How to troubleshoot installation problems when you install Office 2003 from the Office 2003 CD (826321)

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The steps in this article help you to verify that your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive can correctly read the CD.

Examine and Clean the CD

To verify that the CD is clean and free of scratches, examine the shiny side of the disc. To clean the disc, wipe it with a soft cloth in a straight line from the center of the disc to the edge. If there are no visible scratches, and if the errors still occur after you clean the CD, follow the steps in the "Test for a Damaged CD" section. If the CD appears scratched, try a new CD.

Test for a Damaged CD

To determine whether the CD is damaged:

1. Insert the CD into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
4. At the command prompt, change to the CD-ROM drive (this is typically drive E). To do so, type e: (or whatever the letter of your CD-ROM drive is), and then type the following command:

   dir /s

If you receive an error message, the CD is damaged, or the CD-ROM drive cannot read the CD. For more information about how to use the MS-DOS command prompt, see your Windows printed documentation or online Help.

Turn Off the CD AutoPlay Feature

Microsoft Windows 2000 continuously detects whether a CD is inserted in the CD-ROM drive. When it detects a CD, Windows 2000 checks the volume for an Autorun.inf file. If the volume contains an Autorun.inf file, Windows 2000 runs the programs that appear on the "open=" line in this file. This feature is named AutoPlay.

For additional information about how to turn off the automatic running of software CDs and the automatic playing of audio CDs for Windows 2000, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Turn Off the Enhanced BIOS Features

Warning Incorrectly altering hardware basic input/output system (BIOS) settings can cause serious problems that may cause your computer to not start or to not function correctly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems that result from the incorrect setting of hardware BIOS options can be solved. Change the hardware BIOS settings at your own risk.

Most computers have several enhanced settings that permit the computer to fully use the computer hardware. These high-speed settings may cause computer instability. If you turn off these features, you may make the computer more stable. Contact your computer manufacturer for information about how to access the BIOS and to change the BIOS settings. You can access the BIOS on most computers immediately after you turn on the power. Typically, you must enter a keystroke (for example, press DELETE) to access the BIOS. The common features in the following list may interfere with Microsoft Office programs:

• Memory Shadow RAM
• Video Shadow RAM
• Internal Cache
• External Cache
• Built-in Virus software

Newer chip sets may have more advanced features (such as memory wait states) that may cause errors. Most BIOS installation programs have an option to load the BIOS default settings. This option typically turns off all the advanced features.

Look for Software Updates

Outdated and incompatible software may also cause error messages to appear. Contact the manufacturer of the computer for various software updates, such as BIOS updates, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Windows updates, and CD-ROM drive driver updates.

Check Your CD-ROM Drive for Compatibility (Windows 2000 Only)

For Windows 2000, make sure that the CD-ROM device is listed on the operating system's corresponding Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). For additional information about the Windows 2000 HCL, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: