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To return from a clean boot state
1. Click Start, click Run, in the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. On the General tab, click Normal startup, and then click OK.
3. Click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.
To perform clean boot troubleshooting in Windows 98:
For information about performing a clean boot for troubleshooting purposes in Windows 98, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 192926.
File copy error during Setup
Suppose Setup stops when copying files, and you see a message like this:
Setup cannot copy the file <file_name>. Press X to retry, Y to abort.
Here are some possible causes and solutions for this problem:
• Your Windows XP CD is scratched, smudged, or dirty. Clean the CD with a soft cloth, insert it into the CD drive, and then click OK.
• Your CD drive is not working properly or the CD might be vibrating too much for the laser to accurately read the data. For more information about this problem, consult your hardware documentation, or contact the CD drive manufacturer.
• If you are using multiple CD drives, your computer might be trying to locate files on the wrong drive. If your hardware has a feature to disable CD drives that are not being used, disable the CD drives that you are not using.
Note: To disable a device in Windows 95, right-click My Computer, click Properties, open Device Manager, and then clear Original Configuration (Current). In Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition, select the Disable in this hardware profile check box in Device Manager.
If required, re-enable the device after upgrading to Windows XP. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 283658.
• There is a virus on your computer. Run a virus-scanning program to check your system and identify needed repairs.
Note: If you experience problems during installation, you can use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to test your computer's random access memory (RAM). This tool helps determine whether installation problems are caused by failing hardware, such as RAM or the memory system of the motherboard. To use the tool, follow the instructions on the Windows Memory Diagnostic (Microsoft Online Crash Analysis) Web site.
For information about several more technical issues that might be causing the problem, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 310064: How to Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation.
If you can rule out all of the causes listed above, and you continue to receive the error message, copy the i386 folder from the CD drive to your local hard disk, and then try to run Setup from your hard disk. Here's how:
1. The Smartdrv.exe tool will speed up the process of copying files from the CD to your hard drive. To use the Smartdrv.exe tool, make sure the Smartdrv.exe file is present on the startup disk.
If you don't have Smartdrv.exe, file copying will take much longer but it can still be done successfully. Verify that the following entries exist in the following files on your startup disk; add the entries if they do not already exist:
In Autoexec.bat, add this line:
smartdrv.exe
In Config.sys, add this line:
device=himem.sys
Note: For information about modifying the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 232558.
2. Insert the startup disk into your computer's floppy drive, and restart the computer.
3. When the DOS prompt appears (it looks like this: C:>), type the following lines, pressing ENTER after each one. Substitute the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive for the letter D, if yours is different.
D:
cd \i386
winnt
When Setup begins, follow the prompts on your screen.
Note: There is no option to boot to a command prompt on the initial startup menu in Windows Millennium Edition. However, you can boot to a startup floppy disk and then type C: and press ENTER to access the hard drive, as long as the startup disk uses the same file system as the hard disk.
Your computer hangs or stops responding and displays a black screen
When you try to upgrade to Windows XP, your computer might stop responding (hang) and a black screen might be displayed. This is usually caused by hardware or software that is incompatible with Windows XP.
Note: Before beginning Setup, you should compare your system's hardware to the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). You can also find information about each of your computer's devices (such as printers, scanners, and so on) at the device manufacturer's Web site, in the Windows Catalog:
Text version of the HCL (for all operating systems)
(https://winqual.microsoft.com/download/default.asp)
Text version of the HCL (for Windows XP only)
(https://winqual.microsoft.com/downlo...inXPHCLx86.txt)
The Windows Catalog
(http://www.microsoft.com/windows/catalog/)
You can get to all of the above from Windows Hardware and Driver Central (Products Designed for Microsoft Windows – Windows Catalog and HCL)
If your computer stops responding and displays a black screen during Setup, follow these steps:
1. Wait at the black screen for 10 minutes to make sure that the computer does not continue with the Setup procedure. Watch the hard drive indicator to see if there is any disk activity. Setup might resolve the problem on its own.
