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Troubleshoot Vista Installation & Upgrade Problems



This article discusses several Stop error messages that may occur during the installation of Windows Vista. It also discusses possible causes of the Stop error message and steps to resolve the problem. If you receive a Stop error message when you try to install Windows Vista, it is important to collect and to document as much information as possible about the error. The specific error code and the parameter information can help determine the appropriate troubleshooting steps and resources.

Stop 0x0000007B
Stop 0x000000A5
Stop 0x0000000A IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
Stop 0x000000D1 DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
Stop 0x0000000A
Stop 0x000000D1
Stop 0x0000007E SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
Stop 0x0000008E KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
Stop 0x00000024


When you try to install Windows Vista on a Microsoft Windows 2000-based computer, you receive the following error message when you try to load any storage driver:

Install Windows: setup.exe - Entry Point Not Found Error: The Procedure Entry point LZCopy could not be located in the dynamic link library Kernel32.dll


This article describes the steps that you can take to troubleshoot the problem when you cannot install Windows Vista from a CD or from a DVD. Problems may occur if there is a problem with the disc or with the drive. This article contains steps to help you resolve possible problems.


When you try to install Windows Vista on a portable computer that uses an ATI SB600 Series chipset, each driver may take a long time to install. Therefore, the Windows Vista installation process may take several hours. This problem occurs only on a computer that uses a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) device that is operating in Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) mode. This problem does not occur if the SATA device uses SATA Combined mode or Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) mode.


When you try to install Windows Vista, you cannot select the Upgrade option in the Install Windows dialog box. Additionally, you receive the following error message in the Install Windows dialog box:

Upgrade has been disabled - To upgrade, start the installation from Windows
 


This article contains step-by-step instructions for installing Windows Vista from a hard disk. This technique is called a flat installation. A flat installation is an alternative to an installation that uses the Windows Vista installation CD or DVD.


When you try to install Windows Vista, you experience the following symptoms:

In the Windows Vista installation program, you receive the following error message at the bottom of the Where do you want to install Windows? dialog box:

This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu.

If you click a different drive in the Name list, the error message remains. If you click Next, you receive the following error message at the bottom of the Where do you want to install Windows? dialog box:

Windows is unable to find a system volume that meets its criteria for installation.


This article describes how to manually restore a previous Windows installation on the computer to replace the current Windows Vista installation. To do this, you must use the command prompt, and you must type specific commands at the command prompt to rename and to move folders between the different versions of Windows.


When you try to install Windows Vista on a computer, the Upgrade option is unavailable. You may also receive a message that is specific to the computer hardware. This issue occurs when one or more pieces of hardware that are attached to the computer are incompatible with Windows Vista.


When you try to upgrade a computer to Windows Vista, you receive the following error message:

This computer does not have enough space for temporary files. Windows installation needs at least size megabytes (MB) of space on any partition for temporary files. To install Windows, free enough space and restart the installation. Error code 0x80070103

You experience this problem even if you have sufficient hard disk space to install Windows Vista.



This article describes the versions of Microsoft Windows XP that you cannot upgrade to Windows Vista because of language pack issues between the two products. This article also describes how to perform a custom installation of Windows Vista to work around this issue.

This issue affects the following language versions of Windows XP:

Bulgarian, Croatian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Serbian-Latin, Slovak, Slovenian, Thai, Ukrainian

This issue affects the following language versions of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition:

Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

This issue affects the following language versions of Windows Media Centre Edition 2005:

Traditional Chinese, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish



When you try to upgrade a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista, you cannot select the Upgrade option. Also, you receive the following error message in the Install Windows dialog box:

Upgrade has been disabled - The legacy OS does not meet the software update requirements: "Service Pack 2 for Windows XP"



When you try to upgrade a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista, you cannot select the Upgrade option. Also, you receive the following error message in the Install Windows dialog box:

Upgrade has been disabled - The legacy OS does not meet the software update requirements: "Service Pack 2 for Windows XP"


When you try to install Microsoft Windows Vista, you may receive the following warning message:

This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu.

