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Smart Computing Reference Series

June/July 2004 - Vol. 8, Issue 3PC ERRORS

ERROR MESSAGES4 Error Terror

Your PC’s Scary Messages Can Help You Resolve System Conflicts

6 Don’t Shoot The MessengerError Messages Contain Helpful Troubleshooting Information

7 Big, Bad & Blue Understand One Of The Most-Feared Types Of Error Messages

8 Coping With PC AnxietyTips & Techniques For Stress-Free Troubleshooting

10 A Helpful HandDebuggers Let You Record & Track Error Messages WINDOWS 98

48 Windows 98 Installation Error MessagesGet Windows Up & Running

54 Windows 98 Startup & Shutdown ErrorsEnter & Exit On Your Terms

60 Windows 98 Hardware ErrorsDecipher The Undecipherable

66 Windows 98 Software ErrorsDon’t Get Shut Down

72 Windows 98 Networking & Online ErrorsStay Online & Productive

WINDOWS XP

12 Windows XP Installation ErrorsDon’t Get Stopped Before You Start

18 Windows XP Startup & Shutdown ErrorsKeep Windows Running Smoothly

26 Windows XP Hardware ErrorsKeep Windows & Devices In Sync

34 Windows XP Software-Related ErrorsKeep Working Despite Problems

42 Windows XP Network & Online Error MessagesGet Connected & Stay Connected

In an ideal world, computers would nevercrash and programs would never run intoproblems. Or at least, if those things did occur, your PC would notify you about anyglitches in a way that let you quickly patchthings up and continue working.

Uh, time to wake up. PCs run into problemsall the time, and they typically respond bysending you a message that is either indeci-pherable or too vague to be of any use.

In this issue we translate those arcane com-puting error messages into plain English, andwe point out potential solutions to the prob-lem. Use this issue as a handy reference forwhenever you encounter PC errors.

WINDOWS 200076 Windows 2000 Installation & Setup

Solutions To Get You Off To The Right Start

82 Windows 2000 Startup & Shutdown ErrorsSay Hello & Goodbye With Ease

88 Windows 2000 Hardware ErrorsLearn What’s Behind Those Cryptic Messages

94 Windows 2000 Software ErrorsHow To Figure Out What Your OS Is Trying To Tell You

100 End Connection HeadachesWindows 2000 Networking & Online-Related Errors

MICROSOFT OFFICE 2003104 Microsoft Office System 2003

Installation & Startup Errors

108 Word 2003Diagnose & Correct Microsoft Word Error Messages

112 Excel 2003Diagnose & Correct Excel Errors

116 PowerPoint 2003Work The Bugs Out Of Your Presentations

120 Outlook 2003Failure To Communicate? We Can Help

ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS123 General Online Errors

We Demystify The Internet’s Cryptic Errors

129 Revive Your NetworkTroubleshoot Network & Internet Connection Problems

131 Browser ErrorsWhat You Can Do When The Surf’s Not Up

HARDWARE137 Memory, CPU, BIOS & Port Headaches

Tough Solutions For Tough Issues

141 Drive & Storage Problem SolvingYour Data is Gone! Or is it?

144 Troubling Printing & ScanningDocuments Check In, But Try These Tips When They Don’t Check Out

146 Sound Solutions To Audio ProblemsClearing Up What You Can Hear

148 Video Card & Monitor ErrorsSome Are More Visible Than Others

Editorial Staff: Ronald D. Kobler / Rod Scher /Kimberly Fitzke / Sally Curran / Samit GuptaChoudhuri / Corey Russman / ChristopherTrumble / Calvin Clinchard / Katie Dolan /Jennie Schlueter / Blaine Flamig / RaejeanBrooks / Rebecca Christensen / Tara Weber /Michael Sweet / Katie Crooks / Shawn Kupfer /Dana Montey / Nate Hoppe / Sheila Allen /Heather Svoboda / Jennifer Hansen / TristaKunce / Marty Sems / Chad Denton / NathanChandler / Kylee Dickey / Josh Gulick /Andrew Leibman / Eric ReedWeb Staff: Missy Fletcher / Dorene Krausnick /Nick Ray Customer Service: Travis Brock / Alisha Lamb /Brandie Humphrey / Becky Rezabek / LanaMaticSubscription Renewals: Liz Kohout / Connie Beatty / Matt Bolling / Patrick Kean / CharmaineVondra / Miden Ebert / Kathy DeCoito /Stephanie Contreras / Nicole Buckendahl Art & Design: Lesa Call / Fred Schneider / CarrieBenes / Ginger Riley / Sonja Warner / LeighTrompke / Aaron Weston / Aaron Clark / LoriGarris / Jason Codr / Andria Schultz / ErinRodriguez / Lindsay Anker Newsstand: Garth Lienemann / KellyRichardson / Chris McGreer / Jeff Schnittker Advertising Sales: Grant Ossenkop / CindyPieper / Brooke Wolzen / Eric Cobb Marketing: Mark Peery / Marcy Gunn / HeatherMentgen / Amber Coffin

Copyright 2004 by Sandhills Publishing Company. All rightsreserved. Reproduction of material appearing in SmartComputing REFERENCE SERIES: PC Errors is strictly prohib-ited without written permission. Printed in the U.S.A. GST #123482788RT0001. Smart Computing is published monthly bySandhills Publishing Company. 131 West Grand Drive, P.O.Box 85380, Lincoln, NE 68501. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to Smart Computing, P.O. Box 85380, Lincoln, NE68501.

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SPECIAL: For Subscribers OnlyReaders who subscribe to any of Sandhills Publishing’s computing publicationsmay read this issue online. Just go to SmartComputing.com, PCToday.com,CEtips.com, or ComputerPowerUser.com and link to articles from the onlinetable of contents for this issue. As an added bonus, subscribers also haveaccess to these Web-only articles:

Access 2003Don’t Let Errors Trash Your Database

Publisher 2003Problem-Free Publishing—Almost

Input Device ErrorsWhat Goes In Should Come Out

MISCELLANEOUS150 Speaking BIOS

How To Decipher What Your Computer Is Saying

152 The Fatal Exception ErrorDeciphering Processor Exception Codes

INDEX155 Error Message Index

(An Alphabetical Listing Of Error Messages In This Issue)

Error Messages

You’re probably familiar with thesinking sensation you get when acar’s service engine light illuminates.That ominous, vaguely threateningfeeling occurs again when your

computer displays portentous and vague errormessages. In both cases, drivers/users are leftpondering, and maybe panicking, about theunexpected problem: What in the world wentwrong? And what do I do next?

■ Elusive Errors. Error messages aren’t evilmonkey wrenches that clog the gears of yourcomputer’s systems—but they are signs thatsomething isn’t quite right. Pinpointing theproblem, even if you have a clearly writtenerror message at your disposal, is not alwayseasy because your computer is so complex,incorporating hardware, numerous programs,and an OS (operating system) that supposedlyhelps each of those components play nice.

The next time you become livid at a vagueerror message, consider the multitude of chal-lenges facing software developers. They notonly have to create cutting-edge applications ontight deadlines, but they also have to make suretheir product doesn’t conflict with the programsand hardware components that will likely be ontheir customers’ computers. Developers do theirbest to smash the worst of their software’s bugs,but then the program’s release date draws near,forcing companies to move forward in a hurry.Randy Camp, MusicMatch’s vice president ofsoftware and research and development, saysthat in these situations, “programmers may for-get to omit error messages created during thedebugging process, or they may be overlookedbecause of time and money restrictions or high-er-priority user-interface items.” As a result,users may not only come across a vague errormessage, they might even see messages thatprogrammers didn’t intend for the public eye.

When programmers beat their tight codingdeadlines, they take a step back and try towrite clear, concise error messages that helpusers diagnose and fix problems. But as youknow, few error messages are really that help-ful. One reason is that programmers just don’thave the time (or enthusiasm) for creating top-notch error messages. As a result, their sloppyerror messages utilize esoteric English or jum-bled alphanumeric codes that mean nothing toend users. Worse yet, many error messages arecomposed by people who’ve never developedan application themselves, meaning the writ-ers don’t have an intricate knowledge of theproduct’s inner workings. Other times, theopposite occurs—an engineer who helpedbuild the program writes the messages, butdoes so in language that’s of no assistance toend users. Still, unhelpful error messages arebetter than no error messages at all. Withoutthem, programs would simply freeze, fail, orgo berserk with zero explanation. Error mes-sages give us a starting point for taking thefirst steps toward addressing problems that, ifundetected, could damage valuable data.

Hardware and OS errors. Your computer’shardware and OS spawn many of the mes-sages you see, in part because the OS has suchan intense job. It must coordinate the activitiesof all hardware and software and keep tabs onmany separate OS functions, too. Program-mers assure hardware and software compati-bility by testing their OS with as many setupsas they can, but there are always unknownconfigurations that cause problems.

When an OS encounters unfamiliar or newlyrevised hardware and software, conflicts mayoccur due to incompatibilities, or because morethan one product demands the same resourcesas another. There are a few OS-related errorsthat happen more often than others, and one iscalled a fatal exception error. Often called BSOD(Blue Screen of Death) errors because of the bluescreen and white text that appears, fatal excep-tion errors are the bane of all computer users, asthese errors generally halt all programs andprompt users to restart their PCs. You can readin-depth details about BSOD errors in the article“The Fatal Exception Error” on page 152, but foryour reference, BSOD errors typically occur dueto an incomplete or inefficient third-party pro-gram. Often the program in question requestssystem resources (such as memory) that aren’tavailable, and if the program becomes unstable,the OS puts a stop to the process and requiresyou to restart your computer.

Error TerrorYour PC’s Scary Messages Can Help You Resolve System Conflicts

4 • PC Errors

Many users also see Windows protection orSTOP errors, which usually occur at startup.Like fatal exception errors, protection errorsfreeze processes and force you to restart yourPC. Protection errors happen for many rea-sons, such as driver conflicts, viruses andworms, a corrupted Registry, hardware mal-functions, and more.

You might also encounter GPFs (general protection faults) or any number of illegal oper-ation errors. GPFs occur due to a variety ofhardware and software problems and oftenappear when your processor receives invalid

instructions from an application. Illegal opera-tion errors appear because the computer can’tcomplete the instructions it receives, and thus, itstops the process and alerts you with an error.

Other software errors. Just like OS pro-grammers, the people who develop third-partyprograms must create software that will workwith a sprawling list of hardware, as well aspopular programs from other companies.That’s a daunting task, in part because eachprogram on the end user’s computer needs toshare the CPU, RAM, and other systemresources. It’s a failure to anticipate problemsthat generate errors. “In general, warning anderror messages are used to indicate that a situ-ation has occurred that was not expected,”says Russ Miller, director of software develop-ment for Corel.

Sometimes, an error message will offer ageneralized explanation that the program isn’tcompatible with a hardware component, but

that imprecise message won’t necessarily helpyou fix the problem. Other messages may indi-cate that system resources aren’t availablebecause another program is working, but youstill might not have a clue on how to resolvethe conflict.

These unclear errors are notorious for theirunhelpfulness, at least to ordinary home users;nevertheless, many error messages offer morehelp than those of the past. For example, if youcan’t save a file in a specific format, a programmight well explain why. And if an applicationis starved for memory, there’s a good chance

an error message will giveyou an accurate heads up.

Things should continueto improve as companiesprovide a more aggres-sive reaction to errors.Microsoft lets users senderror reports via email,hoping to glean informa-tion that will help thecompany’s products workbetter in the future. Millerindicates Corel’s appli-cations offer a similar capability and says, “thesoftware offers to transmita snapshot of related sys-tem data via email thatenables programmers andtesters to get to the root of problems as quickly as possible and ensure the top concerns are ad-

dressed in future updates.”

■ What You Can Do. When you see an errormessage, be sure to make a copy of it. De-pending on the circumstances, you may beable to highlight the error message and itsdescription using your mouse pointer. Thenpress CTRL-C to copy the message, open aword processing program, and press CTRL-Vto paste the information into a blank docu-ment. Save the file for future reference. If youcan’t copy and paste the message, get out yourtrusty pen and notepad and jot down the mes-sage in its entirety.

After you copy the error message, try re-starting your computer to see if that resolvesany problems you experienced. Often, simplyclearing your PC’s memory with a restart willset things back to normal with no extra effortfrom you. Recurring error messages are morefrustrating because of their persistence, but

depending on the situation, you might be ableto resolve such errors very quickly. Check outthe following tips to combat common errors.

New installations. Many errors surfacesoon after you install new hardware or soft-ware because conflicts often occur between thenew product and previously installed compo-nents. To put an end to such messages, youmight be able to uninstall the program or hard-ware (and hardware drivers) and then restartyour computer to an errorless state.

If you do find that removing a new prod-uct eliminates errors, you might have to dosome research to figure out the source of theconflict before you can reinstall the newproduct. Check the manufacturer’s Web sitefor updated drivers, search support areas forknown conflicts, and contact technical sup-port for assistance. Sometimes tech supportgurus can help you tweak a setting to endsoftware conflicts.

Let it finish. Developing new computinghabits can also limit the number of error mes-sages you see. When you first start up yourPC, let the hard drive come to a complete stopbefore starting a task; this lets your computerload all necessary drivers and operating sys-tem components necessary for efficient anderror-free operation. The same concept worksfor your other programs. Let each programstart up or shut down completely before youmove on to another job.

Look it up. You can investigate Windowserror messages on Microsoft’s support site(support.microsoft.com). Click Search TheKnowledge Base, select your OS, and enterpart of the error message in the Search For textbox. You may well find information here tohelp fix recurring PC problems.

■ Just The Beginning. Now you under-stand a few of the reasons that perplexing andannoying error messages wind up on yourmonitor. You also know that such messagesoften occur because too many components arecompeting for the same system resources.

Keep reading and you’ll see detailed expla-nations of error messages and the best trou-bleshooting techniques for defeating them (seethe article, “Coping With PC Anxiety” on page8). You will probably never own an error-freesystem, but with the knowledge you absorbhere, you won’t panic at every error messageyou encounter, and your computing sessionswill be less stressful and more productive.

by Nathan Chandler

Error Messages

These days, when a program crashes, Microsoft wants to know aboutit. When a programming problem shuts down an application, you maysee a dialog box like this one, which offers to send data about the errorto Microsoft’s software development teams.

RS

PC Errors • 5

Error Messages

Don’t Shoot The MessengerError Messages Contain Helpful Troubleshooting Information

Response Mechanism. All error messages have sometype of response mechanism. The most basicresponse mechanism is a simple OK or Close buttonthat follows the message body. More elaborateresponse mechanisms might first ask what action youwould like to take and then offer a series of buttons,such as Yes, No, and More Info. For example, if themessage body indicates that the system may becomeunstable, the response mechanism might consist ofthe following three components:• the question “Would you like to proceed anyway?”• a Yes button• a No button

A more basic response mechanism might have notext and only a simple Restart button.

E rror messages can seem overwhelming if we don’t understandwhy they happen or how to prevent them. It helps to rememberthat an error message does not cause the problem; it is merely

the messenger. Error messages are much less intimidating if you viewthem not as signs of doom but as valuable tools that hold clues to

program and system failures. Understanding each part of an errormessage can help you decipher the information and eliminate the error.

Compiled by Kylee Dickey

Details Button. Not all error messages have a Detailsbutton. Those that do can provide information specif-ic to your system and the way you were using it priorto and at the time that the error occurred. When youclick the Details button, you will usually see stringsof computer code. Although this code may mean lit-tle to you, this information can help diagnose theproblem if you contact technical support.

Message Body. This is the part of the error message that is in plain Englishand, ideally, tells you what happened, why it may have happened, and howyou can correct the problem. Some error message bodies are well written andprovide many details while others are relatively brief. Read the message bodycarefully, as the message body will often direct you to specific files and actionsthat have caused the error or that may eliminate the problem.

Title Bar. This part of an error message should befamiliar to most users because you see a title barat the top of all windows and dialog boxes.Usually, the title bar displays the name of the cur-rent program or the title of the open document orfolder. In an error message, the title bar mightcontain the name of the program that generatedthe error (such as Internet Explorer), the type oferror (such as Windows Protection Error), instruc-tions (such as Restart Windows or Insert Disk), ora warning message (such as Warning or Error).

RS

6 • PC Errors

Error Messages

Big, Bad & BlueUnderstand One Of The Most-Feared Types Of Error Messages

T he sight makes many computer users tremble: the BSOD (BlueScreen Of Death). Chances are that if you’ve used Windows for awhile, you have, at one point or another, encountered the BSOD.

Even Bill Gates had the misfortune of seeing a BSOD on his computerscreen during his Windows 98 presentation at Comdex Spring 1998.

The BSOD is one type of Windows error message. Unlike the errormessage shown in the last article, the BSOD is a full-screen error mes-sage. With its bright blue background and white text, the BSOD is hardto miss. Sometimes it signals that an individual program must shutdown. Other times, the BSOD indicates that the error is so grave that theentire system must shut down.

The BSOD exists in Windows 3.1/9x/Me. You will also find some-thing very similar to a BSOD in Windows NT/2000/XP. These morerecent OSes have an error message called a STOP message that lookssimilar to and has many of the same elements as a BSOD.

Various types of errors may cause a BSOD. For example, a bad devicedriver, a hardware conflict, or even an error in the Registry may prompta BSOD. One of the most common causes of a BSOD is that Windowscan’t boot from the hard drive. Corrupted data on a hard drive can causea BSOD, as can the installation of incompatible memory modules.

The most common type of BSOD is a fatal exception error, an error thatforces the current application to shut down. This happens when an unex-pected event, or exception, occurs. If no code exists to handle the exception,the program cannot proceed, and Windows will display a fatal exceptionerror message. For more information about fatal exception errors, see “TheFatal Exception Error: Deciphering Processor Exception Codes” on page 152.

With so many possible causes, it helps to understand the parts of aBSOD and its language so you can diagnose the problem.

Compiled by Kylee Dickey

Type Of Error. The first part of aBSOD tells you what type of erroroccurred. In most cases, the erroris a fatal exception error, an errorso great that it requires that theoffending program close.

Offending Device Or Program. This is thename of the device, program, or file thatprompted the error. In this message, the BSODtells us that the VFD (virtual floppy disk) causedthe error.

Response Mechanism. Finally, the BSOD offers at leastone response mechanism. In this error message, thereare two response mechanisms. First, you can press anykey to exit the offending program but continue work-ing. This gives you a chance to save open documentsbefore you restart your PC. Second, you can pressCTRL-ALT-DELETE to immediately restart your PC.

Location Of Error. Here, the BSOD tells youwhere the error occurred. In this error message,we can see that the problem occurred in a VxD(virtual device driver), a file that manages mem-ory to ensure that programs don’t access thesame devices simultaneously.

Message Body. After the technical information,the BSOD briefly describes, in plain English,what action you should take (or what action willbe taken automatically). In the pictured BSOD,because a fatal exception error occurred, theprogram cannot continue. The BSOD explainsthat the application will shut down.

Memory Address. This string of char-acters is the memory address. It tellsyou the precise location of the error inthe system memory.

Error Code. This two-character DOS code rangesfrom 00 to 0F. It provides further information aboutthe type of error that occurred. In this example, 0Dindicates a general protection fault, an error that isunique and does not meet the definition of any ofthe other fatal exception types.

RS

PC Errors • 7

Error Messages

S ooner or later, you’re going to havecomputer problems. That’s not a warn-ing; it’s a guarantee.

Fortunately, how you react to those prob-lems is up to you. While some of us remaincalm, others stress out. Still others scream and panic much like students in bomb squadschool about to fail their first and final exam.

Needless to say, such reactions are unhealthy.That’s why we want to help you handle your

PC problems stress-free. Here are a few trou-bleshooting essentials that might help not only toget you through your next computer crash, buthelp keep your blood pressure down, as well.

■ Find The Root Of The Problem. The firstthing to do when your PC misbehaves (asidefrom sighing, gasping, and moaning) is to locatethe source of the problem. You might be able to

determine this by tracing your steps. Try toremember what you were doing before the prob-lem occurred. Take note if you’ve recentlyinstalled a new program, saved or deleted anodd-looking file, or moved your computer to anew location. Don’t disregard anything.

If you’re lucky—well, perhaps “lucky” isn’tthe right word—an error message will accom-pany the problem. If so, write it down. This willprevent you from later forgetting what wentwrong. Your notes might also come in handy ifyou need to call a technician. Moreover, errormessages sometimes contain important clues asto whether your problem is hardware- or soft-ware-related. Let’s say you’re trying to uploadimages from your scanner but keep getting anerror message saying your computer is unableto connect to the scanning device. Chances are,your PC didn’t cause the problem. Nor is it

probably software-related. You’d want to starttroubleshooting other hardware, such as thescanner’s cable and power connections

Once you’ve located the source of theproblem and determined whether it’s causedby hardware or software, you can begin thetroubleshooting process.

■ Troubleshooting Hardware. Let’s behonest, you don’t want to open your computerunless you have to. So before you go reachingfor a screwdriver, listen for irregular noisescoming from inside your PC. A ratchety“zzzzz” sound may mean a stray wire istouching the fan blades or that the fan motor islow on lubricant. A grinding noise may indi-cate a problem with the hard drive. (If that’sthe case, save the drive’s data immediately:The motor or head system, which containsread/write heads that record and retrieveinformation from within the drive’s case, couldbe preparing to fail. You have a right to panic.)

Try solving hardware problems outsideyour PC by first making sure the hardware isplugged in and turned on. This may soundobvious, but more than a few people havespent valuable time troubleshooting a PCwhen all they had to do was just reattach aloose cable or flip a switch.

If the power and cable sources check outOK, refer to the Device Manager. In WindowsXP, right-click My Computer, select Properties,choose the Hardware tab, and click DeviceManager. Navigate to the hardware devicethat is giving you problems. A small yellowcircle and an exclamation point or questionmark to the left of the device’s name indicatesthat Windows has detected a problem. Clickthe exclamation point, and you might bedirected through a series of problem-solvingsteps. If not, right-click the device, uninstall it,and remove it from Device Manager. Thenreboot your computer. Windows will redetectthe hardware, hopefully without the problem.

If your computer won’t reboot, try starting itin Windows’ diagnostics mode, called SafeMode. In Safe Mode, Windows uses only themost vital drivers and components, which lim-its the numbers of tasks you can perform but

Coping With PC AnxietyTips & Techniques For Stress-Free Troubleshooting

8 • PC Errors

makes it easier for you to spot problems causedby newly installed drivers. To enter Safe Mode,start your computer and begin tapping the F8key until an Advanced Options menu appears.Select Safe Mode and press ENTER.

WinXP users can add Safe Mode to their BootMenu. Right-click My Computer and selectProperties. Choose the Advanced Tab. UnderStartup And Recovery, click Settings. Then, in theresulting Startup And Recovery dialog box, clickthe Edit button under System Startup. AfterNotepad opens, copy the last line of text andpaste it in the next line. Delete the descriptioninside the quotes (most likely “Microsoft Win-dows XP Home Edition”) and replace it with SafeMode. In the same line, change “/fastdetect” to“/safeboot:minimal/sos/bootlog”. Now click File,Save, and then exit Notepad. Click OK twice(once to close the Startup And Recovery dialogbox and again to close the System Properties dia-log box). The Safe Mode option will appear thenext time you boot your computer.

■Troubleshooting Software. Softwareglitches occur far more frequently than hard-ware glitches. That’s because software (whichincludes the operating system, OS utilities, andother applications) is responsible for carryingout every single task the computer performs. And when you consider that multi-ple programs may be running at any givenmoment—either behind the scenes or in yourcomputer’s foreground—it’s no sur-prise that applications occasionallyconflict with one another.

Viruses and bugs, however,cause most software problems.Viruses are better prevented thanfixed (with antivirus software andfirewalls), but users have less con-trol over bugs (which are actuallycoding errors or defects within the software program). A good soft-ware company will offer updates,or patches, to fix bugs in its prod-ucts, but often minor bugs can beeliminated by the user.

If you experience problems im-mediately after you’ve installed a new program, try simply unin-stalling or reinstalling the software.If your computer freezes, try pressing the ESCkey. If the ESC key doesn’t work, try closingthe application with the Windows Task man-ager. Press CTRL-ALT-DELETE and selectTask Manager. Now choose the Applicationstab. Here you’ll see a list of all the programs

open on your computer. If a program is notworking properly, or is “Not Responding,” usethe End Task button to terminate the program.

Also in the Task Manager, under the Pro-cesses tab, you’ll find a list of all the applica-tions your computer is running, including

those applications running in the background,along with a reading of how much memoryeach task is using. If too many programs run at once, or your system gets low on memoryresources, you’re likely to notice a slowdownin your computer, perhaps even a BSOD (BlueScreen of Death).

Items listed under the Processes tab asLOCAL SERVICE, NETWORK SERVICE, andSYSTEM typically can’t be closed, but otheritems can be (select the program and click theEnd Process button). You might be able to endslowdowns by closing some of these items.Just don’t close any applications if you aren’tsure what they are.

The best way, however, to end freezes,crashes, slowdowns, and even some glitches isto simply reboot your computer. If you thinkyou’ve caused a problem by accidentally delet-ing a necessary file, try recovering if from the Recycle Bin or a backup disk. WindowsMe/XP users have the option of using SystemRestore. (Click Start, point to All Programs,Accessories, System Tools, and select SystemRestore.) System Restore, although not a back-up utility, monitors system and program filesand creates restore points at selected intervals.If a user with either of these OSes experiencesa problem, she can revert the system to a statewhen it worked properly.

WinXP users also have access to The LastKnown Good Configuration feature. This fea-

ture will revert your OS to the samesettings in effect the last time yourcomputer started successfully. To useThe Last Known Good Configurationfeature, start your computer, tap the F8 key to enter the WindowsAdvanced Options menu, select LastKnown Good Configuration (yourmost recent settings that worked),and press ENTER.

■ Tech Support: The Last ResortDuring major crises you may haveno choice but to refer to technicalsupport. Try to make this your finaloption. Tech support can be expen-sive and time consuming, especiallyif you seek help through email,which can take days to receive a

response. With patience and a little effort youcan solve most computer problems on yourown . . . without the panicking.

by Eric Melvin Reed

Error Messages

Use the Device Manager in Windows to checkhardware problems, such as missing drivers andmalfunctioning system devices.

Windows Me and XP users can restore their computers to an earlier dateand time using the System Restore feature.

If a program stops responding, try closing it through Windows TaskManager (press CTRL-ALT-DELETE).

RS

PC Errors • 9

T o err may be human, but to err and trashyour PowerPoint presentation is dis-tinctly PC. Sometimes the errors are ran-

dom, other times they’re more predictable, butthey’re always annoying. To make mattersworse, the most annoying errors always seemto have the most obfuscated error messages.Windows does come with a number of smalltools to help you track and, in some cases,solve application errors.

Perhaps the best known tool is Dr. Watson.If you have Windows, chances are you haveDr. Watson installed. The good doctor, how-ever, has gone through a number of changesover the years and works differently depend-ing on which version of Windows you’reusing. A handful of additional tools can pro-vide extra help in solving errors. WindowsXP, for instance, lets you submit error reportsto Microsoft each time an error occurs. Othertools help catch errors that Dr. Watson maymiss. We’ll take a look at some error debug-ging tools and show you how you can usethese tools to help pinpoint problems.

■ House Calls. As we mentioned above,Dr. Watson is perhaps the most well-knowndebugging application for Win-dows. Dr.

Watson sits in thebackground waitingfor errors to occur.When Dr. Wat-sondetects an error, ittakes a snapshot ofeverything that’sgoing on in the systemand saves the data to alog file. You may be ableto use some of the infor-mation in the log to pin-point where errors areoccurring, but you’ll find thelog files are most helpfulwhen submitted to technicalsupport teams.

In newer versions of Windows,Dr. Watson is constantly running. Windows2000/XP users do not need to start Dr.Watson manually and will not see any indi-cation that Dr. Watson is running.

On older systems, users will need to startDr. Watson before it can log any errors. InWindows 98/Me, click Run in the Start Menuand type drwatson. You’ll see an icon in theSystem Tray when Dr. Watson is running.

Win98/Me users who are experiencing fre-quent but random errorsmay want to make ashortcut to Dr. Watsonand place it in the Start-up program group in theStart menu. This willload Dr. Watson eachtime the system boots.To create a shortcut,right-click the Desktop,select New from thepop-up menu, and clickShortcut. Type drwatsonin the text field and clickNext. Provide a namefor the shortcut (Dr.Watson works fine, butit can be anything youwant) and click Finish.Right-click the newly

created shortcut and select Copy. Right-clickthe Start Menu and select Explore. Double-click Programs and Start-up and then selectPaste from the Edit menu.

Options. In Win98/Me, right-click the Dr.Watson icon in the System Tray and selectOptions. You can specify the number of logentries to save and set the directory whereDr. Watson will store its logs along with ahandful of other options.

There are more options available toWin2000/XP users. To open the configura-tion window, click Run in the Start Menu andtype drwtsn32. Once again, you can set thenumber of log entries to save and specify thedirectory where Dr. Watson will save its logfiles. These versions can also create CrashDump files that developers or support staffcan load into other debuggers.

Win2000/XP users will also notice recentDr. Watson entries listed at the bottom of thewindow. Highlight an error and click View toview the details.

Log Files. The location where Dr. Watsonsaves log files by default depends on the ver-sion you’re using. Open the configurationwindow using the method described above tolocate the directory where Dr. Watson savesits log file. Older versions on Win98/Me sys-tems use a .WLF file extension while newer

A Helpful HandDebuggers Let You Record & Track Error Messages

Error Messages

Windows 98/Me users will need to make sure Dr. Watson is runningbefore an error occurs. You can set a handful of options in older versions of Dr. Watson.

10 • PC Errors

versions running Win2000/XP use a .LOGextension.

In Win95/98, double-click the Dr. Watsonicon and then click Open Log File in the Filemenu. Users with Win2000/XP can openrecent logs from the configuration menu asdescribed above. If you’ve cleared out entriesin the configuration window, you can stillopen the Drwtsn32.log file in a text editorsuch as Wordpad (log files may be too largeto open in Notepad).

Logs can be very long, and most of theinformation is of no use to you unless you’rea programmer. Nonetheless, in some in-stances you might be able to find some usefulinformation buried in a Dr. Watson log.

Each entry starts listing the date, time, andname of the application that crashed. Namesprovided are file names rather than genericprogram names (for instance, Wmplayer.exeinstead of Windows Media Player). You’llalso find a list of modules and other applica-tions running at the time of the crash and ageneric program error code. You can use thisinformation to search the Web for other userswho may have had similar problems with aspecific application.

You can find the exact point where theproblem occurred. You’ll find multiple head-ers that read “State Dump For Thread Idxxxxx” (where xxxxx changes). You may seethe word Fault in front of one or more ofindented lines under these headers. Take acloser look at the beginning of any segmentthat contains a Fault line, and you should seea line beginning with Function. In someinstances, you may be able to find someinformation by researching the function

name (also called a sym-bol).

If the application is aMicrosoft application, trysearching Microsoft’sonline Knowledge Base( s u p p o r t . m i c r o s o f t.com). It may be useful toinclude the applicationname, error code, andsymbol (if any). If the erroris from another applica-tion, search the supportdocuments from the soft-ware’s publisher. Otherhandy utilities in-cludeGoogle (www.google.com) and Google Groups(groups.google.com).

In some instances, you may be able totrack down a software conflict between twoor more applications and find a simpleworkaround. Though in most cases, youprobably will have to contact the software’stech support department. Submitting Dr.Watson logs may prove helpful. Even if thedeveloper is unable to fix the problem in atimely manner, the companymay be able to fix the prob-lem in future revisions.

■ Error Reporting. InWinXP, Windows offers toreport any errors directly toMicrosoft any time an erroroccurs. This may or may not be helpful depending onthe situation. Regardless,due to privacy concerns,error reports are completelyanonymous, and only ahandful of Microsoft devel-opers have access to theseerror reports. Don’t expectMicrosoft to get back to youconcerning an error report.Microsoft developers, how-ever, may notice trends insubmitted reports over time. They can usethis information in the future to fix commonerrors.

Remember, the information you submit inthese reports is confidential. If you do contactMicrosoft’s tech support department directly,they will not have access to the report yousubmitted. Dr. Watson logs, therefore, arestill useful when contacting Microsoft’s tech

support department even if you’ve filed anautomatic error report.

■ Safety Net. In older versions of Windows,unexpected errors can slip through if Dr.Watson isn’t running. Older versions ofWindows still catch and record errors in a filecalled Fault.txt located in the C:\Windowsdirectory.

Entries in this file are small, especiallycompared to the wealth of data provided byDr. Watson. Nonetheless, they do providesome basic information you might find help-ful. You’ll find the name of the applicationthat caused the crash and the name of themodule that crashed along with a date andtime stamp. A few other technical details areprovided, but they’ll mostly be of use to tech-nical personnel. Addition reports areappended to the end of the file, so you’ll findthe most recent errors listed at the bottom ofthe file.

■ Limitations. Dr. Watson and other errorreporting utilities do have somewhat limiteduse. They will not, for instance, help withmajor errors involving the OS itself (we’ll

refrain from making the obvious WinMe jokehere). These applications are best used to catcherrors that occur when specific applicationscrash. In instances where the entire OS sud-denly locks up, they may be of little use.

by Chad Denton

Error Messages

Recent errors are listed in the Dr. Watson configuration screen,but errors will remain in the log file even after you’ve clearedentries from the configuration window.

If an error caught you without Dr. Watson running, you can find a little extra information about the error in the Faultlog.txt file in your Windows directory.

RS

PC Errors • 11

Windows XP (Home & Pro)

Once upon a time, installing a newversion of Windows could turninto a monumental chore fraughtwith errors and frustration. Weeven recall the times when Win-

dows 95 came on floppy diskettes (about 25 ofthem for a new installation). The Web is full ofhorror stories from Windows users who suf-fered through botched installations and spentcountless hours getting their systems to run.

One of WinXP’s many improvements to theWindows experience is ease of installation.The vast majority of the time, a WinXP instal-lation is very easy and chugs efficiently alongwith little or no interference from you. It’salmost as easy as inserting the setup CD intoyour CD-ROM drive and walking away. If set-ting up WinXP is boring, that’s a very goodthing. Go get a cup of coffee, prop your feetup, and relax while Windows does the heavylifting. But don’t relax too much. Sometimesthings can go wrong.

When something goes wrong with a WinXPinstallation, the setup process halts and reportsan error message that attempts to describe theproblem and, in some cases, what you can do tofix it. But like most error messages, installationerror messages leave a lot to be desired. If youdon’t have access to another computer whileinstalling WinXP and the installation trips up, itcan be a very stressful situation when you haveno way of obtaining more information about aparticularly cryptic error message.

Read on to learn more about WinXP instal-lation messages; in the next few pages, we’lldescribe a few common messages, translatewhat they say into plain English, and then tellyou how to solve the condition that caused theerror. We hope you will see some commonthreads at the heart of many of these errormessages. Knowing what can go wrong andwhy will give you the knowledge you need toprep your system and ensure a smooth, trou-ble-free upgrade to Microsoft’s best OS.

INSTALLATION ERROR MESSAGES

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000000Airql_not_less_or_equal.”

This error message is triggered whenyou are upgrading your system fromWindows 98/Me to WinXP.

Translation: Hmmm . . . This one is notvery descriptive at all . IRQs (interruptrequest lines) are the communication chan-nels via which your hardware devices com-municate with your computer’s CPU. Whena device needs the CPU’s attention, it uses aninterrupt request to let the CPU know that ithas data that requires handling. So it’s rea-sonable to suspect this error message indi-cates a problem with a hardware device or adevice driver.

Solution: According to Microsoft, the rootcause of this problem is an incompatible hard-ware device or device driver. To resolve theproblem, restart your computer; if the Setupprogram gives you the option to revert to yourprevious OS, take it. When your old OS(whether it’s Win98 or WinMe) restarts, unin-stall any antivirus and boot manager softwareand “clean boot” your computer. A clean bootis a simplified boot sequence that preventsdevice drivers, startup programs, and othersettings from loading at boot time.

To clean boot in WinMe, click Start and Runand type msconfig in the Open textbox. Clickthe General tab and then click the SelectiveStartup checkbox. Under Selective Startup,click the checkbox to the left of each item todeselect the item. Then, click the Startup tab,find the *StateMgr entry in the list, and click itscheckbox to select it. Click OK to accept yourchanges and click Yes when prompted torestart your computer.

To clean boot in Win98, the steps are fairlysimilar. To launch the System ConfigurationUtility in Win98, click Start, Programs,Accessories, System Tools, and SystemInformation. Click Tools and then click SystemConfiguration Utility to launch the application.Click the General tab and deselect every itemunder Selective Startup by clicking each check-box. Click OK to accept your changes and thenclick Yes when you are prompted to restartyour system.

After the computer clean boots, attempt theWinXP installation again. If the error stilloccurs, see the steps below.

If the WinXP Setup program did not give you the option to revert to your previous OS,

Windows XP Installation ErrorsDon’t Get Stopped Before You Start

12 • PC Errors

Microsoft advises that you remove every unnec-essary piece of hardware from your system.This includes any hardware device that youabsolutely don’t need to run the computer, fromUSB (Universal Serial Bus) devices to networkand sound cards. If the WinXP setup is stillunsuccessful, try flashing your BIOS (BasicInput/Output System) to a new version.Consult with your computer’s manufacturer tofigure out how to do this.

Error Message: When upgradingWin98/Me to WinXP, you get one of thefollowing messages:

“Fatal Error:Setup Cannot Continue. Please

Contact Microsoft Technical Support.(Error: 3E6h)”

or“WINNT32 this program has per-

formed an illegal operation. WINNT32caused an invalid page fault in moduleKERNEL32.DLL”

Translation: This message indicates that asoftware application or a device caused theSetup program to crash. The second messageindicates that another application or programtried to access the same area of memoryassigned to KERNEL32.DLL, one of the criticalWindows DLL (dynamic-link library) files.

Solution: If you have any of the followingprograms or hardware devices,• System Restore Remover Pro by Definition

Software• Intuit Quickbooks• Dell Dimension 8100• Echo Audio sound card

Microsoft recommends that you take someactions before continuing. Remove both soft-ware programs using Add/Remove Programs.The System Restore Remover Pro works onlywith WinMe, so you won’t be able to use thisprogram with WinXP. Intuit’s Quickbooks iscompatible, but Microsoft advises that youremove the program, complete the setupprocess, and then reinstall it once WinXP is upand running.

If your Dell Dimension 8100 has a TurtleBeach Santa Cruz sound card installed, browseto the C:\DELL\DRIVERS\r33637 folder andcheck for two installation files for the soundcard’s drivers, both called Setup.exe. These filesare found at C:\ DELL\DRIVERS \R33637\9x\Setup.exe and C:\DELL\DRIVERS\R33637\NT\Setup.exe; rename both programsto Setup.old.

If you have any of the Echo Audio soundcards we mentioned above, upgrade theiraudio driver to version 6.0 or higher. Go towww.echoaudio.com to get the files andinstructions for installing them.

If the steps outlined above don’t solve the problem, perform a clean boot in Win98 or WinMe as we described above and restartthe setup process. If Setup still reports theerror, unplug all peripherals that are notrequired to start your computer and restart thesetup process. Microsoft even recommendsthat you clean your installation CD-ROMbefore proceeding.

This issue brings up an important question:Should you upgrade to WinXP on top of yourWin98 or WinMe installation or should you per-form a clean upgrade? The short answer is no.

Error Message: “Fatal Error: An errorhas been encountered that preventssetup from continuing.

One of the components that Windowsneeds to continue setup could not beinstalled.

Press OK to view the setup log file.”Translation: This error message means

the Setup program is unable to read from your WinXP installation CD.

Solution: If your WinXP installation CD isvery damaged or scratched, you’ll have to geta replacement from Microsoft. If you’re in theUnited States, call (800) 360-7561 Mondaythrough Friday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific toorder a new CD. If you’re in Canada, call (800)933-4750 during the same days and hours toget a replacement.

You may be able to resolve this by copy-ing the setup files from the CD to a folder in your hard drive. If you’re install ingWinXP to a clean hard drive, insert a Win98or WinMe startup disk in your computer’sfloppy drive and reboot the computer. At the command prompt, type the followingcommand:

xcopy [CD Drive Letter]\i386\*.*c:\i386\*.* /s /e

This command copies all the files in the i386 folder of your WinXP installation CD to anew i386 folder in your C: drive. The /s and /ecommand switches ensure that you copy alldirectories and subdirectories (even emptyones) to the new location.

Now, type c:\i386\winnt.exe to continuethe setup process. Winnt.exe is the installationfile that must be used when you’re running

the Setup program from a startup disk com-mand prompt.

If you’re simply upgrading an existingWin98/Me installation, click Start and Run,type cmd in the Open textbox, and click OK.At the command prompt, type the same command as above to copy the files. When the copy process is complete, type c:\i386\winnt32.exe to launch the setup process. Thereason you use the winnt32.exe file in this situ-ation is that you are running the Setup pro-gram from within Windows.

Error Message: When upgrading fromWin98/Me to WinXP, you get the follow-ing message during setup:

“Setup has disabled the upgradeoption, could not load the file D:\i386\Win9xupg\W95upg.dll. Setup can-not continue, because this version canonly install as an upgrade.”


During the installation, Windows XP’s Setup pro-gram prompts you to check Microsoft’s Web sitefor updated installation files. This is a good optionto choose and ensures a trouble-free installation.

To perform a clean boot, choose SelectiveStartup in the System Configuration Utility’sGeneral tab and uncheck all the checkboxes tominimize the number of files processed andloaded by Windows at boot time.

PC Errors • 13

Translation: As the message implies, thisissue occurs because the Setup program mis-takenly assumes the upgrade option is notvalid for your software. This occurs in spite ofthe fact that you are eligible for an upgradebecause you are obviously installing on top ofan existing Windows installation.

Solution: There are two solutions to thisproblem that Microsoft suggests. First, cleanboot your computer and try to run Setup afterthe boot process completes. Please refer to thediscussion above to find out how to clean bootin Win98 or WinMe.

The other solution is to copy the i386 folderfrom the WinXP installation CD to a folder onyour hard drive. If you’re already in Windows,simply use Windows Explorer to browse to thei386 folder in your WinXP installation CD,right-click the folder, and click Copy. Browseto a location on your hard drive, right-click,and click Paste. The copy process might take afew minutes because you are transferring alarge amount of data when you do this.

Error Message: This one is not a mes-sage but a behavior that occurs whenyou upgrade from Win98/Me toWinXP. The WinXP Setup programfreezes during the “Preparing In-stallation” step.

Translation: Again, this is a symptom thatoccurs when performing an upgrade to WinXPon top of an existing Windows installation.According to Microsoft, the root cause of thisproblem is antivirus software installed withyour previous version of Windows that is run-ning in the background and interfering withthe setup process.

Solution: To resolve this issue, exit Setupand then disable or uninstall any antivirussoftware in your computer. Once the anti-virus software is disabled or uninstalled,restart Setup.

Error Message: After restarting yourcomputer when an upgrade to WinXP iscomplete, the following message mayappear:

“STOP: 0x000000ED (0xaaaaaaa ,0xbbbbbbb , 0xccccccc) UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME”

(NOTE: aaaaaaa, bbbbbbb, and ccccccc rep-resent various hexadecimal numbers.)


Most Common Error Message

We really can’t pinpoint anyone setup or installation

error message that occurs withgreater frequency than others.The variety of hardware andsoftware configurations outthere is truly staggering, soevery situation will be different.

But there are two common sit-uations that crop up time andtime again behind many of theerror messages we’ve exam-ined: upgrading to Windows XPon top of an existing installationand not doing a thorough com-patibility check.

A Clean Upgrade PathUpgrading on top of your old

Windows installation is, at firstglance, the easiest road to take,but this road can turn treacher-ous in a hurry. Upgrading on topof an old installation means youinstantly transfer all of the prob-lem files and settings associatedwith your previous Windows OS(operating system) to your brandnew OS. In some cases, the

problems are serious enough toderail the WinXP setup processitself.

We recommend you take thetime to archive your importantdata, reformat your hard drive,and perform your WinXPupgrade on a clean hard drive.Some people think you can’t dothis with an upgrade CD, butthat is not true at all. If theWinXP Setup program does not detect a previous Windowsinstallation on your hard drive, it requests that you insert yourprevious Windows version’sinstallation CD into your CD-ROM drive. Once the Setup pro-gram verifies that you have abona fide WinMe or Win98installation CD, the WinXPinstallation continues normally.

Does Your System HaveWhat It Takes?

If you’re going to upgradeyour system to WinXP, visitMicrosoft’s HCL (HardwareCompatibility List) Web site

(www.microsoft.com/hcl) beforeyou upgrade. Make a list of yoursystem’s hardware devices andsoftware applications and lookfor them in this list. If a device orapplication is not listed, go tothe manufacturer’s Web site andsee if it has updated drivers orpatches that make the device orapplication compatible withWinXP. In some rare cases, youmay have to upgrade to a newversion. Performing this simpleinventory before you attempt anupgrade to WinXP may saveyou a lot of time and grief whenyou attempt to install WinXP. It’stime well spent.

Another even handier way tocheck your system’s compati-bility with WinXP before youupgrade is to let WinXP’s Setupprogram do it for you. When you launch WinXP Setup fromwithin Windows, you have threeoptions in the Setup program’sinitial screen: install WinXP, per-form additional tasks, and checkcompatibility. Clicking the arrow

to the left of the Check SystemCompatibility option launchesanother window where you canchoose to go to Microsoft’s Website and verify your system’scompatibility yourself or you canchoose to let Setup automatical-ly verify compatibility. Choosingthe automatic compatibilityoption launches the MicrosoftWindows Upgrade Advisor,which checks your system andcompiles the findings into a textfile that’s automatically saved toC:\WINDOWS\upgrade.txt.

Please note that while run-ning the WinXP Setup program,the Windows Upgrade Advisormay launch a window promptingyou to check Microsoft’s Website for updated setup files. Thisfeature, called Dynamic Update,ensures that your Setup pro-gram files are the very latest.We recommend that you chooseto let Dynamic Update downloadand install the latest WinXPsetup files. ■■

After Setup checks your system for compatibilityissues, it reports its findings to you. Problemareas may be easily fixable by simply updatingyour hardware’s drivers.