2. Restart the computer to see if it stops again at the same place during Setup. Occasionally, Setup will proceed farther than the last time it stopped responding. If this occurs, restart your computer several times so that Setup will finish.
3. If steps 1 and 2 don't work, to revert back to Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition, restart the computer and choose the option to Cancel Windows XP Setup. If canceling Windows XP Setup is not an option when you restart your computer, see step 5.
4. After you revert back to Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition, uninstall all virus protection programs, uninstall all boot manager programs (such as GoBack), and then perform a clean boot of your computer.
5. If the upgrade fails again, there might be a hardware incompatibility issue. You can try to disable ACPI functionality. To do this, when your computer restarts, watch for an option to press F6 to install SCSI drivers. On this screen, press F7 (not F6).
6. If Setup continues to stop responding, disable any unnecessary hardware. Remove any USB devices, remove or disable network cards, sound cards, and serial cards, and then restart Setup.
7. If you continue to receive this error message, you might need to flash (update) the BIOS on the motherboard. Please refer to the manufacturer of your computer or to the motherboard Web site for information about how to flash the BIOS.
Warning: Do not attempt to flash the BIOS unless you are an advanced user. Doing this incorrectly can make your computer unusable.
8. If a BIOS update does not resolve the issue, or if you are unable to obtain an updated BIOS version for the computer, you might want to install Windows XP with a Standard PC Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL). To do so, press F7 (not F6) when you are prompted to press F6 after Setup restarts the computer for the first time. For more information about how to force the Standard PC HAL, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 299340: How to Force a HAL During Windows XP Setup.
You receive an error message or Stop message during Setup
If you receive one of the following error messages during Setup, refer to the appropriate Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
311562: 'An Unexpected Error (768) Occurred at Line 5118@ind:Xp\Client\Boot\Setup\Setup.c' Error Message During Windows XP Setup
311564: 'Stop 0x0000000A Irql_Not_Less_or_Equal' Error Message During Windows XP Upgrade
311442: Error Message: Setup Cannot Continue. Please Contact Microsoft Technical Support. (Error: 3E6h)
Troubleshooting other errors:
Note: If you experience problems during installation, you can use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to test your computer's random access memory (RAM). This tool helps determine whether installation problems are caused by failing hardware, such as RAM or the memory system of the motherboard. To use the tool, follow the instructions on the Windows Memory Diagnostic (Microsoft Online Crash Analysis) Web site.
Problem Solution
A program or a device doesn't work after upgrading to Windows XP. First, try reinstalling the program or device. If that doesn't solve the problem, check with the manufacturer for a newer version of the software or hardware that is designed to work with Windows XP. If this is an older program, search Windows Help and Support for the word "compatibility" to see instructions for running the Program Compatibility Wizard.
Message: Incomplete file copy Refer to the file copy troubleshooting section in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 310064.
Message: NTLDR is missing If you choose to update files at the beginning of Setup, this will be fixed automatically. See Microsoft Knowledge Base article 322069. For troubleshooting this error, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 314057.
Message: Error 127 or error code fffffdf0 in catroot2 folder Rename the Windows\System\Catroot2 folder and run Setup again. See Microsoft Knowledge Base article 307153. This has been fixed in Dynamic Update 1.3. Run Setup again and download the updated Setup files when prompted.
Message: "File not found: ASMS" For troubleshooting tips, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 311755.
Setup hangs during "finalizing settings" phase. This error is usually caused by virus protection software. Cancel Setup, disable your virus protection software, and then start Setup again. (Or, if you choose to update files at the beginning of Setup, this will be fixed automatically.)
Create boot disks
A boot disk is a floppy disk or set of disks that lets you start the computer without using Windows. It can be useful to have this when doing certain types of troubleshooting and when performing a new installation of Windows.
You can download a program to create the six Windows XP Setup boot floppy disks that contain the files and drivers required to access the CD-ROM drive and begin the Setup process. To do this, go to Obtaining Windows XP Setup Boot Disks (The Requested Web Page is Not Available.
