Manifest Parse Error…
You receive the following message: “Manifest Parse error: Invalid at top level of document” when installing Windows XP for the first time and the installation fails because it cannot correctly parse the CONTROLS.MAN file. At no point does Microsoft’s installation program allow you to select an alternate source location for the file. It doesn’t even allow you full command prompt access. And the Recovery Program is useless, as it doesn’t even allow you to copy directories or copy using wildcards!
That’s what happened to me, too, after I decided to give Microsoft one more chance to have one of its operating systems on my main computer. I must be a glutton for punishment, because rather than scrapping it completely, I decided to figure out how to get around the problem. Old habits, like most computers running Microsoft operating systems, die hard.
I’ve heard everything from “it’s a copy protection scheme” to “it locks you out after three installations”. I’ve even heard of hundreds of people who have experienced the error from fresh-out-of-the-shrink-wrap, boxed versions of Windows XP. I couldn’t even get my freshly opened XP CD direct from Dell to work properly. Also, many folks prefer to install from CD copies and keep the original disks in close-to-pristine condition, yet rumors abound that as many as 60-70% of the copies experience this same problem. It must be another one of those undocumented Microsoft features.
The /i386/asms/6000/msft/windows/common/controls/controls.man file on the CD is corrupt. Copy your entire CD to your harddrive, use my version of the CONTROLS.MAN file (don’t forget to change the file extension!), and burn another CD. In theory, you could copy the entire i386 directory to your harddrive, replace the damaged file, and then run \i386\winnt.exe to install, but if you really want a reliable and stable system, it is not wise to install the XP operating system over an existing, older OS. So burning a CD is the only viable option for a fresh, clean install.Whether the new OS works well enough to dissuade me from breaking down and purchasing an iMac remains to be seen…
I got a NEW one! While trying to install WinXP Corp I get absolutly NO errors, however during the copying of installation files the install stops at 37%. I try it again, it stops at 2%. Again, it stops at 55%. What the hëll it going on??? I am suspicous of my CD drive, but it has worked great up till now. Is it something else? Is it possible to install from HD or a network drive??? Can I make a temp install dir and install XP from HD???
continued from last msg…
OK I watched more closely this time. This time setup files stopped copying at 27% (driver.cab). This is after I deleted partitions and did a full format using the NTFS file system. I could hear that the CD-ROM remained spinning inside the drive, green read light stops flashing.
Just stopped AGAIN at 27%, but this time I did NOT delete partitions and reformat. I chose to overwrite existing C:\windows dir. You should also know that I am putting this on an older sys. It might be below min. req.??? It use to run ME just fine; except for the usually ME/Windows bûllšhìt, which is to be expected with all M$ products.
Anyways…
“it” is a:
400mhz AMD K6-II
256MB SDRAM
FIC VA-503+ (rev.1.2a) motherboard
ATI Rage Pro Turbo (2X AGP)
Maxtor 16gig HD
Yamaha 20×10x40x CD-RW
I stuffed this all into an old Gateway 2000 case
I am trying it again right now.
This time it stopped copying setup files at 12% (mshtml.dll). I deleted all partitions and reformatted using NTFS file system before this attempt. What the hëll is going on???
The reason I ask about a HD install is because I use to be able to do that w/ ME and older windows. I copied all the cab files, etc.. onto the HD and installed that way.
Any help on this would be great cause I have no F*@#kin’ clue!!!
Thank you Thank you Thank you for all your help guys, here’s what I tried and what worked for me:
* Tried a burned CD of XP Professional
* got the Manifest Parse error with CONTROLS.MAN on Line 0
* Copied a GOOD version of the file to a floppy disk, all directory names intact
* Got same error, BUT on Line 4 instead of Line 0
*******
Here’s the kicker
*******
THEN I had to copy, IN ADDITION to the CONTROLS.MAN file, the COMCTL32.DLL and CONTROLS.CAT files
Then it worked!
Hope this helps some of you others out there!
How do i fix the I386\asms\6000\MSFT\VCRTL\VCRTL.MAN problem. I have read the whole page here and still cant work it out
PLEASE HELP ME!!!
Ok, I tried doing what you said. I tried to burn the disk to hard drive, create new file off of yours, and then everytime I went to burn it to cd, it said there was an error, and wouldnt burn it. grrrr Is there anyone who can help me? Im getting so frustrated!
Hello. First I tried copying a [pirated] XP Home cd. It failed. Second, I copied to my hard drive, except for one file “sxs.dl”. I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why this file won’t copy over. Any recommendations? By the way, I’m trying to copy the trial version of the CD. I do plan on purchasing the full version, but I want to make sure I like it first.
what the hëll i had same problem i downloaded a win xp iso a year ago burned the cd and installed it and everything worked fine recently i couldnt find the cd so i burned a new one using the same hardware and software as the first cd i burned and now i get the stupid parse error.. wasted about 5 cds and thought about it so i did some bong hits and realized hmmmm i know where the cd is so i found the first one installed xp and it works fine… firgure that out.. oh well f@ck bill gates. by the way even when i got the parse error xp worked better than anything mac or apple has ever put out who the hëll would want a mac piece of šhìt (well except for the government)
I had a problem with the VCTRL.MAN file
I was getting the manifest error on line 16
I looked at the file to make sure it wasn’t corrupt, and it wasn’t. I tried the method mentioned before about copying the files to a floppy and that worked.
simply copy the file structure from I386/ASMS/6000/ and so on…. inlcude all the VCTRL files inluding the dll’s and whatnot as well as all the CONTROL.MAN files
boot without the cd-rom and when asked to locate the files type A:\I386
this worked for me and hopefully it will work for anyone else with the VCTRL problem.
Tip for VMWare users - if you get this message while trying to install XP Pro as a guest, close down your VM and check “Enable raw access” to the Cd/DVD.
Ta just wot i wanted cos my contols.man file was corrupt and the original cd was at work