Situation:
You are using Windows Me. After running LiveUpdate and restarting the computer, the system stops at a Windows Millennium screen with no activity. When you press Esc, you see the error message "Windows could not upgrade the file %1 from %2."

Uninstalling (whether automatic or manual) and then reinstalling the Symantec product does not fix the problem. Restoring an earlier version of the registry does not resolve the problem either.

Solution:
If you also see the messages "The MSIEXEC.exe file is linked to missing export MSI.DLL:222" and "C:\Windows\System\MSIEXEC.EXE - a device attached to the system is not functioning" the problem is due to a corrupted Microsoft Installer. For information on correcting this problem, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base document OFFXP: "The MSIEXEC.EXE File Is Linked to a Missing Export MSI.DLL:222" Error Message When You Try to Install, Update, or Remove a Windows Installer-Based Program--article ID Q324638. Correcting these errors also corrects the error "Windows could not upgrade the file %1 from %2."

If you do not see the MSIEXEC.exe messages, then the problem is usually due to a corrupt Windows Me System Restore feature. This problem is discussed in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article, Error Message: Windows Could Not Upgrade the File %1 from %2 %1: %2 (Q283069).

1. Insert a Windows 98 or Windows Me Startup disk in the floppy disk drive, and then restart the computer.
2. Choose to start with CD support, and allow the computer to boot to a command prompt.
3. At the command prompt, type the following, pressing Enter after each one:
   
   c:
   cd windows
   ren wininit.exe wininit.old
   
   

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   Note: When typing the second command, if Windows is installed in a different location, make the appropriate substitution.

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4. Remove the Startup disk from the floppy disk drive, and then restart the computer. If you see the message "Wininit.exe unable to load or missing, press any key to continue," press any key to continue to load Windows. (You may also see other error messages.)
5. Right-click My Computer on the Windows desktop, and click Properties.
6. Click the Performance tab.
7. Click File System.
8. Click the Troubleshooting tab.
9. Check Disable System Restore, click OK, and then click Close.
10. Click Yes to restart. This disables the System Restore feature and purges the contents of the _RESTORE folder when the system is restarted.
11. Extract a new copy of Wininit.exe using the Extract File option in the Microsoft Configuration Utility. For instructions on how to do this, see your Microsoft Windows documentation or the document How to extract files in Windows 98 and Windows Me.
12. Run LiveUpdate, and then restart the computer.
13. Repeat steps 5 through 10, but in step 9, uncheck Disable System Restore.