Microsoft KB Archive/822801

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"Setupapi.dll file appears to be corrupt" error message when you try to upgrade to Windows XP

Article ID: 822801

Article Last Modified on 5/7/2007



APPLIES TO

  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional



SYMPTOMS

When you try to upgrade your computer to Microsoft Windows XP, you may receive the following error message:

Error starting program: C:\windows\setup\setupapi.dll file appears to be corrupt, reinstall the file and try again.

This issue may occur if the Setupapi.dll file is missing or damaged.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, restart your computer to your previous operating system, rename the Setupapi.dll file, and then run Windows XP Setup again. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Restart your computer.
  2. On the Boot Menu screen, select your previous operating system.

Note The subsequent steps in this procedure are written for Microsoft Windows 98. The steps for your operating system may vary.

  1. After the operating system has started, click Start, point to Programs and then click MS-DOS Prompt.
  2. In the MS-DOS Prompt window, type cd setup, and then press ENTER.
  3. Type ren setupapi.dll setupapi.old, and then press ENTER.
  4. Type exit, and then press ENTER.
  5. Run Windows XP Setup again.



Note If this procedure does not resolve the issue, use a Windows 98 boot disk to restart the computer. When you are prompted, select Start with CD-ROM Support, and then run Setup from the Windows XP CD-ROM. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
  2. Start the computer to an MS-DOS prompt with CD-ROM support.

    For additional information about what to do if your computer does not have MS-DOS already installed or does not permit you to start to an MS-DOS prompt in the Boot menu, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    187632 How to Create a Windows 98 Startup Disk that Supports FAT32

  3. Start SMARTDrive if it is not already started. If you do not use SMARTDrive, the portion of Windows XP Setup that copies files to the hard disk performs slowly. To start SMARTDrive, change to the folder that contains the Smartdrv.exe file, type smartdrv, and then press ENTER.
  4. At the command prompt, type drive, and then press ENTER, where drive is the drive that contains the Windows XP CD-ROM).
  5. Type cd\i386, and then press ENTER.
  6. Type winnt, and then press ENTER. Windows XP Setup starts.
  7. Type the path to the Windows XP installation files, and then press ENTER. For example, type d:\i386.

    Windows Setup copies files to the hard disk. When the files are copied, the following message appears:

    The MS-DOS based portion of Setup is complete. Setup will now restart your computer. After your computer restarts, Windows XP Setup will continue. If there is a floppy disk in drive A:, remove it now. Press ENTER to restart your computer and continue Windows XP Setup.

  8. Remove any floppy disks from the computer, and then press ENTER. The computer restarts and Windows XP Setup resumes. Press ENTER to continue.
  9. Follow the instructions on the screen to select and format a partition where you want to install Windows XP. If your hard disk contains only one partition, do not delete it from the list of existing partitions. Windows XP Setup has copied the installation files to this partition. You can later convert a FAT32-formatted partition to the NTFS file system. Setup copies the files used for Windows XP Setup, and then the computer restarts. If you used the NTFS file system to format the drive, Windows checks the drive for errors, and then restarts. Windows XP Setup resumes in Graphical User Interface (GUI) mode.
  10. Follow the steps in the Windows Setup Wizard to complete the installation of Windows XP.


MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about installing and upgrading Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

316941 HOW TO: Install Windows XP



Additional query words: install ME millennium 95

Keywords: kberrmsg kbprb KB822801