However, rather than creating boot disks, we recommend that you boot your computer from the Windows XP CD to start Setup. If your computer is not already able to do this (most newer computers are), refer to the section titled "Configure a computer to boot from CD" for more information. If your computer does not support booting from CD, you can download a file that will help you create boot disks. See the list at the end of this section for download locations.
Creating the Setup boot disks
1. When you download the Setup disks, the download contains only one large program file. When you run the downloaded file, it extracts the files to individual floppy disks. You receive the following prompt:
This program creates the Setup boot disks for Microsoft Windows XP.
To create these disks, you need to provide 6 blank, formatted, high-density disks.
Please specify the floppy drive to copy the images to.
2. Type the drive letter for the floppy disk drive (this is typically drive A). After you type the floppy disk drive letter, you see the following prompt:
Insert one of these disks into drive <drive>:. This disk will become the Windows XP Setup Boot Disk.
Press any key when you are ready.
3. When you press a key, the downloaded file starts extracting and copying the files. Continue inserting the blank disks as you are prompted to do so until all six disks are created. If the process is interrupted, you must run the downloaded program file again to create all six disks.
4. Label each disk with the number that is specified by the program. You must use the disks in the correct order during the Setup process.
5. After you create all six disks, insert the first disk in the floppy disk drive, and then restart the computer. Note that the computer must be configured to boot from the floppy disk drive. Most computers will do this automatically, but in some cases, you might need to modify your computer's BIOS settings to do this. For information about modifying your computer's BIOS settings, refer to the section titled "Configure a computer to boot from CD."
6. When you restart the computer, the Setup process begins. Insert each floppy disk as you are prompted to do so. You will then be prompted for the Windows XP CD to finish Setup.
Configure a computer to boot from CD
Some computers might automatically offer the option to boot from CD if they detect a bootable CD in the CD-ROM drive. If so, when you start the computer with a bootable CD in the CD-ROM drive, you'll see the message "Press any key to boot from CD." Otherwise, you can set your computer to boot from CD by using the setup program for your computer's BIOS (basic input/output system). Here's how:
• When you first start the computer, look for a short message telling you which key to press for setup. For example, some computers will have this message: Press DELETE to enter setup.
If your computer doesn't give you such a message, try pressing these commonly used keys during startup:
o DELETE
o F1
o F2
o F3, then F2
o F10
o CTRL+ALT+ESC
o CTRL+ALT+S
o ESC
If graphics appear during startup, pressing ESC often makes the graphics disappear so that you can see the correct key for entering BIOS setup.
• When you see the message, quickly press the indicated key. You will enter a DOS-like program that consists of one or more screens. You probably won't be able to use the mouse while in this program. BIOS programs vary widely, but look for an option called "Boot order" or something similar.
• Set the boot order to boot from CD before booting from the hard drive.
Some newer laptop computers have a Windows-based utility for configuring the BIOS. If your computer won't boot from a CD, refer to the section titled "Other Setup-related tasks" for information about starting Setup from the command prompt.
Set up a multiboot system
You can install more than one operating system on your computer and choose which operating system you want to use every time you start your computer. This is called a dual-boot or multiboot configuration. This section explains how to set up Windows XP as a multiboot system with the following operating systems:
• Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows NT 3.51
• Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Millennium Edition
• MS-DOS or Windows 3.x
Precautions
Before creating a multiboot configuration with Windows XP and another operating system, review the following precautions:
• Be sure to back up your current system and all data files.
• Each operating system must be installed on a separate volume. Microsoft does not support installing multiple operating systems on the same volume.
• If you have only one volume on your computer, you have to reformat and repartition your hard disk to contain multiple volumes before you begin creating a multiboot configuration, unless you are simply installing another copy of Windows XP.
• Do not install Windows XP on a compressed drive that was not compressed using the NTFS compression utility.
