There are four potential causes of the error message No valid registration file found; Please run setup.

1. BibleWorks was installed on the root of a hard drive. That is, not in a folder. For example, if the installation destination was changed to another folder or drive, such as the D drive, the error will occur. If so, uninstall BibleWorks and reinstall.

2. The Windows Shortcut pointing to the BibleWorks executable may be defective. To test this, click Start>Run and then click the Browse button. Navigate to the BibleWorks directory on the hard drive and double-click the program executable. (It is named bw500.exe for BibleWorks 5 and bw600.exe for BibleWorks 6.) If BibleWorks launches without the error, then the shortcut is defective. Simply delete it and create another one.

3. The third potential cause of this problem is that some other program running when BibleWorks was being installed, which prevented the installation from completing. Anti-virus software is the most common cause of this problem. For best results, it must be disabled before installing BibleWorks. Refer to the documentation that came with the anti-virus program for information on how to disable it temporarily. Most programs can be terminated by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete, selecting the program to shut down, and then clicking End Task.

4. Another potential cause of the problem may be the presence of the bwdir.ini file from a previous installation (or the file for the current installation is corrupt). If this error occurs after re-installing BibleWorks, try deleting the bwdir.ini file. It is located in the C:\\Windows folder. Delete this file and then restart BibleWorks.

If BibleWorks is running on a network, the bwdir.ini file is most likely the problem.

If none of this helps resolve the problem, it will be necessary to completely uninstall and then reinstall BibleWorks. Pay special attention during the installation to note any error messages; an unsuccessful installation may also be a cause for this No valid registration file message.

This information applies only to BibleWorks versions:
5.0 and 6.0

Last Update: ELM 1/29/2007