This problem occurs if the following conditions are true:
  • The computer has two or more uninitialised hard disks.
  • You started the computer by using Windows Vista installation media.
This error message may also indicate that the BIOS of the computer does not support starting the operating system from the selected disk. When you click Next to continue with the Setup program, you receive the following error message:

Windows cannot find a system volume that meets requirements for installation.

Additionally, the Setupact.log file may contain an entry that resembles the following:

2006-08-08 16:21:11, Info DumpDiskInformation: Disk has no apparent ARC path


Consider the following scenario. You use a Windows Vista installation disc to install Windows Vista. Additionally, you have media that includes a storage device driver. This storage device driver is certified by Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL). When you install Windows Vista, you use the advanced settings in the Windows Vista Setup program to specify this storage device driver. In this scenario, the storage device driver that you specified during Windows Vista installation appears to load. However, after the installation of Windows Vista is complete, Windows Vista does not use the driver that you specified. Instead, Windows Vista uses the driver that is included in the Windows Vista installation disc. When this problem occurs, storage device features are not available in Windows Vista for the driver that you specified during Windows Vista installation. The storage device features are not available even though Windows Vista appears to use the .inf file that corresponds to the storage device driver that you specified during Windows Vista installation.


After you install an earlier version of the Windows operating system on a Microsoft Windows Vista-based computer in a dual-boot configuration, you may experience one of the following issues:
  • If you install an earlier version of the Windows operating system on a Windows Vista-based computer, Windows Vista no longer starts. In this case, only the earlier version of the Windows operating system starts.
  • If you install an additional instance of Microsoft Windows XP on a computer where Windows XP and Windows Vista are already installed in a dual-boot configuration, you may receive the following error message:

Disk read error has occurred.



When you try to install Windows Vista, you may receive the following error message:

Windows is unable to find a system volume which meets its criteria for installation.

You experience this symptom if the following conditions are true:
  • In the BIOS, a universal serial bus (USB) removable device is set as the start device, or the USB removable device is set to a higher priority than the first hard disk drive in the start order.
  • You attach a non-bootable USB device to a USB port before you start the computer.
  • You try to install Windows Vista from DVD installation media.


This article describes how to perform a custom installation of Windows Vista on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP.


When you try to activate Windows Vista over the Internet after you use a Windows Anytime Upgrade DVD to upgrade Windows Vista, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

The Windows Vista version product key you typed is invalid for activation.


When you try to install Windows Vista, the hard disk partition on which you want to install Windows Vista appears on the Where do you want to install Windows? disk configuration page as expected. However, when you click this hard disk partition, and then you click Next, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

Error: uncaught exception: (failed UI_ASSERT).


When you try to install Windows Vista, the hard disk on which you want to install Windows Vista does not appear in the Where do you want to install Windows? disk configuration window.


This article describes how to prepare to install Windows Vista on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP.


This article describes how to restore personal files after you perform a custom installation of Windows Vista. When you perform the custom installation of Windows Vista that is described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article, Windows Vista creates a Windows.old folder that contains the files from the Microsoft Windows XP installation.

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932856/) You cannot upgrade certain language versions of Windows XP to Windows Vista

You may want to recover personal files from the Windows.old folder, and move them to the installation of Windows Vista.


If you upgrade a computer from Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista, and if an error occurs during setup, the rollback phase is initiated. The rollback phase returns the computer to the previous operating system installation. This article describes a successful and unsuccessful rollback phase. The article also describes how to troubleshoot scenarios in which the rollback phase was unsuccessful.


This article describes a problem that may occur when you try to install Windows Vista. You may receive a "Windows is unable to find a system volume that meets its criteria for installation" error message.

