Expert: Amy - 2/21/2009

Question
I rebuilt my PC and trying to reinstall Illustrator 9 and getting error 106 and won't let me do the installation. Any advice for me?

Answer
Hi Anne,

This can happen for a few different reasons. First, check if the installation CD is dirty or damaged. Second, make sure there is sufficient hard disk space. Finally, and more likely, the installer application may be conflicting with an application running in the background or with a device driver.

Quit all apps, especially anti-virus software, and try again. If that doesn't work, bring up your task manager and quit all processes that are not necessary. Then try the install again.

If that doesn't work, try installing in safe mode. The following instructions are copied from Adobe's website. I hope this works for you!!

-Amy

1. Exit from all applications and virus protection software.

2. Move any personal files out of the Illustrator folder and its subfolders.

<<Make sure any versions of Illustrator are uninstalled>>
3. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.

4. Select Adobe Illustrator 9 if it is there and then click Add/Remove. Choose "Remove my preferences from this machine" when the Uninstall User Preferences dialog box appears.

5. Hold down the Shift key and insert the Illustrator CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. Keep the Shift key held down for approximately 10 seconds after inserting the CD to disable its Autoplay feature.

6. Double-click the My Computer icon.

7. Right-click the Illustrator CD icon and choose Explore.

8. Copy the Adobe Illustrator folder to the desktop.

Note: If an error occurs when you copy the folder to the desktop, clean the CD and caddy with a soft, lint-free cloth to ensure that they are free of dust and fingerprints. If the error still occurs, try copying files from other CDs to your desktop to determine whether the CD-ROM drive is faulty. If you cannot copy files from other CDs, contact the manufacturer of either the CD-ROM drive or the computer. If you can copy files from other CDs, contact Adobe Technical Support.

9. Choose Start > Shut Down.

10. Select Restart, and then click OK.

11. Hold down the Ctrl key (Windows Me and Windows 98 SE) or the F8 key (Windows XP or 2000) while the computer restarts.

12. If the Advanced Options menu appears, do the following procedure:

a. Select Safe Mode from the list, and then press Enter.

b. Choose your operating system, and then press Enter.

c. Log in, if necessary, and then click OK in the Desktop dialog box indicating that Windows is in Safe mode.

13. If Windows does not display the words Safe Mode in each corner of the desktop, repeat steps 9-12.

14. Locate the Setup.exe file in the folder you copied to the desktop. If you cannot identify the Setup.exe file, enable Windows to show filename extensions. For instructions on how to enable Windows to show filename extensions, see Windows Help.

15. Double-click the Setup.exe file and then follow the on-screen instructions. If the Illustrator installer returns the message, "Adobe Illustrator requires VGA with at least 256 colors," click Yes and continue the installation.

16. Restart Windows in Normal mode.