JSI Tip 5259. 'Setup cannot copy the file ' during an in-place upgrade of Windows 2000?

When you try to perform an in-place upgrade of Microsoft Windows 2000, you may receive the following error message:

Setup cannot copy the file

To retry, press ENTER.
To skip this file, press ESC.
To quit Setup, press F3.

If you press ENTER, the error repeats on the same file. If you press ESC, the error repeats on a different file. If you press F3, setup quits.

This may be the result of having too restrictive NTFS permissions on the Windows 2000 partition, such as removing the Everyone group on the partition that Windows 2000 is installed on, the Boot partition.

To resolve this problem:

1. If you can boot the installation that you were upgrading, use tip 2714 - How do I restore default NTFS permissions in Windows 2000?, or grant the System account Full Control on the entire partition and theEveryone group Full Control on the partition root.

2. If you cannot boot, install an alternate copy of Windows 2000, preferably Windows 2000 Professional, on a different partition that is formatted as NTFS.

3. Boot the new installation.

4. Grant the System account Full Control on the original Windows 2000 partition. The Everyone group should have Full Control on the partition root.

5. Restart your computer and perform the in-place upgrade on the original installation.

NOTE: See tip 2109 - What are the Windows 2000 default NTFS permissions?.