14 • PC Errors

Translation: If you have a UDMA harddrive and motherboard controller but areusing a standard 40-wire connector cable toconnect the drive to the controller and theBIOS is configured for UDMA mode, thiserror will be triggered. This is a complexway to say that you’re using the wrong cablewith your UDMA drive and controller.

Another possible cause of this error mes-sage is a damaged file system. If the secondreported memory address is 0xC0000032,the file system is damaged.

Solution: To resolve the first causebehind this error message, replace your 40-wire IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) con-nector cable and reset your BIOS settings tothe default options.

To resolve the second problem triggeringthe error message, reboot your computerusing either a startup disk or the WinXPSetup CD-ROM. At the Welcome to Setupscreen, press r to launch the RecoveryConsole and type chkdsk /r to begin repair-ing your damaged file system. When theprocess completes, type exit to leave theRecovery Console and press ENTER to restartthe computer. If this doesn’t resolve the prob-lem, repeat this process but use the fixbootcommand instead.

Error Message: This is not an error message, but a symptom: While you’reentering the Product Key during Setupwhile upgrading from Win98/Me, Setupcycles back to the Welcome to Setupscreen.

Translation: This is another one of thosemessages that points to a possible problemwith your WinXP installation CD.

Solution: To resolve the problem, copy thecontents of your installation CD-ROM’s i386folder to a folder on your C: drive (using thexcopy command we discussed earlier) and run the Setup program from your hard drive.To do this, click Start and Run and typec:\i386\winnt32.exe in the Open textbox.Click OK to execute the command.

Error Message: Again, this one is not anerror message, but a symptom. You’ve

just completed the WinXP installation,but when you reboot the computer, youdiscover that WinXP assigned pass-words to all user accounts. Because youdon’t know the password Windowsassigned to each account, you can’t login to any of them.

Translation: The problem here is theSetup program did not complete properly.During the Setup operation, Windows as-signs temporary passwords to each useraccount; these passwords are stored in a filecalled setupact.log in your Windows instal-lation folder. When the Setup program com-pletes properly, these temporary passwordsare cleared, allowing you to set up your own password. But if the Setup programdoes not complete properly, the passwordsare retained.

Solution: To resolve this problem, find thesetupact.log file and locate an entry that reads

“Random password for Username is [pass-word].”

Write down the password exactly as it’swritten and use it to log on to the account.How you do this depends on whether youconfigured your file system as FAT32 or NTFS.

If the file system is FAT32, restart your system using a WinMe or Win98 startup disk.At the command prompt, type edit c:\windows\setupact.log and follow the instruc-tions above to locate the password.

If the file system is NTFS, configure yourBIOS settings so the computer boots from theCD drive and insert your WinXP installationCD into your CD-ROM drive. Restart thecomputer, and at the prompt press any keyto boot from the CD. Press r at the WelcomeTo Setup screen to launch the Recovery

Console and then press ENTER whenprompted for the administrator pass-word. At the command prompt, inputtype setupact.log and press ENTER.Make a note of the password associatedwith each account. Restart the computerand use the retrieved password to log onto the user account.

Error Message: “This program cannotbe run in DOS Mode.”

This message appears when youattempt to execute Setup.exe fromwithin a DOS real-mode commandprompt.

Translation: The WinXP Setup.exe exe-cutable cannot be run from MS-DOS.

Solution: If you need to run the instal-lation from within MS-DOS, type [CD-ROMDrive]:\i386\winnt.exe to start the Setupprogram.

Error Message: After the WinXP Setupprogram completes the file-copyprocess, the following error messageappears:

“Setup cannot set the requiredWindows XP configuration information.This indicates an internal setup error.Contact your system administrator.”

Translation: This is WinXP’s way ofreporting a hardware incompatibility issue.

Solution: First, update your system BIOSto the latest version. Then, determine if anyhardware in your system is incompatiblewith WinXP. You can verify this by using the Setup program’s automatic compati-bility check or manually by browsing toMicrosoft’s Hardware Compatibility List(www.microsoft.com/hcl) Web catalog.Either update the device drivers or removethe incompatible hardware from your sys-tem. Then restart the Setup program.


This is another one of those messages that points to a possible problem with your WinXP installation CD.

Windows generates an upgrade report, saved in a textfile called Upgrade.txt and saved to your C:\WINDOWSfolder.

PC Errors • 15

Error Message: When performing anupgrade to WinXP from Win98/Me, youget any one or more of the followingerror messages:

“Error: Cannot get main entry pointfor C:WINDOWSSYSTEMVIPERSTI.CPL. Error:127 [ERROR=127 (7Fh)]”

“Error:The signature for Windows XP edi-

tion Setup is invalid. The error code isfffffdf0.”

or“The system cannot find message text

for message number 0xfffffdf0 in themessage file for Syssetup.dll.”

or“Fatal Error:Setup failed to install the product cat-

alogs. This is a fatal error. The setup logfiles should contain more information.”

or

“Error:Warning! Setup failed to remove the

setup catalog ieexcep.cat”or“Error:Warning! Setup failed to remove the

setup catalog sp1.cat”Translation: If the Setup program fails to

delete all of the files in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CATROOT2 folder (or whateverdrive letter and Windows folder contain theprevious Windows version files), these errormessages may be generated. This is anotherone of the many problems that can occur whenyou attempt to upgrade to WinXP on top of aprevious Windows version.

Solution: Rename the C:\WINDOWS\SYS-TEM32\CATROOT2 folder to something suchas catold to prevent WinXP’s Setup programfrom locating the folder and halting the instal-lation. If you are still in Setup, press SHIFT-F10to launch a command prompt from withinSetup. At the command prompt, type cd\windows\System32 to open the System32 folderand then type rename CATROOT2 catold,press ENTER, restart the computer, andattempt the upgrade again.

If you cannot reach a command promptfrom Setup, reboot the computer from aWin95, Win98, or WinMe startup disk andrename the folder from the command prompt.You can also launch a command prompt bybooting from the WinXP installation CD andrunning the Recovery Console.

Error Message: During a WinXP instal-lation, you get one of the following errormessages:

“STOP: 0x0000008e” or“STOP: 0x00000050 PAGE_FAULT_

IN_NON_PAGED_AREA” Translation: This error is generated when

one or more of your system’s RAM memorymodules is faulty.

Solution: Remove a memory module andrestart the setup process. If the error reap-pears, replace the memory module you justremoved, remove a different memory mod-ule, and restart the setup process again.Continue using this procedure until you iso-late the specific memory module that is caus-ing the error message.

Keep in mind that WinXP needs at least128MB of RAM to run properly. If you have128MB or less of total system RAM, this is agood opportunity to upgrade your system

memory to 256MB or 512MB. The more memo-ry you have when running WinXP, the better;512MB is probably the optimum amount ofmemory you’ll need to run WinXP and allyour other applications efficiently.

Error Message: During the WinXPinstallation process, you receive one ofthese error messages:

“Failed to install product catalog.”or“STOP: 0x0000008E (0x00000005,

0xBF869F22,0xF9470688,0x00000000)”Translation: This error message is a varia-

tion on the “Cannot get main entry point forC : W I N D O W S S Y S T E M V I P E R S T I . C P L .Error:127 [ERROR=127 (7Fh)]” message dis-cussed above. Again, if the Setup program failsto completely remove the CATROOT2 folderin your previous Windows installation, Setupwill report this error. This error also occurs ifone of your RAM memory modules is faulty.

Solution: To resolve the first possibility,use the same approach discussed in the“Cannot get main entry point for C:WIN-DOWSSYSTEMVIPERSTI.CPL. Error:127[ERROR=127 (7Fh)]” error message to renamethe CATROOT2 folder.

To determine which of your RAM memorymodules is defective, use the troubleshootingapproach discussed in the “STOP 0x0000008e”message.

Error Message: When upgrading fromWindows 98/98SE/WinMe/NT to WinXPProfessional, the following error mes-sage appears:

“Setup cannot upgrade your currentinstallation to Windows XP. Your copyof Windows XP does not support up-grading from an evaluation copy ofWindows. Setup cannot continue.”

Translation: The problem here is yourWinXP Pro installation CD may only bedesigned to upgrade an OEM (original equip-ment manufacturer) version of Windows 2000.In other words, you have the wrong type ofWinXP installation CD for the type of upgradeyou’re trying to do.

Solution: Contact the OEM or resellerwhere you purchased the CD and obtain avalid WinXP Pro upgrade CD-ROM.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000001E(0x80000003, 0xBFC0304, 0x0000000,0x0000001)

[bugcheck code] ([1] [2] [3] [4])”


Most ConfusingError Message

F inding the most confusing error mes-sage among so many candidates

was truly a difficult task. But, we think wefound a very worthy nominee. The fol-lowing error message can occur duringthe WinXP upgrade process:

“An unexpected error (768)occurred at line 5118 in <drive let-ter>\xpclient\base\boot\setup\setup.c Press any key to continue.”

When you press any key as instruct-ed, the following error message appears:

“A problem has been detected andwindows has been shutdown to pre-vent damage to your computer.PROCESS1_INITIALIZATION_FAILED”

Huh? Again, the MicrosoftKnowledge Base comes to the rescue.The root cause triggering this errormessage is a software program(namely Roxio’s GoBack) that isincompatible with WinXP. To resolvethe problem, disable GoBack whenWinXP restarts by pressing the spacebar at the GoBack boot menu, press-ing d to disable and pressing y to confirm. Once GoBack is disabled,cancel the WinXP setup process anduninstall GoBack. ■■

16 • PC Errors

Translation: Microsoft calls this specificerror message (STOP 0x1E) a bug check code,which is a programmatic procedure used toreport an illegal instruction detected by theWinXP kernel. The number 1 represents theexception code, the number 2 represents thememory address where the error occurred,and the numbers 3 and 4 represent the para-meters 0 and 1 of the exception.

In plain English, Microsoft uses this errorcode to report programmatic errors caused byinsufficient hard drive space, a faulty devicedriver, or possibly a BIOS that needs updat-ing. If a device driver is the cause behind theerror message, the name of the device drivermay be displayed in the error message text.

Solution: First, try to make more room in your hard drive for WinXP. Remember,WinXP requires at least 2GB of hard drivespace, so if you’re at the ragged edge of thatlimit, try to make some more room.

If a faulty device driver is the culprit, upgradethe driver to the latest WinXP-compliant versionif one is available. If a WinXP-compliant versionof the driver is not available, you mayhave to remove the hardware fromyour system to make WinXP Setupwork properly.

Finally, perform a flash upgrade toget your system BIOS up-to-date.Consult your BIOS documentation tolearn how to upgrade the BIOS; fol-low all instructions provided by yourBIOS manufacturer to the letter oryou could wind up with major prob-lems if you botch the flash upgrade.

Error Message: “STOP:0x0000001E KMODE_EXCEP-TION_NOT_HANDLED”

This message also mentionsthe device driver aspi32.sys.

Translation: This is a specific example of aSTOP 0x1E message; ASPI32.SYS is Adaptec’sAdvanced SCSI Programming Interface, adevice driver used in CD writers.

Solution: Upgrade your system’s ver-sion of ASPI32.SYS to version 4.57 or higher;

download the file from Adaptec’s Web site atwww.adaptec.com.

Error Message: During the WinXP setupprocess, you see the following message:

“Uninstall Option Not AvailableThere is not enough Space to save

your current operation system.Your computer has enough disk space

for Windows XP, but it does not haveenough to save your current version ofWindows for backup.

The backup image size is [number_of_megabytes]

It is recommended that you cancelSetup now, free additional disk space,and then restart Setup.”

Translation: This is a surprisingly clearWindows error message. When WinXP isinstalled, the Setup program saves a backupcopy of your previous Windows version to afolder in your hard drive. This backup is intwo files, BACKUP.CAB and BOOT.CAB,stored in a folder at C:\Undo. This is done in

case your WinXP upgrade is not successfuland you want to revert to your previousWindows version. But in this instance, theSetup program reports there is not enoughspace to save this backup copy of your previ-ous Windows version.

Solution: You can do a number of things toresolve this situation. First and foremost, wecertainly recommend that you take advantage

of the option to back up your currentOS. You never know what might gowrong with your WinXP installa-tion, so it’s advantageous to have theoption to go back to your old OS,just in case.

You can cancel the Setup processby pressing ESC. After you cancelSetup, reboot into your existing OSand free up more drive space. If youhave another partition in your sys-tem with sufficient space for thisbackup, choose this partition whenprompted to back up the existingsystem files by the Setup program.

This error is not a show stop-per for the Setup program. If youchoose to simply not do the back-

up, click Next to continue the Setup proce-dure. But, remember that you will not beable to uninstall WinXP and revert to yourprevious OS if you choose to do this.

by Sixto Ortiz Jr.


Most UnusualError Message

A fter sifting through a few error mes-sages, we nominated this gem for

the most unusual error message:“Error Message: An unexpected

error has occurred. (536821760)occurred at line 1768 in D:\xpclient\base\boot\setup\arcdisp.c”

This error message gives us absolute-ly no clue as to what is causing the prob-lem. Fortunately, the Microsoft Knowl-edge Base does have an answer:What’s triggering this error message is a problem with our computer’s memory,specifically a damaged memory moduleor a damaged memory slot (the physicalarea in the motherboard where memorymodules are inserted.

We can’t understand why Microsoft’sWindows developers can’t simply saythat a problem exists with one of yourmemory modules. That approach wouldat least point you in the right trouble-shooting direction. ■■

The folder structure of the Windows XP installation CD features fourfolders: DOCS, I386, SUPPORT, and VALUEADD.

Remember, WinXP requires at least 2GB of hard drive

space, so if you’re at the ragged edge of that limit,

try to make some more room.

RS

PC Errors • 17

W indows XP, Microsoft’s flag-ship operating system, iswidely recognized as the

company’s most reliable consumer OSyet. With WinXP, Microsoft eliminat-ed the Windows 9x architecture fromits consumer OSes and adopted thetechnology core of its Windows NTand Windows 2000 corporate OSes.This strategy considerably beefed upreliability and virtually eliminated theconstant crashes that plagued prod-ucts such as Windows 98/Me.Windows users hailed the dawn of anew era of reliable, crash-freeWindows computing.

But in spite of the significantimprovement to Windows reliability,WinXP is not crash-proof. After all, weare talking about a program packingmillions of lines of code that mustwork in a virtually unlimited variety of com-puter configurations. And we haven’t evenmentioned the wide variety of computer userskills, from raw rookies who can barely turn ontheir PCs to accomplished experts who love totinker with everything in their computers.WinXP is much improved, but it does crashfrom time to time. And sometimes crashesoccur at the worst possible times.

Startup and shutdown crashes are probablythe most frustrating for Windows users. Startupcrashes are especially vexing because you can’teven get your system going long enough todiagnose and solve the problem. Shutdowncrashes are frustrating also: Just when you thinkyou can push away from the computer and go

on with your life, a mysterious crash throws amonkey wrench into your plans. A 15-minutecheck-your-email-and-log-off session suddenlyturns into a five-hour troubleshooting ordeal.

When crashes occur, WinXP usually presentsyou with a message attempting to describe theerror and, in some cases, telling you what youcan do to fix it. The only problem is, for those ofus who aren’t programmers or Windowsexperts, most error messages are virtuallyincomprehensible. Instead of making thingsclearer, cryptic error messages only muddy thewaters. Seeing “Non-system disk or disk error”at startup sounds pretty serious, right?

In the next few pages, we're going to cutthrough WinXP's gobbledygook and take a

closer look at some common WinXP startupand shutdown errors.

STARTUP ERRORS

Error Message: “Non-System disk ordisk error . . . Replace and strike a keywhen ready.”

Translation: This simply means thatWinXP is attempting to boot from a disk (be it afloppy diskette or one of your hard disks) that

doesn’t contain the system filesWinXP needs to start. WinXP needsaccess to certain bits of informationwhen it starts up. Your hard drive’sboot sector, a specific location on thedisk, contains the startup files WinXPneeds to continue the boot process. IfWinXP can’t find those files, the bootprocess stops cold.

Solution: This one is either a sim-ple mistake or a catastrophe. First,check to see if you have a floppydiskette in your drive. Nine times outof 10, this error is caused when youleave a floppy in the disk drive, turnoff the computer, and then turn it onagain without taking the diskette outof the drive. If the floppy is not a sys-tem disk with the required boot files,WinXP won’t launch. Check the flop-py drive, and if there is a diskette init, remove it and press any key onyour keyboard. Windows shouldnow start up normally.

If a forgotten floppy disk is not thecause, then you’ve got a much biggerproblem on your hands. Somehow,your hard drive’s boot sector hasbeen damaged or erased. This is typi-

cally caused by either a boot-sector virus or ahard drive failure. Most antivirus programs letyou create a rescue disk designed specificallyfor those times when a virus renders your com-puter unbootable.

If you created a rescue diskette, insert it intoyour floppy drive, restart the computer, and fol-low the antivirus software’s instructions toclean the boot-sector infection and restore yourcomputer.

If you don’t have a rescue diskette, go to afriend or co-worker who has one and either usehis or use his antivirus software to create one,even if you use different antivirus programs.Right now, your main focus should be on disin-fecting and booting your computer.

Windows XPStartup &Shutdown ErrorsKeepWindowsRunningSmoothly


18 • PC Errors

If a boot-sector virus is not the cause, thehard drive’s boot sector, for some reason oranother, has been damaged. WinXP’s RecoveryConsole has two utilities you can use to try torepair your boot sector: FIXBOOT or FIXMBR.FIXBOOT writes an entirely new boot sector,while FIXMBR repairs the MBR (master bootrecord) in the boot sector.

To run the Recovery Console, boot intoyour WinXP setup CD and press r whenprompted. To boot into your WinXP installa-tion CD, restart the computer and enter yourSetup (BIOS [Basic Input/Output System])program. Your BIOS should have a menuwhere you can change the sequence of bootdevices for your computer. By default, yourcomputer looks for a bootable disk in yourfloppy drive first, your hard drive second,and your CD drive last. Adjust the bootsequence in your BIOS so your computersearches for a bootable disc in your CD drivefirst (leave the hard drive as the secondchoice), insert your WinXP installation discinto your CD drive, and restart the computer.Because BIOS programs vary from manufac-turer to manufacturer, consult your BIOS’documentation to find out how to change theboot device sequence.

To run FIXBOOT, type FIXBOOT [drive] atthe command prompt, where drive is the driveletter for your boot drive (usually C:). To runFIXMBR, type FIXMBR [device name], wheredevice name is the nomenclature the RecoveryConsole’s MAP command uses to describe thevarious hardware devices in your computer.For example, you might type FIXMBR\device\HardDisk0 to restore your bootrecord’s MBR. If you don’t enter a devicename, FIXMBR repairs the MBR of the defaultsystem disk.

Error Message: “STOP: 0xc000026C[Unable to load device driver] Driver” or“STOP: 0xv0000221 [Unable to loaddevice driver] Driver” or “STOP:0xv0000221. Bad image check sum, theimage user32.dll is possibly corrupt. Theheader check sum does not match thecomputed check sum.”

Translation: These errors have two possi-ble root causes: As the first two messagesimply, the errors can be caused by a device dri-ver file (*.SYS) that is missing or has been cor-rupted. The third message is pretty straightfor-ward, also: Again, something’s gone awry with a file—this time with USER32.DLL. Thisis one of those critical system files containing

information that WinXP absolutely needs torun properly.

In a nutshell, a DLL (dynamic-link library)is a file containing information that anotherprogram (this time, it is Windows itself) needsto run properly. For example, a DLL file maycontain additional functions that another pro-gram’s code may call as the program runs.Programmers love DLLs because they let themsimply call functions from within their codeinstead of having to code them from scratch.This particular DLL provides functionalityrelated to the WinXP API (ApplicationProgramming Interface). Bottom line is,USER32.DLL is very important to WinXP.

Solution: The solution to this problem is torestore the missing or corrupted files to your

system. This is done using WinXP’s RecoveryConsole. In the solution to the last message, wediscussed how to access the Recovery Console.

At the Recovery Console’s commandprompt, type the following commands to

restore the required files. First, how to restorethe drivers:1. Type cd windows\system32\drivers at the

command prompt to open that directory.2. Type ren DRIVER.SYS DRIVER.BAK to

rename the corrupted copy of the driver (ifthe problem is a corrupted driver; if the dri-ver is just missing, skip this step and pro-ceed to step 3).

3. Type copy [CD drive letter] :\i386 DRIVER.SYS to copy a fresh, functionalcopy of the driver from your WinXP instal-lation CD to the WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Drivers directory.

4. Type exit and then press the ENTER key toexit the Recovery Console.

Second, let’s restore USER32.DLL:1. Browse to the required directory by typing

cd [drive letter]:\windows\system32 at thecommand prompt.

2. If you have a copy of USER32.DLL in thewindows\system32 directory that you sus-pect is corrupt, type ren USER32.DLLUSER32.BAK to rename the file. If the file ismissing, skip to step 3.

3. Type expand [CD drive letter]:\i386\USER32.DLL_ [drive letter]:\windows\system32 to copy the new USER32.DLLfile to your Windows directory.

Error Message: “The file C:\windows\system32\c_1252.nls is missing orcorrupt.”

Translation: As WinXP error messages go,this is one of the most straightforward. WinXPis simply reporting that the strangely namedfile c_1252.nls has gone AWOL.

Solution: The strategy to solve this prob-lem is the same as in the “STOP: 0xc000026C[Unable to load device driver] Driver” error:Restore a fresh copy of the missing or

corrupted file from your WinXP installationCD. Again, you must use the RecoveryConsole to do this. Once in the RecoveryConsole’s command prompt, type the follow-ing commands:


Most CommonError Message

Yes, the most common error messagefound in Computerland is the classic

“Non-System disk error” message. Moreoften than not, this error occurs becausewe leave a floppy disk in the disk driveafter turning off the computer. When thecomputer is turned on again, it attemptsto boot from the floppy disk, which morethan likely does not contain the filesWindows needs to boot normally.

We already gave an exhaustiveoverview of this message, including whatto do when a floppy disk is not the cause(besides panic when you don’t knowwhat the error means). Most of the time,the panic is short-lived, and all you haveto do is remove the floppy from the driveand restart your system. ■■

This seemingly terrifying message is actually quite common, and most of the time, it has a very simple solution.

PC Errors • 19

• cd C:\windows\system32—opens the system32 folder inC:\Windows; this is the de-fault location of the file.

• ren c_1252.nls c_1252.bak—The approach here is to givethe existing copy of the file anextension that disables it bypreventing WinXP from find-ing the corrupted file at startup. If the fileis missing, this step is not necessary.

• expand [CD drive letter] :\i386\USER32.DL_ [drive letter] :\windows\system32—This copies a pristinecopy of the file from the WinXP instal-lation CD to the WINDOWS/System32folder.

• Do as usual to exit the Recovery Console.

Error Message: “Devices or applica-tions disabled. CD Recording soft-ware will cause Windows to becomeunstable. Windows has preventedthese drivers from loading. Click herefor more details.”

Translation: WinXP doesn’t get alongvery well with older versions of Easy CDCreator software. If you upgraded to WinXPand didn’t remove your older copy of Easy CDCreator software, WinXP detects this incom-patible program and lets you know about itwith the above message.

Solution: The solution here is to purgeyour system of all traces of the program. Thisproblem illustrates a tried-and-true principleof Windows computing: When upgrading to anew Windows version, always perform a“clean” upgrade. In other words, format yourhard drive to wipe it clean and then upgrade.

The first step is removing Easy CD Creator.Click Start and Control Panel and double-clickthe Add or Remove Programs icon. Locate theEasy CD Creator program on the list and clickRemove.

The next step is to disable any drivers EasyCD Creator copied to your system. Click Start,Search, and All Files And Folders. Typecdr*.sys in the All Or Part Of The File Namebox, select your C: drive in the Look In drop-down menu, and click Search. If Search finds

any files called Cdr4_2K.sys or Cdralw2k.sys,right-click the file names, click Rename, andchange each file name to Cd*.old.

Finally, you must remove any keys in yourWindows Registry that reference Easy CDCreator files. Keep in mind, modifying theRegistry is dangerous, so tread with care. Amisstep here and you can easily end up with avery sick system. OK, on with our Registrysurgery: Click Start and Run, type regedit inthe Open textbox, and click OK.

In the Registry editor, find the following keyand click it to highlight it:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CUR-RENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\CLASS\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

If you see a value called UpperFilters onthe Registry editor’s right pane, delete it byright-clicking it and clicking Delete. Click Yesto confirm.

Likewise, if you see a LowerFilters value,use the same procedure to delete it.

Now, delete the following Registry keys. Todelete a key, locate it, right-click, and click

Delete. Click Yes to confirm thedeletion:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ S Y S T E M \ C U R R E N T C O NTROLSET\SERVICES\Cdr4_2K

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ S Y S T E M \ C U R R E N T C O NTROLSET\SERVICES \Cdralw2k

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\SERVICES \Cdudf

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\SERVICES\UdfReadr

Error Message: “Hpppt.exe unable tolocate component. This applicationfailed because WNASPI32.DLL wasnot found.”

Translation: The message suggests thatHpppt.exe is executed at Windows startup,but because it cannot find the auxiliary fileit needs, the program reports the error mes-sage and interrupts the Windows startupprocess.

Hpppt.exe is HP’s parallel port test util-ity, a program that verifies whether or notyour parallel port is set to ECP (ExtendedCapabilities Port) or EPP (Enhanced ParallelPort) mode, two parallel-port configurationsthat support bi-directional communicationsbetween your parallel port and whateverdevice is connected to it. Many devices thatconnect to your parallel port, such as scan-ners and printers, require bi-directional com-munication to allow a software utility thatcontrols the device to get information aboutthe status of the printer or scanner.

Solution: As you might guess, the key is toprevent the Hpppt.exe program from launch-ing when Windows starts. To do this, removeHpppt.exe from the Startup list of programs byclicking Start and Run and typing msconfig inthe Open textbox. Click OK to launch msconfig(the System Configuration Utility) and clickthe Startup tab. Find the HP Parallel Port Testcheckbox and click it. This clears the checkboxand removes Hpppt.exe from the startup list ofprograms. Click Apply and OK and restartyour computer.


This problem illustrates a tried-and-true principle of Windows computing:

When upgrading to a new Windows version, always perform a “clean” upgrade.

As this error message advises, the key to solving this problem is using the Recovery Console to copy a functional version of this file to the appropriate directory.

Use the Startup tab in Windows XP’s System ConfigurationUtility to view the programs that automatically start withWindows and, if need be, to prevent unnecessary or trou-blesome programs from starting.

20 • PC Errors

Error Message: “Hard disk drive failure”

Translation: This one is self-explanatory:WinXP is reporting a problem with your harddrive.

Solution: This is a hardware problem, sothe solution is to determine whether your harddrive is permanently damaged or whether thehard drive information in your system’s BIOSis incorrect. The first step is to reboot the com-puter, enter your computer’s BIOS Setup pro-gram, and verify the settings for your hard

drive. If everything looks OK in the BIOS, youmay have a damaged hard drive. In this case,we hope that you have backed up your databecause most likely the data on the damageddrive may be very difficult, if not impossible,to recover.

Error Message: “Fatal System Error:0x000000a0 (0x00000002, 0x00000000,0x00000000)”

Translation: This one is fairly straightfor-ward: WinXP reports a serious crash alongwith a memory address. The question is,what exactly is this telling you? Reporting a hexadecimal memory address without further detail is no help at all in decipheringthis message.

Solution: According to Microsoft, this erroroccurs if you have a Microsoft SidewinderGamepad Pro USB device, and you unplug itduring the boot process. The solution? Simple,really. Don’t unplug your Gamepad Pro dur-ing startup.

Error Message: “Windows could notstart because the following file is miss-ing or corrupt: \Windows\System32\Drivers\Isapnp.sys”

Translation: This is another one of thosemessages that points directly to the culprit.ISAPNP.SYS is a device driver WinXP needs tofunction properly. The message is telling youthis file is either missing or damaged.

Most WinXP files with a *.SYS extension areWindows device drivers that reside in theC:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS folder.This folder is one of the most important inyour entire hard drive. If any of these files goAWOL or are damaged, WinXP will reportserious errors and you won’t be able to getyour system started until you restore a func-tional device driver.

Solution: Start the Recovery Console (we’vealready discussed how to start the WinXPRecovery Console). If the ISAPNP.SYS file is stillin your C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERSfolder, the driver is corrupt. Rename the existingfile and copy a new version from your WinXPinstallation CD. If the file is missing, then all youneed to do is copy the file from your WinXP CDto the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERSfolder by typing the expand command: expand[CD drive letter]:\i386\isapnp.sy_ C:\windows\system32\drivers\isapnp.sys.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000009F DRI-VER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE”

Translation: This error can occur whenyou’re starting up the computer from a stand-by or hibernation state or when you attempt toshut down your computer. The message istelling you that a device driver in your sys-tem—it doesn’t specify which one—is notbehaving properly when WinXP changespower states.

Solution: According to Microsoft, youmust find out if any device drivers in yoursystem are not digitally signed by Microsoft.WinXP’s developers knew that a huge reasonfor Windows problems in previous versionswas the use of device drivers that did notwork well with Windows, especially with itspower-management features. Many times,hardware and software developers did nottake the time to properly test their device dri-vers, resulting in incompatibility problemswith Windows.

Microsoft’s solution was to digitally signdevice drivers that were tested and verified towork well with Windows. Obviously, notevery developer is going to have its driver test-ed. So, many third-party hardware devices andapplications have unsigned device drivers.These unsigned drivers may be the root causeof the specific problem described here.

To find out which device drivers in yoursystem are not digitally signed, run a toolcalled sigverif.exe (File Signature Verificationutility) by clicking Start and Run and typingsigverif.exe in the Open textbox. Click OK tolaunch sigverif.exe. At the sigverif startup win-dow, click the Advanced button and click theLook For Other Files That Are Not DigitallySigned checkbox. Now, click the Browse but-ton, go to the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS folder, and click OK. Click OK again toreturn to the initial screen and click Start tobegin the search. The tool’s output is a list ofdevice drivers that are not digitally signed.

Now, the task is to disable each driver oneby one to verify whether it is the root cause ofthe problem. There are three ways to disable adriver. First, right-click My Computer, clickthe Hardware tab, and click the DeviceManager button. Scroll down the list until youencounter the hardware device that the drivercontrols. Right-click the device’s entry in thelist and click Disable. Click OK to accept yourchanges.

Second, if the driver in question is associat-ed with a software application, remove theprogram. Do this by going to Control Paneland using Add/Remove Programs to uninstallthe application.


Most HilariousError Message

We searched and searched andfinally found what we think is the

most hilarious Windows error messagewe’ve seen. Of course, you might notfind this so funny if it’s happening to you.The message is:

“Windows could not start because ofan error in the software”

Really? And all this time we thoughtWindows crashed just to spite us. Theguy in charge of error messages musthave been in a hurry to get home theday this one got written because it’spainfully obvious that very little thoughtwent into crafting this pearl of wisdom.

But seriously, this error occurs whenWindows XP or Windows 2000 programfiles are missing or corrupted. To correctthe error, you must perform an in-placeupgrade using your WinXP installation CD.

To perform an in-place upgrade, bootyour computer from your WinXP installa-tion CD. At the Welcome To Setupscreen, press ENTER to enter the WinXPSetup program. On the next screen,press F8 to accept the Windows licens-ing agreement. In the next screen, youshould only see one WinXP installationlisted; to repair it, press r. The processstarts automatically, so follow the instruc-tions to complete it and perform therequired in-place upgrade. All this does isreinstall a fresh copy of Windows overyour existing (and malfunctioning) copy.Microsoft’s error message might not tellyou what specific software error is caus-ing the problem, but this shotgunapproach is designed to cure it. ■■

PC Errors • 21

The third and final way to disable a driver is to browse to the Drivers folder in C:\WINDOWS\System32 and simply rename thedevice driver file.

Once you disable the driver, try to duplicatethe error by putting your computer intoHibernate or Standby mode and attempting towake the computer from its low-power mode.If the computer restarts normally, you’ve isolated the problem; if the error message stilloccurs, you’ve got some more wayward-driverhunting to do.

Error Message: “Windowscannot find openme.exe”

Translation: This one isstraightforward: Windows islooking for a file called OPEN-ME.EXE that is configured viathe Registry to start automati-cally.

Solution: OPENME.EXE isan executable file containing theW32.DSS Trojan horse virus.The file is typically attached toan unsolicited email ; i f youlaunch the executable, you infectyour computer with this Trojanhorse, and the program alsoadds an entry in your WindowsRegistry. If your antivirus soft-ware is working properly, it will remove the virus and the program from your computer,but, in some cases, i t won’tremove the reference to the filein your Registry.

To get rid of the Registry entrycausing this startup problem, clickStart and Run and type regedit atthe Open textbox. In the Registryeditor, navigate to HKEY_LO-C A L _ M A C H I N E \ S O F T -W A R E \ M I C R O S O F T \ W I N D O W S N T\CURRENTVERSION\Winlogon and click theWinlogon key to select it. In the Registry edi-tor’s right pane, find the name Shell and look atits Data value. If the Data column contains thestring “explorer.exe openme.exe,” right-clickShell, click Modify, and delete the openme.exe

part of the string. Restart the computer; theissue should now be resolved.

Error Message: When you complete anupgrade to WinXP from Win98 orWinMe and Setup restarts your comput-er, you get the following message:

“Windows could not start because thefollowing file is missing or corrupt.

C:\Windows\\system32\hal.dll.Please re-install a copy of the above

file.”Translation: This is another one of those

messages reporting that a specific file—Hal.dllin this case—is missing or damaged. Hal.dll isthe Windows Hardware Abstrac-tion LayerDLL, a set of programming tools that shieldsWindows from having to know intimatedetails about every piece of hardware it con-trols. So this DLL is critical to Windows’ inter-

action with device drivers inyour system.

Solution: The solution, un-fortunately, is to begin the setupprocess all over again. Restartthe computer, select CancelWindows XP Setup in WindowsAdvanced Options to uninstallWinXP, and then run Setupagain.

SHUTDOWN ERRORS

Error Message: “Your sys-tem is low on virtual memo-ry. Windows is increasingthe size of your virtual mem-ory paging file. During thisprocess memory requestedfor some applications maybe denied.”

Translation: This message istelling you that an unruly appli-cation is hogging inordinateamounts of virtual memory.Virtual memory is space on yourhard drive that Windows re-serves as “pseudo-memory.”When you’re running low onsystem RAM, Windows swaps

memory usage to a designated region in yourhard drive. That is why, especially if your sys-tem has the minimal memory requirements torun WinXP, your hard drive starts to audiblythrash when your system memory is used up and WinXP has to go to virtual memo-ry. According to Microsoft, this problem


This is another one of those messages reporting that a specific file—Hal.dll in this case—is missing or damaged.

The Windows Signature Verification utility is an excellent tool for determining which device drivers are not digitally signed by Microsoft.

Check out Microsoft’s HCL (Hardware Compatibility List) catalog to seewhich of your installed hardware devices or software programs aredeemed compatible with Windows XP, especially if you are about toupgrade to WinXP.

22 • PC Errors

occurs when Symantec’s Norton PersonalFirewall is installed and configured to run atWindows startup.

Solution: According to Microsoft, the solu-tion to this problem is to configure the NortonPersonal Firewall to start from the Startupfolder and not from the Registry. To disablethe application’s Registry startup, click Start and Run, type msconfig in the Open textbox, and click OK. This launches the

aforementioned System Configuration Utility;now click the Startup tab and click the check-box to the left of the IAMAPP.EXE entry in theStartup Item list to uncheck it. Click OK toaccept your changes.

To add IAMAPP.EXE to your Startup folder,browse to the Startup folder at C:\DOC-UMENTS AND SETTINGS\ALL USERS\START MENU\PROGRAMS\StartUp. ClickFile in the folder’s window, click New, and clickShortcut to launch the Create Shortcut window.At this window, click the Browse button andnavigate to C:\PROGRAM FILES\NORTONPERSONAL FIREWALL\Iamapp.exe (if youhave Norton Internet Security, the path isC:\PROGRAM FILES\NORTON INTERNETSECURITY\Iamapp.exe). Click OK and clickNext; type a name for the shortcut and click theFinish button to create the shortcut.

Error Message: “Saving your settings.”Translation: This one occurs as WinXP

becomes nonresponsive during a shutdown.The computer hangs, and you are unable torestart it.

Solution: The root cause of this one is thata Microsoft IME (Input Method Editor) is

installed and set up for use at the Welcomescreen but is not functioning properly. Andwhat, you might ask, is an IME? IME is a pro-gram in Windows designed to let you entercomplex, foreign language characters (such asFar East languages such as Korean or Chinese)using a standard keyboard.

WinXP already comes with built-in lan-guage support for Chinese, Japanese, andKorean, so you don’t need to down-

load any of the IMEs towork with one of thoseFar East languages inWinXP. To set up the various multi languageoptions in WinXP, double-click the Regional andLanguage Options icon inControl Panel.

Error Message: Here,you can’t see the mes-sage; instead, you brief-ly see a blue screen andthen Windows auto-matically restarts.

Translation: The rea-son Windows is quicklyrestarting when the erroroccurs, without giving

you enough time to see the error message, isthat the system is configured to automaticallyrestart when a system error occurs. When aSTOP error occurs, Windows restarts sorapidly you have no time to look at the mes-sage. This behavior is quite disconcertingbecause you can’t get the error messageinformation you desperately need to trou-bleshoot the problem.

Solution: Before any troubleshooting effortcan begin, you need to configure WinXP so itwon’t automatically restart when the erroroccurs. Right-click My Computer, clickProperties, and click the Advanced tab. Clickthe Settings button in the Startup andRecovery option groups and click the Au-tomatically Restart checkbox in the SystemFailure option group to clear it. Click OK toaccept your changes.

WinXP now displays the error message, andyou can troubleshoot the problem.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x000000D1,(0x0000002b, 0x00000002, 0x00000000,0xEEEE1b01) IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Kbdclass.sys” or “STOP:0x0000007E (0xc00000005, 0xFC7F1945,

0xFC9589B0, 0xFC9586Bo) Kbdclass.sys-address Fc7F1945 base at FC7F1000,Datestamp 3b7d82f3”

Translation: These two separate errorsare very similar, so we will discuss themtogether. As you can see, the device driverfile Kbdclass.sys is triggering an error; thedense hexadecimal nomenclature you seehere is the memory address affected by theerror.

Solution: The problem occurs withLogitech equipment, such as a mouse or key-board, which uses a driver (kbdclass.sys) that’sincompatible with WinXP. Specifically, the sec-ond message is triggered when you are usingversion 1.5 or earlier of Logitech’s iTouch soft-ware, used with the company’s CordlessFreedom keyboards. The first message affectscomputers using Logitech mice withLogitech’s Mouseware software versions 9.10and 9.24.

The solution is simple: Browse to theLogitech Web site and get the very latestupdates for your device’s software. Go to


Most Unusual ErrorMessage

This one is also a tough category to award; we went outside the

Microsoft Knowledge Base and foundthis gem (the message occurs whenyou install Laplink Software’s Laplink orPCSync software):

“_INS0432._MP - Entry Point NotFound - The procedure entry pointSUnMapLS_IP_EBP_16 could not belocated in the dynamic link library KER-NEL32.dll”

Wow! This one is bound to strike fearin the hearts of even the hardiest PCveterans. Laplink recommends variouspossible remedies for this issue, includ-ing updating your video drivers to the lat-est version, removing temporary filesfrom your computer and attempting theinstallation again, downloading andinstalling the latest Microsoft Java VirtualMachine, and finally, ensuring that all thelatest patches and service packs areinstalled.

We realize this one isn’t related to astartup or shutdown, but we simplycouldn’t pass this one up. ■■

If the entry under Computer in Device Manager is Standard PC, yourcomputer is not ACPI-compliant or Windows is not reporting thisinformation correctly.

PC Errors • 23

www.logitech.com for instructions on remov-ing the old software and upgrading to the lat-est version.

These two error messages illustrate a verycommon WinXP problem that you can easilysolve by acting proactively before you upgradeto WinXP. The first step is to take a look atMicrosoft’s Hardware Compatibility List(www.microsoft.com/hcl) and check to see ifyour hardware is included in the list. This listis a comprehensive catalog of software andhardware tested and approved to work withWinXP. At the very least, you should visit themanufacturer for every piece of hardware youown and make sure they have publisheddevice drivers written specifically to achievecompatibility with WinXP. Doing this prepwork before upgrading is time well spent andwill most likely prevent annoying problemslater on.

Error message: When you attempt toshut down your computer, WinXPhangs. After awhile, a dialog boxlaunches stating: “Msmsgs.exe notresponding” or “ActiveMovie notresponding”

Translation: According to Microsoft, thisdoesn’t occur very often and is caused by anintermittent problem (bug) with WindowsMessenger.

Solution: To resolve this, upgrade to thevery latest WinXP Service Pack.

This simple-to-solve problem illustrates atried-and-true principle in Windows comput-ing: Always keep your system up-to-date withthe latest patches, upgrades, and service packs.This keeps your system secure and preventsthese documented bugs from wreaking havocwith your computer. With WinXP’s automaticupdate feature, it’s very easy to keep your sys-tem up-to-date.

To use WinXP’s automatic update feature,right-click My Computer, click Properties,and then click the Automatic Updates tab.You can configure Windows to tell youbefore downloading and installing an updateor you can configure it to download updatesautomatically and then prompt you beforeinstalling them. The most automatic setting is

the third option: Here, WinXP downloadsand installs the updates automatically with-out any interference from you. We prefer thesecond setting, which lets you review thedetails about an update and, if you choose todo so, postpone the install to a later date.This is convenient when you’re busy workingand don’t have time to install an update andrestart your computer.

Error Message: When you attempt toshut down your computer, the systemhangs and displays the following mes-sage: “It is now safe to turn off yourcomputer”

Translation: WinXP is reporting a prob-lem with your computer’s power-manage-ment settings. For your computer’s APM(Advanced Power Management) feature towork correctly, the computer must supportthe ACPI (Advanced Configuration andPower Interface) standard, and the settingsmust be correct in both WinXP and your sys-tem BIOS.

Solution: First, verify whether your PC isACPI-compliant. To do this, right-click MyComputer, click Properties, click the Hard-ware tab in the System Properties window,and click the Device Manager button. Click

the plus sign (+) to the left of the Computerentry on the list to expand the branch. If thecomputer is l isted as Advanced Con-figuration And Power Interface (ACPI) PC,your computer is ACPI-compliant. If thecomputer is listed as Standard PC, theneither your computer is not ACPI-compliantor WinXP is not reporting your computer’sACPI status correctly.

If your computer is ACPI-compliant andyou are experiencing this issue, restart yourcomputer and verify the power-managementsettings in your system BIOS. It’s possiblethat this error is caused by a BIOS with incor-rectly entered power-management settings.

(NOTE: The BIOS is a critical part of your sys-tem; consult with your PC’s manufacturer andplan your approach very carefully before messingaround in here. A misstep could render your com-puter unbootable.)

Microsoft advises that if your computer isnot ACPI-compliant, you may be able toresolve this issue by installing the NTApm/Legacy Interface Device. As you didbefore, launch the Device Manager. In theDevice Manager window, click View andclick the Show Hidden Devices entry. Clickthe plus sign to the left of the Non-Plug AndPlay Drivers entry in the devices list ; if Microsoft ACPI Driver is not listed, clickthe plus sign to the left of the NT Apm/Legacy Support entry to expand this branch.The NT Apm/Legacy Interface Node en-try should have a red X next to it indicatingthat the driver is disabled. Right-click the NT Apm/Legacy Interface Node en-try and click the Enable Device button. Click OK to accept the change, exit the Device Manager, and click OK in the System Properties window to accept all your changes.

If you expand the Non-Plug And PlayDrivers’ branch in the Devices list andMicrosoft ACIP Driver is listed, you must dis-able this driver before installing the NT Apm/Legacy Interface Device. To disable the ACPIdriver, right-click its entry in the list, clickDisable, exit the Device Manager, click OK inthe System Properties window, and restartyour computer.


These two error messages illustrate a very common WinXP problem that you can easily

solve by acting proactively before you upgrade to WinXP.

You can set up your USB (Universal Serial Bus) hub’s power management options in theUSB Root Hub Properties dialog box’s PowerManagement tab.

24 • PC Errors

Now you have to add the NT Apm/Legacy Interface Device support. Go toControl Panel, double-click the AddHardware icon, and click Next to launch theAdd Hardware wizard. The wizard will auto-matically search your system for recentlyadded hardware. When the wizard finishessearching, click the Yes, I Have AlreadyConnected The Hardware radio button andclick Next. Scroll to the bottom of theInstalled Hardware list, click the Add A NewHardware Device entry to select it, and clickNext. In the next dialog box, click the InstallThe Hardware That I Manually Select FromA List (Advanced) radio button and clickNext. In the Common Hardware Types listbox, find the NT Apm/Legacy Support entry,click to select it, and click the Next button. Inthe next dialog box, click the NT Apm/Legacy Interface Node entry in the Model listbox (it should be the only one on the list) andclick Next to install the driver. Click theFinish button to complete the process.

Error Message: No message here, just asymptom: After connecting a USBdevice, your computer hangs when youtry to shut it down.

Solution: The root cause of this problem isthe fact that a USB device is configured forselective suspend, but the device doesn’t sup-port it. The Selective-Suspend feature allowsWindows to turn a device (a USB mouse orkeyboard, for example) off to conserve power.This is especially useful in notebook comput-ers, where conserving battery power is a pri-mary goal. But for this feature to work, ofcourse, the device must support it.

To resolve the problem, right-click MyComputer, click Properties, and then click theHardware tab. Click the Device Manager but-ton and scroll down the devices list until you find the Universal Serial Bus Control-lers entry.

