Can't Copy A File During New Windows Install...

What could be the reason why a certain file can't be copied during a new Windows installation? Had this happen to me in the past also and I think I kept reinstalling over and over again until it doesn't give this message.I just tried to reinstall Windows XP Home today and it said that it couldn't copy e:\i386\canvas.wm_. I double checked the CD and the file is right there. Retried over 20 times and still won't let me copy it. I hit cancel and let it finish the install. I notice things are not the same now...like msconfig is missing. So I probably will reinstall it again from scratch.What could be the possible causes of this problem that it can't read a file from the CD? I checked the CD and it's in perfect condition.Thanks.

A dirty CD or DVD, clean it before running it. It could also have a scratch in the media, and another problem is you might have to browse to that file on the disk. I clean all my old media before inserting them for an install unless they just came out of the package. You might have smudges of your finger prints on them obscuring the data or even nicotine from a cigarette or cigar, possily a coffee spill or soda. You can use isopropyl alcohol or even aftershave to clean the disk (disc). Run from the center of the disk (disc) outward then allow to air dry then reinsert the disk (disc) and try it again.

Edited June 21, 2006 by Houdini (see edit history)

it said that it couldn't copy e:\i386\canvas.wm_.

Another funny test could be the following : try to copy this file to disk after your partial installation. If you really cannot copy this file to disk, this means that your original CD really has a problem. I hope you did a backup of this CD before starting using it intensively...I often have another problem. Sometimes I work on a PC whose CD device is overheated by the hard disk located just below. Overheating the CD reader makes the device work bad.
In my case the solution was opening the PC box and making fresh air coming anyway I can (agitating a piece of paper...) until the end of my installation.
This also occured frequently when installing things on a laptop. Then, the solution was obvious : heaving the laptop about 30 centimeters from the table (using two bunches of books was enough) and I could finish my install.

If and when you purchase a new CD a good idea would be to create a copy of it, and put the origin disc back in the box and store it somewhere safe. Then you have the main disc for re-copiying and then the copied disc to use in the computer. Also when you copy a disc use a low speed, under 15.x. If you use the high speed it works a bit faster making some files more unstable. Also, when you clean disks, you should always start from the inside and do swipes from the inside to the outside how ever many times it takes. What ever you do, don't ever wipe a disk in a circular motion or use a hard scratchy material, like a wash cloth, unless it has no sewing and is cotton fibers. If at one point your disk becomes scratched, use a disk re-finisher, available for about 30$ at your local electronics store. If that doesn't fix it, a game store, such as Gamers, have better finishers that they use on their used-games before they sell them. Just bring it in and they will do it for you. For a price of course.

I would also suggest you to try to reformat the hard-drive because if you don't format it, it cannot copy the file to C:\Windows because maybe that file was locked and the computer couldn't overwrite it.xboxrulz

The hard drive was formatted...actually surprised if there is still a problem since I did a full format instead of the quick one.Yeah, I triple checked the CD...this is a pain since it always seems to give me problems whenever I want to do a reinstall. The CD is in pristine condition. I usually backup CDs that I use regularly, but since this is a Windows CD and I only use it once a year, I didn't back it up. It's in a safe place and no little kids at home...so it's safe :(Thought about the overheating issue, but this time I actually tried to install Windows the second I booted up the computer with this new hard drive.I thought it could be a bad cdrom drive so I tried using a external one instead...but using USB 1.1 ports on the laptop, the speed is devastating. I gave up and tried the cdrom on my laptop again. Did a quick format and this time it didn't give me problems installing Windows. All files copied over without any problems. This is after I tried to install using the USB cd drive...so I guess it rules out the overheating issue twice here :(I can never find a reason why this happens. I do this yearly and I think the same exact thing happened last year. I had to keep trying or do another format and install for it to work. Guess it's one of those strange things...

but since this is a Windows CD and I only use it once a year, I didn't back it up.

No, no, no. Sorry, but I really disagree. Backing up is not a matter of "how often do I use this ?"Backing up is a matter of "Do I have a problem if I happen to loose this ?"
Your Crosoft Windows is almost the only necessary CD, you have no PC if you loose it. And you need a lot of time if you want to obtain a free new copy from Crosoft.
Each software you paid need to have a backup, you use the backup and you store the original in a safe place. And maybe a second copy in another place (in your neighbour's home, in case of water disaster in your own home).
Regards
Yordan

I've had that issue several times when re-installing windows. My mainboards has a S-ATA controller (SE3112) and windows needs a driver loaded from a floppy.
This never posed a problem, untill I started using an nLite version of windows ( http://www.nliteos.com/
'>
http://www.nliteos.com/
). I still don't know what the problem was, but I think the installer read the driver incorrectly, causing such problems, so it isn't always a matter of broken discs or other hardware.

I'd try nlite, only because the 'pure' version doesn't work.

I think it would be a SATA problem if you do have a SATA hard drive.xboxrulz

OK. Will back the Windows XP CD up. I need to try this CD on another computer to see if the same thing happens. Something tells me it might be the cd drive instead. This is a three year old laptop.It's a regular laptop hard drive as far as I know. 4200RPM.

This is a three year old laptop

I had this kind of problem on some laptops. It was a cooling problem on the laptop, which overheated the CD drive. I solved the problem by heaving the laptop about 30 centimeters of the table (putting a lot of books at the upleft 2 centimers and the upright 2 centimeters under the laptop) and I was able to perform my install. So, simply look if your laptop is cooled by the air flaw between the table and the computer, and try to increase that distance. Regards
Yordan