Extract Original Compressed Windows Files

This Tutorial Applies to:

• Windows Me
• Windows 98
• Windows 95

Level: Intermediate

This step-by-step article describes how to extract compressed files.
Many Microsoft product files are compressed and stored in cabinet
(.cab) files; to use a file in a .cab file, you must first extract that
file. You may want to extract a new copy of a file if you have a
missing or damaged file. This article shows you multiple methods for
doing so. Windows 95 and Windows 98 are available on CD-ROM or floppy
disks, both of which contain compressed cabinet files. Windows
Millennium Edition (Millennium Edition) is available on CD-ROM; it
contains compressed cabinet files and also installs compressed cabinet
files in the C:\Windows\Options\Install folder. These cabinet files
contain the actual Windows files. This article describes how to extract
individual files from compressed cabinet files.

Windows Millennium Edition

In Windows

To extract files in Windows Millennium Edition, use the System Configuration Utility tool. To do this, follow these steps:

• Click Start, and then Run.
• Type msconfig, and press ENTER.
• On the General tab, click "Extract File".
• 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).
• Click
  Start, click Browse, and then locate the Windows installation files. If
  you are using an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) version of
  Windows Millennium Edition, 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
  Millennium Edition 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.
• Click OK, and then follow the instructions on the screen.

Because Windows Millennium Edition has a feature called System File Protection, extraction is different for these files.

Cannot Start Windows

When you install Windows Millennium Edition, you are prompted to create
a Windows Millennium Edition startup disk. A feature included in the
Windows Millennium Edition startup disk is support for CD-ROM drives.
This may be of benefit if you have to extract a file from the Windows
Millennium Edition CD-ROM but you cannot use the System Configuration
Utility tool (for example, if your computer does not start properly).

Note:
The Windows Millennium Edition startup disk provides support for most
types of CD-ROM drives, including IDE and SCSI CD-ROM drives, but it
may not support your particular CD-ROM drive.

Create a Startup Disk

You must have a Windows Millennium Edition startup disk to perform the
steps in the following sections of this article. If you do not have
one, you can create one using any Windows Millennium Edition-based
computer to which you have access. To create a Windows Millennium
Edition startup disk, follow these steps:

• Click Start, go to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
• Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
• On the Startup Disk tab, click Create Disk, and then follow the instructions on the