• Before installing Windows XP, you should disable antivirus software, and you might want to run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to test your computer's random access memory (RAM). To use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool, follow the instructions on the Windows Memory Diagnostic (Microsoft Online Crash Analysis) Web site. Be sure to enable your virus protection software after installing Windows XP.
• You must use a different computer name for each operating system if the computer is on a Windows 2000 or Windows XP domain.
• The operating systems should be installed from oldest to newest. If possible, install operating systems in the following order:
o MS-DOS
o Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition
Note: You cannot install Windows Millennium Edition over any version of Windows NT, but they can exist together on a single system. It is recommended that you install each to a separate hard disk or partition. If Windows NT is already installed, Windows Millennium Edition Setup will add itself to the Windows NT boot menu to allow you to multiboot between Windows Millennium Edition and Windows NT. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 271240.
o Windows NT
o Windows 2000
o Windows XP (Professional or Home Edition)
Partitioning the hard disk and selecting file systems
A partition is a logical section of a hard disk. Each partition normally has its own file system. For more information about partitions, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 313348.
You might need to reformat and repartition your hard disk if:
1. You have only one volume but you want to set up a multiboot configuration. You have to install each operating system on a separate volume so that each installation can retain its own files and configuration information.
2. The boot volume is not formatted with the correct file system:
1. If you want to create a multiboot system by using Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition along with Microsoft Windows XP, you have to format the boot volume by using FAT because Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition do not support the NTFS file system.
2. If you want to install Windows 95 (retail version 4.00.950), your boot volume must be formatted as FAT. Windows 95 (OSR2.1 and above) can have a FAT32 boot volume and dual boot with Windows 2000 and Windows XP. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 258662.
3. If you want to create a multiboot system using Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition with Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you can format the boot volume by using FAT32.
Note: If you format a Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP volume with any file system other than NTFS, you will lose all NTFS-specific features. This includes Windows XP features such as file system security, Encrypting File System (EFS) settings, disk quotas, and remote storage. Likewise, Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Millennium Edition do not recognize an NTFS partition; they will identify it as unknown. Therefore, if you format a Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition partition as FAT, and a Windows XP partition as NTFS, any files on the NTFS partition will not be available or visible if you try to access them while running Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition.
Supported file systems
The following table lists the supported file systems for Microsoft operating systems:
Operating system Supported file systems
MS-DOS FAT
Windows 3.1 FAT
Windows NT FAT, NTFS
Windows 95 FAT
Windows 95 OSR2 FAT, FAT32
Windows 98 FAT, FAT32
Windows Millennium Edition FAT, FAT32
Windows 2000 FAT, FAT32, NTFS
Windows XP (both Professional and Home Edition) FAT, FAT32, NTFS
To create a multiboot system with Windows XP and MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition
You cannot install two or more of the following in a multiboot configuration: Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Millennium Edition.
These combinations work:
• MS-DOS, Windows 95, and Windows XP
• MS-DOS, Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition, and Windows XP
This combination does not work:
• Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Millennium Edition
You should install Windows XP only after installing MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition. This will prevent these operating systems from overwriting the Windows XP boot sector and the Windows XP startup files.
Note: If you install the operating systems in the wrong order, you will need to use the Recovery Console or run Windows XP Setup again to get Windows XP back. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 307654.
To create a multiboot system with Windows XP and MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition:
1. Make sure that you have a separate partition or hard disk for each operating system you plan to install, and that each partition or hard disk is formatted with the correct file system.
2. Do one of the following:
o If you want a multiboot system with MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition along with Windows XP, first install MS-DOS; followed by Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition; and then install Windows XP.
o If you want a dual-boot system with only Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition, install either Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition, and then install Windows XP.
3. Install each operating system according to the standard installation procedure.
To create a multiboot system with Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP
Using a multiboot system with both Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP is not recommended as a long-term solution. The NTFS update in Service Pack 5 (SP5) for Windows NT 4.0 is provided only to help you evaluate and upgrade to Windows XP.