Click the plus sign to the left of the entryto expand it, right-click the USB Root Hubentry, and click Properties. Click the PowerManagement tab on the USB Root HubProperties window and click the Allow TheComputer To Turn Off This Device To SavePower checkbox to clear it.

Click OK to accept your changes and thenexit the Device Manager.

by Sixto Ortiz Jr.


Most Confusing Error Message

W indows error mes-sages are confusing

to begin with, so awardingthe “Most Confusing ErrorMessage” crown was a diffi-cult task. We selected thefollowing message becauseit requires you to go on aWindows scavenger huntfor information. The funbegins during startup whenWindows displays:

“At least one service ordriver failed during systemstartup. Use Event Viewerto examine the event logfor details.”

What could have been aclear, straightforward mes-sage quickly slides into aconfusing ordeal. It’s logicalto ask why Microsoft can’tsimply report the specificservice or driver that failed.But, let’s follow Microsoft’slogic on this one.

The next step is tolaunch the Event Viewerand see what further infor-mation is displayed. Tostart the Event Viewer, click Start and ControlPanel and double-click theAdministrative Tools icon(this is assuming yourControl Panel is in Classicview). If your Control

Panel is in Category View(Windows XP’s default),click Performance andMaintenance and then clickAdministrative Tools.Double-click the EventViewer shortcut; in EventViewer’s right pane, look foran Error entry with Event ID7024. The description forthis event is TheMessenger ServiceTerminated With Service-Specific Error 2270. Now,the task is figuring outexactly what “Error 2270”is. For this, run a utilitycalled net helpmsg.

To run net helpmsg, clickStart and Run and typecommand in the Opentextbox. At the commandprompt, type net helpmsgfollowed by the messagenumber. In this case, typenet helpmsg 2270 andpress ENTER. The follow-ing message is displayed:

“The computer namecould not be added as a message alias. Thename may already exist on the network.

EXPLANATIONA software error

occurred.ACTION

Contact technical support.”

This is the end of the trail,and if you’re like everyoneelse out there, everythingshould now be clear asmud. Microsoft’s KnowledgeBase advises that this mes-sage is triggered when yourcomputer’s name on a net-work is not unique. Micro-soft’s Messenger servicemonitors network messagesand uses a set of aliasesbased on data about net-work computers to deter-mine a message’s intendedrecipient. One of the crite-ria for the aliases is a com-puter’s name, so if the computer name is notunique, Messenger cannotuse the alias and the ser-vice fails to start.

To resolve this problem,rename the computer so itsname is unique. Right-clickMy Computer, click Prop-erties, click the ComputerName tab, and click theChange button. Type aunique name and click OK.Then click OK again toaccept your changes andrestart your computer.

Whew . . . you still with us? ■■

The Selective-Suspend feature

allows Windows to turn a device

(a USB mouse or keyboard, for example)

off to conserve power. This is especially useful in

notebook computers, where conserving battery power is a primary goal.

RS

PC Errors • 25

W indows XP is much more competentthan previous versions of Windowsat dealing with the wide variety of

hardware devices it needs to communicate with.Even so, there are times when XP hits a stum-bling block and calls for help by issuing one of itscryptic error messages. Understanding the errormessage and determining which device is caus-ing the problem is easier than ever, but resolvingthe problem can still be a very complex process.

STOP ERRORS

Error Message: WinXP Generates a“STOP: 0xA0” Error Message DuringHibernation

Translation: If you have an IDE (IntegratedDrive Electronics) hard drive, it may time outduring the hibernation process. This is because the ATAPI driver does not wait long enough forthe primary drive to become available.

Solution: This is resolved in the latest service pack for WinXP. Go to www.windowsupdate.com and download any service packsthat are not installed on your computer.

Error Message: “STOP: XxXXXXXXD1” Translation: When you shut down your

computer that has one or more USB (UniversalSerial Bus) devices attached to it, you mayreceive this error message. This problem occursbecause of bugs in the USB driver software.

Solution: This problem has been resolved inService Pack 1. Download and install all avail-able service packs for WinXP, available atwww.windowsupdate.com.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000001E(0x80000003, 0xBFC0304, 0x0000000,0x0000001) [bugcheck code] ([1] [2] [3] [4]”

Translation: When you run WinXP Setup,you may receive an error message similar tothis one.

This can show up if you restart your com-puter during or after the Windows Setupprocess, if any of these conditions exist:

• There is insufficient disk space on the driveon which you installed Windows.

• There is an outdated or incompatible third-party driver (or drivers) installed on yourcomputer—a faulty video driver, for example.

• There are system BIOS (Basic Input/OutputSystem) incompatibilities.

Solution: Depending on which of the con-ditions exists, use one of these procedures.• Free Up Hard Drive Space

Make sure the drive you are installingWindows on has enough free space. You mayneed to delete some files or install to a differ-ent drive. • Disable or Remove the Third-Party Driver

If the STOP 0x1E error message lists a driverby name, disable or remove it by clicking Start,My Computer, and then Control Panel. Thendouble-click System, Hardware, and DeviceManager. From the list, find the item “DVD/CD-ROM drive and click the plus sign (+) to expand

the list. If that fixes the problem, get in touchwith the manufacturer of the component orcheck for an updated driver on their Web site.• Upgrade Your System BIOS

Check with the manufacturer of your com-puter or the manufacturer of your computer’smotherboard for availability and proceduresfor updating the system’s BIOS.

Error Message: “STOP: C0000221Unknown Hard Error” or “STOP:C0000221 STATUS_IMAGE_CHECK-SUM_MISMATCH”

Translation: These error messages are allrelated.

STOP: C0000221 unknown hard errorPath\File_name

-or-

STOP: 0xC0000221 unknown hard errorC:\Winnt\System32\Ntdll.dll (or another spe-cific file or driver)

-or- STOP: 0xC0000221 STATUS_IMAGE_

CHECKSUM_MISMATCH Path\File_name You will see one of these if the file named in

the error message is corrupted. Windowsalways checks a series of files on startup,including:• All driver files. • All DLLs (dynamic-link libraries), including

User, GDI (Graphics Device Interface), Shell,Kernel, Ntdll, Crtdll, etc.

Windows XPHardware ErrorsKeep Windows & Devices In Sync


26 • PC Errors

You may also see this if you installed the wrongdriver for a particular com-ponent.

Solution: To fix this,either get a new copy of thecorrupted file and copy it to your system or reinstallWindows. If you continue toreceive any of these errormessages after you reinstallWindows, it’s possible youmay have a hardware or net-work problem.

Error Message: A “STOP: 0xc000026C”or “STOP: 0xc0000221 Unable to LoadDevice Driver”

Translation: When WinXP starts up, youmay get one of the following error messages:

STOP: 0xc000026C [Unable to load devicedriver] XXXXXXXX

-or- STOP: 0xc0000221 [Unable to load device

driver] XXXXXXXX-or- STOP: 0xc0000221. Bad image check sum,

the image user32.dll is possibly corrupted. Theheader check sum does not match the comput-ed check sum.

XXXXXXXX is the name of the device driverfile. This may happen if one of these conditionsexists: • A device driver file (.sys) is missing or dam-

aged. • The missing or damaged file is probably the

driver file that the error message mentions. • The User32.dll file may be missing or dam-

aged. Solution: Use the appropriate fix depend-

ing on the particular problem above:• For a Missing or Damaged Driver File

Use Recovery Console to replace the miss-ing or damaged driver file. (See the sidebar“Using The Recovery Console.”)

At the command prompt, type the followingcommand, and then press ENTER:

cd windows\system32\drivers Rename the damaged driver file by typing

the following command, and then pressENTER:

ren XXXXXXXX.sys XXXXXXXX.bak, whereXXXXXXXX is the name of the damaged driverfile.

To copy the driver from the WinXP CD-ROM to the Drivers folder, type the followingcommand, and then press ENTER:

copy D:\i386 XXXXXXXX,where D: is the drive letterfor the drive that containsthe WinXP Installation CD-ROM.

Type exit , press theENTER key, and then restartyour computer. •For a Missing or Dam-

aged User32.dll FileUse Recovery Console to

replace the corrupted ordamaged User32.dll file,

then, if needed, perform an in-place upgrade(also called a repair install) of WinXP. To doso, follow these steps:

Insert the WinXP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive and then restart thecomputer. Select any options that are requiredto start the computer from the CD-ROM orDVD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.

When the “Welcome to Setup” screen ap-pears, press R to start Recovery Console. (Seethe sidebar “Using The Recovery Console.”)

At the command prompt, type the followingcommand, and then press ENTER:

cd windows\system32 To rename the User32.dll file, type the fol-

lowing command, and then press ENTER: ren user32.dll user32.bak To expand a new copy of the User32.dll file

from the WinXP CD-ROM to the System32folder, type the following command, and thenpress ENTER:

expand D:\i386\user32.dl_ c:\windows\system32\user32.dll,where D: is the drive let-ter for the drive that contains the WinXP CD-ROM, and c:\windows is the drive letter andfolder where WinXP is installed.

Type exit, press ENTER, and then restart thecomputer. (NOTE: If WinXP still won’t boot, youmay have to perform an in-place upgrade [alsocalled a repair install]).

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000009F DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE”

Translation: This error appears when drivers don’t handle power state transitionrequests properly, usually during shuttingdown, suspending or resuming from Standbymode, or suspending or resuming fromhibernation.

Solution: To fix this error, update orremove the driver that’s causing the problem.This error can occur because of a device driver,but it can also occur because of a file systemfilter driver such as an antivirus, remote con-trol, or backup program.

To isolate the driver that is causing theerror, follow these steps:

• Check to see if your computer and all theinstalled devices are listed on the HCL(Hardware Compatibility List) located atwww.microsoft.com/hcl.

• Check for with the hardware manufacturerfor updates that may be available for yourhardware (updates are usually available onthe hardware manufacturers’ Web sites).

• Update any software that uses filter driverssuch as antivirus, remote control, and back-up software.

• Remove any noncritical devices and soft-ware and see if the error appears after theyare removed. If the error returns, you’vefound your problem.

• Install Windows in a new folder. Add anydrivers or components one at time, andrestart the computer after each addition.


Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER”

Translation: This is a STOP error that pertainsspecifically to an NVIDIA video card.The actual message is “STOP:0x000000EA THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER.” It shows up ifyou are using the Nv4.sys video driverto support the NVIDIA card. Fortun-ately, getting an updated driver fromthe NVIDIA site (www.nvidia.com) will extract the string and let your videodevice work properly. ■■

A simple numeric error with along explanation lets you knowthat you aren’t connected to the network.

PC Errors • 27

Error Message: “STOP: XxXXXXXXEDUNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME”

Translation: When you first restart yourcomputer during the upgrade to WinXP orwhen you start WinXP, you may receive thiserror.

(NOTE: If you receive this error message whenyou restart the computer for the first time duringan upgrade to WinXP, the original operating sys-tem is still functional.)

This can happen if the file system is dam-aged and cannot be mounted

Solution: If the second parameter(XXxXXXXXX) of the Stop error is 0xC0000032,then the file system is damaged. You will need to restart the computer to the RecoveryConsole and then use the chkdsk /r commandto repair the file system. When that’s done,check the drive to locate the cause of the filesystem damage. To use the Recovery Console,see the sidebar. At the Recovery Console command prompt, change to the drive whereWindows is installed, type chkdsk /r, and thenpress ENTER. At the command prompt, typeexit and then press ENTER. The computer willrestart. If this doesn’t fix the problem, repeat itand use the fixboot command in step 5 insteadof the chkdsk /r command.

Error Message: “STOP: XxXXXXXXED”(on OEM installations of WinXP)

Translation: When you use volumes thatuse the NTFS (NT file system) on IDE driveswith caching enabled, you may receive thiserror message during startup. The normalrecovery process in such a case is to run thechkdsk /r command from Recovery Consoleand then continue. On OEM versions ofWinXP, the Recovery Console may not beaccessible. If this fix has not been included inthe OEM build of WinXP, you may not be ableto enter Recovery Console and run the chkdsk/r command for recovery. Because of thewrite-pattern optimization in IDE drives, the

caching routines sometimes write data out oforder to keep drive write speeds at the fastestpossible level, depending on where data islocated on the drive. This opens a timing win-dow where the NTFS file system could havecritical tables damaged if a write is not fin-ished. Microsoft has recommended in the pastthat caching on IDE drives be turned off onprograms with somewhat critical data that isstored on the drive or for situations that allowa slight drop in overall speed. Programs withcritical data may need to use SCSI drives,which have better control of data transactions.

Solution: Install the latest service pack(s)for WinXP.

(NOTE: If you are not able to log on to theRecovery Console by pressing R when the bootscreen appears, see error “The Password Is NotValid” for details on installing the RecoveryConsole.)

DEVICE ERRORS

Error Message: “Windows cannot startthis hardware device because its config-uration information (in the Registry) isincomplete or damaged. (Code 19)”

Translation: When attempting to enable3D, an MSI G4 4200 Ti-TD video card cannotsee the Display adapter under device manager.When trying to add new hardware, the card islisted, but it produces this error when clicked.

Solution: Run WinXP’s repair/reinstall ontop of the installed version. It will rebuild theRegistry. Then, you will have to reinstall anyupdates/service packs.

Error Message: “Windows XP does not discover Visioneer Paperport OneTouch scanner. It is not USB but parallelonly.”

Translation: Visioneer Paperport scannerwith a parallel interface is not recognized byWinXP.

Solution: Review Visioneer’s Trade UpOffer to address this problem at www.visioneer.com/offer.

(NOTE: This is only a trade-in discount towarda new scanner, not a fix.)

Error Message: Belkin F5U103RS232/serial to USB adapter worksintermittently.

Translation: Belkin F5U103 RS232/serialto USB adapter is not recognized by WinXPand is not assigned a serial port.


Using The RecoveryConsole

The Recovery Console is a softwaretool for restoring various parts of

Windows XP. It is part of the standarddistribution CD; however, if your comput-er came preloaded with Windows youmay not have the CD. In that case youwill need to contact Microsoft to get acopy of the Recovery Console files.

Use Recovery Console to replace themissing or damaged driver file. To do so,follow these steps:

Insert the WinXP CD-ROM into theCD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and thenrestart the computer. Select any optionsthat are required to start the computerfrom the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive ifyou are prompted to do so.

When the “Welcome to Setup” screenappears, press R to start RecoveryConsole.

If your computer is configured fordual booting or multiple booting, selectthe WinXP installation you want torecover.

When prompted, type the administra-tor password, and then press ENTER.

NOTE: In WinXP Home Edition, theadministrator password is blank bydefault. You will be presented with acommand prompt (essentially a blankscreen). Follow the instructions for theparticular restoration you need to per-form. You’ll find the instructions con-tained in the solution portion of the errormessage.

At the command prompt, type therequired command and then pressENTER. ■■

Microsoft has recommendedin the past that caching on IDE drives be turned off on pro-

grams with somewhat critical data stored on the drive or

for situations that allow a slight drop in overall speed.

28 • PC Errors

Solution: Download a current driver from the Belkin Web site at web.belkin.com/support.

If it’s necessary to reinstall the drivers,unplug the F5U103 and go to System hardwareand “Remove” it. Then plug the F5U103 backin, and when Windows asks for the location ofthe driver, point to the folder where the driverfile is. If the installation is successful, theassigned COM port should show up under“Ports: Com and LPT” in the hardware list.

Error Message: Can’t get a Matshita CD-RW/DVD ujda740 to work on a DellLatitude 640c.

Translation: The driver delivered with the computer doesn’t work with the CD-RW/DVD drive properly.

Solution: Panasonic is the manufacturer ofthe Matshita drive. A simple driver will fix theproblem; you can download the drivers fromwww.panasonic.com/business/office/support/downl_drivers_cdr.asp.

Error Message: Unable to make a game-port-to-USB device work in WinXP.

Translation: The game-port-to-USB adapter workedwith previous operating sys-tems but is not recognizedor installable for WinXP.

Solution: Microsoft nolonger supports enhancedgameport drivers/software.The industry as a whole has abandoned gameportdevices. Gameports werelargely unreliable at gettingdata through the sound card to the system. Forthis reason, manufacturers now make theirdevices USB, which is far more reliable. It isnecessary to replace the device with a directUSB connection.

Error Message: WinXP doesn’t supportATA-133 controller and hard drive.

Translation: When installing WinXP on a new system with an ATA 133 controller,occasionally the drives/controller are notdiscovered.

Solution: ATA 133 hasn’t been supportedsince Windows 98. You may need to install the

proper motherboard driversso as to get the built-in IDEATA 133 driver installed orinstall the correct driver if itis an add-on ATA 133 card.See the manufacturer of themotherboard or ATA card.

Error Message: Amodem is installed onthe computer, but thenetwork services can’t

make an Internet connection with themodem.

Translation: WinXP’s Remote Accessapplet is not functioning. The modem itself isworking, but the applet doesn’t recognize it.

Solution: Reinstall all WinXP updates,starting with SP1.

Error Message: After upgrading toWinXP Pro: When attempting to play aDVD that has a readability problem,WinXP sets the transfer mode to PIO.

Translation: PIO (Programmed Input/Output) is only fast enough for CDs.



“STOP” errors contain spe-cific coded information

that identifies the particular prob-lem Windows XP has encoun-tered. They cover a wide range ofproblems, but because the mes-sages are in code, you will needto look up each one in order tofind out what it’s reporting andhow to resolve the problem.

Because there are so manypossible conditions that can trig-ger a STOP error, they are fairlycommon. The best way toaddress one when you see it isto follow the particular Microsofttroubleshooting guide for thespecific code.

Here are excerpts from the“HOW TO: Troubleshoot “Stop0x0000007B” Errors in WinXP.”You’ll find this guide in theMicrosoft Knowledge Base asArticle 324103. Remember thatcode 0x0000007B is only one ofthe possible codes.

This step-by-step articledescribes how to troubleshoot“STOP: 0x0000007B” error mes-sages in WinXP. A “STOP:0x0000007B” error message mayappear on a blue screen whenyou start your computer. The errormessage includes the followinginformation: STOP: 0x0000007B(parameter1, parameter2, para-meter3, parameter4) INACCES-SIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

Setup has encountered afatal error that prevents it fromcontinuing. Setup cannot contin-ue. Power down or reboot yourcomputer now.

Use the Last Known GoodConfiguration feature. This mayresolve the problem if yourecently installed an incompati-ble device driver for your bootcontroller.

Use the Repair option withWinXP Setup.

Restore a Registry backup.

You may receive a “STOP:0x0000007B” error message ifyour computer is infected with aboot-sector virus.

You may receive a “STOP:0x0000007B” error message if adevice driver that your comput-er’s boot controller requires isnot configured to start during the

startup process or is corruptedor if information in the WinXPRegistry about which device drivers load during the startupprocess is corrupted.

And, from Article 315239 inthe Microsoft Knowledge Base:Microsoft Support Policy for

Hardware That Does Not Appearon the Windows HCL

If the System hive in theWinXP Registry is corrupted,WinXP may not be able to loadthe miniport device driver thatthe boot controller requires.

You may receive a “STOP:0x0000007B” error message ifthere is a resource conflictbetween the boot controller andanother controller, or betweenSCSI devices, or if drive transla-tion is not being performed orwas changed.

Other potential causes of a“STOP: 0x0000007B” error mes-sage include:

The boot volume is corruptedand cannot be mounted byWinXP.

You are installing on a mir-rored boot partition that was cre-ated by Windows NT 4.0. ■■

This pesky message is annoyingand persistent.

PC Errors • 29

Solution: Go to your device Manager.Remove the CD-R drive by following thesesteps: Click Start, My Computer, and thenControl Panel. Then double-click System,Hardware, and Device Manager. From thelist, find the item DVD/CD-ROM Drive andclick the plus sign to expand the list. Selectthe CD-R drive (if there is more than oneitem) and right-click it. From the menu thatappears, click Uninstall. Then, find the itemin the Device Manager l ist named IDEATA/ATAPI controllers and click the plussign to expand the list. Select Secondary IDE Channel and right-click it. From themenu that appears, click Uninstall. Reboot.This will allow the device to work; however,the condition indicates you are gettingrepeated DMA errors. See info at www.microsoft.com/whdc/hwdev/tech/storage/ide-dma.mspx.

Error Message: DVD-R/-RW drive canread DVDs but nothing else.

Translation: The machine tries to readfrom the CDs but fails. It even fails to read itsown product recovery CDs, so it can’t be aproblem with the CDs themselves.

Solution: In Control Panel, start Soundsand Audio Devices, click the Hardware tab,and then make sure that the CD/DVD drive islisted, along with Audio Codecs. If these itemsare not listed, use the Add/Remove Hardwareprogram in Control Panel to reinstall these drivers. Search Microsoft’s knowledge base forarticle #314096, How to Troubleshoot CD-ROM Drive Problems in WinXP.

Error Message: After downloading criti-cal windows updates to WinXP Pro, thesound is not working.

Translation: If you have a Sony VAIO PCand you see this message, it probably meansyou have a problem with a Yamaha audiodevice driver.

Solution: You need to download the cur-rent generic driver from Yamaha or roll backyour system to the original driver you were

using before the download (on a Sony VAIO,the driver is “yacxgc.sys”). Click Start, MyComputer, and then Control Panel. Then clickSystem, Hardware, and Device Manager. Inthe Device Manager, find the entry for thesound chip. Click it. From the Driver tab, clickDriver Rollback.

Error Message: “Data is invalid”Translation: When installing the audio

driver for the VIA Technologies chipset, thiserror message appears.

Solution: The error is a known issue for this PCI card and usually means a Registry protection problem. To fix it, click Start, then Run, and then type regedit. Locate theHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CON-TROLSET001\ENUM\PCI entry. Go throughall the VEN_XXX entries till you find your card. Highlight it, click the right mouse button, and highlight Permissions. Then clickAllow By Full Control, clickOK, and quit regedit. Reboot.

Error Message: “De-layed Write Failed”

Translation: When yousave or move documents orduring general file-manage-ment activities in WinXP,you may intermittentlyreceive “Delayed WriteFailed” error messages.

This issue may be caused if any of the fol-lowing conditions exist: • The Enable Write Caching On The Disk fea-

ture for your hard drive is turned on. • Your UDMA (Ultra-Direct Memory Access)

hard-drive controller is configured in eitherof the following ways: •You are using a 40-wire connector cable toconnect the UDMA drive to the controllerinstead of the required 80-wire, 40-pin cable. •Your BIOS settings are configured to forcefaster UDMA modes.Solution: Make sure that your UDMA

hard-drive controller is using an 80-wire,

40-pin cable. Contact your UDMA hard-drive controller manufacturer. If the issue is notresolved, go to the next step.

Also make sure that the settings in yourBIOS are not configured to force faster UDMAmodes.

NOTE: Change BIOS settings with caution.Read your computer’s documentation regardingchanging any BIOS settings.

If the issue is not resolved, go to the nextstep. Turn off the Enable Write Caching OnThe Disk feature:

(NOTE: If you turn off the Enable WriteCaching On The Disk feature, your hard drive per-formance may decrease.)• In Windows Explorer, right-click your hard

disk and click Properties. • Click the Hardware tab. • Click the hard drive and then click Prop-

erties. • Click the Policies tab.

• Click to clear the EnableWrite Caching On TheDisk checkbox and clickOK twice.

• Repeat these for eachhard disk installed inyour computer.

Error Message: “Videodecoder error”

Translation: After youinstall WinXP on a comput-

er that was previously running Windows 2000,everything works except for ASUS Live. Theerror message above appears.

Solution: Find the solution on the ASUS(usa.asus.com/download/multimedia/beta-app.htm) download site. Download the driverfirst and then the beta software. WinXP willadvise you that this version is not XP au-thorized. Ignore it and you’ll get the correctdrivers. If that doesn’t resolve the problem, try this:• Remove any third-party drivers you have.• Go to www.nvidia.com and download the

detonator drivers for WinXP.


When you save or move documents or during general

file-management activities in WinXP, you may intermittently receive

“Delayed Write Failed” error messages.

Cached data can be lost if yourhard drive settings are not correct.

30 • PC Errors

• From the same Web site, download theWDM_1.08.exe file.

• Download the new Asus VCR (asvd200.zip).• Install everything and reboot.

Error Message: “Floppy Disk is NotAccessible, Not Formatted, or Not Rec-ognized by Windows”

Translation: When you access a floppydisk, you may receive one of the followingerror messages:

A:\ is not accessible.The device is not ready.-or-Disk is not formatted.The disk in drive A is not formatted.Do you want to format it now?-or-STOP: The disk media is not recognized, it

may not be formatted.

The same disk may work correctly with MS-DOS or Windows 95 or after you reformat thedisk with Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP orWindows Server 2003.

You’ll see this on disks that don’t contain amedia-descriptor byte in the BPB (BIOS para-meter block) of the boot sector. Some older,preformatted floppy disks were not createdwith a media-descriptor byte. Older productdisks may also not have the media-descrip-tor byte.

The media descriptor indicates the type ofmedium currently in a drive. With MS-DOSand Win95, you do not have to set the media-descriptor byte. Therefore, this problem doesnot occur with older operating systems.

Solution: To resolve this problem, simplyreformat the floppy disk with Win98/Me/NT/2000/XP or Windows Server 2003. Yourcomputer should now recognize the floppy.

Error Message: “Error 692: HardwareFailure in the Modem”

Translation: When you dial a RAS (Re-mote Access Services) server in WinXP, youmay receive this error message as the modemstarts to initialize.

This can happen if any of the following con-ditions exists: • The modem is turned off, unplugged, or

malfunctioning. • If you have an external modem, the serial

cable is incorrectly wired. • If you have an external modem, the serial cable

is not connected or has open connections. • The serial port or multiport adapter on the

RAS server or client is malfunctioning.• The handshaking options for the modem are

incorrectly configured. • The modem is unsupported or the chosen

emulation may be incorrect.• The modem INF files become corrupted or

the modem driver becomes corrupted.

Solution: Check these conditions.• Reset your modem. Consult the documen-

tation for information about how to reset the modem.

• If you have an external modem, make surethat you are using the correct serial cable.

• If you have an external modem, make surethat the serial cable is connected securely.

• If you are using a pin adapter to connectyour external modem to your serial port,make sure that the pin adapter is wiredproperly for modem communication.

• Test the serial port or multiport adapter,and replace the adapter if necessary.

• Make sure that the handshaking options forthe modem are configured properly.

• Contact the modem manufacturer to see ifany setup and initialization information isavailable for your modem. Also, check thelatest Windows Hardware Compatibility Listto make sure that your modem is supported.

• Use Device Manager to remove the modem.You can do this in Safe Mode or in normalmode. Restart the computer in normalmode. WinXP will redetect the modem andreinstall the correct drivers.

Error Message: CD or DVD drive is notrecognized as installed.

Translation: After performing a SystemRestore, the CD-RW or DVD+RW drives areno longer recognized on the computer.

Solution: Attach CD/DVD drives to a rib-bon cable (different drive controller header on


Most Hilarious Error Message

You almost have to laugh when you get an error message like this. As a Hard error andalso a STOP error, there has to be something very specific going wrong.

At startup, Windows XP runs through each of the driverfiles, .dll files, and a series of files that are critical to makingXP work and checks them to see if they’re still in properworking order. If it finds a problem, you’ll get this message.

If you’re lucky, the file causing the error will be namedin the error message, and you can go right to the Recov-ery Console and restore the offending file. But of course,there’s always the possibility that just replacing the dam-aged file won’t cure the problem. In that case, simply reinstall Windows.

Error Message: “STOP: C0000221 Unknown Hard Error” or “STOP: C0000221 STA-TUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MISMATCH”

Translation: These error messages are all related.STOP: C0000221 unknown hard error

Path\File_name -or- STOP: 0xC0000221 unknown hard error

C:\Winnt\System32\Ntdll.dll (or another specific file or driver) -or- STOP: 0xC0000221 STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MISMATCH

Path\File_name You will see one of these if the file named in the error message is corrupted. Windows

checks a series of files on startup, including:• All driver files. • All DLLs (dynamic-link libraries), including User, GDI (Graphics Device Interface), Shell,

Kernel, Ntdll, Crtdll, etc. You may also see this if you installed the wrong driver for a particular component. Solution: To fix this, either get a new copy of the corrupted file and copy it to your sys-

tem or reinstall Windows. If you continue to receive any of these error messages after youreinstall Windows, you may have a hardware or network problem. ■■

PC Errors • 31

the mother board) that does not connect to thehard drive.

Error Message: Hard disk may becomecorrupted when entering standby orhibernation.

Translation: If your computer has anATAPI hard drive that is larger than 137 giga-bytes, you may get one of these problems.• The computer may restart instead of resum-

ing from hibernation. • Your hard drive may be corrupted when

your computer enters standby or hibernation.• Your hard drive may be corrupted when

WinXP writes a memory dump file becauseof a Windows error.Solution: Search Microsoft.com for article

331958 and download the patch shown there.

BOOT ERRORS

Error Message: “System Restore cannotrun until you restart the computer.”

Translation: When you attempt to runSystem Restore, this error message mayappear. This can happen if a Wininit.ini file ispresent in the Windows directory.

Solution: To fix this, restart the computer. Ifthe error appears again, search the hard drivefor the presence of the Wininit.ini file, and thenrename it. To do so, follow these steps:

Restart your computer in Safe or DOS Mode.Click Start. Point to Search. Click For Files

or Folders. In the Named box, type wininit.ini.In the Look in box, click Local Hard Drives.

Click Find Now, right-click the Wininit.inifile, click Rename, and then type wininit.xxx.Click OK. Close the Find Files window, andthen run System Restore again.

If that doesn’t fix the problem, run the fol-lowing command to repair the damaged por-tions of your Registry: scanreg /fix

Error Message: “Please Insert a Diskinto Drive A:”

Translation: This message continuallyappears when starting the computer, and you

may continue to receive the preceding messageuntil you insert a disk into the floppy drive oruntil you click Cancel. You’ll see this if youhave selected the Restore previous folder win-dows at logon checkbox in Folder Options,and you shut down or restart the computerwhen the floppy drive is being viewed, but thedrive is empty when the desktop appears.

Solution: To stop this from appearing, exitthe floppy drive in Windows Explorer beforeyou restart the computer, or disable theRestore previous folder windows at logon fea-ture. To disable this feature, follow these steps:

Open Windows Explorer.In the Tools menu, click Options.On the View tab, click to clear the check

from the the Restore Previous Folder WindowsAt Logon checkbox.

Error Message: “Services.exe - Applica-tion Error. The application failed to ini-tialize (0xc0000006).”

Translation: When thecomputer is started, thedesktop appears without theicons, and a message boxappears with the title of“Services.exe - ApplicationError” and the above error.

After clicking OK, nothingappears on the screen andthe Desktop is blank. If theServices.exe file is renamedor removed, the message boxdoesn’t appear, but the com-puter is still on the Desktop without the icons.

Solution: Services.exe is an Applicationused only in Windows NT4/2000/XP forstarting, stopping, and interacting with sys-tem services. To resolve the issue, reinstall theoperating system.

(NOTE: This is really called an “in-placeupgrade” and should only have the effect of repair-ing the current installation.)

Refer to the link for more details:support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid

=kb;en-us;315341

Error Message: How do I make sure thatmy new installation of WinXP Pro rec-ognizes my dual Pentiums correctly?

Translation: When installing WinXP on acomputer with two processors, how doesWinXP recognize multiple processors?

Solution: Windows requests informationfrom the computer’s BIOS; as long as the BIOSof your machine sees them, WinXP should seethem. Check the BIOS of your computer todetermine that the processors are correctlyidentified there.

Error Message: After you install a newhardware device or new software, yourcomputer may start to restart sponta-neously, or you may receive error mes-sages on a blue screen.

Translation: This is usually caused by adevice driver that doesn’t match the version ofWindows on which it is installed. Or just apoorly written driver.

Solution: Check third-party software or drivers.Try removing any third-party software or driversrecently installed or dis-abling them so that they donot load. Then, restart thecomputer to see whetherthat cures the problem. Ifthat cures it, report theproblem to the manufactur-er of the software of driver.

If you can’t restart WinXPafter you install the software or drivers, useone of these methods to restore Windows: • Try using the Roll Back Driver feature.

Search Microsoft.com for article 283657HOW TO: Use the Roll Back Driver Featurein WinXP

• Try using the WinXP System Restore fea-ture. Search Microsoft.com for article 306084HOW TO: Restore the Operating System toa Previous State in WinXP.

• Try using Recovery Console. (See the“Using The Recovery Console” sidebar.)


When you attempt to run System Restore, this error message may

appear. This can happen if a Wininit.ini file is present in the

Windows directory.

This Hard Error is really describingsome software component that iseither missing or damaged.

32 • PC Errors

• Try starting MS-DOS: If Windows is installed on a partition that

uses the FAT file system, try starting yourcomputer to MS-DOS and then renaming theproblem software or driver.

GENERAL ERRORS

Error Message: “Error 769”Translation: Either you specified a desti-

nation address that is not valid, or your remoteserver is down. This behavior also may occur if the network card in your computer is notturned on.

Solution: Turn on (enable) the networkcard and then run the Network Setup Wizard.To do this, follow thesesteps: • Click Start and then

click Control Panel. InControl Panel, clickPerformance and Main-tenance, and then clickSystem. In the SystemProperties dialog box,click the Hardware tab,and then click DeviceManager. In DeviceManager, click Net-work Adapters. On theAction menu, clickEnable. Quit DeviceManager. Click Startand then click ControlPanel. In Control Panel, click Network andInternet Connections, and then clickNetwork Connections. In Network Con-nections, click Network Setup Wizard underNetwork Tasks- and then follow the on-screen steps. When you complete the steps in the wizard, restart your computer.

Error Message: “The Password Is NotValid”

Translation: When you attempt to log onto Recovery Console in WinXP by typing thecorrect password for the local Administratoraccount, Recovery Console may display thefollowing error message:

“The password is not valid. Please retypethe password.”

Type the Administrator password: This issue may occur if WinXP was origi-

nally installed from a Sysprep image or ifSysprep 2.0 was run on the computer at onetime. Sysprep.exe makes changes to the waythat password keys are stored in the Registry;these changes are not compatible with theRecovery Console logon routine.

Solution: Attempt to install the Recov-ery Console by acces-sing the Windows SP CD-ROM from the com-mand prompt and typingwinnt32 /cmdcons fromthe I386 folder on theWinXP CD-ROM.

If WinXP will not start,you will need to create anew Setup Disk by down-loading the appropriatefiles from the Microsoftsite and following theincluded instructions.Boot the computer withthe Startup Disk (theRecovery Console will beincluded in them) and log

into the Recovery Console.You are now able to perform Recovery tasks

as required (see Error Message: STOP:XxXXXXXXED [on OEM installations ofWinXP]).

by Scott Koegler


Most Confusing ErrorMessage

HUH? There’s a problem with mydisk?

Disk-reading problems can show upalmost any time you try to open a file,start a program from disc, switch discswhile using programs that require multi-ple discs, or when a program tries toread data from some particular area onthe disc. There is a wide variety of error

messages indicating problems readingthe disc or copying specific files. Hereare some of them, but remember thatthe one you get may or may not be simi-lar to one of these.

Best of luck.• “application name is not a valid win32

application.” • “A device attached to the system is not

functioning.” • “A required file kernl32.dll was not found.” • “Not enough memory to run this appli-

cation.” • “Cannot find the file(s) needed to start

this application.” • “Error Reading From File [Installer

Error 1305]” • “Unable to find Setup.exe” • “CDR-101.” • “Unable to read drive drive letter:”

Insufficient Memory Problems readingfrom a disc may also produce the follow-ing symptoms: • The disc label does not appear in

Windows Explorer. • The contents of the disc will not dis-

play in Windows Explorer. • When you insert the disk in the drive

or read a disc, the computer stopsresponding.

• The disc does not eject from the drive. • Reading from the disc takes an

exceptionally long time. ■■

If WinXP will not start, you will need

to create a new Setup Disk by downloading the

appropriate files from the Microsoft site and following the

included instructions.

Click Device Manager to access theNetwork Adapters on your machine.

RS

PC Errors • 33

I n Windows XP, there’s nosuch thing as an elegantcrash. A dialog box appears

suddenly, demanding your atten-tion. A cryptic stop message,accompanied by a red exclama-tion point, interrupts your dailyroutine. Usually the applicationor operating system task youwere performing comes to ascreeching halt.

Thankfully the most commoncrashes—the kind that occurswhen you were just trying tochange your video resolution orcopy a file—are not too detrimen-tal. You can sometimes just rebootor close the dialog box and getback to work. In other instances acrash can signal a more seriousproblem with the operating sys-tem—one that might take hours toresolve or, worse, a long phonecall to tech support.

Fortunately Microsoft has pro-vided several new diagnostic fea-tures in WinXP. One of the mostimportant: There’s a way to sendbug reports to Redmond, wheretechnicians can track the issue andfix any problems that seem to berather widespread. WinXP some-times provides clues about whatwent wrong, including an errorcode or message that you can use to address theproblem right away. Interestingly many of theerrors in WinXP are brand new problems notfound in previous 16-bit versions of the operat-ing system, such as Windows 98. So, by follow-ing the tips and ideas below, you can fix prob-lems in WinXP and restore your computer togood working order.

Most Serious Errors Serious operating system errors are often

the most frustrating to fix because they ofteninvolve a recurring system conflict. When yousee a blue screen with a vague message aboutkernels and page faults, you might be temptedto just bring the computer back to the shopand start over. Fortunately even the most seri-

ous errors can be resolved by following somespecific steps. No conflict occurs randomly justto spoil your day; they are usually the result ofa program you have installed recently, a newhardware device you’ve attached to the com-puter, or some other traceable and logicalcause. The good news is that once an erroroccurs, you can fix the problem, and it proba-bly won’t occur again. Every problem, at leaston a computer, has a solution.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x00000077” or“KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR”

Translation: This could be aboot sector virus or a corruptedWinXP paging file.

Solution: Reboot your com-puter. In some cases when Win-dows starts up and runs theAutochk program, any bad sec-tors will be remapped—problemsolved. (Just keep an eye on yourcomputer, though, to see if the error message reappears.)Otherwise, if Autochk does notfix the problem, your computermay have defective or poorlyseated RAM modules. If you’recomfortable opening the comput-er case, you can reseat the RAMmodules so that they are firmlysnapped into position (groundyourself properly beforehand).Also, double-check all the otherPCI (Peripheral ComponentInterconnect) and AGP (Ac-celerated Graphics Port) cards tomake sure they are seated prop-erly. Run a virus-checking pro-gram such as Norton Anti-Virus2004 (www.symantec.com) toscan for a boot sector virus.

Error Message: “STOP:0xA0” error message duringhibernation

Translation: This problemcan occur on a notebook if you

use the Standby option (by selecting Start,Turn Off Computer, and Standby), which putsthe computer to sleep. The CD-ROM driverconflicting with the hard drive driver usuallycauses the error.

Solution: Microsoft fixed this problem withthe WinXP Service Pack 1, available atwww.microsoft.com.

Windows XPSoftware-RelatedErrorsKeep Working Despite Problems


34 • PC Errors

However, if you’re not connected to theInternet and can’t download the service pack(and the error keeps causing your notebook tocrash), you can just avoid the problem byadjusting the battery-saving features on yourcomputer to never hibernate. That way, even ifyou pause to answer the phone or fix dinner,your notebook will never hibernate and crash.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000000A”error message when you fast switchbetween users

Translation: This rare but troublesomeerror can occur if your multimedia keyboarduses the Netropa driver and you haveenabled fast user switching. Typically, whenyou log off your computer (using Start andLog Off), all the programs you are runningwill shut down automatically. If you enableFast User Switching in the User Accountscontrol panel, your programs will remainactive. When you log off, the keyboard driverwill cause a stop error.

Solution: You’ll need to download andinstall a new keyboard driver, available atwww.netropa.com/download/mmkbd/download.html

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000007B” or “0x4,0,0,0”

Translation: The boot sector of your com-puter (the portion of memory that handlescomputer start ups) has become corrupted,causing an error on a blue startup screen.

Solution: Boot sector problems are diffi-cult to troubleshoot because they occur beforeWinXP even loads. You won’t be able to justrun a program, edit a WinXP Registry file, orremove a device driver. The 0x0000007B errorusually includes an error code such as0x4,0,0,0 that can help a Microsoft tech sup-port engineer troubleshoot the problem.However, you can perform a few diagnosticsteps on your own.

First, try rebooting a second time to seewhether the stop error reoccurs. SometimesWinXP may run the Autochk program andcorrect a disk error automatically. Second,think about whether you have added any newhardware devices recently, such as a secondhard drive or a SCSI (Small Computer SystemInterface) drive. Try removing that drive andrestarting. Third, you can remove your prima-ry hard drive and install it on another comput-er. Often a boot sector problem can be resolvedby using a different computer because the sec-ond computer may be using a more recent

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System; the soft-ware that controls the computer startup proce-dure). As a last resort, you can reformat thedrive to correct a boot sector problem, whichwill require that you reload WinXP.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x9F” Translation: This error occurs most com-

monly on notebooks that are frequentlyentering standby mode or resuming fromhibernation. The problem has to do with thepower management features on the notebookconflicting with a device driver.

Solution: The quickest solution is toremove the driver that iscausing the problem, butfinding the guilty party canbe difficult. Conflicts occurwith unsigned drivers thatare not officially sanctionedby Microsoft to work withpower management fea-tures (or with WinXP ingeneral). You can use theSigverif.exe tool to seewhich unsigned driversmight be causing problems.(Before you run this pro-gram, it’s a good idea to close any open appli-cations and make a backup of your mostimportant data because the computer willenter a diagnostic-scanning mode.)

Click Start and Run and type Sigverif.exe.Click the Advanced button. Select the option to

Look For Other Files That Are Not DigitallySigned . . . and click OK. In the Look In ThisFolder field, type C:\Windows\system32\drivers (substitute C for the drive letter you use).Next, on the Logging tab, make sure the SaveThe File Signature Verification Results To ALog File option is checked and then click OK.Now click Start. Windows will save theSigverif.txt file to C:\Windows, so open thatfile with Notepad to see a listing of all signedand unsigned driver listings.

Use the Device Manager to disable unsigneddrivers you find, one by one, until the problemis fixed. Click Start, Control Panel, and System.Select the Hardware tab and click DeviceManager. Look for the driver you want to dis-able. (You may need to use the Show HiddenDevices option under the View menu.) Right-click the driver and select Disable. You may beable to remove the program and any associat-ed drivers by using the Add Or RemovePrograms control panel.

Another trick: You can just look in theWINNT\SYSTEM32\Drivers folder for anydrivers that may be causing the power man-agement problems and rename the fi le,which means WinXP won’t load that driverafter you reboot.

Use the Sigverif.exe program to look forunsigned drivers that may be causing powermanagement problems in WinXP.

Error Message: “STOP: 0xC2” or “STOP:0x000000C2”

Translation: A device driver has caused aWinXP kernel error.

Solution: A device driver has caused a con-flict with the kernel inWinXP, which is the heartof the operating system—the most important codethat is used to run applica-tions and manage memory.A device driver error is likea faulty part on an automo-bile: The best way to getthe operating system run-ning again is to remove thedriver. Unlike the “STOP:0x9F” error in WinXP,which unsigned drivers can

cause, a signed or unsigned driver can causethe “STOP: 0xC2” error. The best method forresolving this problem is to think about anynew programs you have installed recently ornew hardware devices that you have attachedand that have installed a driver automatically.


Most ObviousError Message

Error Message: “Another copy of thisapplication is already running”

Translation: The application you are try-ing to start is already running.

Solution: You can just switch over tothe application you are trying to startinstead. This error can also appear if youhave upgraded from Windows 98 toWindows XP, which makes it much lessobvious and more difficult to fix. You’llneed to rename some files and reinstallsome WinXP files, but for most of us, theerror only appears when you don’t noticethat the program is already running. ■■

The Sigverif.exe tool will help youfind error-causing drivers.

PC Errors • 35

Try uninstalling any new programs you’veadded recently (by using the Add Or RemovePrograms control panel) and unplug any hard-ware devices. Reboot your computer.

Error Message: “0x000000D1” errorwhen you turn your computer off

Translation: A USB (Universal Serial Bus)-related error related to the OHCI (Open HostController Interface) driver, which controlsUSB file size and memory allocations.

Solution: This error can occur when youtransfer large files such as photo and videos overa USB connection to your computer. WinXP doesnot allocate enough resources for the large filetransfers. To prevent this error from occurring,you’ll need to download the WinXP Service Pack1 at www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/servicepacks/sp1/default.asp

Error Message: “0xc000026C” or “STOP:0xc0000221 Unable to Load DeviceDriver” error occurs when you startWinXP

Translation: This error occurs during theWinXP startup process if a critical system dri-ver is missing or damaged or if the fileUser32.dll is missing or damaged.

Solution: WinXP is not too forgiving if youhappen to delete a .SYS file in your WIN-DOWS\System directory. One missing file andthe operating system will fail during startup.There’s only one solution: You’ll need to runthe Recovery Console and replace the missingor damaged file; otherwise, you’ll have to rein-stall WinXP altogether. Fortunately the errormessage contains the driver file name, so fix-ing the error is relatively easy.

To run the Recovery Console, first insert theWinXP disc in your CD-ROM drive and thenreboot. Newer computers typically include astartup option to boot from the CD; otherwise,you’ll need to enter your BIOS (usually bypressing the DELETE key) and change the bootsequence so that your computer boots fromCD. Save the BIOS, and your computer willcontinue the startup process.

When you see the Welcome To Windowsscreen, press r to use the Recovery Console. Inthe instructions below, drivername is the name

of the file listed in the error message. (Aftereach command, press ENTER.)

Type in your login information. Then, at thecommand prompt, type:

cd windows\system32\drivers

Then, type:ren drivername.sys drivername.bak

Finally, type:copy cd-rom:\i386 drivername

The Recovery Console will reboot the com-puter. If the user32.dll file caused the problem,

you need to type these commands into theRecovery Console instead and then reboot:

cd windows\system32ren user32.dll user32.bakexpand cd-rom:\i386\user32.dl_ c:\win

dows\system32\user32.dll

If replacing the files still doesn’t work,you’ll need to do a repair install of WinXP,which is an option listed at the Welcomescreen when you boot from the CD. Notethat a repair install won’t delete your docu-ments and important files, but you will lose all your Windows settings, Internetfavorites, and other operating-system-re-lated files.

