The version of Scandisk run during Windows 98 Second Edition Setup only checks for errors. It does not fix them. If problems exist, Setup cannot continue until they are fixed. To fix these problems, quit Setup and run ScanDisk from Windows 95 or MS-DOS. See below for more information about using ScanDisk to resolve these issues.

Fixing Hard Disk Problems: If, during Setup, you see a message telling you that you must run ScanDisk to fix problems on your hard disk, follow these steps to fix the problems.

1. If you are setting up Windows 98 Second Edition over MS-DOS or a previous version of Windows, such as Windows 3.1:
   
   
   • Quit Windows.
     
     
   • If you are setting up from floppy disks, insert "Setup Disk 1" into the floppy drive, and then type the following at the command prompt:
     

a:scandisk.exe /all (where "a" is the drive that contains the Windows disk.)

• If you are setting up from a CD, insert the CD, and then type the following:
  

  d:\win98\scandisk.exe /all (where "d" is the drive that contains the CD)

• Follow the instructions on your screen, and fix any problems that ScanDisk finds.
  
  
• Start Windows, and then run Setup again.
  
  
2. If you are setting up Windows 98 Second Edition over a previous version of Windows 98 or Windows 95:
   
   
   • Quit Setup
     
     
   • On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click ScanDisk.
     
     
   • Check your hard disks and any host drives you have for errors, and repair any problems found. Be sure to do a complete surface scan on all your drives, or Setup may still find errors.
     
     
3. Problems Running ScanDisk: There are certain cases where ScanDisk may not be able to fix an issue or is producing errors.
   
   
   • You are running DriveSpace 3 compression: If Drvspace3 compression is installed on your system, you may be low on conventional memory. To free up memory, you can try the following:
     
     
     • If you are running MS-DOS 6.x, you can run Memmaker.exe to free enough memory for ScanDisk to complete.
       
       
     • See INSTALLING WINDOWS 98 SECOND EDITION FROM MS-DOS for information on how to perform a clean boot with more memory.
       
       
     • Check your drives while running Windows 95.
       
       
   • If you still don't have enough memory, or if you have other problems while Setup is running ScanDisk, you can bypass ScanDisk in Setup by running Setup with the /IS option. To do this, type the following command:

     setup /is

NOTE: Bypassing ScanDisk during Setup is not recommended. If you do, there may be problems with your hard disk that could cause Windows 98 Second Edition not to install or run correctly.

1. Setup has detected the following decoding error: "Could not decode this setup(.CAB) file. Setup will attempt to recover from this situation, click OK to continue".
   
   
2. "Setup cannot copy all of the files from your Windows 98 CD. Clean the Windows 98 CD with a soft cloth, return it to the CD-ROM drive, and then click OK. If you receive this message again, read the CAB Errors section of the Setup.txt file. This file is in the Win98 directory of your Windows 98 CD."

This behavior can occur for any of the following reasons:

1. Your Windows 98 CD-ROM may be damaged, dirty from smudges or fingerprints, or may contain scratches.
   
   
2. Your CD-ROM drive is not functioning properly. The CD-ROM may vibrate too much for the laser to accurately read the data.
   
   
3. Your computer is over-clocked. Extracting files from the Windows 98 cabinet files is memory intensive. If your computer is over-clocked beyond the default settings, it can contribute to decoding errors. Computers that are not over-clocked but are having a cooling problem can also experience decoding errors.
   
   
4. Your computer has bad or mismatched RAM or cache. For example, you are using EDO and non-EDO RAM, or you are using different RAM speeds. Even if Windows seems to be running without problems, the additional stress of extracting files and accessing the disk may contribute to decoding errors.
   
   
5. Your computer has Bus Mastering or Ultra DMA enabled in the BIOS and in Device Manager. The data may be moving too quickly for the system to keep up.
   
   
6. You are using a third-party memory manager.
   
   
7. There is a virus on your computer.

To resolve this error message, follow these steps.

1. Remove the CD-ROM from the CD-ROM drive, rotate it one-quarter to one-half a turn, reinsert the CD-ROM into the drive, and then click OK.
   
   
2. Remove the CD-ROM from the CD-ROM drive. Clean it with a soft cloth and reinsert the CD-ROM into the drive, and then click OK.
   
   
3. Try using real-mode CD-ROM drivers. If you are unable to locate the real-mode CD-ROM drivers for your CD-ROM drive, try using the CD-ROM drivers on the Windows 98 Startup Disk. The Windows 98 Startup disk provides support for most types of CD-ROM drives, including (IDE)and (SCSI) CD-ROM drives. Run Windows Setup from MS-DOS.
   
   
4. Create an empty folder on one of your hard drives called "W98flat". Copy the contents of the Win98 folder on the CD-ROM to the "W98Flat" folder you just created. If you are unable to copy the contents of the Win98 folder on the CD-ROM to you hard disk, the CD-ROM may be damaged.
   
   
5. Check your computer for a virus using virus-detection software.
   
   
6. Run Windows 98 Setup using the following command:

   "setup /c" (without the quotation marks) This switch bypasses running SMARTDrive. This makes Setup run slower, but it should be more reliable environment to run in.

7. If you are still receiving CAB ERRORS in Windows 98, you can manually extract all the Windows 98 files from the Windows 98 cabinet files on the CD-ROM to your hard disk, and then run Windows 98 Setup from your hard disk. It requires approximately 300 MB of free hard disk space to extract the Windows 98 files. You can use the Ext.exe utility to extract the Windows 98 files. This utility is located on the Windows 98 startup disk and in the \Oldmsdos folder on the Windows 98 CD-ROM. To manually extract the Windows 98 files, follow these steps:
   
   
   • Insert your Windows 98 Startup disk in the floppy disk drive, and then restart your computer.
     

NOTE: If you do not have a Windows 98 Startup disk, see the section "Tips for Installing Real-Mode CD-ROM Drivers" under Running Windows 98 Setup from MS-DOS.

• At the command prompt, type "ext" (without the quotation marks).
  
  
• When you are prompted for the location of the cabinet files, type the path to the W98Flat folder that you created in step 4 above.
  
  
• When you are prompted for the files to extract, type *.*
  
  
• When you are prompted for the location to which the files are to be extracted, type in the path to the W98Flat folder you created earlier.

NOTE: This does not extract the files in the Precopy1.cab and Precopy2.cab cabinet files.

• After all the files have been extracted, run Setup from the W98Flat folder on your hard disk.

      8. Finally, if all the above steps are still failing, you can try to slow down your computer. To slow down your computer, use any or all of the following methods:

• Change your computer's CMOS settings. Bus mastering, external/internal cache, RAM settings/timings, and other settings contribute to the speed at which your computer runs. For information about how to change these settings, consult the documentation that is included with your computer.