Extract Cab Files in ME

Extract The Windows ME *.cab Files From Within Windows.

NotC: If your system will not start then you will have to use the instructions for extracting the *.cab files from DOS.

To extract files in Windows ME, use the System Configuration Utility tool. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. Type msconfig, and then press ENTER.
  3. On the General tab, click Extract File.
  4. In the Specify the system file you would like to restore box, type drive:\windows\path\file (where drive is the drive on which the Windows folder is installed, generally drive C, path is the location in the Windows folder is the destination of the file that you are extracting, and file is the file that you want to extract).
  5. Click Start, click Browse, and then locate the Windows installation files. If you are using an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) version of Windows ME, the installation files are on the hard disk at C:\Windows\Options\Install by default. If you are using a retail full version or upgrade version, you can also insert the Windows ME installation CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, and then locate the installation files. The folder is named "Win9x". For example, if your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive is D:, the folder is named "D:\Win9x". For Windows 98, the folder is named D:\Win98.
  6. Click OK, and then follow the instructions on the screen.

Because Windows ME has a feature called System File Protection, extraction is different for these files. For instructions about how to extract protected files in Windows ME, click here to jump down the page.

Access Denied Error

The Extract tool has only a command-line interface. That is, there is no graphical user interface (GUI). Because Windows does not permit you to delete or overwrite a file that is in use, you may have to restart your computer in Command Prompt Only mode before you can use the Extract tool. If you receive an "access denied" error message when you try to delete a file before you use the Extract tool, or when you use the Extract tool to overwrite an existing file, restart your computer in Command Prompt Only mode and then use the Extract tool. To do this perform the following steps:

  1. Click Start, and then click Shut Down.

  2. Click Restart, and then click OK.

  3. When you see the "Starting Windows" message, press the F8 key, and then click Command Prompt Only.

NotC: If you are extracting Windows files from a CD-ROM, make sure that you can change directories to your CD-ROM drive from the command prompt. For example, type the following commands, pressing ENTER after each linC:

cd drive:
dir

where drive is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive.

If you receive an "invalid drive specification" error message, you may not have real-mode CD-ROM support. For additional information about real-mode CD-ROM support, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge BasC:
135174 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/135174/EN-US/) Cannot Access CD-ROM Drive from MS-DOS Mode or Command Prompt

Replacing Protected Files

To extract and replace a file that is protected by the System File Protection feature in Windows MC:

  1. Start your computer in Safe mode. To do this, restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key after your computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then choose Safe Mode from the Startup menu.
  2. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information.
  3. On the Tools menu, click System Configuration Utility to start the System Configuration Utility tool.
  4. In the System Configuration Utility tool, click Extract File.
  5. In the Extract one file from installation disk dialog box, type the name of the file that you want to extract, and then click Start.
  6. In the Restore from box, type c:\windows\options\install or type the custom location of the installation files.

    NotC: Use c:\windows\options\install if you installed a Windows ME retail product, or c:\windows\options\cabs if your computer manufacturer installed Windows ME.
  7. In the Save file in box, type c:\.
  8. Click OK to extract the file, and then click Yes to create a folder for the extracted file.
  9. Drag the extracted file from the folder on drive C to the location of the file that you replaced, and then click Yes to overwrite the file.
  10. Restart your computer.

If you extract a file directly to the destination folder to replace a file that is protected by the System File Protection feature, you may receive the following error messagC:

Extract File
The specified file is protected and may not be copied or deleted.

Some files are used in Safe mode and you cannot replace them while they are in use (such as the Wsock32.dll file). To replace these files, use the Extract command that is included on the Windows ME Startup disk.

You can extract files directly to the destination folder when you start your computer with the Startup disk.

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