To create a multiboot system with Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP:
1. Make sure that your hard disk is formatted with the correct file system: either FAT32 or NTFS.
2. Install Windows NT 4.0, download Windows NT Service Pack 5 from Microsoft, and install the service pack. Then install Windows XP to a separate volume.
3. Install each operating system according to the standard installation procedure.
Note: If you intend to install more than one operating system consisting of some combination of Windows NT 4.0 with either Windows 2000 or Windows XP as the only installed operating systems, you must make sure that you have installed Service Pack 5 or higher for Windows NT 4.0. You can download the latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack here: Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a (http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/nt...P6/allSP6.asp).
Windows XP automatically upgrades any NTFS partitions that it finds on your system to the version of NTFS that is used in Windows 2000 and Windows XP. However, Windows NT 4.0 requires Service Pack 5 to read and write files on a volume that is formatted with the version of NTFS used in Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
Installing programs on more than one operating system
If you have more than one operating system, and you want certain programs or drivers to work on both systems, you must install those items on each system separately. For example, if you want to use Microsoft Word on a computer with both Windows 98 and Windows XP installed, you have to install Microsoft Word two times (once on Windows 98 and once on Windows XP).
You can install the program to the same path for different operating systems, as long as the target location uses a file system both operating systems can read.
Note: Windows 95 or Windows 98 might reconfigure hardware settings the first time you use them, which might cause configuration problems when you start Windows XP.
Specifying the default operating system for startup
If you have more than one operating system on your computer, you can set the operating system that you want to use as the default when you start your computer:
1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
2. On the Advanced tab, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
3. Under System startup, in the Default operating system list, click the operating system that you want to start when you turn on your computer.
4. Select the Display list of operating systems for check box, and then type the number of seconds for which you want the list displayed before the default operating system starts.
Warning: The boot options file (Boot.ini) controls the number and order of operating systems on your computer. To manually edit this file, click Edit on the Startup and Recovery tab. Use caution when modifying the boot options file. Doing so incorrectly might render your computer unusable. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 289022.
Troubleshooting problems with multiboot systems
These additional troubleshooting ideas might help you resolve your issue without having to call technical support:
Errors with Internet Explorer:
• When you start Microsoft Internet Explorer, the browser might quit and you might receive an error message that is similar to the following:
iexplore caused an Invalid Page Fault in module kernel32.dll
This error might occur if you install multiple operating systems on a single volume. To resolve this issue, install each operating system on a separate volume.
You cannot configure your computer to start both Windows 95 and Windows 98 (or Windows Millennium Edition)
• You cannot configure a computer to multiboot Windows 95 and Windows 98 (or Windows Millennium Edition) because those platforms use the same boot file. Therefore, multibooting Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition at the same time is not supported.
The boot menu does not appear upon startup
• When you start your computer, the boot menu does not appear and you are unable to start Windows XP. This problem might occur if you install Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition after you install Windows XP. To resolve this issue, repair or reinstall Windows XP.
For more information about multibooting with Windows 2000 and Windows XP, see Multibooting with Windows 2000 and Windows XP (Windows Server Resources.
Also, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 205287.
Repair or recover a system
You can repair or recover your system in several different ways. Instructions for each method are below. Try the methods in this order:
1. Revert to the "Last Known Good" configuration.
2. Start the computer in Safe Mode and try to fix the problem.
3. Use the Windows XP Recovery Console.
4. Use System Restore.
5. Use Automated System Recovery (works for Windows XP Professional only, not Windows XP Home Edition).
To use the Last Known Good configuration:
If Windows XP will not start, you can restore your system to the Last Known Good configuration – in other words, your most recent settings that worked. Here's how:
1. Start the computer and then press the F8 key when Windows begins to start. The Windows Advanced Options menu appears.
2. Use the arrow keys to select Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked), and then press ENTER.
3. If a boot menu appears, use the arrow keys to select Microsoft Windows XP, and then press ENTER. Windows XP restores the computer to the most recent restore point.
To use the Windows XP Recovery Console:

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