Preparing to install problem

[Pavel]

Some of you have seen this pop up once in a while and just could not figure
out what is it trying to do. Solution was to keep a OfficeXP CD in drive and
let this thing do it's thing. It just seemed like this would happened often
and for some on regular basis and for others at random times, even more than
once a day.

Well, I had the same problem and then one day it hit me. It happens every
time I clean my system. You know, deleting the TMP files, BAK files, OLD
files and such.

Here it is!

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\Microsoft\Office\Data\Data.bak

DO NOT DELETE DATA.BAK. All problems are solved.

 

[purplehaz]

Good info.......... but, when your cleaning your system this is not a folder
you need to "clean" out. This file should never get deleted and their is
nothing in xp the automatically deletes files in this folder. It also a
hidden folder, so you have to set hidden folders to show to even know it
exists. So only a manual delete would be the only cause of the problem. You
should not manually delete files that you do not know what they do. If this
is the solution, the prob should have never even come up as this file and
folder shouldn't be messed with in the first place.

 

[Pavel]

There are some programs that do not care about the hidden or system flags. I
use J16 Power Tools, FAR or Window Washer 5 and all will do this.

 

[purplehaz]

Yikes, I would never use window washer(smoke and mirrors to me, just my
opinion). I have used JV16 power tools and I never had a prob with this
file, although I usually just do registry cleaning so maybe I missed that
option. If these programs have a way to pick and choose what it cleans and
what folders, I would do some customizing. Also even though the program has
good intensions, I've never seen a "cleaning" program that gets it all and
leaves the good stuff. Most delete stuff that doesn't need to be deleted,
like you found out. Using the built in xp cleaning tools is, IMHO, the
better way to do cleaning.

 

[Pavel]

The whole point of this message was not to discuss best ways to delete some
files but to solve a small mystery for some users that may be getting this
OfficeXP request to insert a CD in order to install a "feature" over and
over. It is strange that file with the extension BAK is required to be
present even if it is in area normally not touched by ordinary user. I have
seen number of posts regarding this problem and many solutions that had to
do with editing registry and none of them worked.
By the way am an assembler programmer and I do not consider any area of
windows to be off limits. You will find all kinds of junk here that should
not be there and eats my no so precious disk space. I have found leftovers
that took gigabytes from programs that were uninstalled long time ago in
these areas.

 

[purplehaz]

You're right, sorry to have gotten away from the meaning of the original
message. It was good info and at least our discussion brought out possible
programs that may cause the original problem.