Error Message: “0x0000008E” error on ablue screen in WinXP

Translation: This rare (and random) errorcan occur when a program references an incor-rect memory address, causing your computerto crash.

Solution: Microsoft has released a hotfix,which you can install and run to fix the prob-lem. You’ll need to call Microsoft technicalsupport to obtain the hotfix, however. It’s notavailable online (at least, not yet). If you onlysee the error occasionally, you might considerwaiting for another service pack release forWinXP, although living with the error is prob-ably counter-productive. For support optionsvisit support.microsoft.com.

The good news is that if the tech supportengineer determines that you do need the hot-fix, you won’t be charged for the call.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000001e” Translation: You’re using an older version

of the Aspi32.sys CD-ROM driver.Solution: You’ll need to download the lat-

est driver from Adaptec (www.adaptec.com).Go to the site, look for the Support area, andthen click Downloads. Download the latestversion and install the new driver.

Error Message: “WinXP could not startbecause the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM”


Most AnnoyingError Message

Error Message: “System Has Recov-ered from a Serious Error” messageafter every restart

Translation: Windows XP error report-ing sometimes gets stuck in memory andwon’t refresh, so the error will appeareach time you restart.

Solution: This is an annoying error mes-sage because, even if you fix the prob-lem, WinXP will still prompt you to sendthe error to Microsoft after every reboot.It’s one of those errors that some of usjust live with, even to the point where weexpect to get the error after a reboot andjust click Don’t Send each time. How-ever, you can correct the problem. ClickStart and My Computer, and then right-click and select Properties. Select theAdvanced tab and click Settings in thePerformance area. In the Virtual Memoryarea, click Change. Under Paging FileSize For Selected Drive, click No PagingFile and click set. You’ll see two warn-ings; just click Yes on both of them andthen select the System Managed Sizeoption. Close out of all the dialog boxesand reboot. ■■

This error can occur when you transfer large files such as photoand videos over a USB connection to your computer.

36 • PC Errors

Translation: Your WinXP Registry is cor-rupted and requires restoration.

Solution: This is one of the most seriouserrors you’re likely to encounter in WinXP, and

the solution involves four specific steps. You’llneed to copy new files from the WinXP setupdisc, reinstall GUID (globally unique identifier)files, delete critical system files that are causingproblems, and use the RestorePoint feature inWinXP. Although the fix may seem complicat-ed, it’s clear and straightforward.

You can access the complete solution atMicrosoft’s Knowledge Base; look up articlenumber 307545.

However, because you will be replacing sys-tem files, there’s always a possibility that yoursystem could become even more unstable, thatyou could replace the wrong file and have tostart over, or that one of your previousRestorePoint files is also corrupt. If you have abackup of your most important files and don’tmind losing your WinXP settings (for example,Internet Favorites, desktop wallpapers, etc.),then a faster and easier solution—one that willeliminate any problems once and for all—is toreformat your hard drive and reinstall WinXPfrom scratch.

Error Message: “RUNDLL Error loadingirprops.cpl” error when you start WinXP

Translation: A Bluetooth AuthenticationAgent DLL file is missing or you have un-installed the Bluetooth Authentication Agent,but a Bluetooth-related entry still exists in theWinXP Registry.

Solution: Bluetooth is the short-range wire-less standard for connecting handheld devicesand phones to your computer so you can

transfer files back and forth. To solve the prob-lem, remove the Bluetooth AuthenticationAgent using the Add Or Remove Programscontrol panel. Sometimes when you removeBluetooth, the Registry entries still attempt tocontrol authentication between the device andyour computer. To remove the Registry entry,click Start and Run, type regedit, and click OK.Look for the following Registry entry:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MI-CROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVER-SION\Run.

Right-click BluetoothAuthenticationAgentand click Delete. Close Registry Editor andrestart your computer.

Use the WinXP Registry program as a lastresort to troubleshooting the most arcaneerror messages.

Error Message: “8E STOP” error on ablue screen

Translation: When you transfer a file to aUSB device, the Usbser.sys driver generates anerror on a blue screen. Usually the file isshown with the error, although you may justsee the stop error and not the name of theoffending driver.


Most FrustratingError Message

Error Message: “Computer Con-figuration\Windows Settings\LocalPolicies\Security Options\Shutdown:Clear virtual memory pagefile.”

Translation: The secpol.msc andsceregvl.inf localization files are corrupt.

Solution: For anyone who uses foreignlanguage localizations of WinXP, youknow that errors can occur that are diffi-cult to understand and troubleshoot,especially if the translations are wrong.For example, when the French locationfiles cause security problems and virtualmemory paging file errors, the message“Arret: Creer un fichier d’ échange dememoire virtuelle” will appear. If youknow French, you know that the error ismeaningless. Worse, there is no fix forthe error because Microsoft is stilladdressing the problem. So: frustrating,translated incorrectly, and not fixable! ■■


Error Message: “Missing shortcut”

Translation: You have tried to start aprogram using a shortcut that is nolonger valid.

Solution: This common error occursbecause Windows XP doesn’t automati-cally change shortcuts if you move aprogram file to a new location (for exam-ple, if you decide to run a card gameprogram from the root of your C: driveinstead of the Program Files folder). Thesolution: Right-click the shortcut. Click inthe Target field and change the path tothe correct EXE application. As anoption, you can let WinXP attempt tofind the missing application. This cantake some time, so it’s usually easier tojust click the Browse button (in theMissing Shortcut dialog box) and look inyour Programs Files folder for the cor-rect application. ■■

Cleaning a specific file from your Registry can help solve Bluetooth errors.

PC Errors • 37

Solution: You’ll need to call and request ahotfix for this problem. To contact Microsoftgo to support.microsoft.com.

Most likely, because this is an operating sys-tem problem, you won’t be charged for thetech support call. Another option: Try reboot-ing, copying the file to your USB device again,and seeing if the error reoccurs.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x00000073(0x00000001, 0xc000017d, 0x00000002,0xfc96fcc0) CONFIG_LIST_FAILED”

Translation: WinXP is unable to access acore system file.

Solution: One of the more common stoperrors in WinXP, this problem occurs whenyou have run low on either disk space orsystem memory (or both). If you are runninglow on disk space, reboot your computerand delete files that you don’t need any-more. You can do a search (Start and Search)to look for large files that you may have for-gotten about, such as game files and largephotos. Under Search, click All Files AndFolders, click the What Size Is It? arrow, andthen select Large (More Than 1 MB). ClickSearch and view the list by size by clickingthe Size tab. Look through the largest filesand delete the ones that are taking up un-necessary space.

If system memory ran low and caused theerror, you can usually solve the problem justby rebooting and running fewer programs atthe same time. Upgrading your RAM is onlyimportant if you tend to multitask severalapplications at the same time.

Error Message: “STOP: 0xc0000218(0xe11a30e8, 0x00000000, 0x000000000,0x00000000) UNKNOWN_HARD_ERROR” or “STOP: 0xc0000218 {Re-gistry File Failure} The Registry cannotload the hive (file).”

Translation: This occurs due to a corrupt-ed Registry, corrupted hard drive, a driverthat is damaged and is attempting to load into system memory, or if the RAM on your

computer is damaged and causing problemswith the Registry.

Solution: There are several troubleshootingoptions available, each one intended toaddress one of the four possible causes. You

should first try rebooting the computer andsee if the Load Last Known Good Con-figuration option appears. Sometimes, byusing this option, you can load a previous ver-sion of the Registry that is not corrupted. Thenext step involves using the WinXP RecoveryConsole program to rebuild the systemRegistry, a complicated process describedonline at Microsoft’s Knowledge Base in arti-cle number 307654.

The other options are much more drastic:reformatting your hard drive completely andreinstalling WinXP and replacing the RAM onyour computer. One of the problems with solv-ing this error is that, if the problem is RAM-related, you could replace the hard drive andstill experience problems (and vice versa). Ouradvice is to consult a computer repair techni-cian or call Microsoft tech support engineerswho can further diagnose the problem andsuggest the best course of action.

Application Errors Not every program runs perfectly on

WinXP. However, application errors are gen-erally easier to diagnose than an operatingsystem error. The worst-case scenario is thatyou will have to remove the application andtry something that works better in WinXP.Outdated applications such as CD-backupsoftware and programs designed to run onthe previous 16-bit versions of Windows cancause frequent error messages, usually whenthey access memory incorrectly. WinXP han-dles most applications errors gracefully, pro-viding a message and shutting down theprogram. WinXP itself usually remains quitestable after an application error (which wasnot true in previous iterations of the operat-ing system). The best rule of thumb is that, ifthe program is outdated, you can usuallyobtain an updated release by going to thecompany Web site and downloading andthen installing the upgrade.

Error Message: “This ApplicationRequires the Windows Installer to Run”


Most ConfusingError Message

Error Message: “Load needed DLLs forKernel”

Translation: Important Windows XPprogram files are missing or damaged.

Solution: This error is confusing forseveral reasons. First, many users maynot understand that the kernel is themain program file in WinXP, the heart ofthe operating system. Second, the term“load needed DLLs” is just ambiguousenough that you might not know howserious the error really is. Unfortunately,this problem cannot be corrected by justrebuilding the system Registry or restor-ing files from the WinXP installation CD.You’ll need to perform an “in-placeinstall” of the operating system, whichwill destroy most of your settings suchas Internet Favorites and all of yourapplications. The good news: An in-place install will usually not overwritefiles in your My Documents folder andwill keep other files located in otherdirectories (as long as they are notoperating-system-related). To performan in-place upgrade, you’ll need to bootfrom the WinXP CD, which might requirethat you enter the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) of your computer andenable the Boot From CD option. Then,when the install starts up, select theInstall WinXP option and follow theremaining instructions. ■■

Outdated applications such as CD-backup software and programs

designed to run on the previous 16-bit versions of Windows can cause frequent error

messages, usually when they access memory incorrectly.

38 • PC Errors

Translation: The application was loadedincorrectly on your computer, is located on anetwork drive that is not available, or needs tobe reconfigured.

Solution: Usually, the best course ofaction is to reinstall the application from thesource CD, making sure that you install to alocal drive. If the application was installedoriginally to use a network drive, you’ll needto make sure you have access to that drive.Click Start and My Network Places to seewhich network drives are available. (In anoffice environment, you might call the net-work administrator to see if a network driveis not accessible.) In some cases you cansearch for the actual program file and dou-ble-click the executable file to get the applica-tion to run. Click Start and Search and typethe name of the program file (for exam-ple, Excel.exe). Then, when you find the

program, double-click on it to see if the pro-gram will run.

Error Message: Ole32.dll may cause anerror message in WinXP

Translation: An outdated version of MSNMessenger has caused a memory leak.

Solution: This error sometimes includesanother message: “Msmsgs.exe has encoun-tered a problem and needs to close. We aresorry for the inconvenience.” The fix is to visitmessenger.msn.com and download the latestversion of the instant-messaging client.

Error Message: “CD Recording Soft-ware Will Cause Windows to BecomeUnstable” error when you start Win-dows

Translation: You are using an outdatedversion of Easy CD Creator (www.roxio.com).

Solution: You’ll need to remove theRegistry entries for Easy CD Creator. ContactRoxio technical support at www.roxio.com/en/support/index.jhtml. However, you maybe able to resolve the problem by upgrading tothe latest version of Easy Media Creator 7.

Error Message: Explorer.exe may gener-ate an application error when you closea folder

Translation: Internet Ex-plorer causes WinXP to freezewhen you open or close folders.

Solution: You may not useIE for any other task thanbrowsing the Web, but it’s alsouseful for browsing your ownfiles and folders. Unfortunatelythis random error was a prob-lem with the Service Pack 1release. No error messageappears on-screen; your com-puter will just stop responding.The solution is to download anew file (Duser.dll) for WinXPthat f ixes the problem atwww.microsof t . com/downloads/deta i l s .aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=49E589AE-2F93-48DC-A39A-C9D98DADA7A5.

Another option: If you have Service Pack 1installed, you can safely browse files by usingthe My Computer icon on your Desktop.

Error Message: “Install.exe is not a validwin32 application” or “Setup.exe is nota valid win32 application.”

Translation: This error appears when youattempt to install a program designed to runon older versions of Windows on the new 64-bit version of the operating system.

Solution: You won’t be able to install orrun 16-bit applications on the new 64-bit ver-sion of WinXP. The solution is to obtain a 32-bit or 64-bit version of the program you aretrying to install. In some cases you can obtain a32-bit installer for the application and then stillrun the older application, even in 16-bit mode.

System Maintenance ErrorsFile and system maintenance errors seem

to fall into two categories: routine errorswith a straightforward solution and morecomplex errors that may be a symptom of amore critical problem. In most cases a systemmaintenance error occurs because you havemoved files and folders around so much andbecause you have installed so many pro-grams that Windows is having difficultykeeping track of all the changes and addi-tions. One routine maintenance task thatmay help prevent problems: run the DiskDefragmenter tool. Click Start, All Programs,Accessories, System Tools, and DiskDefragmenter. The program will perform adisk analysis and then suggest whether youshould run defrag. Just follow the advice of

the program to decide if your disk needs tobe defragged or not. Run this utility aboutonce per month, or more often if you areconstantly adding and deleting files, folders,and programs.

Run the Disk Defragmenter program inWinXP to make sure the operating systemdoesn’t become clogged trying to manage yourfiles and programs.


Most HilariousError Message

Error Message: “STOP: c0000218{Registry File Failure} The Registry can-not load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE or its logor alternate”

Translation: You are attempting toinstall Windows XP on a corrupted oroutdated hard drive.

Solution: This message may cause afew chuckles when you consider thatMicrosoft uses the word “hive” in refer-ence to the core operating system files.It’s funny, considering that WinXP canseem like a beehive of files at times (es-pecially if you start exploring the Regis-try). It’s hilarious, when you start thinkingabout how there may be a few “StarTrek” fans at Microsoft. In the series, theBorg “hive” is the central core of the alienrace. And, incidentally, the solution to thisproblem is not as earth-shattering as youmight think: If you are attempting to in-stall Windows on a corrupted or outdatedhard drive, it’s an error message that’squite helpful. Even if you could installWinXP, crashes would undoubtedlyoccur. Better to just use a new hard drive or reformat the drive entirely. ■■

Use the Disk Defragmenter as a part of your maintainance routine to help stop errors before they start.

PC Errors • 39

Error Message: Unable to start programswith an .EXE extension

Translation: A virus has infected yourcomputer.

Solution: Many of the most destructiveviruses will cause EXE problems. You’ll needto install and run a virus protection pro-gram, such as Symantec’s Norton Anti-Virus2004 (www.symantec.com). Many of themost powerful antivirus programs alsoinclude virus-prevention tools that scanincoming email and can watch for boot sec-tor viruses.

Error Message: “The Target can nothandle this type of document” errorappears when you try to copy a file inWinXP SP1

Translation: This is an operating systembug.

Solution: This error occurs when you right-click a file and use the Send To command tocopy a file that is not housed in the MyDocuments folder to some other location, suchas a network drive. The solution is to use theSend To command from the Desktop. The bugis also quite innocuous: although you will seethe error, the file actually copies over correctly.Microsoft will address the bug in the next ser-vice pack update.

Error Message: “Delayed Write Failed”error when you manage files in WinXP

Translation: You have selected the EnableWrite Caching On The Disk option in yourcomputer’s BIOS or you have used a 40-wirecable to connect a UDMA (Ultra-DirectMemory Access) hard drive to your IDE(Integrated Drive Electronics) controllerinstead of an 80-wire, 40-pin cable.

Solution: You should replace the 40-wireUDMA cable with the 80-wire, 40-pin cable (orbring the computer to a service shop to per-form the replacement). If that doesn’t solve theproblem, you should enter the BIOS (usuallyby pressing the DELETE key as the computerstarts up) and disable the write-caching option.

Using the BIOS on your computer incorrectlycan cause new (and harder to diagnose) prob-lems, so you should consult the manual thatcame with your computer or call for technicalsupport before enabling or disabling any otherfeatures. Make sure that if you do use the BIOSand disable disk caching that you save yourchanges in the BIOS.

Error Message: “Bad Command Struc-ture” error message occurs when youextract files from a compressed folder

Translation: You’ve discovered anotherminor bug in WinXP when you try to ex-tract a compressed fi le but only if you type in a directory that does not exist on your computer.

Solution: WinXP has built-in file compres-sion capabilities. This error occurs when youright-click on a compressed file (with a .ZIPextension) and decide to extract the file.WinXP presents a dialog box where you cantype in the directory for the extracted file. Ifyou type in an invalid destination, you’llreceive an error that WinXP was unable to cre-ate the directory. Microsoft will undoubtedlyaddress this problem in the next WinXP ser-vice pack.

Memory ErrorsMemory errors occur when your computer

runs low on disk space, you open too manyapplications at once, or when the RAM in your computer becomes corrupted.Fortunately most memory problems can beresolved quite easily, just by freeing morespace on your hard drive, adding a memorymodule or two, or closing out of applica-tions. Some memory errors can be resolvedonce and for all by just rebooting your com-puter and waiting for the Autochk programto run, which fixes common hard drive prob-lems. And if the virtual memory paging file(which provides more memory when yourRAM runs low) is overloaded, you can usu-ally just reboot or adjust the size of the pag-ing file. Problem solved!

Of course, other memory problems, such asa corrupted hard drive or corrupted RAM, aremore difficult to diagnose. In those cases youmay need to experiment with a variety of trou-bleshooting techniques, such as removingRAM modules one by one until you find theculprit. In some rare cases, you may need toreformat the hard drive and start fresh with anew WinXP installation.

Error Message: The StgCreateDocFile()function causes an “STG_E_FILEAL-READYEXISTS” error in WinXP

Translation: A memory leak has occurredthat’s related to a core operating system file.

Solution: This is a known bug that occurswhen a program uses the StgCreateDocFile


Most UnusualError Message

Error Message: “Fatal System Error:0x000000a0 (0x00000002,0x00070124,0x00000000,0x00000000)”

Translation: If you happen to own aMicrosoft Sidewinder Game Pad Pro(not the joystick model), you may expe-rience a unique problem. If you justhappen to be running WinXP (asopposed to any other operating sys-tem) and you decide to unplug the USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable while WinXP is starting up, you will see the fatal system error and a bluescreen, preventing you from accessingyour Desktop.

Solution: Microsoft is working on a fixfor this error, but at press time it is stillunresolved. Fortunately, the workaroundis rather simple. Just make sure youdon’t unplug the Sidewinder cable whenthe system is starting. ■■

Memory errors occur when your computer runs low on disk space,

you open too many applications at once,

or when the RAM in your computer becomes corrupted.

40 • PC Errors

core operating system function in WinXP. It’sactually a code flaw that will cause the memo-ry leak, leading to additional error messagesuntil the computer becomes unstable and youhave to reboot. The solution is to obtain theWinXP Service Pack 1, available at www.microsoft.com.

Error Message: “Your system is low onvirtual memory. Windows is increasingthe size of your virtual memory pag-ing file. During this process memoryrequested for some applications maybe denied.”

Translation: You are running too manyapplications at the same time, or there is aconflict with Symantec’s Norton InternetSecurity program.

Solution: If you see this large balloon mes-sage in the lower-right corner of your screen,it’s a good idea to reboot the computer to free

system resources. In some cases, you can justclose some applications to free more memory,although it may just be a matter of time beforethe computer starts running too slow. If youare not running more than just a couple ofapplications, WinXP may be conflicting withNorton’s Personal Firewall program, especiallyif you have configured that program to startautomatically by using the Registry as opposedto using the WinXP Startup Group folder.

For more information about this Symantecerror (including how to configure the PersonalFirewall correctly for WinXP), visit the compa-ny’s support site at www.symantec.com/techsupport and type the following ID:2000040412261536.

Error Message: “System has recoveredfrom a serious error DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL”

Translation: You have corrupted RAMinstalled, the wrong memory modulesinstalled for your computer, or the Windowspaging file is corrupted.

Solution: This error can occur just afteryou install new RAM chips, so the easiest solu-tion is to remove the new RAM (after properlygrounding yourself, either by using a ground-ing strap or touching the power supply). Ifyou’re not sure if the RAMmodules you installedwork with your computer,you can visit Microsoft’sKnowledge Base and lookup article number 65416.

If you know that theRAM should work (forexample, if the modulescame with the computerand have always worked),then you might try in-creasing the paging filesize. First, click Start, goto My Computer, right-click, and select Prop-erties. Click the Advancedbutton and, under thePerformance tab, click Settings. Click theAdvanced tab and, under the VirtualMemory area, click Change. Click the NoPaging File option and click OK for eachopen dialog box. Now restart your comput-er. Open Properties again for My Computerand go back to the Virtual Memory area.Click Change and select the SystemManaged Size option. Click OK to close eachdialog box again and restart.

Adjust the paging file size to prevent virtualmemory errors from occurring.

Error Message: “System restart has beenpaused: Continue with system restart.Delete restoration data and proceed tosystem boot menu.”

Translation: During hibernation, the com-puter accessed memory incorrectly.

Solution: This error occurs on notebooksoccasionally after returning from hibernation,the sleep mode in WinXP. There’s no optionfor returning to the Desktop, so you may loseyour work. Use the option to Delete Re-storation Data And Proceed To System BootMenu, which will cause WinXP to reboot.Microsoft will fix this problem in a futureWinXP update. For now you can set the powermanagement features on your notebook to usestandby mode but not hibernate, but only ifthe error occurs frequently.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x00000074(0x00000003, 0x00000002, 0x80087000)BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO” or“The following file is corrupted:toside.sys”

Translation: One of the RAM modules onyour computer is corrupted or won’t work with

your computer correctly.Solution: If you re-

cently upgraded yourRAM, try removing thenew chips you installed.(Make sure you haveproperly grounded your-self, either with a ground-ing strap or by touchingthe power supply.) If youare using the RAM thatcame with your computer,try removing one moduleat a time and rebootingeach time to see if theerror reappears. If theerror doesn’t occur, re-place the RAM module

that is causing the error.(NOTE: The “toside.sys” error only appears if

you try to boot from the WinXP installation CDas a way to correct the problem. WinXP won’tboot normally or from a CD if a RAM module iscorrupted.)

by John Brandon


Most Difficult To FixError Message

Error Message: “Error 1402. Could notopen key.”

Translation: Microsoft Office 2000causes this error when you try to run theapplication suite on Windows XP.

Solution: There is a complicated fix tothis error message, which involves somedetailed editing in the system Registry(not for the uninitiated). One of the prob-lems with editing the Registry, though, isthat you can do more harm than good ifyou enable or disable just one simpleoption by mistake. Also, you’ll need toknow how to search for a specificRegistry key (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEon Local Machine in this case). Moreimportantly, beacuse Office 2000 is sev-eral versions older than the latestrelease, you may experience additionalerrors while running Word, Excel, andother programs—such as unexpectedcrashes and a constant reminder to reg-ister the software. The best solution is tocall Microsoft tech support and discussvarious options, such upgrading to Office2003 or updating the Windows Registrywith help from the engineer. ■■

Windows XP lets you specify howmuch space Virtual Memory uses.

RS

PC Errors • 41

T ired of cryptic error messages thatinvade your screen and ruin your day,often without providing any real advice

on how to prevent their return? We under-stand. Here are explanations for some of themore common and/or more frustratingWindows XP error messages and situationsthat occur in WinXP. For more detailed infor-mation on these errors, as well as errors anddifficulties that aren’t covered here, visit support.microsoft.com.

Oh, and if you’re as sick of those annoyingsounds as you are the error messages them-selves, here’s a quick and easy fix: Click Start,Control Panel, and then Sound, Speech, AndAudio Devices. Click Sound, And AudioDevices, then select the Sounds tab. At the bot-tom of that panel, under Program Events, youcan assign new, more pleasant sounds (or evensilence) to almost any Windows event imagin-able, including those pesky errors. Enjoy.

General Networking Errors

Error Message: “An error has occurredduring configuration of home net-working on this computer. For moreinformation, see the home networkinglog file.”

Translation: An unknown error hasoccurred during WinXP’s attempt to configureyour network automatically.

Solution: The steps attempted by the wiz-ard, along with notations of success or failurefor each step, are contained in a log file calledHnetwiz.log, found in your SystemRoot,which is C:\WINDOWS by default. You canread this file with a text editor such asNotepad, but the information therein may behard to understand. If you’re forced to turn toMicrosoft for tech support, the log file willhelp them solve the problem.

Error Message: “Windows cannot findfile ‘XX.’ Check the spelling and tryagain, or try searching for the item byclicking the Start button and thenclicking Search.”

Translation: Straightforward is the trans-lation on this one. Windows can’t find the fileyou’ve specified, represented here by XX. Itcould be a network error, a mistyped filelocation or name, or the file could be missing.

Solution: Verify that your network isworking by browsing to another known file.If the network is not working, check cabling andpower to any hubs or routers in the path. If thenetwork is working, verify the file does exist.

Error Message: “An unexpected erroroccurred.”

Translation: This message may appearwhen opening the properties of a network con-nection in the Network Connections folder. It’spossible that Registry settings for the networkconnection may be damaged.

Solution: Click Start, Run, and type regsvr32% s y s t e m r o o t % \ s y s t e m 3 2 \ n e t s h e l l.dll. Click OK and try again to open the proper-ties for the affected network connection. If it stilldoesn’t work, click Start, Run, type regsvr32%systemroot%\system32\ole32.dll, click OK,and then restart the computer and try to openthe properties for the network connection.

Error Message: Many network trou-bleshooting explanations involve theuse of IPCONFIG, an IP (Internet

Protocol) diagnostic utility included in Windows. The utility runs in a command-line interface reminiscent ofthe Days of DOS, and we’ve heardmany users express frustration overthe fact that the command-line window disappears far too quickly tobe of use.

Translation: By default, as soon as a com-mand window-based task finishes, the win-dow closes itself.

Solution: To run a command line-baseddiagnostic tool, click Start, Run, and type inthe appropriate command; click OK. To pre-vent the window from closing itself, prefacethe command with CMD /K. For example, torun IPCONFIG, click Start, Run. Type in cmd/k ipconfig and click OK.

Error Message: “Explorer.exe hasencountered a problem and needs toclose. We are sorry for the inconve-nience.”

Windows XPNetwork & OnlineError MessagesGet Connected & Stay Connected


This error may indicate a missing file, or it may be a symptom of a nonfunctioning network.

42 • PC Errors

Translation: This error may occur, along-side an Explorer crash, in a multitude of situa-tions. One documented situation is when youattempt to map a drive letter to a networkshare, either on the LAN (local-area network)or on the Web, if the name of the mapped toresource is over 300 characters long. A name ofthat length is unlikely with a network resourceon the LAN, but it could easily happen whenmapping to a Web-based resource.

Solution: Install the latest WinXP servicepack at www.windowsupdate.com. Click ScanFor Updates and Microsoft will determinewhat your machine needs. Click an updatefrom the list to install it and follow the direc-tions the update presents.

Error Message: “Cannot load RemoteAccess Service Connection Manager.”

Translation: Attempting to create a newnetwork connection or installing a networkadapter may generate this error message.Certain services that are required for the taskare probably disabled.

Solution: Click Start, Run, type services.msc,and click OK. In the right viewing pane, findand double-click the Telephony entry. If the service is stopped, click Start and change Startup Type to Automatic. Repeat this pro-cess for both the Remote Access ConnectionManager service and the Remote Access AutoConnection Manager service.

Error Message: Various error messagesreference an error regarding “RemoteProcedure Call” after which the computermysteriously shuts down.

Translation: You probably have theBlaster virus.

Solution: Go to www.microsoft.com/security/incident/blast.asp and follow theinstructions to remove the virus.

Error Message: “Not enough serverstorage is available to process this com-mand.”

Translation: Norton AntiVirus or anotherthird-party application may have corrupted aRegistry entry on the computer you’re tryingto connect to over a LAN.

Solution: This fix must be implemented onthe computer you’re trying to connect to, forit’s there that the problem exists, even thoughthe error message is being displayed on yourlocal machine. Warning: This solution requireschanges to the Windows Registry. Do notattempt this if you are unfamiliar with the

Registry editing process, and do not edit yourRegistry without first backing it up. Do not edityour Registry without first understanding howto restore the Registry from a backed up ver-sion. Treat Registry entries as case sensitive.

Click Start, Run, type regedit, and click OK.Use the navigation tree in the left pane tobrowse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYS-T E M \ C U R R E N T C O N T R O L S E T \ S E R -VICES\LANMANSERVER\Parameters andthen look in the right pane for an IRPStackSizeentry. If it exists, double-click it.

If the IRPStackSize entry does not exist, cre-ate it like this: Right-click in a blank area of the

right pane, move your cursor to New, andclick DWORD. Remembering that Registryentries are case sensitive, name the new entryIRPStackSize. Press ENTER, and then double-click the IRPStackSize entry.

Underneath Base, click the radio button toselect Decimal, type 15 in the Value Data

field, and click OK. Exit the Registry andrestart the computer.

Error Message: “Error 2229: An internalerror has occurred.”

Translation: A Setup.exe software installa-tion that uses Windows Installer, when runacross a wireless network link, may fail andgenerate this error message because the wire-less link is dropping data and WindowsInstaller is unable to handle the errors in amanner that allows the installation to continue.

Solution: Go to www.windowsupdate.com and install Windows XP SP1 (ServicePack 1).

Internet- & Email-Related Errors

Error Message: “The page cannot be displayed. Cannot find server or DNSerror.”

Translation: The first part of this messageis found at the top of an Internet Explorer errorpage, the second part at the bottom. There aretwo likely causes. First, the server may notexist. Second, the server may exist, but yoursystem can’t connect to it because your DNS(Domain Name System) server can’t translatethe domain name.

Solution: Try refreshing the page, viaeither the Refresh button on the IE toolbar orthe F5 function key. If that doesn’t work, checkthe URL (Uniform Resource Locator; theInternet address that you type in) to be sureyou entered it correctly. If you’re certain it’sright, you may need to change your DNS server to one that sees more domain names.The standard DNS servers are government-runand translate only a portion of the availabledomain extensions. Go the Open Root ServerConfederation at support.open-rsc.org/serversand follow the instructions there. After you’vechanged your DNS server to one of the more

“open” ones, test the change by trying to viewthe www.atlantic.ocean Web site.

Error Message: “The page cannot befound. HTTP 404 - file not found.”

Translation: The first sentence is typical-ly at the top of an IE error page, while the



The ubiquitous 404 Error messagehas been annoying surfers for a

decade now, with its headache-inducing“The page cannot be found” declaration.Be sure you typed in the URL (UniformResource Locator) correctly. Mistyping iseasy, especially on long addresses. Andremember: Internet addresses use for-ward slashes (/), not backslashes (\). ■■

It’s possible that this error message indicates a corrupt Registry entry; proceed with caution.

PC Errors • 43

second sentence is usually found at the bot-tom, following a page of boilerplate text.Perhaps the most common error message onthe Internet, the 404 error code’s meaning isstraightforward: The file to display that pagecannot be found.

Solution: Check the URL. Common mis-takes are using backward slashes (\) when youshould use forward slashes (/) and mistypedfilename extensions. The most common exten-sions are .HTM and .HTML, but there aremany others, such as .PHP, .CGI, and .ASP. Ifyou have indeed entered the address correctlyand still get the 404 error even though you cansuccessfully load other pages, the file probablydoesn’t exist and you will need to contact theadministrator of that site.

Error Message: When viewing Webpages, you receive error messages denot-ing a “Runtime Error” and asking if youwish to debug.

Translation: The problem is in the code forthe Web pages, not your computer, so there isnothing you can do to correct the actual error.

You can, however, disable these annoyingerror messages.

Solution: From IE, click the Tools menuand select Internet Options. Click the Ad-vanced tab and check the Disable ScriptDebugging entry in the list of options. Nowfind and uncheck the entry that says Display ANotification About Every Script Error. ClickOK. If the error messages persist, close all IEwindows and restart the program.

Another way to slow down the proliferationof IE crashes and error messages is the practice of regularly updating both your WinXP and IEsoftware. You can set your computer to automat-ically keep itself up-to-date (click Start, ControlPanel, and double-click Automatic Updates), oryou can manually check for updates at any timeby going to www.windowsupdate.com.

Error Message: “Unable to establish aconnection with the activation server.Please check your network settings andconfirm that you are able to connect tothe Internet, then try again.”

Translation: WinXP, as well as many otherMicrosoft applications including the Officefamily, require activation, either via theInternet or telephone. If you’re sure that youhave a valid Internet connection, yet you arereceiving the above error message, your sys-tem clock may be incorrectly set, which causesthe connection between your computer andthe activation server to fail.

Solution: Double-click the time in yourSystem Tray at the bottom right corner of your screen. Set your calendar and clock to the correct date and time, click OK, and try theactivation again.

Error Message: “Access was deniedbecause the user name and/or passwordwas invalid on the domain.”

Translation: This is a common error mes-sage when a WinXP attempt to connect to an

ISP fails. Simply put, the ISP computer is stat-ing that your username/password combina-tion, as received, does not qualify for access.

Solution: Remember, ISP logon pass-words are virtually always case sensitive,meaning that “password” and “pAsSwOrD”and “PASSWORD” are three completely dif-ferent entries. Be sure you enter the informa-tion exactly as provided to you by the ISP,including username, password, dial-upaccess phone number, and associated connec-tion properties. Also be sure your CAPSLOCK key isn’t engaged.

Error Message: “The computer you aredialing in to cannot establish a Dial-UpNetworking connection. Check yourpassword, and then try again.”

Translation: This is not an indication of a problem on the ISP computer, but rather anotice that the connection cannot be estab-lished between that computer and your computer using the logon credentials youprovided.

Solution: Verify that you’ve entered yourusername and password correctly, includingthe proper case. Once verified, you may needto turn off the Require Secured Password setting for that dial-up connection. ClickStart, Control Panel, Network And InternetConnections, and Network Connections.Click the dial-up connection in question andclick Change Settings Of This Connectionunderneath Network Tasks in the top of theleft pane. Click the Security tab and verifythat Typical (Recommended Settings) isselected. In the Validate My Identity AsFollows section, be sure Allow UnsecuredPassword is checked. Click the Options taband be sure the Include Windows LogonDomain box is not selected. Click OK twice toexit and try the connection again.

Error Message: “The local policy of thissystem does not allow you to log ininteractively.”

Translation: VPN (virtual private net-work) connections, which allow manyemployees to access their company comput-ers from remote locations, have becomemuch more popular over the past couple ofyears. When attempting to log in to a remotemachine via a VPN connection, you willreceive this message if the remote machine isconfigured to allow logins only from thephysical remote computer itself.

Solution: Ask the administrator of theremote computer to enable remote login byediting that computer’s Group Policy. Donote that many administrators are reluctantto enable this level of remote access due tosecurity concerns.

Error Message: “Error 691: Accessdenied because username and/or pass-word is invalid on the domain.”

Translation: You are unable to connect toyour ISP because your dial-up connectionsettings don’t match the logon settingsrequired by the ISP.

Solution: Several different steps may berequired in order to remedy this situation, andbefore beginning, you should contact the ISPto verify the correct settings. First, verify thatyour username and password are correct,


Most Confusing Error Message

HUH? The “server storage” error cries out for an explanation, especially because it mayappear when the task you’re attempting opening a file, for example has nothing to do

storage in the traditional sense. The most likely culprit is a corrupted Registry entry on theremote computer. ■■

44 • PC Errors

bearing in mind that at least the password iscase sensitive. “PASSWORD” and “Password”are two different words to the ISP’s computer.With these credentials verified, click Start,Control Panel, and double-click NetworkConnections. Right-click the connection inquestion and then click Properties.

Under the Options tab, be sure the IncludeWindows Logon Domain choice is unchecked.Under the Security tab, be sure the RequireSecured Password setting is set to match therequirements given to you by your ISP. ClickOK and try the connection again. If it stilldoesn’t work, ask your ISP to assign a newusername and create a new dial-up connectionfrom scratch.

Error Message: “Modem in use byanother application” or “Port alreadyopen.”

Translation: Another application is usingthe modem and/or the communication portneeded by the modem, or you have a hard-ware error.

Solution: Use CTRL-ALT-DELETE to bringup the Windows Task Manager. The Applica-tions tab will be selected by default, so lookfirst at the list of running applications to see ifan application is running that is likely to use amodem. If so, select that application, click EndTask, and try your connection again. If you getthe same error message, perform an End Taskon all running applications. If the error per-sists, restart your computer. If the error stillpersists, restart your computer again andcheck the Com Port settings in your comput-er’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). If thecom port that the modem needs is set in theBIOS to power an external com port, disablethat setting to return use of the com port toWinXP and your modem.

Error Message: “Windows Media PlayerError C00D10B3 - unable to access thenetwork.”

Translation: This error occurs whenWindows Media Player attempts, and fails, toconnect to the Internet.

Solution: WARNING: This solutionrequires changes to the Registry. Do notattempt this if you are unfamiliar with theRegistry editing process, and do not edityour Registry without first backing it up.Registry entries are case sensitive.

Click Start, Run, type regedit, and click OK. Using the navigation tree in the left pane, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\

SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\MEDIAPLAY-ER\Preferences and click to highlight thePreferences folder in the left pane. Now right-click a blank area of the right pane, select New,and click DWORD. A new entry will be creat-ed in the list in the right pane, and it will behighlighted, ready for you to name it. TypeForceOnline and press ENTER. Now double-click the ForceOnline entry and type a 1 in theValue Data field. Click OK, exit the Registry,and restart your computer.

Error Message: “Error 769: The specificdestination is not reachable.”

Translation: This error may occur whenattempting to connect to the Internet via aPPPoE (Point-To-Point Protocol over Ethernet)connection, a connection type often used withDSL (Digital Subscriber Line) Internet connec-tions, as a result of a disabled network card.

Solution: From the Desktop, right-click MyComputer and choose Properties. Click theHardware tab and click the Device Manager

button. Once the list populates, use the plussign (+) beside Network Adapters to expandthat branch of the navigation tree. Find yournetwork card, which will probably have a yel-low exclamation mark beside it. Double-clickthe network card and choose Use This Device(Enable) from the Device Usage drop-downlist. Click OK, close the Device Manager, andtry your PPPoE connection again.

Error Message: “An error occurredwhile Internet Connection Sharing wasbeing enabled. The dependency serviceor group failed to start.”

Translation: A service needed by ICS(Internet Connection Sharing) is not running.

Solution: Click Start, Run, type ser-vices.msc, and click OK. To enable a service,find it in the right pane and double-click itsentry. Be sure its Startup Type is set toAutomatic and click OK. All the following

services must be thus configured in order touse ICS:

Application Layer Gateway ServiceNetwork ConnectionsNetwork Location Awareness (NLA)Plug And PlayRemote Access Auto Connection ManagerRemote Access Connection ManagerRemote Procedure Call (RPC)Telephony

After verifying and/or configuring Auto-matic startup for each of these services, closethe Services window and restart the computerbefore attempting again to enable ICS.

Error Message: “Windows Media Playeris not configured for the Internet. Beforeyou can use the Media Guide or RadioTuner features, you must be connectedto the Internet. To connect to theInternet, run the Internet ConnectionWizard and try again.”

Translation: Even if you’re already con-nected to the Internet, Windows Media Playermay not be able to “sense” the connection.

Solution: For Windows Media Player ver-sion 9, first try this quick solution. Click theTools menu and select Options. Be sure theConnect To The Internet checkbox is selected.If that doesn’t solve the problem, or if you’reusing an earlier version of Windows MediaPlayer, proceed to the next paragraph.

Exit Windows Media Player and run theInternet Connection Wizard by clicking Start,Run, and typing inetwiz. Click OK and pro-ceed through the wizard. If your Internet con-nection is actually already working, be sure tomake choices in the wizard that match yourcurrent settings. After completing the wizard,restart Windows Media Player.

Error Message: “Internet Explorer hasencountered a problem and needs to



This one’s good for a chuckle. Explorer needs to close. Who cares? You need to getyour work done, right? Oh well, at least the Microsoft Error Authors are polite about it.

They’re sorry. ■■

PC Errors • 45

close. We are sorry for the inconve-nience.”

Translation: IE has crashed.Solution: Unfortunately, there is no uni-

versal cause for IE crashes and, therefore, nouniversal solution. One of the most commoncauses, however, is a software conflict be-tween IE and third-party IE extensions oradd-ons. Examples are the Google Toolbarand the Yahoo! Companion Toolbar, as wellas many other convenience-enhancing tool-bars. If you’re experiencing frequent IEcrashes, try disabling all third-party toolbarsby clicking IE’s View menu, Toolbars, andunselecting any that are checked. If this eliminates most of your IE difficulties, try re-enabling the third-party toolbars one at a time until you find the specific one thatcauses the frequent crashes to resume.

Error Message: “Msimn.exe has gener-ated errors and will be closed byWindows. You will need to restart theprogram. An error log is being created.”

Translation: Msimn.exe is the executableprogram file for Outlook Express, the emailclient included with WinXP. The .DBX filesthat contain your messages may be marked asRead Only.

Solution: Be sure Outlook Express is notrunning. Click Start and Search. Click AllFiles And Folders, and set the Look In field toinclude Local Hard Drives. In the Name field,type *.dbx, and then click Search. When thesearch completes, find a file in a folder namethat begins with C:\DOCUMENTS ANDSETTING\XX, substituting your actual user-name for the XX. Right-click the file and clickOpen Containing Folder. Windows Explorerwill open, already navigated to the appro-priate folder, which will contain a number of DBX files.

Right-click the first file in the list and clickProperties. Be sure the Read Only checkbox isnot checked and click OK. Repeat this proce-dure for each DBX file in the folder. RestartOutlook Express.

Error Message: “Unable to open yourdefault e-mail folders. The .DLL file forthe information service could not befound. MAPI was unable to load theinformation service Pstprx.dll. Be surethe service is correctly installed and con-figured.”

Translation: This error generally indicatesa problem with a profile (which lets several

users maintain separate inboxes in the samecopy of Outlook) in Outlook 2002.

Solution: Go to www.officeupdate.comand obtain the latest service pack for Office XP.

Error Message: “Error 623: The systemcould not find the phone book entry forthis connection.”

Translation: VPN connections can useexisting dial-up connections in order to makethe link between your computer and theInternet, so the VPN can then be establishedbetween your computer and the remote com-puter. When trying to connect to a VPNusing a VPN connection previously definedin Network Connections, the connection isattempting to use a dial-up connection thathas been deleted.

Solution: Click Start, Control Panel, andthen Network And Internet Connections. ClickNetwork Connections. Be sure that a validdial-up connection exists. If not, create one byclicking Create A New Connection underneathNetwork Tasks in the left pane and followingthe resulting instructions. Once the valid dial-up connection exists, right-click the affectedVPN connection and click Properties. Selectthe Dial Another Connection First checkboxand then choose the valid dial-up connection.

(NOTE: If your VPN connection doesn’trequire a dial-up connection, be sure the DialAnother Connection First checkbox is uncheckedand click OK.)

Error Message: Using programs or fea-tures that require an automatic on-demand connection to the Internet(automatic Windows Update and theHelp And Support Center are two exam-ples) may fail to work properly, andmay return any of these error messages:• Internet Connection is Required• To view this page, you must be connected to

the Internet. To connect to the Internet now,click Connect.

• Internet Connection Could Not BeEstablished

• There was a problem in connecting to theInternet. To attempt to connect again, clickTry Again.Translation: The failure-followed-by-

error-message scenario described above canhappen even though IE is able to automaticallyconnect to the Internet as needed when youhave a LAN adapter (network card) and usedial-up networking. An example would be aPPPoE connection in which a dial-up connec-tion uses the network card to establish theInternet connection.

Solution: Click Start, Control Panel, andthen Network And Internet Connections.Click Network Connections and click Dial-upPreferences on the Advanced menu. Choosethe Autodial tab and find the checkboxesunderneath Enable Autodial By Location.Clear all of these checkboxes. Now be surethe checkboxes for Always Ask Me BeforeAutodialing and Disable Autodial While IAm Logged On are both checked. Click OK.

You will now have to manually connect to the Internet, via Start, Control Panel, Net-work And Internet Connections, and NetworkConnections. Double-click your Internet connec-tion and follow instructions. Although the con-venience of automatic connection upon demandis lost, other programs and features that need anInternet connection should now function prop-erly as long as you’re connected to the Internetbefore they’re invoked. Microsoft has confirmedthat this is a problem, so hopefully it will beaddressed in future Windows updates.

Error Message: Every time you shutdown WinXP, you are prompted to dis-connect from the Internet.

Translation: Your Internet connection isbeing shared with other users on the network.

Solution: Click Start, Control Panel,Network And Internet Connections, andNetwork Connections. Right-click your


Most Unusual Error Message

Despite the wording, plenty of people see this error message even though they are infact connected to the Internet at that very moment. No use fighting, though: To make it

go away, you may well have to run the Internet Connection Wizard anyway. ■■

46 • PC Errors

Internet connection and click the Advancedtab. Uncheck the checkbox for Allow OtherNetwork Users To Control Or Disable TheShared Internet Connection. Click OK.

Other network users will still be able toshare your Internet connection when it isactive, but they will not be able to disable orcontrol it from their computers.

Error Message: Certain Web pages fail toload, followed by various error messages,particularly when using shared DSL ser-vice that connects via a PPPoE connection.

Translation: Client computers that ac-cess a PPPoE DSL connection over a networkmay not be configured for optimum broad-band performance.

Solution: Dramatic improvement in onlineperformance can be realized by properly config-uring a computer to match the type of Internetconnection in use. Virtually all of these settingsinvolve making changes to the Registry, a taskthat you should never, ever undertake withoutfirst backing up your Registry and having athorough understanding of how to restore thatbackup should the need arise.

With that firmly in mind, take heart in thefact that there are now a number of easy-to-use“tweaker” programs that vastly simplify thisoptimization process. One popular such pro-gram is DrTCP, available free of charge atwww.dslreports.com/front/drtcp.html.