When you try to install Windows Vista, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
  • The hard disk on which you want to install Windows Vista is not listed.
  • You cannot select a hard disk partition on which to install Windows Vista.
  • You cannot format a hard disk partition.
  • You cannot set the correct size for a hard disk partition.
  • You receive the following error message:

Windows is unable to find a system volume that meets its criteria for installation



When you use Windows Explorer to try to remove the drive:\$WINDOWS.OLD folder from a computer that has been upgraded from an earlier version of Windows to Windows Vista, Windows Explorer crashes. In this scenario, you receive the following error message:

Faulting application Explorer.EXE, version 6.0.5756.0, time stamp 0x452999fb, faulting module SHELL32.dll, version 6.0.5756.0, time stamp 0x4529b38a, exception code 0xc0000005, fault offset 0x000000000000c941, process id 0xbf8, application start time 0x01c6ecae8503dd46.

Note: The $WINDOWS.OLD folder is a hidden system folder. Sometimes, this folder has a name other than $WINDOWS.OLD. For example, this folder may be named $WINDOWS.~Q. For information about how to view this folder, see the "More Information" section.


You create a Compact Disk File System (CDFS)-based Windows Pre-installation Environment (Windows PE) image to start the installation of Windows Vista. However, when you try to start the computer by using this image, the computer does not start. Therefore, you cannot use this image to install Windows Vista. You experience this problem if you use a tool other than one of the following tools to create the image file:
  • OSCDimg.exe
  • CDimage.exe


When you try to start a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer after an unsuccessful upgrade to Windows Vista, the computer does not start. Instead, a black screen appears together with a blinking underscore. You may experience this issue if the computer uses a third-party boot manager program such as PowerQuest BootMagic or GRand Unified Bootloader (GRUB).


When you try to upgrade a computer to Windows Vista, the upgrade option is not available. You may receive a message that resembles the following:

Upgrade has been disabled. To upgrade to Windows, the hard disk partition must be formatted as NTFS. To reformat the partition, cancel the installation, open a Command Prompt window, and then type:

convert%1!c!: /fs:ntfs


Microsoft Windows XP does not start if the following conditions are true:
  • Windows XP and Windows Vista are installed in a dual-boot configuration.
  • Windows Vista is installed on the active partition.
  • The partition on which Windows Vista is installed is subsequently formatted or deleted.


Consider the following scenario. You use the net use command to map a network drive to the Sources folder. Then, you run the Setup program from the mapped drive to install Windows Vista. In this scenario, the installation may not finish successfully, and you may receive the following error message:

Windows could not load device compatibility data. Error code: 0x00000002


After you upgrade from an earlier version of Microsoft Windows to Windows Vista, you cannot play media files that you purchased from the iTunes Music Store. Note You try to play these files in Apple iTunes. Additionally, when you try to upload a media file that you purchased from the iTunes Music Store to an iPod, you may receive an error message that resembles the following:

(Song name) was not copied to (iPod name) iPod because you are not authorized to play it on this computer


After you install Windows Vista, you cannot use all the features of an integrated audio device that is compliant with the Audio Codec '97 (AC '97) specification.


After you upgrade to Windows Vista, you cannot use a fingerprint reader or another biometric device to log on.


You experience the following symptoms after you unsuccessfully try to install Windows Vista on a separate partition on a Windows-based computer:
  • The computer cannot start the earlier version of Windows.
  • The computer continuously restarts.
This problem occurs if the following conditions are true:
  • The computer is running a version of Windows that is earlier than Windows Vista.
  • You try to create a dual-boot system by installing Windows Vista to a different partition than the partition where the earlier version of Windows is installed.
  • An error occurs during the installation. Or, an error occurs after Windows Vista restarts for the first time. When this error occurs, the Windows Vista installer rolls back the changes that were made during the installation.


When you insert a Windows Vista 64-bit DVD within a 32-bit operating system, and setup is launched, the operation is unsuccessful, and you receive the following error message:

Setup cannot run on this version of the Operating System. To install Windows please try booting from the install media.

When you try to upgrade a computer’s operating system from the 64-bit version of Windows XP Professional (x64) to a 64-bit version of Windows Vista, the upgrade is disabled.


