Installing an Access runtime can sometimes fail (or break something) if the version of comcat.dll in the runtime setup files conflicts with what's already installed in the PC.

Here's my solution. . .

1. Create a folder called c:\comcat or whatever

2. Gather all three versions (AFAIK) and name them like this:

COMCAT96.DLL = comcat.dll, 22k, 12/9/96
COMCAT97.DLL = comcat.dll, 6k, 9/17/97
COMCAT98.DLL = comcat.dll, 16k, 5/11/98

3. Create these two batch files in the same folder:

File #1: CC_SETUP.BAT

@ECHO OFF
DIR C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\COMCAT.DLL | FIND "DLL" > CC2.BAT
CALL CC2
DEL CC2.BAT

File #2: COMCAT.BAT

@ECHO OFF
IF "%2"=="16" COPY /Y COMCAT98.DLL COMCAT.DLL > NUL
IF "%2"=="6"  COPY /Y COMCAT97.DLL COMCAT.DLL > NUL
IF "%2"=="22" COPY /Y COMCAT96.DLL COMCAT.DLL > NUL

Run the batch file CC_SETUP.BAT, and you'll wind up with the correct comcat.dll file for that PC, in the c:\comcat folder. You could add one more line to the 1st batch file to copy this version into your runtime setup folder.