LAN-Specific Errors

Error Message: “Network path notfound.”

Translation: Assuming your LAN is work-ing, this particular location is not showing upas a valid path on your network.

Solution: If you’re certain the networkresource exists, the most logical culprit is amistyped network address, and slash errorsare the most common. Internet addresses useforward slashes as directory separators, butWindows LANs use traditional backwardslashes just as you use when typing a filepath on your own machine. LAN servernames are preceded by two slashes, like this:\\HomeServer\InkjetPrinter

Error Message: “Server service is notstarted.”

Translation: When sharing files, printers, orother resources from your computer on the net-work, the software service that allows this kindof sharing, the server service, must be active.

Solution: Click Start, Run, type services.msc,and click OK. Find the Server service in theright-pane list and double-click it. If the service is stopped, click Start. Set the StartupType to Automatic.

Error Message: “Spooler subsystem apphas encountered a problem and needs toclose.”

Translation: The print spooling system(which lets multiple users print from the sameprinter by queuing print jobs) can generate aconflict that interrupts the wizard.

Solution: Before launching the wizard,click Start, Run, type command, and click OKto launch a command prompt window. At theprompt, type net stop spooler and pressENTER. Run the wizard. After the wizard hascompleted, go back to the command prompt,type net start spooler, and press Enter.

Error Message: “The folder you entereddoes not appear to be valid. Pleasechoose another.”

Translation: This error typically occurswhen you use the Add Network Place Wizard,signaling that the network location you’veentered is not valid.

Solution: When adding a location inWinXP, you must list both ServerName andShareName in the wizard’s Location box, notjust the ServerName. The correct convention inthe Location box is \\servername\sharenameinstead of the \\servername conventionallowed in earlier versions of Windows.

Error Message: “Could not start printjob.” (Printing to a network printer.)

Translation: Your computer is unable toestablish contact with the print server.

Solution: Be sure the printer is powered onand online. Then be sure it’s properly installedby right-clicking it in the Printers window,clicking Properties, and then clicking PrintTest Page. If the test page does not print, checkall connections. If the test page still does notprint, repeat the printer installation procedure.

Error Message: “Duplicate name exists.The name ‘XX’ could not be registered onthe Interface with IP address XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX. The machine with the IPaddress YYY.YYY.YYY.YYY did not allowthe name to be claimed by this machine.”

Translation: Each computer on your LANmust have a unique name. The name you havegiven your computer, represented here by XX,

is already in use by an existing computer onthe network at IP address YYY.YYY.YYY.YYY.

Solution: Change the network name ofyour computer to something unique. ClickStart, My Computer, and then View System

Information underneath System Tasks. Clickthe Computer Name tab, click the Change but-ton, and type a new name.

Error Message: “User has not beengranted requested login type.”

Translation: The computer you’re attempt-ing to access via the network is not configuredto allow a network login.

Solution: On the computer you’re trying toaccess, not the client machine where the errormessage is being displayed, click Start, ControlPanel, and double-click Administrative Tools.Now double-click Local Security Policy andexpand Local Policies in the left pane by click-ing the plus sign beside that entry. Single-clickto select User Rights Assignment. In the rightpane, double-click Deny Access To ThisComputer From The Network. If your user-name and/or group isn’t listed in this window,you will not be able to access this computerfrom the network, regardless of other settings.If present, single-click to select your usernameand/or group and click Remove. Click OK.

Now double-click Access This ComputerFrom The Network and be sure your usernameor group is listed. If not, click Add User OrGroup, type your username or group name andclick OK twice. Now go back to the client com-puter and try the logon. If still unsuccessful,restart the computer and try again.

by Jerry Hatchett


To give your computer a unique name on the network, go into System Properties.

RS

PC Errors • 47

Windows 98

Although Windows XP is the ver-sion of choice among today’sWindows users, we know thereare still a lot of Windows 98 instal-lations taking place, too. In certain

situations Win98 is actually a viable solutionwhen WinXP is not. For example, there are DOSapplications that have been chugging along foryears, programs that still perform admirablywhen called upon. Many of these applicationsrequire a real-mode DOS environment, andWin98 Second Edition was the last version ofWindows to provide a real-mode DOS prompt.So, with a hearty salute to the workhorseknown as Win98, here we go.

General Installation Error Messages

Error Message: “Warning SU0010 —Setup has detected a Boot Manager parti-tion on your computer. If you set upWindows, you will not be able to useBoot Manager. For more information,quit Setup, and read SETUP.TXT onSetup Disk 1 or the Windows CD-ROM.”

Translation: If you currently have bootmanager software installed that allows you toboot into different operating systems, Win98will probably disable it by making its ownchanges to the hard drive’s boot record.

Solution: Be very careful here. Boot recordchanges can render a hard drive unable toboot, and repairing the damage can be diffi-cult. The best solution is to install Win98 ontoa hard drive without a boot manager installedand then install and configure the boot man-ager. We also recommend going to theMicrosoft Knowledge Base at support.microsoft.com and reading article 289283,concerning multiboot configurations.

Error Message: “WarningSU0011 — Setup has detecteda password-protected partitionon your hard disk. To set upWindows 95 (or Windows 98), you firstneed to remove the password protection.For more information, see SETUP.TXT onSetup Disk 1 or the Windows CD-ROM.”

Translation: The Windows setup processcannot run successfully on a password-protect-ed hard drive or partition.

Solution: Disable the password protection,install Win98, and then re-enable the protec-tion. To disable password protection on newer

hard drives that provide this security feature,refer to the hard drive manufacturer’s instruc-tions. For older machines that offer drive orpartition protection at the BIOS (BasicInput/Output System) level, you will have toenter the computer’s BIOS configuration utilityand look for security settings that can beadjusted. On most computers instructions forentering BIOS setup are displayed on thescreen early in the boot process. Common keysfor entering BIOS setup are DELETE and F2.

Error Message: “Warning SU0012 —Setup detected an OS/2 or Windows NT

file system partition on your hard disk.Files on this partition will not be avail-able when you use Windows 95 (orWindows 98). For more information, seeSETUP.TXT on Setup Disk 1 or theWindows CD-ROM.”

Translation: Hard drives are dividedinto sections called partitions. The most

common partitioning configuration is that ofa single partition that uses all available spaceon the hard drive, but it is also possible tocreate multiple partitions on a single harddrive. The computer recognizes these parti-tions and essentially treats each one as if itwere a separate hard drive. Different parti-tions can contain different file systems, suchas FAT16, FAT32, NTFS (used by WindowsNT/2000/XP), OS/2, and others. Both OS/2and WinNT use file systems that will not berecognized or read by Win98.

Solution: Although a FAT32 partition (thetype used by Win98) can certainly exist on a

Windows 98Installation ErrorMessagesGet Windows Up & Running

Warning SU0010

Warning SU0011

48 • PC Errors

hard drive alongside partitions that containdifferent file systems, Win98 will not be ableto see or access those partitions. If you needaccess to the files on those partitions, youwill also need an operating system(s) capableof accessing those partitions and files.

Error Message: “Warning SU0016 —Setup has detected OS/2 files on yourcomputer. If you set up Windows 95 (orWindows 98), you may not be able touse OS/2. For more information, quitSetup and read SETUP.TXT on SetupDisk 1 or the Windows CD-ROM.”

Translation: The Win98 installation maymake changes to the hard drive’s MBR (MasterBoot Record) that render existing OS/2 instal-lations unable to run.

Solution: Install Win98 first and theninstall boot manager software that will allowyou to run multiple operating systems fromthe same hard drive.

Error Message: “Error SU0018 — Setupcould not create files on your startupdrive and cannot set up Windows.

There may be too many files in theroot directory of your startup drive. Formore information, see SETUP.TXT onSetup Disk 1 or the Windows CD-ROM.”

Translation: The “top” directory on a harddrive, such as the C: directory, is known as theroot directory. Older drives may be formattedwith an older file structure, such as FAT16,that allows a maximum of 512 files or directo-ries within the root directory. You may be soclose to this limit that Win98 Setup cannot cre-ate the files and directories it needs in order tocomplete the installation.

Solution: First, it’s simply bad housekeep-ing to have a large number of files in yourroot directory. Consider cleaning up and reor-ganizing any existing data. Or, if you don’tneed the existing data, you can also reformatthe drive to the newer and more efficientFAT32 file system.

Running Windows Setup from DOS willallow you to make decisions about formattingand partitions. You may have to configureyour computer’s BIOS settings to boot first tothe CD. On most computers instructions forentering BIOS setup are displayed on thescreen early in the boot process. Commonkeys for entering BIOS setup are DELETE andF2. Once you have configured the computerto boot to the CD-ROM, restart and follow theon-screen instructions for Setup.

Error Message: “Warning SU0019 —Setup has found commands in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files that are not compatible with Windows.”

Translation: AUTOEXEC.BAT and CON-FIG.SYS are special startup files that issueinstructions to your computer during the bootprocess. Win98 Setup has found such instruc-tions in your startup files that are incompatiblewith Win98.

Solution: After obtaining permissionfrom you, Setup will create backup copies ofyour existing AUTOEXEC.BAT and CON-FIG.SYS files and then create new ones thatare compatible with Win98. Do note that

if existing software or hardware requiresentries that were in the old startup files, you may have to make changes to the new versions after Setup has completed, inorder to render that software or hardwareuseable again.

Error Message: “Error SU0129 — Setupwas unable to determine your comput-er’s hardware configuration. Setup can-not continue and will now close.”

Translation: This error message occursprimarily during reinstallations of Win98 orWindows Me, specifically during the phase inwhich Setup probes the computer’s hardwarein an attempt to identify it and install the dri-vers needed for proper operation.

Solution: Run Setup again and, when pre-sented with the option, choose Safe Recovery.Also, note the discussion about Error MessageSU0133 later in this article, which may containinformation relevant to this issue.

Error Message: “Warning SU0133 —Setup was unable to determine your sys-tem configuration by using full detec-tion. Would you like to try again usingminimal detection?”

Translation: This error, as well as othererror messages related to hardware detection,or even “freezes” or “hangs” that don’t gener-ate an error message at all, can be caused by avariety of issues, including excessive size ofcertain files, missing files, and hardware that isnot compatible with Win98.

Solution: First, answer Yes to the questionand let Setup try again, with a less aggressivehardware-probing routine. If this also fails,proceed to the next paragraph.

Look in your root directory (C: on most sys-tems) for the presence of a file calledSetuplog.txt. If that file is larger than 64KB,rename it to Setuplog.bak and run Setup again.If the file size is less than 64KB, proceed to thenext paragraph.

Restart your computer and immediatelyafter the POST (Power On Self Test; a startuproutine during which core hardware compo-nents are tested for proper operation, andoften listed on-screen), press and hold theCTRL key. When the Win98 Startup Optionsscreen appears, choose Safe Mode.

Once Windows loads in Safe Mode, clickStart, Run, and then type msconfig. Click OK.On the General tab, click Selective Startup andbe sure the following checkboxes are allunchecked:• Process Config.sys File• Process Autoexec.bat File• Process Winstart.bat File• Process System.ini File

Windows 98

Warning SU0019

Warning SU0133

Warning SU0016

PC Errors • 49

• Process Win.ini File• Load Startup Group Items

Click OK and then allow the requestedrestart. If Setup finishes, click Start, Run, andthen type msconfig. Click OK. Click to place acheck mark in the Normal Startup checkboxand then confirm the requested restart. If thecomputer operates properly, you’re done. If ithangs again proceed to the next paragraph.

Run msconfig again, recheck SelectiveStartup, and clear all the checkboxes exceptone. Restart the computer. If it doesn’t runproperly, you know the problem lies withinthe settings of the one checked startup file.Make a note of which startup file was selected,uncheck it, check a different one, and thenrestart the computer. Continue this cycle untilyou locate the startup file causing the problem.Go to the Microsoft Knowledge Base andsearch for articles related to Win98 and thatstartup file.

If all the above steps fail to yield a complet-ed setup and smooth operation, you probablyhave a hardware incompatibility. Shut downthe computer, power it off, and physically dis-connect the power cable from the computer.Now, disconnect or remove all nonessentialhardware. Reconnect power and restart thecomputer. If Setup completes successfully andsmooth operation follows, shut the computerdown, power it off, remove the power cable,and reconnect or reinstall a single piece ofhardware. Continue this cycle until you findthe offending device. Either replace that devicewith a compatible version, or visit the

Microsoft Knowledge Base to see if there is asolution to the problem.

Error Message: “Warning SU0153 —Drive X, the host drive for the com-pressed Y drive, must have at least Zbytes free to set up Windows. Free somedisk space, and then run Setup again.”

Translation: This computer is using diskcompression to increase available space. The hostdrive X (the drive letter for the host drive will belisted in an actual error message) is the real,physical hard drive, and it must have enoughspace to create the Y drive (again, you would see

a drive letter here in an actual error message),which is a virtual drive that you can use as if itwere a real drive. Clear as mud? Read on.

Solution: Fortunately, hard drive space hasgotten so affordable that there’s rarely a real-world need for a compressed drive.Nonetheless, if you’re working with an oldsystem and you don’t want to install a newhard drive, simply free up some space by

deleting unnecessary files. Note that eventhough you may be installing Win98 to the vir-tual drive, the host drive is where you’ll needto delete files.

Error Message: “Warning SU0141 —Setup could not copy files needed foryour startup disk. You can still continuewith Setup without creating the startupdisk. Click OK to continue.”

Translation: Copying startup files to thefloppy disk failed.

Solution: Although the quickest solution isto skip the creation of a startup disk, this isalso the riskiest path. Try changing to a newdiskette, one without any existing data on it.Be sure the write-protect tab is set to the Writeposition by finding the sliding plastic tab andensuring that it’s closed. If there’s an openspace around the tab, slide it closed. If the pro-cedure still fails, try cleaning out your floppydrive with a can of compressed air. If this failsyour floppy drive may need to be replaced.

Error Message: “Warning SU0151 —Setup could not verify that your

computer has the minimum amount ofmemory (RAM) required to runWindows 95 (or Windows 98). Do youwant to continue with Setup?”

Translation: Your computer has less than16MB of RAM or you have defective RAM.

Solution: Add more RAM or replace defec-tive RAM. The more RAM you have, thesmoother and faster your computer will run.

Fortunately the price of RAM has dropped sig-nificantly over the past few years.

Error Message: “Warning SU0159 —The directory X you specified contains aWindows NT installation. Setup cannotinstall Windows in this directory. Pleasechoose a different directory.”

Translation: The directory you have cho-sen for the Win98 installation, which will belisted in the error message instead of the X,contains an installation of WinNT.

Solution: Choose another directory, andbear in mind that multiple installations ofWindows on the same hard drive or partitioncan cause confusion and difficulty, especiallywhen the installations are different versions.We also recommend going to the MicrosoftKnowledge Base and reading article 289283concerning multiboot configurations.

Error Message: “Warning SU0160 —The directory X which is needed toinstall Windows into already contains aWindows installation. Please choose adifferent installation directory.”

Translation: You’re trying to install on topof an existing Windows installation.

Solution: Unless you intend to install on topof an existing installation for repair purposes (inwhich case, the versions need to be identical),choose another directory, and bear in mind thatmultiple installations of Windows on the same

Windows 98


Error Message: “Error SU0409 Cannot find the X file.”

Translation: Golly gee, we just couldn’t help ourselves.

Solution: It would appear that Mulder and Scully are forever relegated to rerun status. Sad but true. Give it up. ■■

Warning SU0141

50 • PC Errors

hard drive or partition can cause confusion anddifficulty. We also recommend going to theMicrosoft Knowledge Base and reading article289283 concerning multiboot configurations.

Error Message: “Warning SU0167 —The specified directory contains a direc-tory named ‘desktop’ that you mustmove or rename before Setup can con-tinue. For more information, seeSETUP.TXT on Setup Disk 1 or theWindows CD-ROM.”

Translation: The Desktop directory is akey component of any Windows installation.Win98 must create its own Desktop directorywithin the installation directory, and cannot doso if a Desktop directory already exists there.

Solution: Choose another installationdirectory, or rename or move the existing

Desktop directory. Also, note that having mul-tiple installations of Windows on the samehard drive or partition can lead to confusionand difficulty. We recommend going to theMicrosoft Knowledge Base and reading article289283 concerning multiboot configurations.

Error Message: “Warning SU0343 —Setup could not create X. Make sure youspecified a valid drive letter and directo-ry name. Also make sure the directoryname does not conflict with existingfiles on your drive.”

Translation: Setup has tried to create aneeded directory on the installation hard driveor copy needed files onto the installation harddrive, and failed.

Solution: Be sure you specify an installationpath that exists. If you specify D:\WINDOWS as

the installation directory, and there is no D:drive, the installation will fail. Also be sure thatyou haven’t specified a drive/directory combi-nation that contains existing directories or filesof the same names that Windows will be creat-ing during the installation. In best practice allnew installations of Windows should point to afresh, empty directory, where no possibility ofconflict exists.

Error Message: “Warning SU0344 —The Windows directory X you havespecified does not currently exist. Pleaseverify that the path is correct.”

Translation: This is another self-explana-tory error message.

Solution: Be sure you typed the path correct-ly. One common mistake when entering pathson a local drive is the use of forward slashes (/)

instead of the correct backslash (\) that is alwaysused when referring to a local drive and path.

Error Message: “Error SU0350 — Setupwas unable to display the Nondisclo-sure Agreement. Setup will now close.”

Translation: Being low on memory cangenerate this error or there may be an actualproblem with your License.txt file.

Solution: Restart the computer and runSetup again. If it fails again, proceed to thenext paragraph.

Restart the computer. As soon as the com-puter starts to boot, press and hold the CTRLkey until the Win98 Startup menu appears.Choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Onlyand press ENTER. When the commandprompt appears, type the following line, andpress ENTER:

copy c:\windows\license.txt c:\win-dows\help

Press y when you are prompted to over-write the file and then restart the computer.

Error Message: “Error SU0358 — Setupdetected one or more MS-DOS-basedprograms running on your computer.Close your MS-DOS programs, and thenclick OK to continue. Or, click Cancel toquit Setup.”

Translation: Setup cannot run properlywhile DOS-based programs are running.

Solution: Shut down any DOS programsthat are running on your computer and thenclick OK.

Error Message: “Warning SU0361 — AWindows registry file was found. IfWindows 95 (or Windows 98) isinstalled in another directory, continu-ing with Setup will disable it. Do youwant to continue?”

Translation: Setup has found whatappears to be an existing Windows installationin a different directory on the hard drive andwants you to understand that the new installa-tion is going to disable the old one.

Solution: Multiple installations of Windowson the same partition can lead to confusion anddifficulty. Consider installing to a differenthard drive, or use a nondestructive partitionmanager to create a new partition for the newinstallation. We also recommend going to theMicrosoft Knowledge Base and reading article289283 concerning multiboot configurations.

Error Message: “Warning SU0366 —This option disables some of the com-mands in your AUTOEXEC.BAT andCONFIG.SYS files to ensure thatWindows 95 (or Windows 98) installscorrectly and uses the fastest drivers.”

Translation: AUTOEXEC.BAT and CON-FIG.SYS are special startup files that issueinstructions to your computer during the bootprocess. Setup is warning you that changes areabout to be made to your startup files.

Solution: No action is required. Setup willmake the needed changes to the files, but youshould be aware that existing software ordevices may not function properly after thosechanges are made.

Error Message: “Error SU0515 — Setupwas unable to configure your network

Windows 98

Warning SU0167

Error SU0515

Error SU0350

PC Errors • 51

components. To continue without net-work support, click Yes. To quit Setup,click No.”

Translation: During Win98 installation,Setup probes your hardware, including net-work adapters, and attempts to configure yournetwork automatically. This attempt has failed.

Solution: Click Yes, allow Setup to com-plete the installation, and then use Win98’sNetwork Troubleshooter.

Error Message: “Warning SU0516 —Setup ran into problems while trying toset up the following device on yourcomputer: X

Setup will attempt to install thisdevice later. If problems persist, runSetup again and choose Safe Recoverywhen prompted. Click OK to continue.”

Translation: During Win98 installation,Setup probes your hardware and attempts toinstall all drivers needed in order for yourhardware to function. This attempt has failedon one particular hardware device, the nameof which will replace the X in the actual errormessage.

Solution: If the device is nonessential, shutdown the computer, disconnect the powercable, and remove the device. Restart the com-puter and run Setup again. After completingSetup, shut down the computer, disconnect thepower cable, and reinstall the device, follow-ing manufacturer instructions.

Error Message: “SU5038 — Error incommand line.”

Translation: When it is run from a DOScommand prompt, Setup can be configured tohandle a number of installation tasks automat-ically, without requiring the user to answerquestions throughout the process. An incorrectoption has been specified.

Solution: To obtain the correct command-line option in DOS, go to the directory whereSetup.exe resides, type setup.exe /?, and pressENTER.

Error Message: “There is a crosslinkedfile on drive X. Please run SCAN-DISK.EXE from Setup disk 1 or theWindows CD-ROM to fix the problem.Setup cannot continue.”

Translation: Setup has encountered a diskerror on the installation hard drive (X) thatmust be corrected before Setup can proceed.

Solution: From a DOS command prompt,type y, substituting the actual drive letter for

the CD-ROM drive that contains the Win98Setup disk, and press Enter. Now type scan-disk and press ENTER. Follow on-screenprogress and interact with any user prompts asneeded. Once Scandisk has repaired the driveerror, run Setup again.

You may use an alternate disk repair utility,such as Norton Disk Doctor, if you prefer. Torun the DOS version of Norton Disk Doctor,navigate to the directory that containsNDD.EXE, type ndd, and press ENTER. As

with Scandisk, monitor the on-screen progressand interact through user prompts as neededto complete the operation.

Error Message: “A Product Identifica-tion Number is required to set upWindows 95 (or Windows 98).”

Translation: Win98 installation requiresentry of the 25-character product key thatcame with the setup disc.

Solution: When requested, enter the 25-character product key and press ENTER.

Error Message: “Warning SU0409 —Windows Setup was unable to updateyour system files. This may be causedby virus detection that is built in to yourcomputer, or by virus detection softwarerunning on your computer.”

Translation: Antivirus software hasdetected Setup’s attempts to modify systemfiles, has interpreted those attempts as mali-cious, and has prevented Setup from beingable to carry out the necessary modifications.

Solution: Before attempting a Win98installation, whether a fresh installation orupgrade, disable any antivirus software thatis running. In upgrade situations you shouldbe able to run the antivirus software from theexisting version of Windows and turn off theantivirus protection.

Also note, however, that some antivirus pack-ages also run outside the Windows environ-ment. Some run in DOS, checking boot recordsduring the earliest part of the boot process.Some are even configured with the computer’s

Windows 98

Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: “Warning SU0362

It is not recommended that Setup continue without the proper amount of disk space free. If you continue, Setup may run out of disk space and not complete successfully.”

Translation: Win98 Setup will perform a check to be sure your hard drive is working properly and has enough free space for the install. And if, by chance, the hard drive doesn’t have enough free space, Setup may give you the option to continue the install anyway. Why? We don’t know.

Solution: If you don’t have enough drive space, abort the installation and create the needed space. Run Setup again. ■■

There is a crosslinked file on drive X

Warning SU0409

52 • PC Errors

BIOS setup utility so that they run immediatelyafter the computer’s POST routine runs.

Before running Setup, locate and disable allinstances of antivirus protection on your com-puter. After completing the Win98 installation,be sure to re-enable the protection. You may ormay not be required to get updated versions ofthe antivirus software, but we highly recom-mend the use of good antivirus protection inthis virus-laden era.

Upgrade-Specific Error Messages

Error Message: “Warning SU0164 —Setup cannot upgrade the version ofWindows in X, because you are runningWindows from a different directory.Please choose a different directory.”

Translation: You are trying to install aWin98 upgrade into a different directory, X(the directory name will be specified in theactual error message), from the currentlyactive Win95 installation.

Solution: Change the Win98 upgradeinstallation directory to the directory wherethe instance of Win95 that is currently activeis installed.

Or, you can run Setup from DOS and spec-ify a directory other than the one in whichthe currently active Win95 installation is

located. To run Setup from DOS, you mayhave to configure your computer’s BIOS set-tings to boot first to the CD. On most com-puters instructions for entering BIOS setupare displayed on the screen early in the bootprocess. Common keys for entering BIOSsetup are DELETE and F2. Once you haveconfigured the computer to boot to the CD-ROM, restart and follow the on-screeninstructions for Setup.

Error Message: “Warning SU0168 —Your computer already has an operating

system installed, which cannot beupgraded by this version of Setup.”

Translation: Setup has found an existingoperating system on your computer, but thatoperating system is not eligible for theupgrade you’re trying to install.

Solution: Obtain an upgrade disc that isvalid as an upgrade path from your currentoperating system. If you believe this toalready be the case, contact Microsoft’s customer support.

Error Message: “Warning SU0346 —Setup cannot upgrade Windows. Thedirectory X does not contain a validWindows installation. Please specifyanother directory.”

Translation: Setup will only run from aWin98 upgrade disc if the computer alreadycontains an operating system that is eligiblefor upgrade to Win98, namely, a valid lower-version Windows installation. For example,you can install a Win98 upgrade on a comput-

er that contains a valid installation of Win95,but you cannot install that same disc onto acomputer that contains only an MS-DOSoperating system.

Solution: Obtain an upgrade disc that isvalid as an upgrade path from your currentoperating system. If you believe this toalready be the case, contact Microsoft’s customer support.

Error Message: “Warning SU0139 —The directory you specified contains aversion of Windows with a different

character set. Setup cannot upgrade this version. Please choose a differentdirectory.”

Translation: You are most likely attempt-ing to upgrade a foreign-language version of Windows.

Solution: If the foreign-language version ofWindows is the one you need, obtain a Win98upgrade disc in that language. If StandardEnglish is what you want, choose a new, freshinstallation directory.

Error Message: “Error SU0013 — Setupcould not create files on your startupdrive and cannot set up Windows. If youhave HPFS or Windows NT file system,you must create an MS-DOS boot parti-tion. If you have LANtastic server orSuperStor compression, disable itbefore running Setup. See SETUP.TXTon Setup Disk 1 or the Windows CD-ROM.”

Translation: Hard drives are divided intosections called partitions. The most commonpartitioning configuration is that of a singlepartition that uses all available space on thehard drive, but it is also possible to create mul-tiple partitions on a single hard drive. The com-puter recognizes these partitions and essential-ly treats each one as if it were a separate harddrive. Different partitions can contain differentfile systems, such as FAT16, FAT32, NTFS(used by WinNT/2000/XP), OS/2, and others.Both OS/2 and WinNT use file systems thatwill not be recognized or read by Win98. Thiserror message indicates that the installationhard drive contains other partition types, butno FAT32 partition as required by Win98.

Solution: You must create a FAT32 parti-tion on your hard drive. The simplest way is toboot directly to the Win98 Setup CD-ROM andlet Setup handle creation of the needed parti-tion. You may have to configure your comput-er’s BIOS settings to boot first to the CD. Onmost computers, instructions for entering BIOSsetup are displayed on the screen early in theboot process. Common keys for entering BIOSsetup are DELETE and F2.

by Jerry Hatchett

Windows 98

RS

Most Frustrating Error MessageError Message: “An unknown error has occurred.”

Translation: We’re good, but we’re not that good.

Solution: When all else fails, reboot and try again. ■■

Warning SU0168

PC Errors • 53

Starting up and shutting down Windows98 can be a harrowing experience. Win-dows attempts to connect to its various

files, devices, and processes at startup and if itfinds problems, generates error messages thatare generally less than self-explanatory. Thesame can happen when Windows attempts toshut down. Here is a collection of the errormessages that can show up at startup andshutdown, along with their explanations, andpossible solutions.

Fatal Exception Errors

Error Message: “A fatal exception XX hasoccurred at xxxx:xxxxxxxx”

Translation: You may see this error whenyou shut down your computer, start it up, oreven when you start a program. XX indicatesthe error number, while xxxx:xxxxxxxx indi-cates the code segment.

Solution: “Clean boot” your computer (startyour computer with a minimal set of files). Ifyou’ve worked with Win98 for some length oftime, you’ve undoubtedly seen a fatal exceptionerror. There can be many causes for this type oferror, but the first step is to narrow the focus bytrying a clean boot of your computer.

Error Message: “A Fatal Exception 0E HasOccurred at 0028:<XXXXXXXX> in VXDSYMEvent(02)+XXXXXXXX.”

Translation: This behavior can occur if anolder version of a Symantec program (such asNorton AntiVirus) is installed.

Solution: To resolve this issue, disable theSymantec Symevnt.386 file by performing thefollowing steps: • Use Registry Editor to delete the following

Registry key, if it exists: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\SERVICES\VXD\SymEvnt.

• Click Start and Run, typesysedit, and then click OK.On the Window menu,click System.ini. On the Searchmenu, click Find. In the Find box, typesymevnt.386, and then press ENTER. Place asemicolon at the beginning of the line thatcontains “symevnt.386.” On the File menu,click Save and then click Exit. Restart yourcomputer. After Setup has finished success-fully, you can reinstall the affected Symantecprogram. If you still have a problem, contactSymantec (www.symantec.com).

Error Message: “Fatal Exception 0D” UsingATI All-in-Wonder Pro Video Adapter

Translation: After you install one of theATI All-In-Wonder Pro video adapter driversversion 5.0 or later provided by ATI, youmay receive this error message on a bluescreen. This can happen under either of thefollowing conditions:• You are using a program written to use fea-

tures of the Windows 3.x 16-bit video devicedrivers that aren’t available in the 32-bit videodevice drivers used in Windows 98/Me.

• You are using a program that installs an olderversion of a multimedia program.

Solution: Contact ATI Customer Care(www.ati.com/support) to get the correctdrivers for your video adapter. To workaround this behavior, follow these steps:Restart your computer in Safe mode. ClickStart and Run, type msconfig, and then clickOK. Click the System.ini tab, double-click the[boot] branch to expand it, and then right-click Display.drv=Pnpdrvr.drv. Click Clear,OK, and then Yes when you are prompted torestart your computer. Repeat steps 2 and 3.Click Select and OK, and then click No whenyou are prompted to restart your computer.

Click Start, point to Settings, and then clickControl Panel. Double-click Display, click theSettings tab, and then click Advanced. Clickthe Adapter tab, Change, Next, and then clickDisplay A List Of All The Drivers In A SpecificLocation, So You Can Select The Driver YouWant. Click Next and then click the ATI All-In-Wonder Pro dated 5/11/98. Click Next, clickNext, and then click Finish. Click Apply andClose, and then restart your computer.

Error Message: “A Fatal Exception 0E hasoccurred at 0028:C001AEEB”

Translation: When you try to shut downyour Win98-based computer with a CompaqFX-series monitor, you may receive an errormessage like this one.

This can happen because the version of USB(Universal Serial Bus) support software includedwith some FX-series monitors isn’t completelycompatible with Win98.

Solution: Get the most current version of theUSB support software for FX-series monitorsfrom HP/Compaq (www.hp.com).

Error Message: “A fatal exception 0E hasoccurred at 0028:C02A0201 in VXDIOS(04)+00001FC9”

Translation: When Setup restarts your com-puter for the last time during Win98 installation,you could get this error message on a bluescreen. This can happen if Corel CD Creator 2.0is installed on your computer. Windows isn’tcompatible with the Cdraspi.vxd file installedby Corel CD Creator 2.0.

Windows 98

Windows 98Startup &Shutdown ErrorsEnter & Exit On Your Terms

54 • PC Errors

Solution: Start Windows in Safe modeMode). Click Start, point to Find, and thenclick Files Or Folders. In the Named box,type cdraspi.vxd, and then click Find Now.In the list of found files, right-click theCdraspi.vxd file, and then click Rename.Type a new name for the Cdraspi.vxd file(such as Cdraspi.xxx) and then press ENTER.Restart your computer normally.

Error Message: “Fatal Exception0E at 0028:c028bac6 in VXDVwin32(05)+0000281a dmistarttimed out waiting for INIT-COMPLETE message fromc:\programfiles\intel\ldcm\win32sl.exe -i -r ia error, ..\..\dmispio.cpp::320 unable to reg-ister with service provider.” or“Microsoft visual C++ runtimelibrary: runtime error! c:\programfiles\intel\ldcm\ci\ia\ciamngr.exeabnormal program termination.” or“dmistart caused an IPF in module dmistart.exe at 015f:00401a0c”

Translation: After upgrading to Win98,you could receive one or more of these errormessages. You could also receive a series of“Invalid page fault” error messages in fileswith the .AC extension. This can show up ifyour computer automatically starts the third-party DMI (Desktop Management Interface)Start utility.

Solution: Contact the manufacturer of theDMIStart utility to inquire about the availabilityof a fix for this issue. To work around this issue,disable the DMIStart utility. Restart the com-puter in Safe Mode, click Start, point toPrograms, point to Accessories, point to SystemTools, and then click System Information. Onthe Tools menu, click System ConfigurationUtility. On the Startup tab, click to clear thecheckbox next to DMIStart. Click OK. When youare prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.

Error Message: “A Fatal Exception 0E hasoccurred at 0028:C00082CD in VxDVMM(01) +000072CD”

Translation: When you attempt to shutdown or restart your computer, you may getthis error message if you are using a Matroxvideo adapter. This issue can show up if youhave an incompatible or early version of aMatrox video driver installed on your computer.The VxD in the error message refers to a virtualdevice driver (a simulation buffer betweenapplications and hardware than ensures that the

correct application gets the correct informationfrom the hardware).

Solution: Download and install the latestMatrox video driver for your video adapterfrom the Matrox Web site (www.matrox.com).

Error Message: “A fatal exception 06 hasoccurred at xxxx:xxxxxxxx. The currentapplication will be terminated.”

Translation: If you press CTRL-ALT-DELETE twice on a USB keyboard in Win-dows, you may receive this error message ona blue screen.

Solution: Don’t do that. Restarting Windowsby pressing CTRL-ALT-DELETE twice causesWindows to halt most processes and should beused only when the normal shutdown process isnot possible. Use the Shut Down command onthe Start menu to restart your computer.

Error Message: Win98 ShutdownGenerates “Fatal 0E” Error Messages withAlps Electric USB Server

Translation: On Compaq computers withAlps Electric USB Server, you may receive a“Fatal 0E” error message when you shut downthe computer. Win98 supports USB, and theAlps server isn’t required, but Windows doesn’tdisable this program during installation.

Solution: Contact Compaq for informationabout an update to correct this behavior. Youcan also disable this software. However, doingthis affects your ability to control some featureson the monitor. To disable this software, clickStart, click Run, type msconfig, and then clickOK. In the System Configuration utility, clickthe Startup tab, click to clear the Alps ElectricUSB Server checkbox, and then click OK. Afteryou make this change, restart your computer.

Error Message: “Fatal Exception ErrorMessage in VXD IOS(04). The currentapplication will be terminated”

Translation: When you start your comput-er, you may receive this error message on ablue screen. This issue can occur if theSb16.vxd file is located in the C:\WIN-DOWS\SYSTEM\Iosubsys folder.

Solution: Rename the Sb16.vxd file in theC:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\Iosubsys folder byfollowing these steps: Restart your computerin Safe Mode. Click Start, point to Find, and

then click Files Or Folders. In theNamed box, type sb16.vxd andclick Find Now. In the list offound files, right-click the Sb16.vxd file that is located in theC : \ W I N D O W S \ S Y S T E M \IOSUBSYS folder, and then clickRename. Type sb16.old , pressENTER, and then restart yourcomputer.

Windows ProtectionErrors

Error Message: “While initializingdevice XX Windows Protection Error”

Translation: Windows Protection error mes-sages can occur under a number of conditions.

Solution: Start Win98 in Safe Mode. If youdo not receive the error message when youstart your computer in Safe Mode or when youshut down your computer from Safe Mode,search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for theerror message code. If you receive the errormessage when you attempt to start the com-puter in Safe Mode, follow the steps listedbelow to restore the Registry. Boot the comput-er from an EBD (Emergency Boot Disk). If youdo not have an EBD, view one of the followingarticles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (sup-port.microsoft.com): • 267287 How to Create a Startup Disk in

Windows• 187632 How to create a Win98 Startup Disk

Follow the steps in the following articles thatcorrespond to your Operating System.

• 221512 How to Manually Restore the Win98Registry

Or, if your computer is a Plug and Playcomputer, reinstall Windows by using thesetup /p I command.

Verify that the computer’s CMOS (comple-mentary metal-oxide semiconductor) settingsare correct. For information about how tochange CMOS settings on your computer,view the computer’s documentation or contactthe computer manufacturer.

Windows 98

Fatal Exception Error

PC Errors • 55

Error Message: “Windows ProtectionError,” or your computer may stop re-sponding (hang) while displaying the“Windows is Shutting Down” message.

Translation: When you try to shut down acomputer that is running Win98 and the floppydrive light is on, you may experience one ormore of these symptoms. Your antivirus pro-gram is causing the computer to stop respond-ing when you shut down.

Solution: Contact the manufacturer of yourantivirus program to inquire about the availabil-ity of a fix for this issue.

To work around this issue, configure yourantivirus program not to scan floppy disk driveswhen you shut down your computer.

File Missing Or Damaged

Error Message: “The Windows registry orSYSTEM.INI file refers to thisdevice file, but the device file nolonger exists. A Windows virtualdevice driver (VxD) referenced inthe System.ini file or registry ismissing or damaged.”

Translation: At startup, you mayreceive the error message stating a fileis missing. (NOTE: The specific file maynot be named.)

This error message can occur foreither of the following reasons: • One of the StaticVxD values in the

Registry contains invalid data. Forexample, the value is blank or con-tains only spaces. In this case, themissing device driver is not namedin the error message. Solution: Follow each step below until you

don’t get the error any longer: • If you have recently removed a program or

component, reinstall the program or compo-nent, and then run the uninstall tool, if one isavailable. If no uninstall tool is available forthe program or component, contact the manu-facturer to obtain instructions on uninstalling.

• If the missing device driver has a .386 exten-sion, disable the line referring to this devicedriver in the System.ini file by placing asemicolon at the beginning of the line. Forexample, where XX is the file name and theline referencing the missing device driverreads: device=XX.386, change the line toread: ;device=XX.386.

• If the missing device driver has a .VXD exten-sion, it is a driver designed for use withWin98 and is referenced in the Registry. In

most cases, a program or component withdrivers designed for use with Win98 will alsobe listed in the Add/Remove Programs toolin Control Panel. Following the instructionsin the first step should correct the problem.

• If the error message still occurs after follow-ing the instructions above, or it does notapply, extract the missing file from the Win98CD-ROM as follows: Click Start, point toPrograms, point to Accessories, point toSystem Tools, and then click System Infor-mation. On the Tools menu, click System FileChecker. Click Extract One File From Instal-lation Disk, type the name of the file youwant to extract in the Specify The System FileYou Would Like To Restore box, and thenclick Start. In the Restore From box, type thepath to the Win98 folder on the Win98 CD-ROM. Type the destination folder in the SaveFile In box if necessary, and then click OK.

Click OK, click OK, and then click Yes whenyou are prompted to restart your computer.

Error Message: “VMM32.VXD Is Re-quired to Run Windows. . .”

Translation: This problem may happen ifthe C:\WINDOWS\System folder is missingor renamed, or if the PATH line in theAutoexec.bat file is missing or does not includethe C:\WINDOWS\System folder.

Solution: Try this first: At the commandprompt, type dir vmm32.vxd /s . If theVmm32.vxd file is not found, you must installWin98 again. If the Vmm32.vxd file is found,note the folder in which it is located and thencontinue with the next step.

At the command prompt, type the followingcommands; press ENTER after each command:

cd windowsren [folder] system

([folder] should be the name of the folder youtook note of.) Restart your computer. If thismethod doesn’t work, try this: Using a text edi-tor (such as Notepad), edit the Autoexec.bat fileand add or modify the PATH line so that itincludes the C:\WINDOWS\System folder. Forexample, add the following line to yourAutoexec.bat file: path=c:\windows\system.

Error Message: “TASKMON caused aninvalid page fault in module KER-NEL32.DLL,” or “EXPLORER caused aninvalid page fault in module KER-NEL32.DLL.”

Translation: When you attempt to start orshut down Win98 or start Windows Explorer,you may receive one of the error messages.

This can happen if log files in the C:\WIN-DOWS\Applog folder are damaged. When youshut down Win98, the Task Monitor tool

attempts to update the log files, andwhen it can’t, the error message occurs.

Solution: Double-click My Com-puter on the Desktop. Double-clickthe drive that contains the Windowsfolder. On the View menu, clickFolder Options.

Click the View tab. Under theHidden Files section, click Show AllFiles. Click OK.

Double-click the Windows folder.Right-click the Applog folder, clickRename, type a new name for thefolder (such as Applog2), and thenpress ENTER. Restart your computer.The Applog folder and log files are re-created automatically.

Error Message: “Msgsrv32 Caused aGeneral Protection Fault in User.exe”

Translation: This error message may showup when you shut down. This behavior canoccur if you have faulty computer hardware or adamaged driver or program, or if Windows’core files are damaged.

Solution: To work around this behavior,you must first determine whether it is causedby software or hardware. If you restart yourcomputer in Safe Mode and the error messagedoes not occur, the origin is more likely to be adriver or program. If you restart your comput-er in Safe Mode and the error message doesoccur, the issue is more likely to be hardwareor damaged Windows core files. Restart yourcomputer in Safe Mode. Test your computer inSafe Mode. If you don’t get the error message,use the following steps with the System

Windows 98

Applications as seemingly stable as Windows Explorer can triggeran error when shutting down Window 98. The program itself is notthe real culprit; you’ll need to look for any error codes that show upin order to hunt down the real problem.

56 • PC Errors

Configuration utility to identify which pro-gram or driver is causing the error message:Click Start, point to Programs, point toAccessories, point to System Tools, and thenclick System Information. On the Tools menu,click System Configuration Utility. On theGeneral tab, click Selective Startup, and thenclick to clear the following checkboxes: • Process Config.sys File • Process Autoexec.bat File • Process Winstart.bat File (if available) • Process System.ini File • Process Win.ini File • Load Startup Group Items

Click OK and restart your computer. Afteryou restart and test your computer, if you still donot receive the error message, try the next steps:• Identify the entry that is causing the error

message.• Run the System Configuration Utility again.

Click to select one check box under SelectiveStartup, click OK, restart your computer, andthen test.

• Continue this process until you have selectedall of the items under Selective Startup.

If you select an item and the issue occurs,click the tab for the corresponding SelectiveStartup item, clear half of the check boxes, clickOK, and then restart your computer. Continuethis process until you locate the setting that iscausing the issue.

If you can restart your computer success-fully when all of the items are selected, runthe System Configuration utility, clickNormal Startup, click OK, and then restartyour computer.

Reinstall Windows Errors

Error Message: “Error Loading User.exe.You Must Reinstall Windows”

Translation: You may get this error if theDdeml.dll file is missing or corrupted.

Solution: Start your computer with theWindows Startup disk. Choose Start Win98With CD-ROM Support from the Startup menuand then press ENTER.

Type the following command and then pressENTER: extract [drive]:\win98\win98_xx.cabddeml.dll /l c:\windows\system ([drive] is theCD-ROM drive containing your Win98 CD-ROM and xx is 28 if you are running Win98Second Edition, or 31 if you are runningWin98). Remove the Startup disk and restartthe computer.

Error Message: “Error Loading Kernel.You Must Reinstall Windows.” Then,after you receive this error message,Windows quits.

Translation: You may get this error mes-sage when you start Windows.

Solution: To resolve this situation, extract anew copy of the Kernel32.dll file from youroriginal Windows disks or CD-ROM. To do so,follow these steps: • Restart your computer. Press and hold

down the CTRL key while your computerrestarts until you see the Win98 Startupmenu, and then choose Command PromptOnly. Type the following commands, press-ing ENTER after each line:cd\windows\systemren kernel32.dll kernel32.xxx

• Extract a new copy of the Kernel32.dll filefrom your original Windows disks or CD-ROM to the C:\WINDOWS\System folderby typing extract [drive]:\win98\ker-nel32.dll /l c:\windows\system (where[drive] is the CD-ROM drive containing yourWin98 CD-ROM). Press ENTER and restartyour computer.

Error Message: “Error Loading GDI.EXE.You Must Reinstall Windows”

Translation: Windows may stop respond-ing (hang) when you start up. The Bootlog.txt

file shows a “loadfail” status for all font files.This error can occur if the Fonts folder is re-moved from the Windows folder.

Solution: To resolve this situation, reinstallWindows or boot the computer with a Win98Startup disk with CD-ROM support. (Orchoose Command Prompt Only from theWindows 95/98 Startup menu if you havereal-mode CD-ROM drivers installed or if youhave a copy of the Windows source files onyour hard disk). Type the following com-mands, pressing ENTER after each command: md c:\windows\fontsattrib +s c:\windows\fontsextract /a d:\win98\win98_22.cab *.fon /l

c:\windows\fontsextract /a d:\win98\win98_22.cab *.ttf /l

c:\windows\fonts

Reboot the computer. If the Fonts folderexists, just use the extract commands to extractthe fonts into the folder.

Error Message: “Error Loading GDI.EXE.You Must Reinstall Windows”

Translation: When you start Win98, youmay receive this error message. After youreceive this error message, the computer maystop responding (hang) or restart. This behav-ior may also occur when you start Win98 inSafe Mode.

Windows 98

Most Hilarious Error Message Reload Windows

There’s actually nothing hilarious about having to reinstall Windows, but the recom-mendation shows up quite often in Windows error messages.

Fortunately, reinstalling Windows doesn’t always mean starting over with a newly for-matted hard drive and losing all your work. Reinstalling Windows doesn’t change yourcurrently installed programsunless one of those programs haspreviously replaced a Windowssystem file. If a program does notwork correctly after you reinstallWindows, reinstall the program,but remember that the programmay be replacing one or moreWindows system files.

To reinstall Win98 system files,reinstall Windows from your origi-nal installation media.

Often, using the System File Checker utility (sfc.exe) will leave your Registry set-tings intact.

