Setup cannot copy the file filename. Press X to retry, Y to abort

SYMPTOM

When the Windows setup processor, WINNT.EXE, is executed from within the BootManage Administrator's DOS/Win98 boot image, it displays the following error while copying Windows installation files to the target system's hard disk:

Setup cannot copy the file filename. Press X to retry, Y to abort

(Note that filename refers to the actual filename, whereas X and Y refer to the actual keys that need to be pressed in order to retry or abort the process.)

Sometimes, retrying the copy operation is successful, and although the above error message is displayed multiple times for different files, retrying in each occurrence leads to a successful Windows installation. In other cases, retrying the copy operation does not help - the error is displayed again for the same file, and one can only abort the Windows installation.

CAUSE

There are multiple possible causes for this problem, including faulty target PC hardware (processor, memory, harddisk), damaged installation media, misconfigured devices, etc. For details, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 310064 titled "How to troubleshoot problems during installation when you upgrade from Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition to Windows XP".

In the context of the BootManage Administrator where the installation source is a network share and the Windows installation files are transferred over the network, additional possible causes are faulty PXE codes, excessive network errors, locked files on the installation server, or the use of a faulty dedicated NDIS2 driver in the DOS/Win98 boot image.

RESOLUTION

As there is a wide variety of possible causes for this problem, one must first identify the cause that is responsible for the problem in the actual environment. In most cases, when the cause has been identified, the corresponding resolution is obvious (update BIOS and/or PXE code, replace faulty hardware, reconfigure the network to avoid excessive errors, etc.)

In the BootManage Administrator DOS/Win98 boot image, we highly recommend to keep using the generic PXE based BMUNDIS NDIS2 network driver. This driver is installed by default, works very reliable even in problematic environments, and provides a generic solution for all PXE based target systems.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 310064 titled "How to troubleshoot problems during installation when you upgrade from Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition to Windows XP"

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