During an upgrade to Windows Vista from Microsoft Windows XP or from another version of Windows Vista, a computer may restart unexpectedly. When this problem occurs, the operating system is rolled back to the previous operating system. Additionally, the following message is logged to the Setupact.log file:

Info SYSPRP SPPNP: Reinstalling devices on the system


After you upgrade a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer to Windows Vista, you may decide to remove Windows Vista. However, in the Programs and Features item in Control Panel, there is no option to remove Windows Vista. This article describes how to remove Windows Vista by reverting to Windows XP.


Consider the following scenario. You have a computer that is running a version of Windows Vista. You upgrade to another version of Windows Vista by using the Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) DVD. Then, you try to activate Windows Vista over the Internet. In this scenario, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

The Windows Vista product version product key you typed is invalid for activation.


This article describes how to upgrade from Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista by using the upgrade version of Windows Vista.


You upgrade Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista. After you upgrade, you cannot uninstall Windows Vista by using the Uninstall a program option of the Programs and Features Control Panel tool.


This article describes how to move or to copy the music files that were stored in the "My Music" folder in an earlier version of Microsoft Windows to Windows Vista. These files are stored in the Windows.old folder that is created when you perform a custom installation of Windows Vista.


When you try to upgrade an earlier version of a Microsoft Windows operating system to Windows Vista, you receive the following error message:

Windows could not update the computer's boot configuration. Installation cannot proceed.

If you examine the contents of the following file:

drive:\$WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\Panther\setupact.log

you notice the following information:

Info [0x060216] IBS CallBack_MungeBootIni:Failed to modify boot entries GLE = 50

In this log entry, GLE error code 50 corresponds to the following error message:

ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED


After you upgrade a computer from Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) to Windows Vista, a second Language bar appears on the desktop. This problem occurs if an Input Method Editor (IME) was enabled in Windows XP.


After you install Windows Vista in a dual-boot configuration together with Microsoft Windows XP, you receive an error message that resembles the following when you try to start the computer by using Windows XP:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe. Please re-install a copy of the above file.



When you try to install Windows Vista, you cannot select the upgrade option. You receive the following message in the Install Windows dialog box:

Upgrade has been disabled. To upgrade Windows, your hard disk partition must be formatted as NTFS. To reformat the partition, cancel the installation, open the Command Prompt window, and then type: convert c: /fs:ntfs


When you try to use a Windows Vista CD or DVD to install Windows Vista, one or more of the following issues may occur:
  • The disc is not recognized by the computer.
  • When you view the contents of the disc in Windows Explorer, the disc appears to be empty.
  • The disc is in the CD or DVD drive when you start the computer. However, you are not prompted with the following message as expected:

Press any key to boot from CD



When you try to install Windows Vista, you cannot select the Upgrade option. Also, receive the following error message in the Install Windows dialog box:

Upgrade has been disabled - Windows cannot determine if another operating system exists on your computer. Try repairing the boot configuration, and then begin the installation again.


When you try to install Windows Vista, you cannot select an upgrade option that is located in the Install Windows dialog box. Additionally, you may receive the following error message:

Upgrade has been disabled - You cannot upgrade Windows in Safe mode. Cancel the installation, restart your computer in normal mode, and then try to upgrade again


When you try to install Windows Vista by using a computer's DVD drive, you may receive one of the following error messages:

Windows cannot install required files. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation. Error code: 0x800706F8

Windows cannot install required files. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation. Error code: 0x800703E6


When you try to install Windows Vista, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
  • The hard disk on which you want to install Windows Vista is not listed.
  • You cannot select a hard disk partition on which to install Windows Vista.
  • You cannot format a hard disk partition or partitions.
  • You cannot set the correct size for a hard disk partition.
  • You receive the following error message:

Windows is unable to find a system volume that meets its criteria for installation



Consider the following scenario. You purchase an upgrade license and an upgrade key for Windows Vista. You start the computer from the Windows Vista DVD, and then you try to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by using the upgrade key that you purchased. In this scenario, you are prevented from continuing the installation of Windows Vista.