Alternatively, it may be possible to simply replace a Windows OS file that is damagedby extracting it from the installation CD. ■■

PC Errors • 57

This behavior can occur if you are using aVGA video adapter driver and one or more ofthe following files are missing or damaged:

Vgasys.fonVgaoem.fonVga850.fon

Solution: To resolve this issue, rename theVgasys.fon, Vgaoem.fon, and Vga850.fon files (ifthey exists) in the C:\WINDOWS\Fonts folder,and then extract new copies of the Vgasys.fon,Vgaoem.fon, and Vga850.fon files from youroriginal Win98 CD-ROM to the Windows\Fontsfolder (using the method outlined in the aboveerror message).

Device Failed Errors

Error Message: “VFAT Device Initiali-zation Failed. A device or resource re-quired by VFAT is not present or isunavailable. VFAT cannot continueloading. System halted.”

Translation: You may receive the errormessage on a blue screen when you startyour computer. It can be caused if: theIfshlp.sys file is missing from the Windowsfolder; if the Config.sys file contains a linethat points to a previous version of theIfshlp.sys file; if the following Ifshlp.sysstatement is deleted from the Config.sys fileafter you reinstall Windows: DEVICE=C:\Windows\Ifshlp.sys; if the [Paths] section inthe Msdos.sys file is incorrect; if a Win-boot.ini file from a previous incompleteinstallation is present in the root folder on yourStartup disk; or if a “maxfilecache = 4096” line ispresent in the System.ini file.

Solution: Extract a new copy of the file fromyour original Windows CD-ROM to theWindows folder using the System File Checkerutility outlined in the “The Windows registry orSYSTEM.INI file refers to this device file, but thedevice file no longer exists. A Windows virtualdevice driver (VxD) referenced in the System.inifile or registry is missing or damaged” errormessage above.

Error Message: “Cannot Find a DeviceFile That May Be Needed to Run Win-dows or a Windows application.” Afteryou acknowledge this error message,Windows starts normally, but withoutDial-Up Networking functionality.

Translation: You may see this if you installDial-Up Networking, Dial-Up Adapter, orVirtual Private Networking and then cancel

Setup while the Copying Files dialog box is dis-played. The Dial-Up Networking files are notcopied to the hard disk, but the file names areadded to the Registry. When the computer isrestarted, the files are requested and cannot befound. This is followed by a list of missing files.

Solution: Copy down any of the informationyou have your dialup configurations; it will allbe lost when you reinstall the dialup adapter.

To resolve this problem, remove and thenreinstall Dial-Up Networking. To do so, followthese steps: Click Start, point to Settings, andthen click Control Panel. In Control Panel, dou-ble-click Add/Remove Programs. Click theWindows Setup tab, and then click Communi-cations. Click Details, and then click to clear theDial-Up Networking check box.

NOTE: If you receive the Ndiswan.vxd error mes-sage, click to clear the Virtual Private Networkingcheckbox only.

Click Close, click OK, and then click Apply.When you are prompted to restart Windows,do so.

Click Start, point to Settings, and then clickControl Panel. In Control Panel, double-clickAdd/Remove Programs. Click the WindowsSetup tab, and then click Communications.Click Details, and then click to select the Dial-Up Networking check box.

NOTE: If you cleared the Virtual PrivateNetworking checkbox, click to reselect it.

Click Close, and then click OK. If you areprompted to restart Windows, do so. If any addi-tional protocols are necessary, add the protocolsby using the Network tool in Control Panel.

Error Message: “Your display adapter isnot configured properly.”

Translation: You may see this particularerror message when you start Win98 after a new installation. It can appear for the follow-ing reasons:

• A PCI display adapter or ISA display adaptermay appear as a disabled device in DeviceManager.

• When your computer automatically restartsfor the second time during Win98 Setup, butbefore Win98 is completely started, the infor-mation displayed on the screen may appeardistorted. Even though you may not be ableto read the information on the screen, Win98starts successfully. This can happen if the ISAdisplay adapters may not be detected proper-ly when you upgrade a Win95-based comput-er with an integrated PCI display adapter. Solution: To resolve this issue, verify that

your integrated PCI display adapter is disabledand then reinstall your ISA display adapter. Todo so, use the following steps: • Verify that your integrated PCI display

adapter is disabled. For information abouthow to do so, view the manufacturer’s docu-

mentation included with your integratedPCI display adapter.

• Click Start, point to Settings, click ControlPanel, and then double-click Add NewHardware. Windows should find thenew display adapter and install it.

Error Message: “Hard Disk ErrorsCaused by Damaged Data orPhysical Damage” or “Serious DiskError Writing Drive <XX>” or“Data Error Reading Drive <XX>”or “Error Reading Drive <XX>” or“I/O Error” or “Seek Error - Sectornot found”

Translation: You may receive one of theseerror messages when you are starting orusing your computer. These error messagesindicate either damaged data or physicaldamage on the hard disk.

Solution: To test the hard disk (where XXis the drive name), run ScanDisk. To runScanDisk from within Windows, click Start,point to Programs, point to Accessories,point to System Tools, and then clickScanDisk. Click the drive you want to exam-ine for errors.

Click Thorough and then click Start.Running ScanDisk with the Thorough optionselected examines the hard disk for physicaldamage. If damaged data is detected,ScanDisk gives you the option to save thedamaged data to a file or to discard the data.Be prepared to let the ScanDisk run for a longtime if you have a large disk.

To run ScanDisk from a command promptoutside of Windows, click the Start button,

Windows 98

Some fixes to startup and shutdown problems requireediting Win98’s Registry. Use regedit.exe to first make acopy of your current version with the File/export function,then carefully follow the instructions provided for the fix.

58 • PC Errors

click Shut Down, Restart The Computer InMS-DOS Mode, and then Yes.

Type scandisk <XX>: at the commandprompt (where <XX> is the letter of the harddisk you want to check) and press ENTER.When ScanDisk finishes its initial check, itprompts you to perform a surface scan on thedrive. Click Yes or press ENTER.

If ScanDisk is unable to repair damageddata or indicates that the hard disk has physical damage, you may need to have thedisk replaced.

Error Message: “Cannot Shut DownWindows with USR USB Modem andATI Rage 128 Video Adapter”

Translation: If you connect an external USRobotics 56K USB modem to your computerand install the latest drivers and you have anATI Rage 128 video adapter installed, youmay not be able to shut down Windows andyou may receive errors.

This issue can occur because of an incom-patibility with some US Robotics 56K USBmodem drivers and earlier ATI Rage 128video drivers.

Solution: Install version 4.11.6114 or later ofthe ATI Rage 128 video drivers (available atwww.ati.com).

Error Message: “Problems RestartingComputer with Device Using IRQ 12”

Translation: When you try to restart yourcomputer using the Restart The Computeroption in the Shut Down Windows dialog box,your computer may stop responding (hang).You might experience this on computers witha BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) thatexpects IRQ 12 to be in use by a PS/2-stylemouse port, but instead have a software-configurable hardware device (such as a Plugand Play adapter) using IRQ 12.

Solution: To work around this problem,reserve IRQ 12 in Device Manager, or changethe IRQ for the software-configurable device inDevice Manager. If you are able to upgrade theBIOS in your computer to a later version, thiswould be a better solution.

To reserve an IRQ with Device Manager,follow these steps:• In Control Panel, double-click System. On

the Device Manager tab, double-clickComputer. On the Reserve Resources tab,click the Interrupt Request (IRQ) option,and then click Add. In the Value box, clickthe IRQ you want to reserve.

• Click OK until you return to Control Panel.

Error Message: “MSGSRV32.EXE Causeda General Protection Fault in moduleCM8330SB.DRV,” or “EXPLORER causeda general protection fault in moduleCM8330SB.DRV,” or “Iexplore caused angeneral protection fault in modulecm8330.drv”

Translation: When you shut down orrestart your computer, you may receive one ofthese error messages and your computer maystop responding (hang). This issue can occur ifyour computer uses a sound card or a modemthat is based on the C-Media CMI8330 soundchip. This sound chip is used as the basis forseveral sound cards and some modems.

Solution: Contact the manufacturer of yoursound card or modem to inquire about the avail-ability of an updated driver for your sound cardor modem.

NOTE: You can also try to use the C-MediaWin98 sound card driver version 4.10.00.0152 orlater. This driver is available at www.cmedia.com.tw.

Restart your computer in Safe mode andpress and hold down CTRL until you see theWin98 Startup menu and then choose SafeMode. Click Start, point to Settings, clickControl Panel, and then double-click System.Click the Device Manager tab.

Double-click the Sound, Video And GameControllers branch to expand it.

Click your sound card and then clickProperties. On the Drivers tab, click Driver FileDetails. Check to see that you are using theCm8330sb.drv driver. On the General tab, clickto select the Disable In This Hardware Profilecheck box. Click OK, and then click Close.Restart your computer normally.

Error Message: There is no specific mes-sage, but your computer stops respondingwhen you try to shut it down.

Translation: This problem can occur ifyour computer uses ACPI (Advanced Configu-ration and Power Interface) and the FastShutdown feature is disabled.

Solution: This fix is contained in late ver-sions of Windows Service Packs. Install all ser-vice packs by going to . To work around thisproblem, enable the Fast Shutdown feature. Todo this, click Start, point to Programs, point toAccessories, point to System tools, and thenclick System Information.

On the Tools menu, click System Configu-ration Utility. On the General tab, click Ad-vanced. Click the Disable Fast Shutdown checkbox to clear it, click OK, and then click OKagain. Click Yes when you are prompted torestart your computer.

by Scott Koegler

Windows 98


W indows Protection errors are common for many reasons, as they are a kind ofcatch-all for problems in various parts of Windows.

You’ll see Windows Protection error messages under any of these conditions:

• If a real-mode driver and a protected-mode driver are in conflict

• If the Registry is damaged

• If either the Win.com file or theCommand.com file are infected witha virus, or if either file is damaged

• If a protected-mode driver is loadedfrom the System.ini file and the dri-ver is already initialized

• If there is a physical I/O (input/out-put) address conflict or a RAM address conflict.

• If there are incorrect CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor) settings for abuilt-in peripheral device.

• If the Plug and Play feature of the computer’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is notworking correctly.

• If the computer contains a malfunctioning memory.

• If the computer’s motherboard is not working properly.

• If you installed Microsoft Office 97 and you are using the Novell Client 32 software

RS

PC Errors • 59

When it was introduced, Windows 98was a step up from Windows 95,offering new features, new errors,

and new annoyances. But that was six yearsago; ancient, by technology standards.Microsoft still offers support for Win98, butmany third-party developers do not, whichcreates a troublesome situation for any com-puter user still using Win98. Getting new dri-vers or updated products can be all butimpossible. That much aside, the fact thatsome people still use Win98 makes a clearstatement about the venerable operating sys-tem’s staying power and its ability to per-form as needed in most situations.

But, let’s face it: Few things can be more dis-couraging than trying to figure out a problemwhose solution repeatedly escapes you. Noend of stress and frustration can come from acritical error that crashes your computer everytime you fix it. Win98 was good for its time,but for every good feature it had, there was amajor bug just around the corner waiting to befound; a problem some users still deal withtoday. Fortunately, Microsoft’s Support Centerand Knowledge Base both continue to providesome help in correcting errors and problemswith Win98. Compiling a list of every errorfound in Win98 and how to correct them all isa monumental task, but read on for a variety ofdifferent hardware-related errors that mostusers will encounter sooner or later.

Driver ErrorsComputer drivers are system files that

dictate how a computer interacts with itshardware; these files enable the computer tocommunicate with and control all of itsinstalled hardware. Errors with malfunc-tioning hardware are commonly caused by problems with drivers, so it is important tokeep drivers current and monitor them forconflicts with more recently-installed drivers.

Error Message: “CD-RW is not underDirect CD’s control”

Translation: This error mayshow up if you try to performa write action and you have a Ricoh CD-RW drive andare running Adaptec’sDirectCD software. Your system lacks an up-to-dateAdaptec driver, which preventsit from communicating properlywith the CD-RW drive.

Solution: To correct this error, you needto get a current version of the Adaptec dri-ver. Many of Adaptec’s programs are nowhandled by Roxio, however, so you’ll need tocontact them to get the driver. When Roxiotook over programs in the Adaptec productline, it bundled DirectCD into the Easy CD & DVD Creator software package. All of thismay seem a bit confusing, but the good news is that support for this program hasn’tgone away, it has simply switched namesand locations.

To download the updated driver file forDirectCD, go to www.roxio.com/en/support/ecdc/software_updatesv6.jhtml#A and click the bottom download link. You will need to register at the Roxio Web site in order to access the download, but oncethat is done, run the EXE file that downloadsto your computer.

After all of this, the issue should be fixed.If not, you may want to consider upgradingto a more current product, such as Roxio’sEasy CD & DVD Creator 7.

Error Message: “Error writing to LPTxfor Printer XX, there may be a problemwith the Network or password is incor-rect.” Or when you install a printer,you may not be able to print after yourestart the computer.

Translation: This problem can happenwhen devices have drivers that were loadedinto the [386Enh] (which stands for 386Enhanced Mode, an operational mode inolder Windows versions) section of the

Registry files. According to Microsoft’sSupport Center, the following devices areknown to have this problem:

Cis1284.386 from Canon MultipassLex01.386 from LexmarkLexsw2.386 from LexmarkMpass.386 from Canon MultipassOkiport.386 from Okidata laser printersSumovmi.386 from Panasonic KXP-6100 laser printersVcpd.386Vecpd.386 from Netscape NavigatorHpypeppy.386 from HP

Solution: To fix this problem, you need tochange your system.ini file to correct the waythe devices were entered. To make thischange, open the Start Menu and go into theProgram section. Click the Accessories sub-menu, and you should be able to open theWindows Explorer. Within the WindowsExplorer, click on the Windows folder, andlocate the System.ini file.

Right-click System.ini, and choose to openit with Notepad. (Be careful not to make anyother changes to the file.) Find the [386Enh]section, and then Microsoft Support Centersuggests disabling the following lines byadding a semicolon (;) at the beginning of the line:• DEVICE=<path>\Cis1284.386• DEVICE=<path>\Lex01.386• DEVICE=<path>\Okiport.386• DEVICE=<path>\Sumovmi.386

Windows 98

Windows 98Hardware ErrorsDecipher The Undecipherable

60 • PC Errors

• DEVICE=<path>\Vcpd.386• DEVICE=<path>\Vecpd.386

After making any necessary corrections,save and exit the file. Then restart your computer. If the problem persists, return tothe system.ini file and disable any line in the [386Enh] section that ends in an exten-sion .386.

Error Message: “Spool32 caused an invalid page fault in moduleWNPP32.DLL” when trying to print on a LANtastic network printer.

Translation: This error is caused by adriver problem with your printer, causing acommunication error between your computerand the network printer. It can be caused byeither an error in your real-mode LANtasticdrivers, or your Artisoft Lantnet drivers maybe out-of-date.

Solution: To correct thepossible errors, you need to either fix your LANtastic drivers or you need to get an updated version of theArtisoft Lantnet driver.

To fix the LANtastic dri-vers, you will need to edit theStartnet.bat file in order to dis-able its “net use lptx” statement. To find thefile with the search tool, go into the StartMenu and select Find. Click on the Files orFolders option, and type startnet.bat into theName box. Click Find Now. After a quicksearch, the file should appear in the list offound files.

Right-click this file and select Propertiesfrom the menu of options. If Read Only ischecked, click it to remove the check andallow the file to be edited. Then right-clickthe file again and open the file with theNotepad text editor. Inside the editor, pressCTRL-F to bring up the search tool. In thefind field, type net use lptx and click on theFind button. This should place the cursor atthe proper statement; if it does not, makesure the case-sensitive box is not checked andthe phrase was typed correctly. When youfind the statement, type rem before it to editthe statement out. Save and close the file, andthen restart your computer. (If this changecauses errors, you can easily undo the changeby deleting the newly added “rem.”)

If this doesn’t work, you may need tochange the driver. To get an up-to-dateLantnet driver, you will need to contact

Artisoft. Contact information is available atwww.artisoft.com, though we could not findupdated drivers on that site.

Error Message: “Please insert an audiocompact disc,” or “Data or no discloaded” when trying to run theMicrosoft CD player.

Translation: Your computer is unable toread the CD in your CD drive. This maymean there is a problem with your CD oryour CD drive, but most likely it means thatthere’s a problem with your driver.

Solution: The first thing you shouldcheck in an instance such as this is the condi-tion of the CD in the drive. If there is no CDin the drive, or the CD is damaged or con-tains an error with the data, then the faultisn’t with your hardware; you simply need toreplace the compact disc. If you have multi-

ple CD drives, try putting thedisc in a different drive andcheck to see if the player willread it then.

If everything with the phys-ical media seems to be inorder, it’s worth reinstallingthe driver to correct any pos-sible errors with it . Accessyour Control Panel (go to the

Start Menu, click Settings, and then select the Control Panel). Select the Multimediaicon and click the Devices tab. Find theMedia Control Devicesbranch in the displayedtree and click it to ex-pand it. Then select theCD Audio Device con-trol, and click the Prop-erties button.

From this point, clickRemove and then Yeswhen prompted. ClickOK twice, and you willhave to restart yourcomputer.

When your computerhas been restarted, go back into the ControlPanel (from the Start Menu, click Settingsand the Control Panel). Instead of going backto Multimedia, this time double-click theAdd New Hardware icon. Click Next twice,and choose the option to select the new hard-ware from a list. Select the sound controllersfrom the list and click the Next button. Then,in the list of manufacturers select MicrosoftMCI, and in the list of models click the CD

Audio Device. Then click Next and Finish,then select Yes.

Go back into the Control Panel once againand select the System icon this time. Go intothe Device Manager by selecting the appro-priate tab at the top, and then click the plussign (+) next to the CD-ROM branch to ex-pand its options. Select the CD-ROM drivefrom the available options, and select theProperties button. From there, click theSettings tab and choose the option to clearthe DMA (direct memory access). Then clickOK twice. Now your driver should be successfully reinstalled, which should correct any problems you’re having with theCD-ROM drive.

If none of this worked, however, it is quitepossible you have a problem with the CDdrive itself. If this turns out to be the case, theeasiest solution would just be to replace thedefective drive with new hardware.

System Registry ErrorsThe system Registry files dictate what pro-

grams are installed and loaded upon startup.Errors in these files can cause software to beloaded improperly, and can cause malfunc-tions with different hardware interfaces.Changing these files can be dangerous ifdone carelessly because it can remove inte-gral parts of your operating system. It isalways a good idea to make a backup copy of these files before changing them, and

take care to only makespecific changes.

Error Message: “Can-not find autorun.exe”when trying to ac-cess a hard drive; thehard disk icon in MyComputer appears asa CD drive icon.

Translation: Thiserror occurs when youhave an autorun file in

the root directory of your hard drive.Autorun files are files that cause a CD toautomatically load up and start running a program when a disc is placed in the CD drive.

Solution: Fixing this problem is relativelysimple. All that is required is to find theaffected file and rename it.

The file should be located in the rootdirectory (the very first folder in the drive,

Windows 98

A malfunctioning CD drivecan cause this error.

Use Windows 98’s Find command totrack down critical system files.

PC Errors • 61

which contains all the other folders and fileson the hard drive; typically labeled “C:”) ofthe affected hard drive. To find the file, youcan do one of two things: Search for the filemanually, or use Win98’s built-in searchcapabilities.

To find it manually, first go into MyComputer (go to the Start Menu and click the My Computer icon). Within the MyComputer folder, open the affected harddrive, which should put you in the rootdirectory. In the list of files shown, youshould be able to find Autorun.inf.

To find the file with the search tool, go intothe Start Menu and select Find. Click theFiles or Folders option, and type autorun.infinto the Name box. Click Find Now. After aquick search, Autorun.inf should appear inthe list of found files. Right-click this file andselect Properties from the menu of options. IfRead Only is checked, click it to remove thecheck and allow the file to be edited. Then,right-click the file again and select theRename option. Rename the file to autorun.xand press ENTER. This will hide the file fromany processes looking for it without deletingany necessary data.

When you restart your computer, yourhard drive should resume working normally.

Error Message: Windows does notdetect Some Plug and Play pointers,and running the Add New HardwareWizard does not correct the problem.

Translation: Certain Plug and Playdevices (such as the Microsoft Plug and PlaySerial Mouse, Microsoft EasyBall, MicrosoftIntelliMouse) don’t work with Win98 becausethe system does not automatically recognizethem when they are first installed. This prob-lem occurs because your computer’s Registryfiles still contain entries for a different kindof pointing device, so Windows does notinstall the new ones.

Solution: Correcting these problemsrequires editing your Registry files. Alwaysmake a backup copy of your Registry files(System.dat, User.dat) before editing them,whatever the circumstances.

The first step to correcting your Registryfiles is to save them. Click the Start buttonand select the Run option. In the text box,type regedit and click OK. This will bring upthe Registry menu; select Export RegistryFile. When saving the Registry file, be sure tosave it in a location you are familiar with and use frequently, such as the Desktop or a

folder of personalized documents. Name thefile something meaningful that will be easyfor you to remember, such as Registrybak,and save it.

NOTE: Taking the extra minute to performthis backup before any Registry change, no matterhow minor the change may seem, can save youquite a lot of heartache down the road. We recom-mend that you always back up the Registry beforeattempting any Registry fix.

The next step is to remove the Registryentries that no longer apply to your com-puter’s current setup. The entries to look for, according to the Microsoft SupportCenter, are:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\SERVICES\CLASS\MOUSE\<nnnn>, where <nnnn> is an incre-mental four-digit number that starts at 0000.

If they exist, also remove:H K E Y _ L O C A L _ M A C H I N E \ E N U M \

ROOT\MOUSE\<nnnn> ; again, where<nnnn> is an incremental four-digit numberthat starts at 0000.

Both of the following Registry keys alsoneed to be removed, if they are there:H K E Y _ L O C A L _ M A C H I N E \ E N U M \Serenum

H K E Y _ L O C A L _ M A C H I N E \ S O F T -WARE\LOGITECH\Mouseware

Then go back to the Desktop, right-clickthe My Computer icon, and select Properties.Select the Device Manager section from thetabs above. In the list of system devices,select each pointing device and press theRemove button, and then click OK. Whenyou restart Windows, the system shouldautomatically detect the connected pointersand they should begin to work.

Error Message: “Unable to open port”when trying to use the Angia PCMCIA(Personal Computer Memory CardInternational Association) modem.

Translation: This error occurs becausethe software included with the modem hascreated an invalid entry in your computer’sSystem.ini file (which is an initialization filethat stores configuration data). Correcting

Windows 98

Most Hilarious Error MessageError Message: Win98 reboots continuously or locks up with more than 1.5GB of memory.

Translation: Win98 was never designed to handle as much memory as is commonlyavailable today; 1GB is too much for it and actually causes it to become less stable, evencausing critical errors like a perpetual reboot cycle or simply locking up.

Solution: The easiest solution to this problem is to not install so much memory on amachine running Win98: If your computer’s processor is capable of dealing with thatamount of RAM, you should consider upgrading to a more suitable operating system.However, if you have already invested in the superfluous RAM, and can’t upgrade toWindows 2000 or XP, then there is a solution for you.

If you add “MaxPhysPage=400000” to the [386enh] section of the System.ini file, youwill limit the amount of RAM that Win98 has access to. This intentionally disables the addi-tional RAM, making it even more worthless with the older OS. To make this change, gointo the Start Menu and go into the Programs section. Click on the Accessories submenu,and you should be able to open the Windows Explorer. Within the Windows Explorer, clickthe Windows folder and locate the System.ini file.

Right-click System.ini, and choose to open it with Notepad (be careful not to make anyother changes to the file). Find the [386Enh] section, and add the line“MaxPhysPage=400000” in it. Save the file, close it, and restart your computer. ■■

Tread lightly in the Registry Editor, and alwaysback up your Registry before making changes.

62 • PC Errors

the error involves editing this file to repairthe software’s error. Be as careful with thisfile as you would be with a Registry change.

Solution: To make this change, open the Start Menu and go into the Program section. Click the Accessories submenu, andyou should be able to open the WindowsExplorer. Within the Windows Explorer, click on the Windows folder, and locate theSystem.ini file.

Right-click System.ini andchoose to open it with Notepad(be careful not to make any otherchanges to the file). Press downCTRL-F to start Notepad’s searchtool, and type [Boot] in the Findfield. Run the search, whichshould set the cursor at the[Boot] section of the System.inifile. In this section, locate the line“Comm.drv=” and change it toread “Comm.drv=Comm.drv.”Save and close the file, and thenrestart Windows.

Loading ErrorsLoad processes on your sys-

tem can create problems if theyare in error, as they can loadcomponents of your computer improperly.This can create errors in the way your systemreads from the different drives to which it isconnected. Fortunately, these errors are ofteneasy to correct.

Error Message: “Cannot copy file todisk, the disk may be full or write-pro-tected,” when trying to write data with

an LS-120 drive, despite having addi-tional space on the drive and having itset as write-enabled.

Translation: A file called ‘Pgrmcvsd.vxd’is being improperly loaded from your com-puter’s hard drive, which is preventing thedrive from writing data properly.

Solution: Fixing this problem is relativelysimple, and quite comparable to the “Cannot

find autorun.exe” error above; as with thaterror, all you need to do is find the file that’scausing the problem and rename it. To findthe file with the search tool, go into the StartMenu and select Find. Click the Files orFolders option, and enter Pgrmcvsd.vxd intothe Name box. Click Find Now. After a quicksearch, the file should appear in the list offound files. Right-click this file and select

Properties from the menu of options. If ReadOnly is checked, click it to remove the checkand allow the file to be edited. Then, right-click the file again and select the Renameoption. Rename the file to Pgrmcvsd.x andpress ENTER. This will hide the file from anyprocesses looking for it without deleting anynecessary data

When you restart your computer, your LS-120 drive should resumeworking normally.

Error Message: “InvalidDrive Specifications” afterbooting your computer froma floppy boot disk.

Translation: This problemoccurs when you do not followthe proper instructions for boot-ing from a floppy diskette whileusing a drive-overlay program.The drive overlay prevents usersfrom accessing the hard drive ifbooting from a floppy.

Solution: To correct this prob-lem, you need to load the driveoverlay program before bootingthe computer from the floppydiskette; refer to the manuals and

documentation that came with the overlaysoftware for assistance in doing this.

Hardware Setup ErrorsSome of the most common and most simple

errors can stem from setup and connectionerrors. These typically result from hardwarebeing installed improperly, either in the physi-cal connection or the way the hardware wasintegrated into the system. Plug and Play andUSB (Universal Serial Bus) ports have elimi-nated some of the issues with hardware inte-gration, but in earlier systems running onWin98 they can still be problems.

Error Message: “While initializingdevice vkd - Windows Protection Error- You need to restart your computer”upon startup.

Translation: This means that the key-board failed to initialize on startup, and isgenerally a good indication of a failed pieceof hardware, or possibly a simple connec-tion issue.

Solution: Turn off the computer, and thendisconnect the keyboard from the machinebefore reconnecting it. Be sure to insert theplug securely into the port. If the error

Windows 98

Most Common Error MessageError Message: “The Windows 98 CD was not found in your CD-ROM drive.”

Translation: This error occurs when Win98 tries to update its system files (usually to addor modify a driver) and cannot find the necessary files, either on the system or on theWin98 CD. This error may be as simple as not having the right CD in the CD drive, but ittypically happens when Win98 was installed from a source other than the CD, such as ashared network installation.

Solution: If you have access to the Win98 CD, insert it into your CD ROM drive and clickRetry. If you installed Win98 from a different source, you will have to locate the necessaryfolders manually. Click the Browse button and select the file folder Win98 was originallyinstalled from. If the file cannot be found in either the original Windows directory or theWin98 CD, you may need to contact Microsoft (www.microsoft.com), or the third-partyproducers of your software to acquire the necessary driver files. ■■

Windows Explorer can help you find the System.ini file, which may be thecause of an “Unable to open port” error.

PC Errors • 63

repeats itself, try your keyboard on anothercomputer, and try another keyboard on thatcomputer; if the keyboard doesn’t work oneither computer, then it must be damagedand should be replaced.

Error Message: Setup does not alwaysretain information on your currentmonitor type when upgrading to, orreinstalling Win98.

Translation: When you upgrade toWin98 from Win95, or if you just reinstallWin98, it’s possible that your monitor datacould be lost and your monitor will show upas ‘Unknown Monitor’ in the device settings.

Solution: To correct this problem, youmust manually pick your monitor type. First,go into the Control Panel by going throughthe Start Menu and then the Settings icon.Select the Display icon and click the Settingstab, and click the Advanced button to bringup your monitor’s advanced settings. Selectthe Monitor tab and click Change. Then, inthe Manufacturers box, select the manufac-turer for your monitor and move on to

the Models box. Click the model of the moni-tor you are using and select OK twice, andthe problem should becorrected.

Error Message: “Errorwriting to drive C:”displayed on a bluescreen at startup.

Translation: The com-puter is telling you thatthere is a problem withyour BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). Morethan likely, Windows hascreated a problem withthe IRQ (Interupt Re-quest Line, which allowsthe BIOS to communicatewith the hard drive) by assigning anotherdevice to the same IRQ and creating a critical device conflict.

Solution: One of the ways to correct thisproblem is to disable your computer’s IRQsteering. This will require you to start your

computer up in Safe Mode first, to accessyour system settings.

To enter Safe Mode, restart your computerand hold down the CTRL key. This shouldbring up the Win98 Startup menus, whichgives you a set of boot options for Win98. (If the CTRL key does not bring up the Win98 Startup Menus, restart and try the F8 key instead.)

Select Safe Mode, which disables mostWindows functions but grants enough accessso that users can troubleshoot and fix theircomputers. Your Desktop will load with aminimal set of drivers, which may mean your desktop will look quite a bit different.Don’t panic; everything is still there, butsometimes certain video drivers will notload, which explains the odd appearance ofyour Desktop.

Go to the Start Menu and click the ControlPanel. Then select the System icon and bringup the Device Manager by clicking on thematching tab at the top. In the list of devices,locate the System Devices branch, and clickthe plus sign (+) to expand it. Find the PCIBus device and click it to bring up its details.

Select the Properties button to bring up thein-depth details for the PCI (PeripheralComponent Interconnect) Bus, and click theIRQ Steering tab. The Use IRQ Steeringcheckbox should be selected; you’ll want toclick this checkbox to deselect it (remove thecheck mark). That done, click the OK buttonand restart your computer.

Once IRQ steering isdisabled, the BIOS will beable to assign its own IRQand take precedence overother hardware.

Memory ErrorsMemory is an integral

part of your computer,storing the details andprocesses needed to runits operating system andother programs. If thereis a problem accessingeither your computer’sRAM or its storage de-vices, it may be unable to

load the information needed to run properly.These errors can be mild or severe, from cor-rupt data sectors and bad file information toan inability to run at all. Here we present asampling of common memory errors andhow to solve them.

Windows 98

Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “An error occurred while Windows was working with the Control Panelfile ...\SYSTEM\JOY.CPL” when trying to open the Game Controllers application in theControl Panel.

Translation: This error occurs because a DLL (Dynamic Link Library) file is corrupt ormissing. These files typically contain functions required for applications, although theymay also contain data used by those applications. The specific file in this case isDinput.dll.

Solution: First step in repairing this DLL file is finding out whether it is missing or dam-aged.

To find the file with the search tool, go into the Start Menu and select Find. Click theFiles or Folders option, and type dinput.dll into the Name box. Click Find Now. After aquick search, the file should appear in the list of found files. If it does not, then the file ismissing. If the file does appear, then it needs to be renamed because it is corrupt.

Right-click this file and select Properties. If Read Only is checked, click on it to removethe check and allow the file to be edited. Then, right-click the file again and select theRename option. Rename the file dinput.x and press ENTER. This will hide the file fromany processes looking for it without deleting any necessary data.

Next, you must find a fresh version of the file. Insert your original Win98 CD-ROM. IfWindows setup automatically loads, close the program. Go through the process of findingthe DLL file again, but this time search on the CD instead of the hard drive. Once you findthe file, go into the Start Menu and click Run. Type sfc into the command prompt toextract a file from the Windows CD. Select the option to extract a single file and thenselect Browse to locate the file, or type in the path name for the file if you previouslyfound it. Once the proper file is selected, click OK and follow the directions to finishextracting the file. ■■

Click the Virtual Memory button tofree up more system memory.

64 • PC Errors

Error Message: “Drive converter unableto find the drive partition” when usingthe Microsoft Drive Converter to changea file system from FAT16 to FAT32.

Translation: This error shows up whenyou try to convert at a drive configured usingthe FAT16 file system that starts above the8GB point into a FAT32 drive.

Solution: To fix this problem, you mustremove any partitions above the 8GB limitand repartition them in allowable spaces.Before changing the partitions on your drive,it’s important to remember to back up all ofyour data to prevent the possibility of losingit in a mistake. You’ve heard it before, andwe’ll say it again: Always make regular back-ups of your data, especially when attemptingto fix an error.

To change the partitions of your harddrive, go into the Start Menu and intoPrograms. Select the MS-DOS prompt. Onceat the command prompt, type fdisk. Press Ywhen you are asked whether or not youwould like to enable large disk support.Select option 4, and then press Y to view thepartition information for all the drives avail-able. Press ESC, and then enter 3. Now enterthe letter that matches the last drive listed inthe extended partition. Enter the volumelabel displayed to the left of the drive andpress ENTER. Press Y, then ENTER, followedby ESC twice. Afterwards, press 1 and 3, bothfollowed by ENTER. When prompted to useup all of the remaining space, press Y andpress ENTER. Finally, press ESC and typeexit to finish up. Press ENTER and restartyour machine. After you restart your com-puter, go into My Computer (through theStart Menu, if it isn’t available on yourDesktop) and select the last hard drive. Click Format, select Full, and click on Start tofinish up.

Error Message: Win98 becomes unsta-ble after disabling virtual memory.

Translation: Win98 requires at least16MB of RAM to run steadily (the more RAMyou have, however, the better Win98 willperform). Disabling the virtual memoryforces Windows to use more real memory,which cuts into its minimum requirementsand causes it to run much less reliably.

Solution: There are two ways to solve thisproblem: Install more memory or enable yourcomputer’s virtual memory again. Doingboth of these will also help make your com-puter more stable.

Installing more memory is simple; checkyour computer’s documentation to find outwhat kind of memory your computer uses. A quick trip to the local computer store and a few minutes spent snapping memory modules into place can easily fix severalmemory errors.

To enable the virtual memory on your com-puter, you must restart it and hold down theCTRL key as Win98 loads (or, as noted before,possibly the F8 key); this will send it to theWin98 Startup menu, where you can select themode that Windows boots in. For this fix,select the Safe Mode option. Then, once the

operating system loads, click the Start Menu,and go through Settings to get to the ControlPanel. Select the System icon, and go to thePerformance section by clicking the Per-formance tab. Then click Virtual Memory andselect the option to let Windows manage yourvirtual memory.

Click the OK button and then close the tool.It will prompt you to restart your computer;do so at the soonest opportunity to resolve thememory issue and hopefully make Windowsmore reliable.

by Andrew Stuart

Windows 98

Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: “Setup has detected the following decoding error: ‘Could not decodethis setup (.CAB) file.’ Setup will attempt to recover from this situation, click OK to con-tinue.” Or “Setup (.cab) file error Setup has detected the following decoding error: Setuphas detected a corrupt setup (.cab) file. Setup will attempt to recover from this situation”when trying to install Win98, or Win98 components from the original CD.

Translation: As it tried to install some necessary files, Win98 encountered corrupted,unusable files. Without those files, the setup process may or may not be able to continue.The files usually become corrupted through the process of reading them from the CD-ROM, which can be caused by several different things. There may be a malfunction inyour CD-ROM drive that is preventing the CD from being read properly, or the disc maybe damaged. Your computer may also be overheating as a result of overclocking or amalfunction in the cooling devices within your computer; the extra heat can cause errorsin the way files are decoded, which prevent them from being read properly. It could alsobe caused by a malfunction in your computer’s memory, resulting from mismatched RAMor BUS speeds. Other standard potential problems could also be a factor, such as a virusor an improperly installed piece of hardware.

Solution: The first step in trying to correct this error is to check the CD in the CD-ROMdrive. Remove it and clean it with a soft cloth. Reinsert the CD in the drive and see if thesystem can properly read the files on the CD.

Run a virus scanner on your computer as an initial solution. Viruses can create a num-ber of problems for Windows users, and running a scanner is usually a simple (if time-consuming) process.

If the problem persists, try installing real-mode CD-ROM drivers, which should beavailable on the Win98 Startup Disk. Boot your computer in DOS and run WindowsSetup from the startup disk.

If you are able to access the contents of the Windows CD from within Windows, copythe contents of the disc to new folder on your computer’s hard disk and try runningWindows setup from your hard drive.

If none of these methods have worked, boot Windows through the step-by-step confir-mation mode. To do this, restart your computer and hold down the CTRL key until itbrings up the Windows startup menu. Select the Step-by-Step confirmation method andpress Y to accept each prompt except for Process Your Startup Device Drivers (CON-FIG.SYS) and Process Your Startup Command File (AUTOEXEC.BAT).

If none of these methods correct the problem, Microsoft’s support center(support.microsoft.com) lists several other potential fixes, including some extensive setupmethods. ■■

RS

PC Errors • 65

E ven if they don’t know the names, mostWindows users are familiar with some ofthe more deadly errors commonly en-

countered during routine use: general protec-tion fault, fatal exception error, invalid pagefault, illegal shutdown, insufficient memory,runtime error, and the infamous “blue screen”error. Often, the only way around these errors isto reboot your system and hope for the best.

There is hope, however. Some error messagesare clearly defined, and using resources includ-ed with your computer or support services pro-vided by Microsoft can actually help resolve theproblem. In the pages that follow, we’ll discusssome common Windows 98 errors, what theymean, and common solutions. These are not allof the problems that Win98 can present; howev-er, the steps below can serve as a guide to pointyou in the right direction.

System Maintenance ErrorRoutine system tasks can cause errors. These

errors are fairly innocuous and have straight-forward solutions, and they are also the errorsyou are most likely to encounter. Some situa-tions that can cause these errors are:• Renaming or deleting files• Installing or uninstalling files• Incorrect characters in filenames• General drive errors• Directory errors

Though there are many types of theseerrors, below is a short list of errors and their solutions.

Error Message: “Can’t open uninstalllog file XX”

Translation: This error occurs when youuse Add/Remove Programs from the ControlPanel to remove a file that has already beendeleted. If the log file (X) has been previouslydeleted, the error can also occur.

Solution: Because the uninstallation rou-tine cannot proceed without the log file, youmust manually delete the file. If you still can’t

delete the file, try reinstalling theprogram and then useAdd/Remove Programs to com-pletely uninstall the offendingprogram.

Error Message: “An error occurredwhile trying to remove X. Uninstallationhas been cancelled.”

Translation: If you click a program in theInstall/Uninstall tab in Add/Remove Programsthat has already been deleted, you will get thiserror. Windows may abort the procedure if theprogram is no longer present or has beenrenamed.

Solution: Software in the Install/Uninstallbox is harmless, though it may be a nuisance.You would be wise to leave the software alone,as removing it will require editing theRegistry, which is a tricky procedure. If youmust remove it, back up the Registry beforebeginning. Click the Start menu and click Run.Type regedit and press ENTER. Click Registryand then click Export Registry File. Name thefile and save it on the Desktop. Next, drilldown through the Registry and locate the fol-lowing line of text: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHI N E \ S O F T W A R E \ M I C R O S O F T \ W I N -DOWS\CURRENTVERSION\Uninstall. Theline directly under this is the name of the soft-ware that you want to delete. Delete the linecontaining the name of the file and the soft-ware will be gone.

Error Message: “Unable to create direc-tory.”

Translation: You have tried to name a fileor folder using more than 67 characters whilein DOS mode.

Solution: Start your computer in Windowsand rename the file using Windows Explorer.To access Windows Explorer, right-click theStart button on the Windows taskbar and thenclick Explore. Find the file, right-click it, andclick Rename. Type in the new file name andpress ENTER.

Windows 98

Windows 98Software ErrorsDon’t Get Shut Down

Error Message: “Program does not rununder Windows.”

Translation: Variations of this messageoccur when you try to run a program inWindows that is designed to run only in DOS.

Solution: First, verify the software works byrunning it in DOS mode. Start DOS by clickingStart, Shut Down, and Restart in MS-DOS Mode.Run the software from the prompt to determinewhether it works. Return to Windows. Create ashortcut by right-clicking the icon in WindowsExplorer and clicking Create Shortcut. Right-click the shortcut and choose Properties; on theProgram tab, click Advanced, check the MS-DOS mode box, click OK, and exit. If the appli-cation will not launch because Windows is running, repeat the earlier steps and check thePrevent MS-DOS-Based Programs From De-tecting Windows box and exit.

Error Message: “Error starting the pro-gram. The XX file cannot start. Check thefile to determine the problem”

Translation: A program you have installed(XX) has replaced a Windows file with a file ofits own.

Solution: You must eliminate the new fileand replace it with the old one. Possible filesthat need to be substituted are: Comctl32.dll,Comdlg32.dll, Shell32.dll, Iz32.dll, Version.dll,and Winmm.dll. Copying these files from theWindows/Sysbckup folder is probably the eas-iest way to restore them. Find the old file in thefolder, right-click it, and click Copy. Drill intothe Windows/System folder, right-click anempty area, and click Paste. Now, locate anddelete the improper file in this same folder.

66 • PC Errors

Error Message: “The following systemfiles have been replaced with older ver-sions by a program you recently ran.These files are currently in use and can-not be automatically repaired. Windowsmay not run correctly until you exit andrestart Windows so that the files can beautomatically repaired. C:\Windows\System\XX”

Translation: Software that you haveinstalled has overwritten some system files. Thefile name in the error is the file that’s been over-written. Any erroneous files should be shown inthe error message.

Solution: Rename the overwritten file bychanging the file extension to, for example, *.old.Go to the Windows\Sysbckup folder, find thefiles that correspond to the ones you renamed,and copy them to Windows\System (as in thetip above). If your system has frozen and youcannot replace the file, reboot the system. Pressthe F8 key to access the Startup Menu. ChooseCommand Prompt Only and type cd \win-dows\system, ren XX XX.old, cd \win-dows\sysbckup, and copy XX \windows\system\XX at the command prompt, insertingappropriate file names in place of XX.

Error Message: “Can-not delete: Cannotfind the specified file.Make sure you specifythe correct path andfilename.”

Translation: Varia-tions of this message canoccur when you click a file in WindowsExplorer to open, delete, or drag it to theRecycle Bin. The file or folder may containinvalid characters, even though they may notappear in the filename.

Solution: Create a temporary folder, copythe file or folder’s contents to it and deletethe old folder’s contents by pressing CTRL-Aand pressing DELETE. Restore all the filesexcept the improperly named one to the oldfolder. Use a single-character wildcard ques-tion mark to replace the invalid character (i.e.to rename a file named *eadme.txt, type ren?eadme.txt readme.txt).

Error Message: “Error Deleting File.Cannot delete XX. Access is denied. Makesure the disk is not full or write-protectedand that the file is not currently in use.”

Translation: When you attempt to deletea file (XX) that another program is using (for

example, if you have an Excel documentopen and you try to delete that file usingWindows Explorer) this error will occur.Attempting to delete a temporary file inWindows Explorer while Windows is using itwill also cause this error.

Solution: Close the file that is causing theerror. If Windows is using a system file, reboot-ing your system will release the file and allowyou to delete it.

Error Message: “Cannot find the file X orone of its components”

Translation: If you move, delete, or unin-stall a program or clear a drive of unnecessaryfiles, you may have mistakenly deleted a filenecessary to run the application or load a file.

Solution: Check the Recycle Bin. If the file ispresent, restore it (right-click the file and clickRestore). If not, reinstall the software that con-tains the file.

Error Message: “Drive X contains errorsthat must be corrected before the drivecan be compressed.”

Translation: This error and ones similar toit may be a result of a folder name with more

than 66 characters. DOSwill not allow long foldernames, while Windowswill. Running ScanDisk ona drive (X) using theAutomatically Fix Errorsoption treats the system asif it’s running in DOS.

Solution: Run ScanDiskto determine the troublesome file and deselectAutomatically Fix Errors. Determine the offend-ing folder if the message reappears and renameit. If an application created the name, keep it buttry moving the folder to a temporary locationwith a shorter name. Return the file to its origi-nal location after ScanDisk has completed.

Invalid Page Fault ErrorWhen programs and the Windows operating

system pass invalid parameters among them, anerror known as an invalid page fault will occur.An invalid page fault results when an invalidparameter within a program causes the programto run invalid instructions. The following aresome situations that may cause invalid instruc-tions:• If the virtual memory becomes unstable due

to a shortage of RAM • If the virtual memory becomes unstable due

to a shortage of free disk space

• If the virtual memory area is damaged by aprogram

• If a program attempts to access data that isbeing modified by another running program

The following is a list of examples of someinvalid page fault errors and possible solutions.

Error Message: “This program has per-formed an illegal operation and will beshut down. If the problem persists, con-tact the program vendor.”

Translation: Clicking Details on this errormessage will show a possible explanation,such as “X caused an invalid page fault inmodule Y at Z,” where X is the name of theprogram; Y is the name of the module and Z isthe address within the memory. After youclick OK, the program shuts down.

Solution: Identify when the error mes-sage first occurred. Also, determine if yourecently made changes to the computer; forexample, you installed software or changedthe hardware configuration. Clean bootingyour computer can help you identify thecause of the message. To Clean Boot, followthese steps:• Restart your computer. When the Starting

Windows dialog box is displayed, press the F8 key and choose Step-By-Step Con-firmation from the Startup menu.

• When you are prompted, load the followingitems (if you are prompted to load any otheritems, type n): - Dblspace driver- Himem.sys- Ifshlp.sys- Dblbuff.sys

• Load the Windows GUI (graphical user inter-face), and choose to load all Windows drivers.

Error Message: “XX caused an invalidpage fault in module HHCTRL.OCX at Y”

Translation: This behavior can occurwhen you try to use the Help feature in pro-grams and system tools that are included with Win98, such as WordPad, Notepad, NetWatcher, or Paint. The error usually happensif you are using the Windows swap file andthere isn’t enough free space on the drive.

