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…
Hi everybody! This web page is the first result from Google when searching for the term “windows xp Manifest Parse error”.
I am having this problem too. Admittedly, I am using pirated software — I have no problem saying that. I downloaded a pirated ISO and a keygen for Windows XP. I intend to use it for test purposes only as I use all Mac and Linux desktops and I need to test Samba Winbind compatibility.
I have no knowledge of this actually occurring on non-pirated Windows XP disks, but it is possible. I discovered the problem after booting the system for the first time after a CD install. It gave me the manifest parse error. I then searched for answers online and found this website.
I checked my written disk itself and the CONTROLS.MAN file in question was indeed corrupt on the CD. Next I turned to the original ISO image and raw read the CONTROLS.MAN file. The ISO image file was not corrupted. Therefore, something occurred during the authoring of the CD itself. The CD is bad but not the image. So, using the same media, same CD authoring program, I made minor changes, writing out the image at 1x speed instead of the 40x speed that my CDRW drive is capable of.
The result was that the problem did not occur and I had a fully functional Windows XP installation disk. It may be a clever copy protection method based off of the image pattern, but I do not [know] of it. It is impossible for a CDROM or DVD drive to write to a CD, so forget about that right now.
If you are unlucky enough to have a CD copy but no original ISO image, you can use a program that runs under windows called WinISO to modify the file in the image itself, thus the easiest route of correcting this problem. Make a new image from your bad disk, modify the image, and then write it again until you have a working copy. Things that might make a difference are media quality, CD authoring program, and CD writing speed.
If you think working with Windows is a pain, I really ask you to try out Red Hat Linux, or if you have the cash to buy a new box, make your next one a Mac and get OSX — it kicks ášš, and it’s BSD based. Apple computers are quiet and still powerful, and the operating system is smooth and works. Listen to those Apple Switch commercials. If you are stuck on i386, Red Hat is very easy to install, you are in control of the operating system, and Red Hat offers REAL support for their users. If you are a more experienced user I highly recommend FreeBSD, OpenBSD, or Debian Linux. It is too bad that BeOS kicked it — it had serious potential too, but the common computer user is really a dumb person and too lazy to see what else is out there or learn new things.
I should know, I am qualified to say so.
Cool website Richard.
Jesse
MCSE, RHCE, CCNP, CCDP
Thanks! I just wish I had an answer as to why this sometimes happens with shrink-wrapped CDs. Limiting the write speed to 1x is a good idea. Nowadays I never write above 6x despite the higher rating of my drive. Using 8x and up always seems to corrupt the data, regardless of the installed drive or software. - RDL
I just used Richard’s control.man content to resolve my problem experiencing this Manifest Parse Error. Thanks a bunch RDL!
just a note:
images burned with nero will be fûçkëd (tho nero says succesfull)
burn with cdrwin
//pc is out
The following is the short version of the article from labmice.net. This article had been removed by pressure from Microsoft. http://www.labmice.net/windowsxp/articles/changeID.htm
If the product key used in your workstation installations [is a] leaked or invalid [key], you may need to change the key (re-enter a valid key) in order to install Windows XP service pack 1, and to make sure your environment is legal. You could completely re-install Windows XP Professional or you can try the method below. (Please backup your system before attempting this.) This workaround is only for the corporate editions of Windows XP Professional using a compromised or illegitimate key. Windows XP Home Edition and retail versions of XP Professional should not be affected by Service Pack 1. Although this procedure may work with other versions of XP, we have only tested it on the corporate edition (volume license version) of Windows XP Professional.
Backup your Registry/System State.
1. Backup your system state by clicking Start > Run > and typing ntbackup > Click the Advanced Mode button in the Backup Utility Wizard. >Click the Backup tab, then in Click to select the check box for any drive, folder, or file that you want to back up, select the System State.
2. As an alternative, you can backup just the Registry by clicking Start > Run > and type in Regedit From within the Regedit screen, right click My Computer, choose Export, name the file whatever you choose, and click Save.
To change the product ID.
1. Click Start > Run > and type in Regedit
2. Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\wpaevents
3. Double-click OOBETimer
4. Remove the ‘ca’ part from the value. (Changing or deleting any of the binary values will accomplish the same effect)
5. Click OK and close regedit
6. Click Start > Run and type in: “%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a”
7. Choose the 2nd option (phone activation)
8. Click Change Product Key (at the bottom)
9. Enter your valid Corporate Product Key
10. Press Update and close the window
11. Restart your computer
Verify the change.
1. After the workstation restarts, click Start > Run
2. Type in: “%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a”
3. Make sure the dialog box says ‘your copy of windows is already activated’
If you performed the above steps incorrectly, or used an invalid key, your system may not be able to boot. Use the F8 key to boot to the last known good configuration and retry with a valid key.
Thanks for the info. Sorry, but I removed the product key from your copy of the article because I really don’t need Microsoft on my ášš. I’ve had enough people stalking me lately! - RDL
After making the change of controls.man file, I was still unable to install Windows XP.
I just used Richard’s controls.man content to resolve the installation problem with XP’s “manifest parse error”. I tried to follow instructions from Richard to run i386\winnt.exe, but i could not find the winnt file in my dumped harddisk, instead of this it shows winnt32.exe file.
I followed the steps descibed by “Happy User” to change my Product ID. I only get the activation window without any options. It is a blue-colored window. Any idea why I do not get the options to change the CD key? I guess I can try installing SP1 without changing the Product ID???
It is a bad CONTROLS.MAN file that will stop XP from installing. I had the same problem, but with different error messages (when installing from a CD it only said “error: a required installation file cannot be found in i386\asms”, and when trying to install from the harddisk it said “error: the manifest file does not begin with the required tag or format information: *:\i386\asms”. Then my computer started forcing a boot into win xp, but win xp wouldn’t load! This would have disabled the system if I didn’t have a backup C: drive handy. I checked CONTROLS.MAN on my CD and HD (image from CD) and the CD said it was there with 2 kb, but when opened with Notepad it was empty. The HD image was missing CONTROLS.MAN entirely. I opened up a new Notepad window and copy/paste(ed) the script from above into it, then saved it as CONTROLS.MAN to the /i386/asms/6000/msft/windows/common/controls directory. I then successfully installed XP to my D: drive (previous C: drive made unbootable earlier). It works perfectly! Do not install using the key that starts with “FCKGW”. Find a newer corp key or use xpkey.exe (a search on Google, or any p2p can’t miss it)!!! Sorry if this is redundant to some, but I wanted the above errors to come up when others search. I looked forever, before finally finding this site. Thanks to everyone here for solving this small problem. XP should be free to anyone who got suckered into buying ME as the “ultimate OS”.