Note: In a clean installation, you completely delete the hard disk of the computer that you are upgrading. You do not install Windows Vista directly over the previous operating system.


This article describes how to remove the Windows.old folder that is generated when you perform a custom installation of Windows Vista. The Windows.old folder contains folders and files that were used in the earlier version of Microsoft Windows that was installed.


When you try to perform a Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) upgrade by using the WAU product key on a Windows Vista-based computer, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

The product key you entered cannot be used when installation is started from this edition of Windows.


When you try to install the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system, you receive the following error message:

Windows Setup cannot locate a valid hard drive to store temporary installation files.

Setup does not continue past 0 percent when it tries to copy installation files.


When you try to upgrade a computer to Windows Vista, you cannot select the Upgrade option. Also, you receive the following error message in the Install Windows dialog box:

Upgrade has been disabled - The upgrade cannot be started because the content on your installation disk is written in a different language than the language on your computer. To fix this, get an installation disk that uses the same language as your computer.


When you try to perform a Windows Anytime Upgrade in Windows Vista, you may see a Software Licensing Commerce Client (SLCC) dialog box. This dialog box contains an error message that resembles the following:

An error occurred during the license installation

Error Code: 0x80070426
Error Information:
The service has not been started.

For assistance please try one of the following support contacts:

http://merchantsupporturl
mailto:


You purchased an upgrade license and key for Windows Vista. When you start from the DVD and then try to install Windows Vista by using this upgrade key, you will be blocked from continuing.


When you try to use a Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) product key during a clean installation of Windows Vista, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

To use the product key you entered, start the installation from your existing version of Windows.


After you install Windows Vista so that the computer can start either in Windows Vista or in Microsoft Windows XP, you cannot start Windows XP. When you try to start the computer by using Windows XP, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe. Please re-install a copy of the above file.
 

If a program cannot be installed correctly, the steps that you must take to troubleshoot this problem depend on how the installation has failed.

This article describes how to troubleshoot issues that may prevent a program from being installed correctly on a Windows Vista-based computer.


This article describes how to prepare to install Windows Vista on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP.


This article describes how to determine whether there are any program-compatibility issues before you install Windows Vista. The information in this article applies specifically to situations in which a program is already installed on a computer that is being upgraded to Windows Vista.


This article describes how to upgrade to Windows Vista from an earlier version of Microsoft Windows. This article also describes how to perform a "clean installation" of Windows Vista. When you perform a clean installation, files that were part of the previous installation are deleted.


Activation is required in all versions of Windows Vista. After you install Windows Vista, you have 30 days to activate it online or by telephone. If the 30-day activation period expires before you complete the activation, Windows Vista does not work as expected. You cannot create new files, and you cannot save changes to existing files. You regain full use of Windows Vista when you activate it.


This article describes how to prepare to upgrade from Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista.


During an upgrade to Windows Vista from Microsoft Windows XP or from another version of Windows Vista, a computer may restart unexpectedly. When this problem occurs, the operating system is rolled back to the previous operating system.


When you try to activate a copy of Windows Vista by using a Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) product key, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

The following failure occurred while trying to use the product key:

Code:
0xC004F061

Description:
The Software Licensing Service determined that this specified product key can only be used for upgrading, not for clean installations.



When you try to install the Windows Anytime Upgrade license package on a Windows Vista-based computer, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

Cannot Install License Package


In Windows Vista, when you click the download link after you run an electronic software license purchasing program, you receive the following error message:

Cannot Install License Package: This license package cannot be installed from the edition of Windows which you are using.

The license package is the digital license you receive when you buy Windows Anytime Upgrade to upgrade a version of Windows Vista.


When you try to use Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) to upgrade Windows Vista, you may receive the following error message:

Unable to open the license

Error Code: 0x8007000D
Error information:
The data is invalid.

This problem occurs after you complete the WAU purchase process, and then you click the link to download the upgrade.