUSE

This behavior may occur if one of the following conditions is true:
  • The Catroot2 folder is not correctly deleted during the installation.
  • Therandom access memory (RAM) configuration is not compatible with Windows XP.
  • One or more of the RAM modules on your computer do not work correctly.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, follow these steps:
  1. Rename the Catroot2 folder during the installation. To rename the %WinDir%\System32\Catroot2 folder at a command prompt, follow these steps:
    1. During setup, and while the error message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section of this article appears on the screen, press SHIFT+F10 to open a command prompt, type cd\windows\system32\, and then press ENTER .
    2. Type rename catroot2 catold, press ENTER, and then restart the computer. Try to finish the installation again.
    If you cannot start a command prompt in Setup, restart the computer from a Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition startup disk and rename the %WinDir%\System32\Catroot2 folder, or restart the computer from the Windows XP CD and rename the folder in Recovery Console.

    If this does not resolve the problem, go to step 2.
  2. If you are upgrading the operating system to Windows XP or Windows XP Service Pack 1, use the earlier version of the operating system to start the computer, set the maximum random access memory (RAM) for the computer to use to 128 MB, and then run the installation program again. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Restart the computer in the earlier version of Windows.
    2. Click Start, and then click Run.
    3. Type msconfig, and then click OK.
    4. In the System Configuration Utility, click the BOOT.INI tab, and then click Advanced Options.
    5. Click to select the /MAXMEM= check box, in the box to the right, type 128, click OK, and then click OK again.
    6. Try again to install Windows XP.

      If this does not resolve the problem, go to step 3.
  3. Replace any faulty individual memory modules. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Remove some of the memory modules that are installed on the computer. Leave at least the RAM required for the computer to start and run Windows XP.

      Note The recommended RAM to run Windows XP is 128 megabytes (MB). The minimum is 64 MB and the maximum is 4 gigabytes.

      For example, if two 256-MB memory modules are installed on your computer, remove one of the memory modules.
    2. Restart the computer, and then run Setup.
    3. If you again receive the error message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section of this article, go to step 3d.
    4. Remove a different memory module, or install the RAM in a different memory slot.
    5. Restart your computer, and then rerun Setup.

      You may have to restart your computer several times to identify the specific memory modules that are not working correctly.

MORE INFORMATION

For information about how to add and remove RAM, contact the manufacturer of the computer or see the documentation that is included with your computer.

For additional information about Windows XP Setup, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

306824 Release Notes for Windows XP Setup Contained in the Home.txt File

286463 Release Notes for Windows XP Setup Contained in the Pro.txt File

286647 Windows XP Read1st.txt File Contents

For information about how to contact your hardware manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

REFERENCES

For additional information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

315335 "STOP 0x0000008e" Error Message During Windows XP Setup

307153 Error Messages Appear During Upgrade from Windows Me or Windows 98 to Windows XP

For additional information about how to start your computer from the Windows XP CD, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

307848 HOW TO: Start Setup from MS-DOS in Windows XP

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:7/12/2003
Keywords:kberrmsg kbprb KB823303 kbAudEndUser
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.