SQL Server Pending Installation Error

Some of my students were trying to install SQL Server 2000 on a Windows 2000 and windows XP OS machine lately but they got this error message:

“A previous program installation created pending file operations on the installation machine. You must restart the computer before running setup.”

Well… In this case that an erroneous pending file copy operation in the registry is causing the SQL Server installation to believe another installation is underway, which is preventing users from continuing the installation. To resolve this error, we may perform the following steps:

1. Restart the computer and see if you are able to run the setup. If the restart does not help, use the next solution.
2. 1. Click Start, and then click Run.
   2. Type: “Regedit” (without the quotation marks) in the Open dialog box
   3. Click OK.

      NOTE: BackUp the registry by clicking on the File menu, and then click Export. (Or Export Registry File from the Registry menu in Windows 2000).

   4. In Registry Editor, expand the following registry subkey:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager
   5. In the right-pane of the Registry Editor window, right-click PendingFileRenameOperations. On the shortcut menu that appears, click Delete.
   6. In the Confirm Value Delete message dialog box that appears, click Yes.
   7. On the File menu, click Exit.

      NOTE: In Windows 2000, click Exit on the Registry menu.

   8. Restart the computer.
   9. Using the Registry Editor, verify that the PendingFileRenameOperations registry value is not available.
   10. Check other control set keys (for example, ControlSet001, ControlSet002, and so forth) for the same values and also delete them.

Run the SQL Server installation again.

Cheers.