Err Msg: A Previous Program Installation Was Never Completed...

ID: Q221863

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows 98
Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows 95
Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows NT 4.0

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to install Internet Explorer 5, you may receive the following error message:

Windows Update Setup

A previous program installation was never completed. You need to restart your computer to complete that installation before running Internet Explorer Setup. Setup will now close.

CAUSE

This error message can occur if Windows was not restarted after installing or updating files that were in use by Windows.

For example, some program installations or updates need to replace files that are currently in use by Windows. Some files cannot be replaced while Windows is running. Windows must be restarted so that these files can be updated during the initial startup of Windows before they are loaded into memory.

Internet Explorer 5 detects that these operations are pending and cannot be installed until these operations have been completed.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, click OK, and then restart Windows. After Windows has restarted, run Internet Explorer 5 Setup again. If you receive the error message again, click OK, and then restart Windows. After Windows has restarted, run Internet Explorer 5 Setup again.

Note that restarting Windows may not resolve the issue. You may need to perform the following procedure:

Windows 95/98

Rename the Wininit.ini file, restart the computer, and then run Internet Explorer 5 Setup again.

For information about how to rename files, click Start, click Help, click the Index tab, type renaming, and then double-click the Renaming Files topic.

Windows NT

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

Locate the following Windows NT registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager

Delete any PendingFileRenameOperations values.

You may also need to check for pending file rename operations in the following registry keys:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

NOTE: If the problem is still not resolved, check for the existence of old installation files in your TEMP or TMP folders, check for the existence of a folder named "$!$!$!$!" in the root folder, or try emptying the Temporary Internet Files folder.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kberrmsg kbsetup msiew95 msient msiew98
Version : WINDOWS:5
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb