Setup Error Message "Cannot Change Properties of <Filename>"

ID: Q112587

1.00 1.10 1.20 WINDOWS kbsetup kbnetwork kberrmsg

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Access 97 for Windows
Microsoft Access for Windows 95, version 7.0
Microsoft Access version 2.0
Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0
Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0
Microsoft Office for Windows, version 4.0, 4.2, 4.3
Microsoft Office Professional for Windows, version 4.3
Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows
Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95, version 7.0
Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows, version 4.0, 4.0a
Microsoft Project 98 for Windows
Microsoft Project for Windows 95, version 4.1
Microsoft Project for Windows, version 4.0
Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.0
Microsoft Word for Windows, version 6.0, 6.0a

SYMPTOMS

When you use a network administrative setup (setup /a) to install one of the Microsoft applications listed above on a network drive, you may receive one of the following error messages:

   Cannot change the properties of SETUP.INI

   -or-

   Cannot change the properties of the file named _MSSETUP.EXE

   -or-

   Cannot change attributes of SETUP.INI

CAUSE

You receive one of these error messages if either of the following is true:

The Setup program is unable to change the attributes of the file to READ-ONLY (possibly because you don't have the appropriate write privileges to do this).
-or-
The Setup program is able to change the attributes of the file to READ-ONLY, but the network returns the message that the change was not successful.

This error message has been received on Novell networks, as well as on other networks, such as PCNFS and LanManX.

WORKAROUNDS

If you receive this error message, do the following to correct the problem:

Delete the Original SETUP.INI from Your Drive

If you receive the error message above, restart the workstation and rerun the Setup program. If Setup, continues to fail, it may be because the original SETUP.INI file is still present as a Read-Only file. To resolve this problem, delete the original SETUP.INI file from your hard disk. Remember that Office MUST be installed to an empty directory.

Modify NET.CFG or SHELL.CFG Files (Novell Only)

1. Locate the file SHELL.CFG or NET.CFG on the workstation from which you

   are running the administrative setup of Office 4.0. If this file does
   not exist, create it using a text editor and place it in the same
   directory as NETX.COM.

2. Open the SHELL.CFG or NET.CFG file in a text editor. In the DOSREQUESTER

   section, change the line that reads

      READ ONLY COMPATIBILITY=ON

      -to-

      READ ONLY COMPATIBILITY=OFF

   If this line does not exist, create it. The entry must be
   indented (default 3 spaces) or it will be seen as an
   invalid section heading and not be used.

   Example:

      NETWARE DOS REQUESTER
         READ ONLY COMPATIBILITY=OFF

   NOTE from Novell: DOS Requester version 1.20 fixes this.

      Read Only Compatibility = Off | On  (default Off)

   This is not a new parameter, but the default has been changed with
   release 1.20 of the DOS Requester. In the last major release of the
   Requester this parameter defaulted to On. However, this default
   setting caused problems with a number of applications, so the
   parameter is now set to Off by default.

3. If the workstation is using the NetWare VLM shell version 1.1, (Netware

   3.11), continue with the steps in the following section "VLM version
   1.1". If you are not running VLM version 1.1, continue with steps 4-6
   below.

   NOTE: In many cases, the procedure described in the section "VLM Version
   1.1" will not be required. This process is time consuming. Continue with
   steps 4 through 6 below and perform the VLM procedure only if the
   problem persists.

4. Log off of the network, restart the workstation and connect to

   the server again.

5. Log on to the network, start Windows, and run setup /a from the

   Microsoft Office integrated Setup to install the application. The
   MSOFFICE directory must be empty for successful installation to occur.

6. When the application is installed, change the option in the SHELL.CFG or

   NET.CFG file back to =ON in case there are applications on the system
   that require this setting.

VLM Version 1.1

If you are using VLM version 1.1, you can obtain this updated version of the VLM shell. Novell has made these files available on CompuServe in the NOVFILES forum and on FTP.NOVELL.COM. VLMUP2.EXE (a self-extracting file) contains all the updated VLMs (Pre-release v1.20), the updated ODI drivers (LSL.COM and IPXODI.COM), the updated MLIDs, and other associated files.

To find the version of VLM that you are using, type the following at the MS-DOS prompt:

   VLM /d

If this command presents too much information at one time, type the following:

   VLM /d | more

NOTE: The pipe symbol (|) and the word "more" direct the command to display information one screen at a time

VLM Version 1.1

If you are running VLM version 1.1, use the following steps to resolve this problem. (Note that these steps should be taken AFTER you complete the first two steps in the "Modify NET.CFG or SHELL.CFG Files" section above):

1. Remove the VLM shell and use the NETX shell to complete the

   administrative setup. If you cannot use NETX, you can install the VLM
   shell version 1.0. However, because reinstalling VLM version 1.0 is very
   time consuming, using NETX is the preferred method.

2. Log off of the network and restart the workstation.

3. Log on to the network, start Windows, and run setup /a from the

   Microsoft Office integrated setup to install the application. The
   MSOFFICE directory must be empty for successful installation to occur.

4. When the application is installed, change the option in the SHELL.CFG or

   NET.CFG file back to =ON in case there are applications on the system
   that require this setting. You can then use the VLM shell version 1.1
   again without experiencing any problems.

Note that VLM is the latest version of the shell from Novell, replacing NETX. The VLM shell ships with Netware versions 3.12, 4.00, 4.01, 4.02 and Personal Netware. However, this shell can be used on any version of Netware.

MORE INFORMATION

READ ONLY COMPATIBILITY is an option used by the Novell workstation redirector, NETX.COM. This option determines whether or not an attempt to open a read-only file for write access fails. Prior to Novell NetWare version 2.1x, a program could open a read-only file for write access without generating an error message. With NetWare version 2.1 and later versions, write access is not granted when opening a read-only file. With the READ ONLY COMPATIBILITY option in the SHELL.CFG or NET.CFG file set to ON, the workstation redirector allows write access to a read-only file without generating an error message.

The products included here are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.

KBCategory: kbsetup kbnetwork kberrmsg KBSubcategory: offwin offwinsetup Additional reference words: 1.00 1.10 1.20 2.00 3.00 4.00 4.00a 4.10 4.20 4.30 5.00 6.00 6.00a 7.00 8.00 97 novel net ware admin install administrator can't fail fails hang hangs lock locks 3rd macppt winppt party err msg ppt95 ppt97 ppt8

Keywords          : offwin offwinsetup 
Version           : 1.00 1.10 1.20
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: May 6, 1998