Solution: To resolve this behavior, unin-stall programs you do not use and use the DiskCleanup tool by following these steps: • Double-click My Computer, right-click the

hard disk you want to clean, click Prop-erties, and then click Disk Cleanup.

Windows 98

When Windows encounters a characterin a file name that is not allowed, itshows this error message.

PC Errors • 67

• Under Files To Delete, click to select all theappropriate checkboxes for the items youwant to delete, click OK, click Yes, and thenclick OK.

Windows Protection Error

When your computer attempts to load orunload a VxD (virtual device driver), aWindows Protection error may occur. Thiserror message lets you know that a devicedriver in your system has aproblem. The VxD that iscausing the problem willoften be mentioned in themessage; however, in othercases you may not be able to determine the VxD thatcaused the error. In suchcases, you should be able touse clean boot troubleshoot-ing to find the cause of theerror message. WindowsProtection errors may resultin any of the following situa-tions:• If a real-mode driver and a

protected-mode driver arein conflict

• If the Registry is damaged• If either the Win.com file or the Com-

mand.com file are infected with a virus, orif either of the files is damaged

• If a protected-mode driver is loaded fromthe System.ini file and the driver is alreadyinitialized

• If there is a physical I/O (input/output)address conflict or a RAM address conflict

• If there are incorrect CMOS (complementarymetal oxide semiconductor) settings for abuilt-in peripheral device such as cache set-tings, CPU timing, hard disks, and so on.

• If the Plug and Play feature of the BIOS(basic input/output system) on the com-puter is not working correctly

• If the computer contains a malfunctioningcache or malfunctioning memory

• If the motherboard on the computer is notworking properly

• If you installed Microsoft Office 97 and youare using the Novell Client 32 software

Below are some examples of WindowsProtection errors and their solutions.

Error Message: While backing up thesystem registry, make sure you have

enough space on the drive for threecopies of the file c:\windows\user.dat.This error should not cause any loss ofinformation, but if space is not madeon the drive you may experience addi-tional problems.

Translation: You may receive this errorwhen you start Windows. It can occur becausethere is not enough free space on the harddisk, or a damaged driver is being loaded fromthe Config.sys or Autoexec.bat file.

Solution: To resolve thisissue, use the appropriatemethod from the two follow-ing methods.• Free additional space on

the hard disk containingWindows

• Identify which drivers arecausing the problem by fol-lowing these steps:-Restart the computer. As

the computer starts,press and hold down theCTRL key until you seethe Windows 98 StartupMenu, and choose Step-By-Step Confirmation.

- Type y at each promptexcept for the Process Your Start-up Device Drivers (Config.sys) and Pro-cess Your Startup Command File(Autoexec.bat) prompts.

If the error message no longer occurs, theproblem is with a driver being loaded fromConfig.sys or Autoexec.bat. Repeat the stepsabove, this time typing y at the Process YourStartup Device Drivers (Config.sys) prompt. If the problem returns, the Config.sys file is

damaged. If the problem does not occur, re-peat the steps above, this time typing y at the Process Your Startup Command File(Autoexec.bat) prompt. Once you have identi-fied the defective driver, contact the manufac-turer of the driver or reinstall the driver fromthe original disk.

Error Message: “Initializing DeviceIOS: Windows Protection Error”

Translation: When you start your com-puter (in either normal or Safe Mode) you mayreceive this message. This issue can occur if avirus hooked the INT21h or INT13h chainbefore Windows is loaded, an unsafe devicedriver is detected, or a protected-mode driveris missing or damaged in the Iosubsys filelocated in the C:/WINDOWS/SYSTEM/Iosubsys folder.

Solution: If you installed new software orhardware, the installation process may haveperformed some action that may be the causeof your computer’s current problem. The samesituation may have occurred if you removedoutdated software or hardware. Try rein-stalling the previous version of the software.Restart your computer and observe whetherthe message is resolved. If the message is gone,contact the manufacturer of the hardware toensure that you are using the most recent BIOSfor your computer.

After you have eliminated the possibility ofa faulty driver as a potential source of theerror, try to restart your computer in SafeMode. You can start your computer in SafeMode by holding down the F8 key duringstartup and selecting Safe Mode from themenu. If you can restart your computer in SafeMode, clean boot your computer to identifythe cause of the error. If you restart your

Windows 98

Most Common Error MessageIn Windows 98, the following is an error that is seen more often than any other and iseasily remedied.

Error Message: “A filename cannot contain any of the following characters: \/:*?”<>|”

Translation: You have tried to rename a file using an invalid character. For various reasons, Windows doesn’t let you use certain characters in a filename(often because Windows uses those characters to denote somethingelse, such as a file path or command switch).

Solution: It’s simple—just rename the file without using characters that Windows says you can’t. ■■

Dr. Watson diagnoses your sys-tem and displays a “snapshot”of your system, highlightingerrors and possible solutions.

68 • PC Errors

computer and the same error message appears,make a Bootlog.txt file and examine it to findthe cause of the error. Restart the computer asbefore and click Step-By-Step Confirmation.Press y and then ENTER, after each line is dis-played. Restart your computer and clickCommand Prompt Only.

Use the command prompt to view theC:\Bootlog.txt file to identify the problem. Atthe prompt, type edit bootlog.txt. Examine theBootlog.txt file for Initcomplete= entries. Eachentry must have a matching initcompletesuc-cess= entry on a successful start up. If the lastline in the Bootlog.txt file displays anInitFailure or LoadFailure message for a dri-ver, write down the drive’s name, exit theBootlog.txt file, press ALT-F, press x, click OK,and then search for the driver. Some virtualdrivers are required for Windows to run prop-erly. If one of the drivers in the Sidebar enti-tled Required Windows Drivers comes up asLoadFailure, try to install Windows into a newfolder to determine whether it is compatiblewith your current hardware configuration. Ifthe driver is not listed in the sidebar, try torename the driver and restart Windows. At theprompt, type dir /s X, where X is the drivername that shows the failure. Type cd path andren XX.old. (XX indicates that the driver nameis typed twice.) If you do not find any unsuc-cessful attempts in the Bootlog.txt file, or, ifafter you rename a file you still receive theerror, try to locate an Ios.log file in theWindows directory. The Ios.log file may helpyou identify a virus or it may contain infor-mation describing why the protected-modedisk driver could not load. If none of the pre-ceding steps work, try to install Windows inanother folder.

General Protection FaultA GPF (general protection fault) can indi-

cate a problem with software or that you needto update a device driver that you haveinstalled on your computer. If the MicrosoftKnowledge Base (support.microsoft.com) doesnot contain an article to address the specificGPF, the Dr. Watson tool included withWindows can help you identify the cause ofthe error message.

Dr. Watson is a diagnostic tool that takes asnapshot of your computer whenever a faultoccurs. The program intercepts faults, identifiesthe faulty software and offers a detailed de-scription of the cause of the error. Starting Dr.Watson will help you catch the error the nexttime it occurs. After using one of the methods

listed below to start Dr. Watson, an icon willappear in the system tray at the bottom right of your screen. Double-clicking the icon willgather information about the operating systemand a Dr. Watson dialog box is displayed.

If Dr. Watson detects a program fault itwill generate a snapshot of the environment.Clicking the Details button in the messagewill allow you to view the information that is generated.• Method 1:

1. Click Start, click Run, type Dr. Watson,and click OK.

or• Method 2:

1. Click Start, point to Programs and Acces-sories and click System Tools.

2. Click System Information, Tools, and Dr.Watson on the menu.

Some examples of GPFs and their solutionsare listed below.

Error Message: “System Busy” appearson a blue screen.

Translation: This error is often accompa-nied by information telling you that a GPF hasoccurred. This almost always indicates that aprogram, or even the entire system, has frozen.Waiting for the system to “catch up” won’tusually help.

Solution: The most common solution tothis problem is to reboot your system. Furtherinstances of this error should be handled in asimilar manner.

Error Message: “Rundll caused a gen-eral protection fault in krnl386.exe”

Translation: You may receive this errormessage when you try to open the Network

tool in the Control Panel. This behavior canoccur if the Netdi.dll file or the Netos.dll file ismissing or damaged.

Solution: To resolve this issue, extract anew copy of the Netdi.dll and Netos.dll filefrom your original Windows disks or CD-ROM. To extract the necessary files from yourWindows disks, click Start and Run. Type sfcand press ENTER. Once the menu appears,click Extract One File From Installation Disk,and in the Specify The System File You WouldLike To Restore box, type <drive>:\windows<path>\<file> (where <drive> is thedrive where the Windows folder is installed[generally C:], <path> is the destination of thefile that you want to extract, and <file> is thefile that you need). Click Start, browse to theRestore From box, and locate the installationfiles. The files are located on the hard disk inthe C:\Cabs folder by default. You can alsoinsert the Windows CD into your CD-ROM orDVD-ROM drive and locate the files in thefolder named Win9x.

Error Message: “Explorer caused a general protection fault in moduleqtw32.cpl at X”

Translation: You may receive this errormessage when you open the Control Panel ifone or more Apple QuickTime for Windowsfiles is missing or damaged.

Solution: Remove QuickTime for Windows.First, restart the computer. Press and hold the F8key after your computer completes the POST(Power On Self Test) and choose Safe ModeCommand Prompt Only from the Startup menu.At the prompt, type the following commands,pressing ENTER after each command:

cd\windows\systemren qtw16.cpl qtw16.xxx

Windows 98

Most Unusual Error MessageThis error packs a double threat; you won’t see it often, and it is relatively serious.

Error Message: “A fatal exception 00 has occurred at X”

Translation: A divide error has occurred. If the processor divides a number by zero in a register, this error pops up. The register is the location where calculations are performed. The error results because division by zero is mathematically impossible. Therefore, your computer forgot how to do basic math.

Solution: Close the message and attempt to continue the operation. If this fails, close the application and restart your machine. If the error persists, shut down the computer, wait at least 30 seconds, and reboot. ■■

PC Errors • 69

ren qt32.cpl qtw32.xxx

After restarting your computer normally,click Start, point to Settings, click ControlPanel, and then double-click Add/RemovePrograms. On the Install/Uninstall tab, clickQuickTime for Windows, and then clickAdd/Remove.

Error Message:“Rundll32 caused ageneral protection faultin module Macw4.drv”

Translation: This errorcan occur if you are usingoutdated or damaged dri-vers for a video adapterwhen you click the Securitytab in the Internet Prop-erties dialog box or youattempt to browse online.

Solution: To resolve thisbehavior, obtain and installupdated video drivers from the manufacturerof your video driver (most have these availableon their Web sites). To work around the behav-ior, reduce your video graphics acceleration set-ting. Click Start, point to Settings, click ControlPanel, and double-click System. Click thePerformance tab, and then click Graphics. Movethe Hardware Acceleration slider to one notchfrom the left (the Basic Accelerator Functionssetting), click OK, and then click Close. ClickYes when asked to restart your computer.

Error Message: “Rundll caused a gen-eral protection fault in module MMSYS-TEM.DLL at X.”

Translation: This error message is mostlikely to occur after you use the Add NewHardware tool in Control Panel if theDrivers=mmsystem.dll line is missing from the [boot] section of the System.ini file.

Solution: Use any text editor (such asNotepad) to edit the System.ini file. Type dri-vers=mmsystem.dll into the [boot] section of

the file. Save and close theSystem.ini file and restartyour computer.

Fatal ExceptionThere are many types

of Fatal Exception errormessages. The BSOD (BlueScreen of Death) often ac-companies these errors.These exception messagesare codes that are returnedby a program in the fol-lowing situations:•If access to an illegal in-

struction has been encountered• If invalid data or code has been accessed• If the privilege level of an operation is

invalid

The processor returns an exception to theoperating system when any of these situationsoccurs, which in turn is handled as a FatalException error message. The exception is non-recoverable in many situations and you musteither shut down or restart the computer,depending on the severity of the problem.

Though this list is not extensive, listedbelow are examples of these exception errorsand their solutions.

Error Message: “An exception 0E hasoccurred at X”

Translation: A page fault has occurred. Anerror is generated if a stack instruction tries to use memory outside the stack. A stack is amemory area reserved for programs to processhardware events.

Solution: Close the message and try to con-tinue your work. If that fails, close the softwareand restart it. If all else fails, reboot the computer.

Error Message: “MPREXE.EXE causedan exception 03h in module USER32.dllat X.”

Translation: This can occur if a program isrunning that prevents Windows from upgrad-ing files on your computer.

Solution: Restart your computer using theStartup Disk A Startup Disk is a tool that willstart your computer from the floppy drive if thehard drive will not start. Create a Startup Diskby inserting a floppy disk into the floppy drive,click Start, Settings, Control Panel, and thenAdd/Remove Programs. Click the Startup Disktab and click the Create Disk button. Onceyou’ve made the disk, restart your computerwith the disk in the floppy drive. On theStartup menu, choose the correct CD-ROM sup-port for your computer and type the followingcommands (where <windows> is the name ofyour Windows folder and <ramdrive> is the vir-tual drive created by the boot disk (probably e:or f:), pressing ENTER after each command:

C:cd <windows> \systemren user32.dll user32.dlxren gdi32.dll user32.dlxren winmm.dll winmm.dlx<ramdrive>\ext.exe

Then, type <CD-ROM drive>:\win98 ,where <CD-ROM drive> is the drive letterassigned to your CD-ROM drive. Typeuser32.dll gdi32.dll winmm.dll, followed by<drive>:\<windows>\system, and ENTERafter each line (where <drive> is the drive onwhich Windows is installed and <windows> isthe folder containing Windows). If the infor-mation shown is correct, type y. Type cd andpress ENTER and then type ren Cmapieng.vxtCmapieng.vxx and press ENTER. Restart yourcomputer and run the defragmentation appli-cation (Start, Programs, System Tools, andDisk Defragmenter). When Ext.exe (the finalcommand you typed) has finished extractingthe files, remove the Startup disk and restartyour computer. Press and hold down the

Windows 98

Most Humorous Error MessageThough uncommon and quite easy to avoid, the phrasing of this error is amusing.Fortunately, it can be quite easily replicated and remedied.

Error Message: “Windows cannot find “search”. You may have typed the name incorrect-ly in the Run dialog, or another open program cannot find a system file. To search a file, click the Start button, and then click Search.”

Translation: Typing Search into the Run dialog in the Start menu has told the computer to look for a file named “search”. Because most computers don’t contain a file named “search”, the system tries to find it and fails.

Solution: Click OK and rephrase the parameters of your Run command. Or, if you’re actually trying to launch the Search feature, click Start and Find. ■■

Changing Virtual memory settings isnot recommended, but it can helpincrease system performance forthe experienced user.

70 • PC Errors

F8 key as your computer restarts. On theWindows Startup menu, select Safe Mode.After Windows starts, click Start, point toSettings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs. Click any utili-ty that you have installed on theInstall/Uninstall tab and then clickAdd/Remove until any utilities you haveinstalled are removed. On the toolbar clickStart, point to Settings, click Taskbar AndStart menu, Start Menu Programs tab, andthen click Remove. Double-click Startup, clickthe appropriate entry, and click Remove,Close, and OK, and then restart your comput-er. In Microsoft System Information, on theTools menu, click System File and Settings; onthe Advanced tab, click Restore Defaults; thenclick OK. Restart your computer.

Error Message: “A fatal exception 06 hasoccurred at X.”

Translation: This behavior can occur if anearlier version of antivirus software is beingloaded from the Autoexect.bat in Win98 orWin98SE Setup.

Solution: Disable the antivirus software byrestarting your computer, holding down the F8 key until the Windows 98 Startup menuappears and choose Command Prompt only.At the command prompt, type edit c:\autoex-ec.bat and press ENTER. Type rem at thebeginning of the line containing the name ofyour antivirus software. Save and close thefile. Restart your computer.

Kernel32.dllThe Kernel32.dll file is a 32-bit DLL

(dynamic link library) file that is found inWindows 95/98/WinMe. The Kernel32.dllfile handles memory management, I/O opera-tions, and interrupts. Other programs will nottake over the memory space occupied by theKernel32.dll file because it is a protectedspace. You may receive an IPF (invalid pagefault) error message, which occurs when aprogram tries to access the Kernel32.dll pro-tected memory space. The error message canbe caused by one particular program or bymultiple files and programs. If the problemresults from running one program, theresponsible program must be replaced. If,however, multiple programs cause the prob-lem, the damage is likely caused by damagedhardware. Clean-booting the computer canhelp you identify the particular third-partymemory-resident software, but programs thatare not memory-resident can also cause IPF

error messages. Kernel32.dll errors can begenerated by any number of conditions,including a damaged Registry, incorrect hard-ware drivers, a damaged or missing TEMPfolder, a CPU that is running too hot, lowdisk space, a damaged Kernel32.dll file, andmore. Below is a list of Kernel32.dll errorsand their solutions.

Error Message: “Mplayer2 caused aninvalid page fault in modulekernel32.dll”

Translation: An incompatible displayadapter or display adapter driver causes this error when you try to play a movie inMicrosoft’s Windows Media Player. Yourcomputer may display a black screen, in-stead of active video content, or simply not respond.

Solution: You must obtain an updateddisplay driver by contacting your hardwaremanufacturer. If an updated display adapterdoes not resolve the behavior, Windowssending information to your video cardfaster than the card can process it may causethe error. This behavior mainly occurs witholder video cards and can be resolved byturning down the hardware acceleration inWindows.

To turn down the hardware acceleration,double-click System in the Control Panel.Click the Performance tab and then Graphics.Select the proper setting out of the four possi-ble Hardware Acceleration settings: Full,Most, Basic, and None. Click OK and restartyour computer. Repeat the procedure as nec-

essary, selecting different settings if you con-tinue to experience the problem.

Error Message: “SmartHeap Library.MEM_BAD_POINTER. This programhas performed an illegal operation andwill shut down. If the problem persists,contact the program vendor. X causedan invalid page fault in moduleKernel32.dll at X.”

Translation: If you:• Have Symantec’s Norton Navigator for

Win95, version 1.0b, installed and running• Have the File Popups and/or Drive Pop-

ups options in the Norton NavigatorControl center enabled

• Display any dialog box as a list of files in one of the programs included withMicrosoft Office 97

• Right-click any file in the dialog box

Solution: To prevent this problem fromoccurring, you must download and install apatch for Norton Navigator from Symantec’sWeb site. The update will be applied the nexttime you restart your computer. If you cannotdownload and install the patch, you can preventthe problem by turning off the File Popups,Folder Popups and Drive Popups options inNorton Navigator by clicking the Start menu,pointing to Programs, Norton Navigator andNorton Navigator Control Center, NortonExplorer Extensions. Click to clear the appropri-ate options and click Apply and OK.

by David Miller

Windows 98

Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: “Cannot open file.”

Translation: This error occurs when you open a file by clicking on the filename on the list at the lower part of the File menu and there is not enough memory available in Windows. It’s not terribly helpful that the error is ambiguous and does not describe why it cannot open the file or how to correct it. A different message can even be displayed, depending on how you attempted to open the file.

Solution: There may not be enough memory available to Windows. You may need to close down programs to give Windows enough memory to run the program or open the file. Another possibility might be to configure Windows to use more virtual memory. To change virtual memory settings, click Start, Settings, Control Panel, and System; go to the Performance tab and click Virtual Memory. It is recommended that you let Windows decide how much to use, but you can change the settings as necessary to eliminate the error. ■■

RS

PC Errors • 71

Networking-Related ErrorsNetworking errors can leave you without

any method for archiving your data to aremote server. If a crash occurs on your owncomputer, you run the risk of losing all yourimportant files. And, you may not be able toaccess important information stored offline, so you’ll have to rely solely on local data. Insome ways networking errors are less critical,though, than a desktop problem because youcan sometimes keep working and resolve theissue later. And you can fix most networkingerrors just by enabling an option either on theserver or on your own computer.

It’s also reassuring to know that, at least in anoffice setting, you can usually contact the techsupport department to ask about network prob-lems, but trying to have someone come out toyour desk is sometimes much more difficult.Networking errors will also occasionally go awayall on their own as network resources becomeavailable, servers automatically reboot them-selves, or a password cache clears itself as part ofroutine system maintenance chores. Of coursethat’s not helpful when you really need to down-load the latest Excel spreadsheet for your boss, so it’s good to know that you can address somecommon networking problems with these fixes.

Error Message: “Invalid local device.”Translation: The computer does not have

any more drive letters available for networkmapping.

Solution: There are three quick and easysolutions to this problem. The quickest solu-tion is to just map a drive letter, which is with-in the first few letters of the alphabet, such as For G. (By mapping a drive letter, you’re mak-ing a network drive accessible in Windows 98.)If you have run out of drive letters, you’ll needto edit the Config.sys file, so use the DOS com-mand line. Click Start and Run. Type cmd and

press ENTER. Nowtype c:, press ENTER,type cd\, and press ENTERto make sure you are in the root C: drive. Type edit config.sys and press ENTER.

In the editor look for the LAST-DRIVE= statement. The first solution is to justremove the entry altogether. The second solu-tion is to make the drive letter Z so that youcan map drives for the entire alphabet, if needbe. Now, exit the command prompt and rebootyour computer. You should be able to map anetwork drive.

Error Message: “The computer you havedialed in to has denied access becausethe username and/or password is invalidon the domain.”

Translation: The username or password,domain name, or preferred server name areincorrect when you try to use dial-up network-ing. Or the password cache files on the networkserver are damaged. In some cases the erroroccurs when a password is not required at all.

Solution: If the network server does notrequire a password, just leave that field blank.Otherwise you’ll need to restart the computerand enter Safe Mode. Press the CTRL key as Win98 starts up. Choose the Safe ModeCommand Prompt Only option and pressENTER. Go to your Windows directory andtype ren rna.pwl rna.xxx and press ENTER.

This resets the dial-up networking pass-word.

Error Message: “There was a problemprinting to the printer due to an un-known system error.”

Translation: On a network print server,the print spool folder (which is used to holdthe print files sent from client computers on anetwork) contains too many temporary files.

Solution: In a network environment whereyou are printing to a computer running Win98,the print server has to manage a large numberof temporary files. If congested, the computerwon’t let you print until you remove some ofthe files. To do so you’ll need access to thecomputer running the print server. StartWindows Explorer and browse to the C:\WINDOWS\SPOOL\PRINTERS directory.Delete all of the files and reboot the computer.

Error Message: “XX is not accessible.Unknown Error 2114”

Translation: Occurs when Client forMicrosoft Networks is installed without thefile and print sharing component.

Solution: Click Start, Settings, and ControlPanel. Double-click the Network icon. ClickAdd, Service, and Add. Click File And PrinterSharing For Microsoft and click OK. Click OKagain and restart your computer.

Error Message: “The driver or networkconnection that the shortcut ‘target.lnk’refers to is unavailable. Make sure thatthe disk is properly inserted or the net-work resource is available, and then tryagain.”

Translation: Occurs when you try to con-nect to the Shared Documents directory in theMy Documents folder on a computer runningWindows Me.

Solution: Copy the files from SharedDocuments to the C:\DOCUMENTS folder.

Windows 98

Windows 98Networking &Online ErrorsStay Online & Productive

72 • PC Errors

Another option is that you can run the HomeNetworking Wizard on the WinMe computerand select the option to share both the Doc-uments and My Documents folders.

Error Message: “The network is notaccessible. Unable to find the device onthe network.”

Translation: There is no computer on thenetwork configured as the browse master. The browse master maintains a list of all theattached computers, including all of their net-work settings.

Solution: Make one of the computers onthe network the browse master. On that com-puter click Start, Settings, and Control Panel.Double-click Network and select File AndPrinter Sharing For Microsoft Networks on the configuration tab. Click Properties. In the Property box, click Browse Master, selectEnabled in the Value box, and click OK twiceas prompted. Click Yes when you are prompt-ed to reboot the computer. Incidentally youneed to have File And Printer Sharing installedon the computer for this solution to work.

Error Message: “Error 629: You havebeen disconnected from the computeryou dialed. Double-click the connectionto try again.”

Translation: Occurs if the computer youare dialing with dial-up networking is usingpass-through authentication, which is amethod for approving passwords sent from aclient computer.

Solution: If you’re not concerned abouthigh-level security when you connect to aremote server, you can disable pass-throughauthentication. Double-click the My Computericon on the Desktop and double-click the Dial-Up Networking icon. Go to the Connectionsmenu and click Dial-Up Server. Look for theServer Type button and clear the checkboxnext to Require Encrypted Password.

Online-Related ErrorsWhen you really need to get online to check

email or research a topic on Google.com, anInternet-related error can be a lot more frus-trating. Of course, next to a General ProtectionFault or an error that appears when you startthe computer, Web errors can seem trivial.Fortunately many Internet errors can beresolved quickly and without a lot of trou-bleshooting, as long as you understand whythe error is occurring and try a few work-arounds to fix the problem.

It’s important to know that, in some cases,the problem is occurring on the “other end” ofthe connection. If too many users try to accessa Web site (such as CNN.com after a big newsevent), you may receive errors that will notoccur later in the day. In other cases problemscan occur due to flawed HTML and ActiveXprogramming, incompatibilities between yourbrowser and the Web server, or network con-gestion in general. One of the best tips for solv-ing Internet-related problems is to go back tothe site later. Also, make sure you have the latest version of Internet Explorer, available atwww.microsoft.com/ie.

Error Message: “Cannot open Internetsite…”

Translation: This error can occur if you areusing the wrong version of Winsock, which isthe system file used to establish connectionsbetween networked computers.

Solution: Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel. Double-click Network. Click the Configuration tab, click TCP/IP, and click Remove. Look for any other TCP/IP(Transmission Control Protocol/InternetProtocol) listings and remove those, too.

Click OK. Click OK again after you areprompted to restart. When your computerboots up again, go back to the Network controlpanel. Now click Protocol, Add, and then clickMicrosoft in the Manufacturers box, clickTCP/IP, and click OK. If you are promptedabout a version conflict, click No whenprompted to keep the newer version of the file. Now restart the computer again.

Error Message: “The Microsoft Dial Upadapter is in use or not respondingproperly. Disconnect other connectionsand then try again. If this problem per-sists, shut down and restart your com-puter. Error 645.”

Translation: This error occurs if you aretrying to use VPN (virtual private networking;the industrial strength end-to-end securityprotocol) to log into a corporate server usingPPTP (Point-To-Point Tunneling Protocol) andestablish a secure connection.

Solution: Click Start, Settings, and ControlPanel. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.Click the Windows Setup tab, click the Com-munications tab, and Details. Clear the Vir-tual Private Networking checkbox, click OK,

Windows 98

Most Difficult Error Message To FixError Message: “Error 745: An essential file is missing. Re-install Dial-Up Networking.”

Translation: A DLL (dynamic-link library) file is missing or damaged.

Solution: This error can occur if Dial-Up Networking is not installed correctly. The best solution is to reinstall Dial-Up Networking. To remove Dial-Up Networking, go to Start, Settings, and Control Panel. Double-click Add/Remove Programs. Click the Windows Setup tab and click Communications. Click Details. Click the Dial-Up Networking checkbox and click OK at each dialog box. When prompted, restart your computer. Now you’ll also need to take a trip to the Registry and remove the following line:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\SERVICES\REMOTEAC-CESS\AUTHENTICATION\SMM_FILES\PPP

Editing the Registry is a complicated task in Windows 98, mostly because you can accidentally delete important files and make Windowsunbootable. We recommend contacting Microsoft Technical Support atsupport.microsoft.com.

However, even if you reinstall Dial-Up Networking and edit the Registry, another lingering problem can cause the DLL errors. For example, if you are using CompuServe’s WOW! Software (which was discontinued in 1997), you should remove it, as the software can cause DLL and Registry errors. ■■

PC Errors • 73

and then Apply. Click theCommunications tab againand, this time, enable theVPN checkbox. Click OK.

Error Message: “ThePage cannot be dis-played.”

Translation: The com-puter you are trying toattach to is running ICS(Internet Connection Shar-ing) and has rebooted, or thecomputer you are dialinginto is using a proxy server (used for blockingunapproved access).

Solution: The simplest solution: Just waitfor the computer that is running ICS to finishrebooting completely. If that doesn’t work,check to see if the computer that’s running ICSis running a proxy server. You’ll need accessto that computer. Click Start, Settings, andControl Panel. Double-click the Internet icon.Click the Connections tab, LAN Settings, andsee if the Use A Proxy Server box is checked.If it is, click to uncheck that option. If you arestill unable to connect, on your computer,click Start, Run, type winipcfg, and pressENTER. Click OK and Release All. ClickRenew All and OK.

Error Message: “There is no dialtone.Make sure your modem is connected tothe phone line.”

Translation: Occurswhen you are using a callingcard and you have enabledthe Wait For Dial ToneBefore Dialing option. Alsocan occur if the phone line isnot plugged in securely toyour modem or the phoneline is not working.

Solution: Check theconnection between thephone line and the modemto make sure the connectionis secure. You can also test a

regular phone to make sure there is an activephone line in your home. Otherwise, clickStart, Settings, Control Panel, and double-click

Modems. Select your modem and click Prop-erties. Click the Connections tab and look forthe Wait For Dial Tone Before Dialing option.Disable it, click OK twice, and try dialing outagain. In some cases you may need to rebootthe computer.

Disable the Wait For Dial Tone Before Dial-ing option when you want to use a calling cardfor Dial-Up Networking.

Error Message: “Error 630: The com-puter is not receiving a response fromthe modem. Check that the modem isplugged in, and if necessary, turn themodem off, and turn it back on.”

Translation: Error 630 is an indication thatyou are using the ATI 600 Series fax modem,which does not work with Win98. Anothersymptom of this problem is that the error mes-sage will appear and then your computer willstop working; then you’ll have to reboot.

Solution: You’ll need to obtain the latestdriver for the ATI 600 Series fax modem.However, the problem may still occur, inwhich case you’ll probably need to remove themodem card altogether and install a compati-ble fax modem.

Error Message: “Port Already Open”Translation: This error can occur after you

upgrade from Windows 95 or WinMe due to aconflict between a COM (communications)port and a FIR (fast infrared) port.

Solution: Click Start, Settings, and ControlPanel. Double-click System and select theDevice Manager tab. Double-click the InfraredDevices tab to expand it, click the first infrareddevice, click Properties, and click Disable InThis Hardware Profile. Repeat this process forany other infrared port. Now double-click the

Windows 98

Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: “Internet Explorer Script Error: An error has occurred in the script on

this page” or “Microsoft Internet Explorer: Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site XX: Invalid syntax.”

Translation: Windows has found an invalid default code page, which is due to Internet Explorer using a foreign language font character set.

Solution: Anytime an error message uses the phrase “invalid syntax,” you might wonder what’s really happening. In this case the message is confusing because it doesn’t say anything about fonts, character sets, or foreign languages and seems to be saying the problem is with the Web site you are visiting. Before you send off an email to the site owner complaining about compatibility problems, you should know that, somehow, the wrong character set is enabled on your computer. You’ll want to use the Western character set. Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, and double-click Internet. On the General tab, click Fonts, choose Western under Character Sets, click Set As Default, click OK, and then click OK again. ■■

Most Common Error MessageError Message: “Error Starting Program: A required .DLL file, SUPERSUB.DLL was

not found.”

Translation: This error can occur when you try to install America Online if you previously tried to install the online service and then canceled the install.

Solution: Millions of users install and uninstall AOL every day, especially those who want to try out the service for the free trial period. That’s what makes this error so common, and fortunately it’s also easy to fix. You just need to install a more recent version of the program, or revisit the original installation program, which is on your Windows 98 Setup CD at WIN98\OLS\AOL\AOL40US. ■■

Make sure the Use A Proxy Serveroption is not checked.

74 • PC Errors

Network Adapters branch to expand it. Lookfor an Infrared port, click it, and click Remove.Click OK.

Error Message: “Could not initializeport”

Translation: This error occurs for one of three reasons. One, the Allow Caller Ac-cess option could be enabled for Dial-UpNetworking. Two, you could have MicrosoftFax services set up to answer all incomingcalls. Third, it could be a hardware IRQ(Interrupt Request Line) conflict, which canoccur when a hardware driver is loaded incor-rectly into system memory.

Solution: To disable Allow Caller Access,first double-click the My Computer icon.

Double-click Dial-Up Networking. On theConnections menu, click Dial-Up Server. Clickthe No Caller Access icon and click OK. If youare using Microsoft Fax for incoming calls, firstdouble-click the Microsoft Fax Status icon inthe Taskbar. If you don’t see the status icon in the Taskbar, double-click the Inbox icon onthe Desktop and select the Fax option whenprompted. On the Options menu, select Mo-dem Properties, and then select the Don’tAnswer option under the Answer Mode sec-tion. If neither of these fixes solves the prob-lem, you may have an IRQ conflict. To check,click Start, Settings, and Control Panel.Double-click System and select the DeviceManager tab. Look for any red exclamationmarks that indicate an IRQ conflict. Remove

the driver as needed and reboot. If you stillreceive the “Could not initialize port” errorwhen you try to use Dial-Up Networking, youmay need to contact the hardware vendors forany devices that are causing IRQ conflicts.

Error Message: “Error 629: You havebeen disconnected from the computeryou dialed. Double-click the connectionto try again.”

Translation: You are trying to use the 128-bit security update for Win98 Dial-UpNetworking with Win98 Second Edition. Theoriginal 128-bit security update only workswith Win98.

Solution: You’ll need to download andinstall the 128-bit security update for Win98SE,available at www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/download/128bit/intro.htm.

Error Message: “No ISDN devices werefound. Please install an ISDN device andrun the configuration wizard again.”

Translation: You are attempting to installan external ISDN (Integrated Services DigitalNetwork) device using the Modems controlpanel for broadband access, but the wizardworks with internal ISDN cards only.

Solution: You’ll need to contact the ISDNdevice manufacturer directly and ask themabout the installation process for Win98. Mostlikely, they will direct you to a support Website with a driver and installation program thatyou can use, which will bypass the built-inWin98 installation process.

Error Message: “An exception OE hasoccurred at XX called from XX in XX”

Translation: You are attempting to send alarge data file over a slow modem connection.The error appears on a blue screen.

Solution: You’ll need to reduce the maxi-mum packet size that your modem can sup-port. To do that, click Start, Settings, andControl Panel. Double-click Network. On theConfiguration tab, select Dial-Up Adapter andclick Properties. Click the Advanced tab andlook for the IP Packet Size option. Click one ofthe following options:

Automatic: Programmatic control; this is thedefault setting

Large: 1,500Medium: 1,000Small: 576

by John Brandon

Windows 98

Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “Runtime Error 216 at XX”

Translation: This error occurs when you try to start Internet Explorer and your computer is infected with the rare SubSeven Trojan virus. The error can also occur when you try to start other Windows programs, but it can more commonly occur with IE, but only if you are running Windows 98.

Solution: The solution is to obtain an antivirus program, such as Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus, then run the virus-checking scan. The problem does not appear to be serious and won’t cause serious damage to your PC. As with any virus, however, it’s important to address the problem,especially if you have other viruses infecting your computer. ■■

Most Hilarious Error MessageError Message: “The page cannot be displayed. The page you’re looking for might

have been removed or had its name changed.”

Translation: The Windows Media Player is not installed on your computer, so when you visit the windowsmedia.com Web site, Internet Explorer refuses to display the page and displays the rather verbose error message. This error only occurs with Windows 98 when you are using IE5.01.

It’s great that Microsoft provides so much information in their error messages, but this particular error is just plain wrong. The page has not been removed or had its name changed. Funny, too, because it seems as though the left hand (in this case, IE) doesn’t know what the right hand (Windows Media Player) is doing, even though both tools come from the same company.

Solution: The fix is to install the Windows Media Player component in IE. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel, and Add/Remove Programs. On the Install/Uninstall tab, look for Internet Explorer 5 and Internet Tools, and click Add/Remove. Click Add A Component, click OK, and then go through the next few prompts to install Windows Media Player. ■■

RS

PC Errors • 75

Windows 2000

Windows 2000 Installation & SetupSolutions To Get You Off To The Right Start

or hard drive with CD-ROM support. It occursbecause the program Setup.exe is a Windowsprogram and can’t be run from an MS-DOScommand prompt.

Solution: As a workaround, boot to anexisting Windows installation and rerun Setup.If there’s no existing Windows installation onyour computer, start the Win2000 installationby booting to the Win2000 CD-ROM or use theSetup boot diskettes created by Makeboot.exe.

To create a set of Setup boot diskettes usingMakeboot.exe, insert the Win2000 CD-ROMinto your computer’s CD-ROM drive, and thenclick Start and Run. In the Open box, typeX:\bootdisk\makeboot a:, where X is the let-ter of your CD-ROM drive, and press ENTER.Follow the instructions when prompted to cre-ate four Setup boot diskettes.

Error Message: “Setup cannot create thefolder \WINNT\TEMP”

Translation: When you upgrade yourWindows 95/98/NT machine to Win2000, youmay receive this message if a file named Tempis in the WINNT folder.

Solution: Fixing the problem depends on thetype of file system you have. If you have a FAT32 file system, start your computer to a com-mand prompt. (In Win98, restart your computer,

Windows errors. They’reroughly as fun as a rootcanal. In fact, some wouldargue in favor of the rootcanal. Windows errors can

be confusing and obscure, and, all too com-mon, happen all at once. They can also begalling and frustrating.

But what’s even worse are the Windowserrors you get before you’ve even installedWindows, that is, errors during Windows Setupand installation. And yet they abound. A quicksearch at Microsoft’s Help And Support (support.microsoft.com) gives dozens of results forthe search terms “Setup” and “error.”

So what’s a user to do? Below, we’ve gath-ered some of the most common, most confus-ing, most useful, and most outrageous errorsmessages in Windows 2000 Setup, then ren-dered them in plain English with simple (andsometimes not so simple) solutions to each.

General

Error Message: “This program cannotbe run in MS-DOS mode”

Translation: You could see this messagewhen you start Setup.exe from the Win2000CD-ROM after booting from a floppy diskette

press and hold the CTRL key until your harddrive is inactive for 10 seconds, and press SHIFT-F5. In Win95, restart your computer, press andhold F8 until your hard drive is inactive for 10seconds, and press SHIFT-F5. Note that you mayhear a number of beeps when you press F8, indi-cating a keyboard error. It’s safe to ignore them,although you may have to tap the F8 key if thebeeping continues after you’ve released the key.In WinNT, restart your machine with aWin95/98 (Win9x) Startup diskette and chooseCommand Prompt Only at the Startup menu.)

Once you’ve reached the command prompt,type cd \ and press ENTER. Now type cd Winntand press ENTER again. Type ren temp tempoldand press ENTER to rename the Temp file.

If you’re using an NTFS file system, startyour computer with the Win2000 CD-ROM.(As an alternative, you can also use the flop-pies you made with the Makeboot.exe tool onthe Win2000 CD-ROM.) When you’re prompt-ed to repair or continue Setup, choose Repairand Recovery Console. Switch to the WINNTfolder and rename the Temp file to Tempold.Type exit, and Setup will continue after yourcomputer reboots.

Error Message: “Setup is unable tolocate temporary files”

Translation: You may see this error duringWin2000 Setup because the hard disk on whichWinnt.exe or Winnt32.exe placed temporaryfiles is not currently visible to Win2000.

Solution: The resolution to the problem istedious. You’ll need to back up the hard drive,repartition the hard drive, restore the backup,and reinstall Win2000. To back up the harddrive you’ll need a good, third-party backupsolution, or you can back up your data online.(A quick search on Google will yield dozens ofsites that let you do this for a small fee.) Torepartition the hard disk, use a third-partydrive partitioner such as Symantec’s Par-titionMagic. A partition is a logical division ofa physical drive, such as your hard drive.Creating partitions can be complex, so unless

76 • PC Errors

you’re an expert, it’s best to resort to third-party software that walks you through it.

Error Message: Setup fails to copy ran-dom files during text-mode Setup.

Translation: During text-mode Setup, youmay receive one of several messages stating thata file can’t be copied because it’s damaged ormissing. This can occur because the WindowsCD-ROM is damaged or dirty, PC133 SDRAM isbeing used in a computer that requires PC100SDRAM, the CD-ROM drive is malfunctioning,or the RAM is faulty or malfunctioning.

Solution: To resolve the problem, firstclean your CD-ROM. Be sure to use a soft, lint-free cloth and not a paper towel, which candamage the surface of the disc, and wipe in alinear motion outwards from the center of thedisc. (Avoid using a circular motion.) Onceyou’ve cleaned the CD-ROM, run Setup againand see if this resolves the problem.

If this fails to resolve the problem, checkyour computer’s RAM. Make sure the RAM onyour motherboard is the correct type of RAMsuggested by the motherboard’s manufacturer.(You’ll need to consult the documentation thatcame with your system to find out what kindof RAM your computer needs, and then care-fully open the unit to expose the motherboardand check to see if that type of RAM is in factbeing used.) Also check the CD-ROM drive tobe sure it’s functioning properly. (You can dothis by playing a music CD or trying to runanother setup program to see if it works.) Ifyou have another CD-ROM drive available,consider using it to install Win2000.

Error Message: The keyboard does notwork properly during text-mode Setup.

Translation: Sometimes during the text-mode portion of Setup, your keyboard may notfunction correctly, and you may not be able touse it to create, delete, or format a partition.

Solution: This can happen if your key-board uses a layout that’s not the standard US-101 layout, such as Dvorak. While the Dvoraklayout is loaded during the text-mode portionof Setup, it’s ignored until the GUI (graphicaluser interface)-mode portion begins. There’sno way to resolve the problem except to switchkeyboards or randomly press keys until youfind the key that maps to the US-101 keyyou’re looking for. But beware: You couldinadvertently delete a partition.

Error Message: “Cannot modify the driveletter of your system or boot volume”

Translation: You may see this error mes-sage when you attempt to change the drive let-ter of the system volume (the drive on whichWin2000 is installed, for example) after Setuphas finished.

Solution: The drive letter for the systemvolume is hard-coded in the WindowsRegistry and cannot be altered. In Win2000,you can reassign the drive letters linked toother drives, but not the system volume, usingthe Disk Management Console.

Note that when you’re installing Win2000from Winnt32.exe, you can specify the locationof the folder in which Windows should beinstalled by choosing Advanced Options duringthe text-mode portion of Setup. This feature isonly available when performing a clean installa-tion of Windows, that is, when installingWin2000 on a blank hard drive or installing it ina folder other than the folder in which an exist-ing version of Windows is installed.

Error Message: Setup reserves diskspace for upgrading to a dynamic disk.

Translation: On occasion during Setup, youmay choose to create a partition that uses all theremaining space on your hard drive, only to findthat Setup does not let you use the maximumspace available. For example, if you elect to cre-ate a 5,028MB partition on a hard drive that hasonly 5,028MB available, Setup will create a parti-tion that’s only 5,027MB or less in size.

Solution: Why does it create the partition ofthat size? Because Setup reserves space at theend of the disk in case you later want to upgradethe disk to a dynamic disk. Dynamic disk infor-mation is stored at the end of the disk, and theleast amount that can be reserved is one cylin-der, or 1MB, whichever is greater. (Dependingon your drive geometry and translation, a cylin-der can be up to 8MB in size.)

Windows Registry(NOTE: Solutions to errors in this section

involve changes to the Registry. The Registry is acomplex database of settings and other Windowsconfigurations. Even the smallest change to theRegistry, if performed incorrectly, can make yoursystem malfunction. You should open, view, andedit the Registry only if you know how to back it upand restore it to its original state before you attemptto change it in any way.)

Error Message: “Windows 2000 Setupcould not detect the version of Windowsyou are currently running. Setup cannotcontinue.”

Translation: You may receive this errormessage when you attempt to run Win2000Setup from within Win9x/NT. It occurs whenyour version of Win9x/NT does not contain a

Windows 2000

Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: Setup allows invalid characters in the computer name.

Translation: In the GUI-mode portion of Setup, you’re allowed toenter nonstandard characters such as [, +, *, and ?when prompted to enter the computer name. When youdo, Setup displays a warning about using a non-DNS(domain name system) name, but still allows you to con-tinue. Once Setup is finished, the error log (Setuperr.log)shows the computer name has nonstandard characters.

Solution: Confusing? Setup tells you certain characters are invalidand then lets you use them anyway. Luckily, the solution is sim-ple. Just avoid any use of the following characters while namingyour computer, and you’ll be fine: / \ [ ] “ : ; | < > + = , ? *. ■■

PC Errors • 77

Product ID from Microsoft (in which case yoursoftware may be a beta version or an illegalcopy and should be replaced with a fullylicensed copy).

Solution: To fix the problem, you’ll needto edit the Registry to add a Product ID. Toproceed, click Start, Run, and type regedit inthe Open box; press ENTER. In Win9x, lo-cate the following Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/MICROSOFT/WINDOWS/CURRENTVERSION/PRODUCTID and add the number of yourProduct ID as the value of the Registry’s key.(If you don’t have a Product ID, you’ll needto contact Microsoft or purchase a fully-licensed version of the software in questionto obtain one.)

In WinNT, locate the following Registrykey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/MICROSOFT/WINDOWSNT/CURRENTVERSION/PRODUCTID and add thenumber of your Product ID as the value ofthe Registry’s key.

Error Message: “Setup encountered anunexpected critical error . . . not all set-tings were transferred . . .”

Translation: You may encounter this errormessage while trying to upgrade a Win9xmachine to Win2000. Specifically, you may seeit while another message, “Setup is migratingWindows 95 settings to Windows NT,” isbeing displayed. It occurs when the followingRegistry key is damaged or missing:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/MICROSOFT/WINDOWS KEY.

Solution: If the key is damaged or miss-ing, the Registry cannot be reloaded duringthe upgrade and the error message will dis-play. Microsoft claims this behavior is bydesign and that no fix is currently availablefor it.

Hardware

Error Message: Access to the CD-ROMis lost at the start of GUI-mode Setup.

Translation: When you’reinstalling Win2000, you mightlose access to your CD-ROMdrive after the initial portion ofthe Setup (known as text-modeSetup) completes and the secondportion of the Setup (known asGUI-mode) begins. If this is thecase you might see one of severallong error messages, includingthe following:

“The file Nt5inf.cat onWindows 2000 Product CD-ROM is needed.

