Problems During Installation is the third part of Chapter 4: Reinstalling Your Computer's Software, of the Troubleshooting Handbook.

This section helps you solve any issues you may encounter while installing your software.

You can't start up the computer using the software install CD.

Your computer located the system software on your hard disk before it located the system software on the CD. If you have an external hard disk with system software, the computer may locate and start up from that device instead of the CD.

For information on starting up from a CD, see Chapter 2, "Starting Up From a CD" . Or, with the CD inserted, open the Startup Disk control panel and click the CD icon.

Then restart the computer. After you install the software, use the Startup Disk control panel to reselect your hard disk, then restart your computer.

An error message appears saying installation couldn't occur.

If a message says installation could not occur because a file is open, quit all programs. If file sharing is on, turn it off. Then try installing again.

• Restart your computer with virtual memory turned off. To do this, either restart your computer from the software install CD (see Chapter 2, "Starting Up From a CD" ) or hold down the Command key until the message "Welcome to Mac OS" appears. Then try installing again.

• Use a third-party disk repair utility to see if it can repair the disk.
• If you don't have a third-party utility, or if that utility can't repair the disk either, you may need to reinitialize the hard disk. See "Initializing a Hard Disk" .
• After you've reinitialized the disk, use the Mac OS Installer to reinstall system software, then reinstall your application programs.

• If you have a PowerBook, make sure you've turned off password protection in the Password Security control panel.
• You may not have an Apple-brand hard disk or you don't have an Apple-brand computer.

You may have previously updated your Apple hard disk with a non-Apple disk utility. You need to use the utility you used previously to update the driver again. To ensure a successful update, obtain the latest version of the utility from the manufacturer.

Warning: If you use Norton Utilities, make sure you have version 3.5.2 or later. Using earlier versions to repair a Mac OS Extended format hard disk may damage the data on the disk.

The files on your hard disk disappear when you start up from the CD.

• If no files appear on the hard disk except for a single document called "Where have all my files gone?", you started up your computer from a CD with system software earlier than Mac OS 8.1. To see the contents of your disk, you must start up your computer from a disc with Mac OS 8.1 (or later).

• Make sure your computer started up from the software install CD. See "Starting Up From a CD," .

• If you see a message that the disk can't be fixed because a file is open, quit all programs. If file sharing is on, turn it off. Then try installing again.
• Use Disk First Aid or a third-party disk repair utility to see if it can repair the disk.

If you don't have a third-party utility, or if that utility can't repair the disk either, you may need to reinitialize the hard disk. See "Initializing the Hard Disk" . After you've reinitialized the disk, try installing the system software again.

The Installer cannot update the hard disk driver.

• If you don't have an Apple-brand hard disk, or if you've updated your Apple hard disk with a non-Apple disk utility, use that disk utility or the one supplied by the disk's manufacturer to update the drivers on your system. Make sure to get the latest version of the utility.
• Some hard disks must be reinitialized before you can update the driver. See "Initializing a Hard Disk" .

• Start up the computer using the software install CD. See Chapter 2, " Starting Up From a CD ," on page 25.
• If the hard disk is your startup disk, the disk cache or RAM disk setting may be set too high in the Memory control panel. Open the Memory control panel, set your disk cache to the default setting, and reduce or turn off your RAM disk. Then restart the computer.

• Contact an Apple-authorized service provider for information about how to purchase additional memory.

• Make sure you've selected the correct drive.
• Make more space available on your hard disk by removing some files from the disk. Make backup copies of the files you want to keep. Then drag them to the Trash and choose Empty Trash from the Special menu to delete the files. You don't need to quit the Installer in order to delete files from the disk.

You see a message that the System file cannot be modified.

• Make sure you've selected the correct disk as your destination disk.
• You may have virus-protection software installed that guards against modification of the System file. Make sure you are starting up the computer from the software install CD. Drag any virus-protection software out of the System Folder and try installing again. You can put the virus-protection software back after installation.

• The System file may be corrupted. Perform a clean installation of system software. See "Performing a Clean Installation"
• You may have file sharing turned on. Open the File Sharing control panel and turn it off.

• The Installer is attempting to replace a file, but there is a folder on the disk that has the same name as the file being replaced. Find the folder on your disk and rename it, then try the installation again.
• The file may be corrupted. You need to move or delete the file.
• You may have file sharing turned on. Open the File Sharing control panel and turn it off.
• You may have virtual memory turned on. Open the Memory control panel and turn virtual memory off.
• Start up from the software install CD (see Chapter 2, "Starting Up From a CD") and try reinstalling system software again.

You may have an incompatible item in your System Folder. Start up your computer using the software install CD. See Chapter 2, "Starting Up From a CD" . Then, try doing a clean installation. See "Performing a Clean Installation" .

Links to other sections of Chapter 4: Reinstalling Your Computer's Software:

• article 43033: Reinstalling System Software
• article 43034: Performing A Clean Installation
• article 43036: Reinstalling Individual Applications & Restoring All Original Software