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Can’t install Discoverer due to a Windows system file error

 

Q: When I try to install Discoverer I get stuck because it can’t update a Windows system file.  I’ve tried the separate Windows system file installation option that’s supposed to get around the problem, but I get the same error?

 

During the installation of Discoverer the installer may try to update outdated Windows system files in the “Windows\system32” directory.  If any of these files is in use then the installation will fail.  The installation guide for Discoverer suggests that in these circumstances, you should try a separate “Windows System Files” installation first, by exiting the installer and running program “wsf.exe” from directory “bi_tools\Disk1” on the installation disk.  This is supposed to workaround the problem, but as you’ve discovered “it ain’t necessarily so”.

 

The only way around this problem is to shutdown the application or process that currently has a lock on the file in question.  The first thing to do is to note the name of the file that’s causing the problem, for example, a common culprit is MFCANS32.DLL.  Try to rename this file to, say, MFCANS32.DLL.OLD.  If you can rename the file then the installation will work the next time around.  What you may find is that even though the “Windows System File” installer can’t access the file, you can still rename it when you exit the installer.  If so, problem solved.  If you can’t, then it’s a question of progressively shutting down Windows applications and services until you eliminate the culprit that is locking the file, rebooting the system, and trying to rename the file again (attempting to rename the file is much faster than running the installer each time to see if the file is still locked).  Obviously, applications like anti-virus checkers are a prime target.  As an alternative to working backwards from your current installation, you could start with a clean installation of Windows (minus any applications) on a spare machine to convince yourself that it’s an added application that is causing the problem, and not an integral part of the Windows operating system.

 

 

 

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