5.6 Troubleshooting the Installation Process
5.6.2 Windows 98 setup errors
Setup errors may be the most important problems that a technician will encounter. Understanding the error codes generated by the operating system can save a great deal of time when troubleshooting Windows installation problems. In this section, the most frequent Setup error codes are summarized and interpreted, and procedures are provided for the resolution of the errors.
  • Not Enough Disk Space – Delete any unnecessary files on the hard drive. If this does not work, do a clean-install, that is, reformat the drive and start from scratch.
  • Not Enough Memory – The system lacks sufficient memory to continue the installation. When this problem occurs, install more RAM. A minimum of 32 MB is recommended for a Windows 98 system.
  • Setup has detected that an earlier version of SetupX.dll or Neti.dll is in use – Most likely, there are applications open during the installation. Choose either the option to replace the file and continue, or cancel and close all running applications. If the same error message repeats, attempt to install Windows 98 from DOS. Use the DOS boot disk created earlier.
  • CAB File Error Messages – The computer may be infected by a virus, or it may not have enough conventional memory, or it may have a hardware problem (especially the CD-ROM). A clean-install setup method can eliminate problems related to a virus or low conventional memory. Have any defective CD-ROMs cleaned or replaced. Another remedy is to attempt to copy the CAB files to the hard drive and run setup from there. A CAB file is a Microsoft compressed file.
  • Unrecoverable Setup Error. Setup cannot continue on this system configuration. Click OK to quit Setup – With this message, the best course of action is to try installing Windows 98 from DOS. Use the previously created DOS boot disk to boot to the DOS prompt.
  • Setup cannot create files on the startup drive and cannot set up Windows 98. There may be too many files in the root directory of the startup drive, or the startup drive letter may have been remapped (SU0018) – Remember that the root directory of a drive holds only a maximum of 512 files and/or folders. In this situation, either move or delete some files in order for setup to continue, and restart Setup.
  • Setup cannot write to the Temporary Directory – This error message indicates that there is not enough room in the temp directory. Clear all the files out the C:\WINDOWS\TEMP. Note that this is the same as the temp directory specified in AUTOEXEC.BAT by the line TEMP=.
  • SU0011 – The computer is password-protected. Remove the password, usually in the BIOS setup, and restart Windows 98 Setup.

Only a few of the errors that may be experienced in the installation of Windows 98 OS have been covered. For specific errors or to learn more about Setup errors, refer to the SETUP.TXT file that came with the Windows installation disks or CD.