Member Avatar for dmbfan819

I just built a new machine P4 3.2E with other crap of course, and i tried to install windows xp pro w/ sp1 that I know works on other computers. When it came to installing the drivers after the format and all it would come up with a "could not copy file xxxx". I will have a choice of either retry or skip the file. Some files will proceed downloading and others I have to skip. At 100% complete the system says there is a fatal error and will rebot to protect the system. I used 3 different Windows CDs(1 original) from 3 different people and the same thing happens with all of them. One of the people I borrowed from said he just installed it on his 3 days ago, so obvioulsy that one worked.
I have been researching and according to others who had this problem it looks like two likely suspects are my ROM drive and/or bad memory sticks. I am running dual channel (2x512mb) Mushkin memory, but they are the same exact,sold together as dual channel sticks, so most likely they should be compatible. I will try memtest on them as soon as i can and let you know. I have no PCI cards installed. I have a graphics card, floppy, HDD, and my samsung 52x cd-rom running. The only thing I can think of right now is that my Samsung might be bad... tonight I will try to load XP through a burner drive I bought.......HELP!!! this is frustrating .... Thanks in advance

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Nice follow-up from — swapping the optical drive didn’t fix it, a memory test showed a defective DIMM, and replacing the bad stick allowed Windows XP to install cleanly. That sequence is a textbook example: when setup reports “could not copy file …” at random points, bad RAM is one of the most likely culprits, with faulty media/drive a close second.

Why this happens: Windows setup reads compressed files from the CD into RAM before extracting and writing them to disk. If a memory cell flips or corruption occurs in those buffers, the copied bytes become invalid and the installer aborts with copy errors. Optical/media read problems tend to repeat on the same filenames or sectors; memory failures usually produce scattershot errors across different files and positions.

Practical troubleshooting checklist you can apply immediately:

  • Run a bootable memory tester and let it run multiple passes (overnight if possible). If you see errors, test one stick at a time and in different motherboard slots.
  • Reseat modules, follow the motherboard manual for correct dual-channel slot placement, and try a single stick to rule out channel/slot problems.
  • Reset the BIOS to defaults, disable any overclocking, and set memory timings/voltages to the module specs (use SPD). Incompatibility or incorrect timings can cause intermittent corruption.
  • To rule out media: try a different drive, use a freshly burned disc at low speed, or copy the installation files to the HDD from another PC and run setup locally.
  • If problems persist after swapping RAM and media, test the power supply and run a quick HDD diagnostic to eliminate drive faults.

Final note: even high-end brands can have DOA modules. Credit to for posting the resolution and to for marking it solved — this thread is a useful reference for anyone seeing random copy errors during XP setup.

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Member Avatar for DMR

Poll closed due to the totally non-technical topic.

Member Avatar for dmbfan819

ok for all the people that care and may bother in the future.... I switched my cd-rom with my burner, and still the same problem. I ran Memtest86+ and boom ... one of my dual channel sticks was DOA. Sent it back and I am waiting on a new ones return. I will post to let you know.

Member Avatar for DMR

Good catch dmbfan819- let us know if the new RAM solves the problem; that could definitely be helpful information for others who might have similar problems.

Member Avatar for dmbfan819

yup, turns out it was the RAM.... never heard of Mushkin going bad before - such a reputable brand. :-| I put in the new sticks and Windows XP loaded on the first try. If anyone has this problem with a new machine, get memtest86+ to test it out.
heres a quick link to download for windows

Memtest86

Member Avatar for DMR

Thanks for the follow-up dmbfan819... I'll mark this thread as solved now.

:)

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