Type the path where the file islocated, and then click OK.

Copy file from:G L O B A L R O O T \ D E V I C E

\CDROM0\I386”If you click Cancel, you receive

the following error message:“FATAL ERROR:An error has been encoun-

tered that prevents Setup fromcontinuing.

Setup failed to install productcatalogs. This is a fatal error. TheSetup log files should containmore information.

Press OK to view the Setuplog file.”

If you click OK to view theSetup log, you’ll find that it con-tains this error message:

“Error: The GLOBALROOT\DEVICE\CDROM0\I386\NT5INF.CAT catalog filecould not be found. The error code is 1. This is afatal error.

Incorrect function.”Why all the trouble? These problems occur

when Win2000’s GUI-mode Setup looks forbut can’t find the CD-ROM drive because ofoutdated firmware on the drive itself(firmware is software embedded in hardware)or simply because the drive is not compatiblewith Win2000.

Solution: To resolve the problem, contactthe manufacturer of the drive to see if there’s afirmware update; most often, you can down-load updates from the manufacturer’s Website. If no update is available, you may need toreplace the unit with one that’s compatiblewith Win2000.

There is, however, a workaround. You canuse a Win9x Startup disk with CD-ROM sup-port to copy the I386 folder from the Win2000CD-ROM to your hard drive. Then, runWinnt.exe from the copied folder to installWin2000.

Error Message: “Setup cannot accessthis disk.”

Translation: You may receive this errormessage during a Win2000 installation immedi-ately after you accept the license agreement. Itoccurs when the disk controller can’t effectivelycommunicate with the hard drive for a numberof complex reasons, among them a damagedhard drive or controller, an incorrect driver forthe disk controller, a bad termination on theSCSI (Small Computer System Interface) chain,or a hardware compatibility issue withWin2000. But of all these, the most commoncause of the problem is simply a bad hard drive.

Solution: To resolve the issue, make surethe hard drive, the disk controller, and anyrelated hardware all function correctly and areall Win2000-compatible.

Error Message: The computer hangswhile Setup is inspecting the hardwareconfiguration.

Translation: During a Win2000 installationthe computer may stop responding when it dis-plays the following message: “Setup is inspect-ing your computer’s hardware configuration.”

Solution: This problem can happen if adisk controller is configured to supportremovable media (such as Zip disks) as fixeddrives. To fix the problem, turn off any featurethat treats removable disks as fixed disks in

Windows 2000

Most Hilarious Error MessageError Message: Setup thinks you’re in Baghdad

(or Kuwait, or Riyadh . . .)

Translation: Take heart if Setup tells you it can’tdetermine your time zone properly.Chances are you had your timezone set to Baghdad, Kuwait,Riyadh, or another time zone thatseems to bamboozle Win2000 (forreasons known almost entirely toMicrosoft, of course). The problem?This time zone matches more thanone Win2000 time zone, and tech-nically, Windows can’t determine ifyou’re actually in Nairobi or Kuwait.

Solution: So what’s a world traveler to do?Simply set the time zone manuallyand you’ll be fine. ■■

78 • PC Errors

the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). How?It differs from machine to machine. On somecomputers, you access the BIOS by pressing acertain key combination as the machine bootsup. Look for this information on the screenduring startup, or consult your computer’sdocumentation for details.

Note that some controllers have a Boot DeviceOnly option. Choosing this option often solvesthe problem and still lets the computer bootfrom a CD-ROM or other removable media.

Error Message: “An error has beenencountered that prevents Setup fromcontinuing. The critical system infofile SySetup.inf layout is corrupt ormissing.”

Translation: This message typicallyappears after Setup restarts your computerduring the installation process. It occurs if youhave faulty or incompatible RAM installed onyour computer.

Solution: To fix the problem, remove andreplace your RAM.

Error Message: “Setup cannot load thekeyboard layout file Kbdus.dll.

Setup cannot continue. Shut down orrestart you computer.”

Translation: You could see this errorwhen you start your computer from theWin2000 installation CD-ROM to perform aninstallation or repair or to use the RecoveryConsole. It occurs when all drive letters arealready assigned to existing disk partitions(when your computer has 24 or more parti-tions, for example).

After you start from the Win2000 installationCD-ROM, Mount Manager (the program thatassigns drive letters to disk partitions) queriesyour hard drives and assigns drive letters to allexisting partitions, then assigns a letter to yourCD-ROM drive. If you have 24 partitions ormore, Mount Manager can’t assign a letter toyour CD-ROM drive and can’t continue Setup.

Solution: To resolve the problem, poweroff one or more of your hard drives to reducethe total number of existing partitions on yoursystem, until you have less than 24 partitions.Then restart your machine from the Win2000installation disk. This enables Mount Managerto assign a drive letter to your CD-ROM drive.

Error Message: Setup cannot specify avideo mode.

Translation: On occasion, while installingWin2000, you may encounter a loop during the

GUI-mode portion of Setup at the video-mode selection screen. You may receive anerror message when you choose your videomode and be prompted to select anothervideo mode instead. You’re then returned tothe video-mode selection screen, but none ofthe options work and there’s no way tobypass the error message.

Solution: This problem is causedbecause Win2000 cannot detect the type ofvideo adapter installed on your computer.When it happens, Setup loads a standardVGA video driver, which only supports 16or 256 colors. To fix the problem you’llneed to replace your video card with onethat’s compatible with Win2000. You canfind a list of compatible hardware on theWin2000 HCL (Hardware CompatibilityList) at the Microsoft Web site (http://www.microsoft.com).

Error Message: Vertical lines appearon screen during Setup.

Translation: During Win2000 Setup, youmay see a blank screen with vertical lines.After Setup restarts your computer, yourscreen may function normally for some time,only to have the vertical lines reappear dur-ing the GUI portion of Setup.

Solution: This problem occurs if you’reusing a video adapter with the Trident9660 chipset. Neither Microsoft norTrident continues to support the 9660chipset. To solve the problem, switchyour graphics adapter to one that hasa supported chipset.

Error Message: “Disk I/O error:Status=00008001

Failed to arcread the boot partitionto check for a disk signature”

Translation: You may receive thismessage when you start Setup from theWin2000 installation CD-ROM or flop-pies. It can occur if an IDE (IntegratedDrive Electronics) Zip drive is installed onthe primary IDE channel as the master. (Thearcread application imports files from volumesets on your CD and displays them on-screen.)

Solution: If that sounds confusing, don’tworry. To fix the problem, simply disconnectthe Zip drive during Setup and reconnect itonce Setup is complete.

Error Message: “Error code 800b0001Signature for Windows 2000 Profes-

sional is invalid

Setup had problems registering thefollowing OLE control dll: WINNT\System32\initpki.dll”

Translation: You may receive this errormessage during the device detection phase of aWin2000 installation. It occurs if the computeryou’re using has an old or outdated BIOS.

Solution: To resolve the problem, you’llhave to upgrade your motherboard to the lat-est version of BIOS and run Setup again.

Windows 2000

Most Common Error MessageError Message: Win2000 does not

prompt you to choose alanguage during Setup.

Translation: You may not beprompted to choose alanguage when you runWin2000 Setup fromMS-DOS or Windows3.x, which in turn mayprevent you from con-figuring some of theregional settings duringthe latter part of Setup.

Solution: This problem occursbecause the WindowsSetup program,Winnt.exe, does notsupport this feature.(The language featureis only available in the32-bit version of theSetup program,Winnt32.exe.) To workaround the problem,simply configure yourlanguage and regionaloptions after you’veinstalled Win2000. ■■

PC Errors • 79

Error Message: The primary monitor isswitched during Setup.

Translation: When you’re installingWin2000 on a machine with multiple videocards and monitors, Setup may seem to hangand display the message “Starting up . . .” Ifyou turn on all your monitors, you’ll see thatSetup has switched its activity to another moni-tor. The computer’s BIOS is set to use a monitorusing an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)video adapter by default, but Setup hasswitched to a monitor using a PCI (PeripheralComponent Interconnect) adapter.

Solution: Microsoft claims this behavior isby design. To work around it, simply keep allyour monitors on during Setup.

Error Message: “Setup has encounteredan error and cannot continue.

Contact technical support for assis-tance. The following status will assistthem in diagnosing the problem.

(0x5, 0x1, 0, 0)-or-(0x5, 0x1, 0x3, 0)Setup cannot continue. To quit Setup,

press F3.”Translation: You may see this error when

you try to perform a fresh Win2000 installationon a hard drive that was converted to a dynam-ic drive. Specifically, the drive already containsfour dynamic partitions. During Setup, if unal-located free space is still available on the diskand then selected, Setup tries to create another

Windows 2000

Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “Service pack 3 Setup error. An error in updating your system

has occurred.”

Translation: This problem occurs if the version of the Windows Installer onyour computer is outdated or corrupted.

Solution: To fix it, you’ll need to disable the version of the WindowsInstaller currently on your system and replace it with the mostcurrent version. Click Start, Programs, Administrative Tools,and Services, and then double-click Windows Installer. UnderStartup Type, select Manual and click OK. Next, click Start andRun. In the Open box, type regedit and press ENTER. (Notethat in doing so you’ll open the Windows Registry for editing. The Registry is a database of system settings that determinesthe configuration of Windows; any change to the Registry can result in significant damage to the system, so proceed pastthis point at your own risk.)

In the Registry Editor, locate and delete the following subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCON-TROLSET\SERVICES\MSIServer. When asked to confirm the deletion, click Yes and restart your computer. Next,download and install the most current version of the Windows Installer from the Microsoft Web site atdownload.microsoft.com/download/WindowsInstaller/Install/2.0/NT45/EN-US/InstMsiW.exe ■■

Why all the changes? During Setup, whenyou delete a partition that holds a drive(whether it’s physical or logical), Windowsreassigns letters to all drives that had lettersafter the one you deleted, then assigns the nextavailable drive letter to the new partition.

Solution: To solve the problem and preserveyour drive’s letters, first delete and re-create thepartitions you’d like, and then start Win2000Setup. You can do this by using a boot diskettethat contains partitioning software or by usingthird-party partitioning software itself.

Error Message: “You chose to installWindows 2000 on a partition that con-tains another operating system. InstallingWindows 2000 on this partition mightcause the operating system to functionimproperly.”

Translation: You may receive this messagewhen you boot your Win98/NT machine fromthe Win2000 CD-ROM or diskettes. It indicatesthat Setup did not recognize the operating sys-tem you’re attempting to upgrade. (That’s cor-rect: Setup did not recognize Win98/NT.) If youchoose to continue, Setup will install a newinstallation of Win2000, instead of an upgrade toyour current OS, causing your current operatingsystem to stop working properly.

Solution: Simply put, Win2000 won’t sup-port upgrading Win98/NT when booting fromthe Win2000 diskettes or CD-ROM. To upgrade,boot Win98/NT as you would normally, thenrun WinNT32.exe from the Win2000 CD-ROM.

partition from this space, which is not permit-ted. (Note that dynamic disks can support morethan four partitions, but installing Win2000 todynamic disks is not fully supported.) Thestrings of numbers (0x5, 0x1, 0, 0 and so on) arespecial codes that help Microsoft techs pinpointand diagnose your problem. You can viewthem as “techspeak,” or jargon that a trainedtechnician will intuitively understand.

Solution: To work around the problem,simply install Win2000 on another pre-existingpartition or on free space on a basic (nondy-namic) disk.

Partitions

Error Message: Setup changes driveletters after a partition is deleted andreinstalled.

Translation: If you delete a partition dur-ing the text-mode portion of Setup, then cre-ate a new partition using the space you’vefreed up and install Win2000 on the new par-tition, Setup may change the drive letters onyour system.

For example, say you have a computer withone hard drive and two partitions: C: and D:.You also have a CD-ROM drive named E:.During Setup, you delete the D: partition andcreate a new partition using the unpartitionedspace, on which you install Win2000. Whenyou’re done, you discover that Windows wasinstalled on drive E: and the CD-ROM drivehas become drive D:.

80 • PC Errors

Error Message: Setup cannot create anew partition in the space you selectedbecause the maximum number of parti-tions already exists on the disk.

Translation: Hard drives are allowed fourpartitions, either four primary partitions orthree primary partitions and one extended par-tition. This problem occurs because you’vealready created the maximum number of parti-tions on your hard drive and Setup is attempt-ing to create yet another.

Solution: It’s simple. Delete the last partitionfrom your hard drive and let Setup combine itwith any unpartitioned space on your drive tomake a new partition. But note: Deleting a parti-tion deletes all data on the partition, so be sureto back it up first if you plan to keep the data.

Error Message: Multiple unpartitionedspaces are displayed during Setup.

Translation: During the text-mode por-tion of Win2000 Setup, multiple unpartitionedspaces may be displayed on a single harddrive. When this happens it may seem like it’snot possible to use all the available space on asingle partition, and you may be unable todelete the extra (unpartitioned) space. Thisproblem occurs if you’ve deleted a logicaldrive from an extended partition but not yetremoved the extended partition itself.

Solution: To solve the problem, select theunpartitioned spaces (starting with the lastentry first) on the drive containing them andthen press c to create a new partition. Next,select the new partition and press d to delete it.

Networking

Error Message: “Network componentupgrade

Error copying OEM files from thespecified location.

Do you want to cancel this upgrade?”Translation: You may see this error message

almost immediately after inserting the Win2000CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive of a computerthat’s running a Win2000 beta release and thenclicking Setup. If you click Yes or No, you seethe following error message:

“Error initializing OEM files.The option to upgrade is not available at

this time. Access is denied.”This problem occurs when the Novell client

for Win2000 is installed.Solution: To resolve the problem, remove

the Novell client software from the beta releaseof Win2000. Run Winnt32.exe from the Win2000

Windows 2000

2nd Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “Setup has encountered a fatal error that prevents it from continuing.

Contact your product support representative for assistance. The fol-lowing status will assist them in diagnosing the problem.

(0x4, 0x1, 0, 0)Setup cannot continue. Power down or reboot your computer now.”

Translation: This message can appear at the beginning of Setup if some or all of yourdrives are damaged and not working properly. In that case, Setup can’treliably count them and is forced to stop. The problem is also caused bytwo or more disks that contain the same disk signature (Windows keepstrack of which disk is which using a unique, four-byte disk signature that’sfound in the MBR [Master Boot Record] of each disk) or two or more RAWdisks (that is, those with no file systems) whose MBR checksums areidentical. (The Master Boot Record is a small but crucial program that getsexecuted when a computer boots up. It starts the boot process by search-ing for the partition table to verify which partition to use for booting.)

Solution: To fix this problem you’ll need to know which drive or drives are causingthe error message. First, remove any drives that are not necessary to theWin2000 installation. If you have only one drive on your machine to startwith, check all BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) and jumper settings,cabling, and termination, then run Setup again. (You’ll need to consultyour computer’s documentation for the details of these tasks.) If your driveis new and has never been formatted, format it and then use the MS-DOSor Windows FDISK tool to partition it before running Setup. Remember,you can delete and recreate partitions once Setup begins. ■■

Error Message: Setup requests a DHCPIP address too early.

Translation: On occasion, when you do aclean installation of Win2000 (that is, you’renot upgrading from a previous version ofWindows), Setup may request a DHCP(Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) serv-er assigned IP (Internet Protocol) addressduring GUI-mode Setup before you have thechoice of using a static IP address or usingDHCP to automatically obtain an IP address.Otherwise put, Setup incorrectly prompts fora DHCP address before you have the chanceto choose between a static IP address and aserver assigned IP address.

Solution: To solve the problem, create aSetup answer file named Winnt.sif using theSetup Manager deployment tool from theWindows 2000 Resource Kit. The file will con-tain the static IP address you intend to use. Fordetails on creating and using a Setup answerfile in conjunction with Win2000 Setup, consultthe Microsoft Help And Support area at support.microsoft.com.

by David Garrett

CD-ROM. Once the installation of Win2000 iscomplete, download the current Novell clientfrom www.novell.com and install it.

As an alternative, you can install theMicrosoft Client for NetWare componentincluded with Win2000. Be sure to also installCSNW (Client Services for NetWare).

Error Message: “Installer not responding Internal Error 2608, 1332”Translation: You may see this message dur-

ing installation if the system cannot locate avalid domain account. This tends to happenwhen the domain controller is down (thedomain controller is a type of server that con-trols access to assets on a Windows network),when there are failures in the network, or whenthe user has changed his password when log-ging onto the current computer. In the case ofnetwork or computer failures, there could be adelay while the system waits for a response.

Solution: To solve the problem, contact yournetwork administrator and ensure that yourdomain controller is online and there are no fail-ures on the network. This is a fatal error toSetup, meaning it cannot continue once thiserror is encountered.

RS

PC Errors • 81

a valid directory listing, it can’t configure theserver properly and this error message results.

Solution: Add a user path by creating thedirectory, if it doesn’t already exist. Stop theserver service and type the path of the directoryas the value for USERPATH in the server’s con-figuration file. Then start the server andNetlogon services. To do this, choose Start,Settings, Control Panel, and double-clickSystem. Select the Advanced tab and clickEnvironment Variables. Look for Path in theUser Variables and System Variables. If you’reunsure of where to add the path, add it to theright end of the Path in the User Variables. Atypical value for this is: C:\j2sdk1.4.2_<ver-sion>\bin. Click OK or Apply.

Error Message: “Error loading operatingsystem.”

Translation: When you start a computerfrom the hard drive, the system’s code identi-fies the Startup disk and identifies the MBR(Master Boot Record). This is the first physi-cal sector on a bootable disk drive and theplace where the partition table is located. Ifthe first hard drive on the system doesn’tcontain an active partition, or if the MBRcan’t locate the system partition’s boot sectorto start the operating system, the MBR willdisplay this error message. Other error mes-sages that may also be displayed because ofthis problem are “Invalid partition table” and“Missing operating system.”

Solution: There might not be an active par-tition on the hard disk that you want to use tostart the computer, or the wrong partitionmight be identified as the active partition. Inthat case, use an MS-DOS Startup diskette tostart the computer and use the Fdisk tool to setor change the active partition. If the MBR iscorrupted, which you’d see if the error mes-sage occurs again after using Fdisk, you mightneed a third-party disk that can make thechange manually. The partition table field thatshould be changed is the System ID field.

Error Message: “The parent directorycould not be located.”

Translation: The parent directory is a partof the network. When your computer tries tolog on to the network, it searches for the par-ent directory to establish permissions for theindividual user.

Solution: Ask your network administratorabout assigning permissions to the parentdirectory. If you’re the administrator, change

Windows 2000

Windows 2000Startup & Shutdown ErrorsSay Hello & Goodbye With Ease

F ew experiences are as disheartening aswhen the computer seems to start up orshut down fine and then, suddenly,

there is that familiar error message box with anofficial-sounding message. Despite the chillthat comes up the spine at such a moment,error messages rarely mean that all is lost.Instead, they point to a usually minor discrep-ancy between what the operating systemexpected to find and what it actually did, ordidn’t, discover in its search for settings.

Windows 2000 has a slew of error messagesin its normal course of operations, includingdifficulties with external devices, user authen-tication problems, and simple memory snafus.Often, computers configured to launch certainapplications or automatically connect to thenetwork during Startup will see error mes-sages that relate to different configurationoptions or incompatibility problems. Sim-ilarly, when a computer is shut down, it has tofollow a certain path to turn off safely, whichcan lead to errors with networks, devices,applications, and access.

Here are some of the most common errorsthat crop up when the system is turned on or

shut down and some suggested methods fortackling those dreaded error messages.

General Error Messages

Error Message: “An internal Windows2000 error occurred.”

Translation: Usually, this refers to anincompatibility with software.

Solution: Deselect any applications thatare set to open at Startup by clicking Start,Programs, and then selecting Startup. Thiswill indicate which applications launch auto-matically. If there’s still a need to have cer-tain applications open at Startup, select onlyone application to open and restart the com-puter. This should indicate which software iscausing the problem. If there are no softwareapplications selected to open at Startup, con-tact Microsoft technical support to determinethe cause.

Error Message: “The server is config-ured without a valid user path.”

Translation: The user path is an entry inthe server’s configuration file. If it doesn’t find

82 • PC Errors

permissions setting so the system will automat-ically be granted access at Startup or at logon.Do this by going to the Active Directory fileinside the SYSTEM folder. Within that, changethe information in the Permissions section.

Error Message: “Unable to allocaterequired resources. Initialization failed.”

Translation: There was a shortage of aresource that the system requires. Usually,resource allocation messages refer to mem-ory shortages.

Solution: Close some applications thatwere designed to open at Startup and reboot. Ifthe error message appears again, check theevent log to find out if other errors occurred atthe same time to determine if memory is theproblem. If other action is needed for thoseerrors, such as network resource allocation,take the steps necessary to correct them.Otherwise, you may need to install more mem-ory to prevent the error in the future.

Error Message: “Insufficient buffer size,unable to proceed.”

Translation: A buffer is a temporary stor-age area, usually in RAM. Its purpose is to actlike a holding area so the computer’s processorcan manipulate the data before it’s transferredto a device. When this error appears, it meansthe display driver and the miniport are work-ing on the assumption that the same bufferstructure has two different sizes. This mightoccur because the software that opens atStartup has been compiled with more than oneversion of a header file.

Another possibility is that there’s insuffi-cient space in a miniport structure to holdmode tables for all the graphics modules thatare supported by a particular adapter. Thismight happen if support for more modes hasbeen added or if the miniport structure hasbeen made smaller.

Solution: Check memory allocation andset to default settings. To do this, pressCTRL-ALT-DEL, select Task Manager, andclick the Performance tab. Note the percent-age numbers. Start one of your applicationsand run it for about 15 minutes, then quit. Goback to the Performance screen and note thepercentage number again. If the systemresources are significantly lower, there is aproblem with the memory. At this point, youwill need to contact Microsoft support. Towork in the meantime, you can restart yourcomputer, and it should allow for some oper-ational functionality.

Error Message: “An internal consisten-cy check failed.”

Translation: An error has been detectedwith a piece of software, which is preventing thesystem from starting up properly with the soft-ware that’s set to open automatically at Startup.

Solution: Locate which software applica-tions are set to automatically open at Startup.Disable all of them and reboot. If no internalconsistency checks are failing, enable oneapplication at a time and reboot until the problem reoccurs. This way the troublesomesoftware can be found. Either use a recoveryprogram to fix the error with the software, ordon’t enable the software to open at Startup.

Error Message: “Unknown error.”Translation: This is a common error mes-

sage that indicates there may be multiple prob-lems with the system or simply a configurationerror that the system can’t identify.

Solution: An error like this will requiremultiple troubleshooting efforts, similar towhat’s needed for Stop messages. First, tryrestarting the computer to see if the problem iscorrected. If not, check device connections andconfigurations, software configurations, and theevent log. If the error message persists and theproblem can’t be located, contact Microsoft’stechnical support.

Error Message: “FTP Server could notinitialize the socket library. The data isthe error.”

Translation: An FTP (File Transfer Pro-tocol) Server is a software application that runson a computer host, using the File TransferProtocol, and is generally used to host comput-er files. Sockets are software objects that con-nect an application to a network protocol orother computer somewhere on the Internet.The socket library keeps track of these objects,

Windows 2000

Most Common Error MessageError Message: “While initializing device: Windows Protection Error. You need to

restart your computer.”

Translation: This is a general message that means there’s a problem with hard-ware, drivers, or corrupt files. Drivers may not have loaded correctlywhile the system was booting, or drivers may have been unloadingimproperly during shutdown. It’s also possible that some drivers will tryto use a separate system file, so that when Windows tries to load it atthe same time, an error will occur.

Solution: Because it’s possible that a virus or multiple improper shutdowns iscausing the error, run a virus check first. Then, check hardware set-tings to determine if the error could be caused by a damaged com-ponent. Because there are many areas that need to be checked tofind the problem, it may be easiest to reinstall Windows if this erroroccurs often. ■■

Most Frustrating Error MessageError Message: “A general network error occurred.”

Translation: A failure has occurred in the network hardware. This could haveoccurred because of a hardware conflict, or it could have happenedbecause of a problem with any number of server service commands.

Solution: It’s possible that the last network device or network software installedis what’s causing the problem. Uninstall the questionable hardware orsoftware and do a reinstall to determine whether that’s the difficulty.This is a general message that will take time to sort out if a new pieceof equipment hasn’t just been installed. If that’s the case, each piece ofnetwork hardware and software should be individually tested. ■■

PC Errors • 83

and the socket library function makes the infor-mation active by creating a communicationsendpoint. When the server can’t find the end-point, this error is generated. In this case, apiece of data is suspected to be the cause.

Solution: Check your system resources tomake sure you have enough available memoryto open a socket. Also, check the bindings ofthe TCP/IP (Transmission Control Proto-col/Internet Protocol) stack to verify thatTCP/IP appears at the top of the stack. To dothis, open Control Panel and select Network,then go to Bindings. Check to make sure yourTCP/IP setting is correct. If you don’t knowyour IP setting, go to Start, Programs, Acces-sories, and click Command Prompt. This willbring up a command line. Type IPconfig andthis will show you the correct setting.

Error Message: “A corrupt extension‘path’ was detected in the Registry.”

Translation: A file extension name isincorrect, probably because it has more thanthree characters.

Solution: Use the Registry Editor to correctthe corrupted extension. Open the Registry byclicking Start and then Run. Type regedit in thebox and click OK. Delete the invalid extensionunder \\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYS-TEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Macfile\Parameters\Extensions.

NOTE: Use caution when changing the Registry.A mistyped entry can wreak havoc on your PC.

Error Message: “The server could not belocated.”

Translation: The server specified as theone the computer should access doesn’t seemto exist or can’t be found.

Solution: Most often, a server locationproblem is the result of a misspelling. Checkthat the server name is entered properly. Tosee a list of servers in your domain, click Start,Programs, Accessories, and then CommandPrompt. Type NET VIEW in a command line.Remember to precede computer names withbackslashes, as in \\<computer name>.

Error Message: “Invalid domain or serv-er name.”

Translation: If your computer is set to logon to a server at Startup, it will automaticallylook for the name of the server or domain thatit’s been set to find.

Solution: Make sure you have the correctdomain name or server name. One possibilityis that the server or domain name has been

changed in the time between when the com-puter was shut down and when it has beenstarted again. If that’s the case, the new nameshould be entered into the computer and thecomputer should be restarted.

Device & Driver Errors

Error Message: “Not enough memorywas available to allocate internal storageneeded for the device.”

Translation: Most likely, a third-party dri-ver starts up at the same time as Windows andconflicts with your printer driver.

Solution: Locate and disable the third-party driver so it doesn’t conflict at Startup. Dothis by going into the Control Panel and select-ing Add/Remove Hardware, and then locat-ing which driver has been chosen for Startup.Choose the option to disable it and reboot.

Error Message: “Registry Startup infor-mation is missing or invalid.”

Translation: A problem with the Registryis usually due to missing or corrupt files thatare the result of drivers loading or unload-ing incorrectly.

Solution: Try booting into Safe Mode andreplacing the file manually from your CAB files.It may also be necessary to reinstall Windowsinto a new directory for testing purposes.

Error Message: “Computer is too fast forcurrent driver software.”

Translation: The driver software that’sbeen installed is incompatible with Win-dows 2000.

Solution: Upgrade the device driver for thedevice that’s indicated in the error message toone that’s compatible with the computer.

Error Message: “The device is beingaccessed by an active process.”

Translation: If you’re shutting down andhave designated a certain drive for deletion,this error is an indication the drive specified isthe one that’s currently being used.

Solution: Check the drive that you’re try-ing to delete and make sure it’s not the currentdrive in any of your sessions. If it is, and youstill want to delete or redirect it, end the ses-sion so the error doesn’t keep the computerfrom deleting it.

Error Message: “The drive letter is inuse locally.”

Translation: A drive letter is a letter that’sassigned to a drive on a PC. For example, A:and B: usually refer to floppy drives and C:refers to a hard drive. This message indicatesthat on Startup, the computer was trying toassign a local drive letter to a shared resource.

Solution: Make sure the shared resourcebeing accessed doesn’t have the same drive let-ter that’s being used on an individual computer.

Error Message: “The UPS driver couldnot be opened.”

Translation: The UPS (uninterruptiblepower supply) is a device used to power acomputer in the event of an outage. OnStartup, the system checks to make sure theUPS hardware is in place in case there’s aproblem with the computer’s regular powersupply while it’s in operation. This error mes-sage indicates that the UPS service couldn’t bestarted because the driver that accompaniesyour UPS hardware couldn’t be opened. Either

Windows 2000

Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: “The specified extended attribute handle is invalid.”

Translation: A file that opens at Startup contains a reference to an attribute thatdoesn’t exist. This could be caused by damage to the disk partition orimproper modification of the extended attribute system file.

Solution: Run ScanDisk, a disk analysis and repair tool that checks a drive forerrors and corrects the problems it finds. To do this, select Start,Programs, Accessories, and Command Prompt. Type SCANDISK. ■■

This screen shows a list of the drives that are foundby the system and what type of drives they are.

84 • PC Errors

you don’t have permission to open the file orthe file may be corrupt.

Solution: Make sure you have the neces-sary permissions on the driver file and alldirectories in the path to that file. If the errormessage still occurs after you confirm yourpermissions, you might need to reinstall theUPS driver in the relevant hardware.

Error Message: “An inconsistency wasencountered on the tape in drive letterX:. Do not append to this tape.”

Translation: If the system is designed todo an automatic backup at shutdown orStartup, this error could occur. It indicatesthat the backup system detected an inconsis-tency in the tape and warns you againstjumping to the end of the tape so you won’trisk losing data. It’s also possible that you’reusing a tape that the backup system does not support.

Solution: Check your backup tape and trya different tape. Also, to prevent errors in thefuture, replace the tape with a new one andavoid using that tape again.

Error Message: “The wrong version ofthe driver has been loaded.”

Translation: A recently installed driverconflicts with the software that’s been installedto support the driver.

Solution: Check the compatibility betweenthe driver and the software and make surethey are meant to be installed together. If therestill seems to be a problem, contact the manu-facturer of the driver to get the appropriatedriver and software combination.

Networking Errors

Error Message: “The binding handle isinvalid.”

Translation: The system can’t use theinformation that’s supplied by a distributedapplication, so it can’t establish a client-serv-er relationship that would allow for remotecomputing.

Solution: Usually, a distributed applicationis being supplied by a third-party source, suchas a hosting provider. Contact the vendor ofthe application to fix the problem.

Error Message: “You are not loggedonto the Windows 2000 workstation as amember of the user group that has theright to view the workstation’s VirtualMemory settings.”

Translation: If your workplace logs employ-ees into user groups automatically upon Startup,this error is an indication that there’s a problemwith user access. To use the workstation, youhave to be an administrator or a user who’s beengranted permission to read the settings thathave been put in place by the company.

Windows 2000

Most Hilarious Error MessageError Message: “The environment is incorrect.”

Translation: The system schedules a series of tasks that it has to do regularly.These Scheduled Tasks have their own error handling facility that’sused for errors that are generated while a job is scheduled, an existingjob is active, or an existing job has its properties modified. If errorsoccur within the job, the job closes normally and an error messageabout the environment is received.

Solution: Find the location of the error by selecting Start, Programs,Accessories, System Tools, and then Scheduled Tasks. Click theAdvanced/View Log. The resulting code will display with this message:“The task completed with an exit code of XX.” The message is inadver-tently hilarious, if taken out of context and viewed in a “Greenpeace isright” kind of way. Similarly, any error message that reads, “Argumentis invalid” never fails to bring an ironic smile. ■■

If there’s an error in the network connection, thisTelnet screen will provide some options.

Solution: If administrator access is grant-ed, then log on with that permission and tryagain. If you’re a user, ask your administratorfor the necessary permissions and log on againonce they’re granted.

Error Message: “The workstation driveris not installed.”

Translation: Windows 2000 isn’t installedproperly, or installed, or there’s a problemwith the configuration file.

Solution: Install or reinstall the operatingsystem. If the message still appears, check toensure that installation settings are accurate.To do this, go to the free tool download sectionof Microsoft’s Web site at www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/default.asp and download the Installation Monitor.There are more than 300 other free tools avail-able for other troubleshooting tasks.

Error Message: “A network resourceshortage occurred.”

Translation: The network hardware couldn’t access the resources it needed. Thismay have occurred because too many sessionsare operating or the server is out of memory. Ifseveral users are attempting to access the sameinformation from the server at the same time,the amount of network resources allocated toaccess may have run out.

Solution: Try to connect later or ascertainhow many users are on the server and how longthey plan on using the network resources. Talkto your administrator about expanding networkresources if this is a common problem.

Error Message: “Drive not responding.”Translation: While enumerating the con-

tents of the disk drive, Backup noticed adevice error and issued this message to showthat the drive is no longer respondingbecause of that error.

Solution: If the drive is a remote diskdrive, check that the drive is available andthen try restarting. If the drive still doesn’trespond, use the Add/Remove Hardwareoption to remove the hardware and reinstall it.

Error Message: “The Workstation ser-vice is in an inconsistent state. Restartthe computer before restarting theWorkstation service.”

Translation: The Windows Workstationservice is prone to a vulnerability that may leta remote attacker gain unauthorized access toa vulnerable host. Because of this, there have

PC Errors • 85

been patches released to repair the vulnera-bility, and occasionally they may show up asinconsistent with the system on Startup.

Solution: Restart the computer.

Error Message: “The computer namealready exists on the network.”

Translation: Each workstation has an indi-vidual name for effective network manage-ment and security. If two workstations havebeen given the same name, the network willnot let both operate.

Solution: The duplication must be elimi-nated. Take both workstations off the network,rename one of them, and restart.

Error Message: “Network logons arepaused.”

Translation: The administrator has sus-pended access to the network by disablinglogons.

Solution: Speak to your network adminis-trator if a notice about logons hasn’t beenissued, or if a time frame for the pause hasn’tbeen announced. If you have administratoraccess, continue the Netlogon service by typ-ing NET CONTINUE NETLOGON.

Error Message: “Active connections stillexist.”

Translation: When shutting down thecomputer, the system identifies connectionsthat should be closed and issues this alert if itfinds any. Another possibility is that you triedto delete a network connection that still has anactive process or is being utilized.

Solution: For security reasons, log out of theconnections that are open. In the future, be surethe processes running on a server are completedbefore you break the connection to that serverand that processes on all remote servers arecompleted before you log off and shut down.

Error Message: “Invalid address wasspecified for adapter name. This inter-face cannot be initialized.”

Translation: This error is part of a TCP/IPsystem and involves bindings. In Windows2000, binding is the process of associating aprotocol driver with the network adapter itwill work with, and then establishing a com-munication channel between the two. If part ofthat communication is hindered, then thiserror may occur. It might also appear if theRegistry is corrupted.

Solution: Remove the TCP/IP and thenreinstall it using the Network option in

Control Panel. If this doesn’t correct the prob-lem, reinstall the Registry from the EmergencyRepair Disk that was created when Windows2000 was originally installed.

Security Errors

Error Message: “Certificate Servicesconfiguration information is corrupted.”

Translation: Certificate Services allows forcertificates to be issued to devices such as cablemodems so security features can be put inplace. If there’s an error in the configurationinformation, Windows 2000 will consider it tobe corrupted and won’t issue the certificate.

Solution: Several certificate bugs werefixed in the Windows 2000 Service Pack 4,including this type of error. Visit the Microsoftsite for Windows 2000 (www.microsoft.com/windows2000/default.asp) and downloadthe appropriate service pack.

Error Message: “The Issuing Certificatecould not be found. The CertificateServices may need to be reinstalled.”

Translation: Unlike the error about informa-tion being corrupted, in this case the system can’tfind the information it needs to issue a certificate.

Solution: Reinstall the Certificate Servicesand restart. If the error message still appears,download the Windows Service Pack 4.

Error Message: “A disk I/O failureoccurred.”

Translation: A software error occurredwhile Windows 2000 tried to access the securi-ty database file.

Solution: Use a backup copy of the securi-ty database from a server and try again. If theerror persists, it’s possible that your hard drivecould have hardware problems.

Error Message: “The security databaseis corrupted.”

Translation: The security information forthe computer or the connection to the networkis damaged or can’t be accessed.

Solution: The security information shouldbe on a backup done by the individual or thecompany. Restore the security database fromthe backup.

Configuration Errors

Error Message: “A problem exists withthe system configuration.”

Translation: The system hasn’t been con-figured properly. There’s also a chance thatthere are interoperability problems withdevices and systems, or that system settingswere changed so a configuration error results.This is a general message that doesn’t point toa specific problem. Rather, it could be a host ofproblems resulting from poor installation orhardware and software conflicts.

Solution: Check your system configurationsettings to make sure they’re correct. If theyare, it’s probably best to reinstall the system.

Error Message: “An internal consistencyerror has occurred.”

Translation: Usually, this refers to a prob-lem with software. Windows 2000 detects aproblem with settings or configurations of aspecific application.

Solution: Determine which software is theculprit and reinstall that application.

Error Message: “The configuration fileor the command line has an ambiguousoption.”

Translation: The configuration file is a sys-tem file you can change to customize the way

Windows 2000

Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “Invalid RDP Data can Cause Terminal Service Failure.”

Translation: The RDP (Remote Data Protocol) that’s used to communicate withother computers had a security vulnerability in which a particular seriesof data packets weren’t being handled correctly. If a malicious userwere to send these particular packets to an affected server, the serverwould fail. The message is considered unusual since it should havebeen fixed by a security patch.

Solution: This is a security vulnerability that can easily be fixed by downloadingthe appropriate security patch from Microsoft’s site. The problem is dis-cussed in Microsoft’s Security Bulletin MS01-052. ■■

86 • PC Errors

your system behaves. Such files are sometimesreferred to as customization files. With thesefiles, commands can be entered to change theway a system operates. In the case of this error,a command option that was supposed to deter-mine the system’s next step at Startup or shut-down was determined to be too vague for thesystem to follow.

Solution: Make sure the configurationoptions are correct. If you’ve indicated a com-mand that’s specific to Startup or shutdown,examine the command to make sure it’s writ-ten properly or that it doesn’t conflict withother commands.

Error Message: “The configuration fileor the command line has a duplicateparameter.”

Translation: The command that wasissued conflicts with another command that’stoo similar or includes duplicated instructions.

Solution: Check your commands for dupli-cations or repeated phrases and remove them.

Error Message: “The workstation is notconfigured properly.”

Translation: The individual computer thatis starting up is having a conflict with the serv-er, network, or system. Usually, this is a resultof nonsystem configurations, so a reinstallationof Windows 2000 is probably not necessary.

Solution: Look at the workstation configu-ration, including how it’s connected to the net-work, what resources it shares, what devicesit’s using, and how the operating system isaccessed. If an error message still occurs afterrebooting, watch for the point at which theerror message comes up, since that could indi-cate the difficulty depending on the point inthe Startup when the error occurs.

Error Message: “Unable to obtain config-uration information for graphics card.”

Translation: Upon Startup, the system issearching for information on the graphicscard, but the configuration setup data is miss-ing or incorrect.

Solution: Check the configuration infor-mation provided by the graphics card manu-facturer and double-check the settings. If theconfiguration information is correct, contactthe manufacturer.

Error Message: “The time range speci-fied ends before it starts.”

Translation: Your system has several areaswhere a time range problem could occur. With

this message, a time range difficulty is usuallypresent in a command line that may be direct-ing a computer to shut down at a specific timeor access a network during specified hours.

Solution: Retype the command with avalid time range. You can use either the 12-hour or 24-hour time format, as long as it’sconsistent across the system. If you use the 12-hour format, don’t forget to specify a.m. orp.m. for each variable in the time range.

Error Message: “Memory AllocationFailed.”

Translation: Memory that was supposedto be directed to a specific application duringStartup or shutdown wasn’t delivered due toan internal conflict or interoperability problem.

Solution: First, determine your memorysettings and make sure there’s enough avail-able memory for allocation. If there is, examinethe target of the memory allocation to see ifthere’s a conflict with existing memory usage.

Error Message: “Maximum number ofpartitions exceeded.”

Translation: Partitions divide disk spaceinto areas that can be assigned and managedindependently. Each application can have

appropriate space assigned to it, or the spacecan be set aside for another purpose, such asstoring data and instructions for parallel pro-cessing. This error on Startup means that arecent repartitioning of the drive has causedthe disk space to be allocated incorrectly. Thisis usually a Windows 2000 Server error.

Solution: Reduce the number of partitionson the disk. This will also speed processingand prevent similar errors in the future.

Error Message: “The user disk quotainformation is unusable.”

Translation: Disk quotas let you allocate aspecific amount of disk space to a user orapplication to ensure that a user or applicationdoesn’t take more disk space than needed. Thislets you control how much of a file system’sresources can be accessed.

Solution: Since someone with administra-tive access must configure disk quotas, askyour network administrator to update theinformation in a way that can be recognized bythe system. If you’re the administrator, checkthe information for the user or application diskquota to make sure it’s correct.

by Elizabeth Millard

Windows 2000

Most Terrifying Error MessageError Message: “An operations error occurred.”

Translation: This is an example of a Stop message. Windows 2000 generates Stopmessages when it detects an error from which it can’t recover. They’reused to identify and debug hardware and software problems that occurwhile loading or running the operating system. When a critical part ofthe operating system fails, Microsoft notes that it’s preferable to gener-ate an obvious error message, such as this one, rather than to fail in aninvisible manner and possibly corrupt data. A Stop error consists of ablue screen (sometimes called the Blue Screen of Death, or BSOD),the message, a text translation, the addresses of the violating call, andthe drivers loaded at the time of the error. The Stop message providesinformation to help locate and identify problem areas by indicatingwhere the error occurred at both the address and driver levels.

Solution: Perhaps one of the most dreaded of all messages, a Stop error willtake time to troubleshoot. Problems can be resolved through generalprocedures such as verifying instructions, reinstalling key componentsof the system, and verifying file dates. Also helpful are diagnostic toolssuch as Winmsd, Network Monitor, and Network General Sniffer. Alsoobtainable through Microsoft is the Windows 2000 Resource Kit CD,which includes detailed information about the system and can isolateand resolve many issues. ■■

RS

PC Errors • 87

Windows 2000

Windows 2000Hardware ErrorsLearn What’s Behind Those CrypticMessages

S ome of the hardware-related errormessages that Windows 2000 sendsout almost drown you in explanations;

others make you want to scratch your headand say, “Huh?” (And some error messagesdo both.)

Win2000 is considered one of the more stableoperating systems Microsoft has released, butthat’s of little consolation when a waywarderror message pops up on your screen. To helpyou learn to speak the same language as yourOS, we’ve compiled a list of some of the morecommon hardware-related errors you mayencounter as you work with Win2000.

STOP Errors

Error Message: “STOP: 0x000000B8(0x00000000,0x00000000,0x00000000,0x00000000) ATTEMPTED_SWITCH_FROM_DPC address 0xf729a248 in XX.”

Translation: When you access an IomegaZip drive that’s connected to your computer’sparallel port, you may see this STOP errormessage (an unexpected system error thatWindows is unable to recover from; alsoknown as a fatal system error). Two of the files

the Zip drive uses, Ppa.sys and Ppa3.sys (rep-resented by XX in the error message), haveproblems that sometimes interfere with otherWin2000 processes.

Solution: The Win2000 SP4 (Service Pack 4)corrects this problem. You can download SP4via the Windows Update service or directlyfrom www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/servicepacks/sp4/default.asp.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000000A” or“IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.”

Translation: This usually means that a hard-ware device in your computer has failed. Themost common culprit is a faulty memory mod-ule on the motherboard, but it can also be theCPU, motherboard, or drive controllers. If themessage occurs during or after installing newhardware, one or more device drivers (smallprograms that let Windows communicate witha computer’s hardware) may be using animproper memory address.

Solution: If the problem is hardware fail-ure, remove all unnecessary hardware devicesfrom your computer and try restarting yourcomputer with a single memory module, diskcontroller, and video card. If the computer

boots successfully, install additional hardware,one device at a time, rebooting after eachinstallation. Continue this process until youdetermine which hardware device is defective.

If the problem is a new hardware installa-tion, remove the hardware and its device dri-ver. Contact the manufacturer to ensure thatthe device is compatible with Win2000. Updatethe driver, if necessary.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x00000077(0xParameter1, 0xParameter2, 0xPa-rameter3 , 0xParameter4) KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR.”

Translation: This series of errors indicatesa problem with accessing the page file (the filethe processor uses to temporarily store datawhen actual RAM is unavailable) on your harddrive. Four parameters display in the errormessage, which we’ve labeled 0xParameter1,0xParameter2, 0xParameter3, and 0xParameter4.If 0xParameter1 and 0xParameter3 are not zero(that is, not 0x00000000), then 0xParameter2contains the I/O (input/output) status code(information about an operation that is trans-ferring information from [input] or to [output]a device that’s external to the computer’s mainprocessor), which describes what happened.

Possible values for 0xParameter2:• 0xC000009A—STATUS_INSUFFICIENT

_RESOURCES. There isn’t enough physicalmemory to load the paging file or there isn’tenough free space on the hard drive to storethe paging file.

• 0xC000009C—STATUS_DEVICE_DATA_ERROR. There are bad blocks on yourhard drive.

• 0xC000009D—STATUS_DEVICE_NOT_CONNECTED. The drive controller cannotaccess the hard drive, possibly due to a faultycable or connector.

• 0xC000016A—STATUS_DISK_OPERA-TION_FAILED. There are bad blocks onyour hard drive.

• 0 x C 0 0 0 0 1 8 5 — S T A T U S _ I O _ D E V I C EERROR. Improper termination or a defec-tive cable on a SCSI (Small ComputerSystem Interface)-based device. Solution: Use the corresponding method to

resolve the error.• 0xC000009A: Add memory or remove unnec-

essary files to create more hard drive space.• 0xC000009C or 0xC000016A: Use a hard

drive utility to perform a surface scan of thedrive and map out the bad blocks. Considerreplacing the drive.

88 • PC Errors

• 0xC000009D or 0xC0000185: Check thecabling between the hard drive and thedrive controller for breaks and tears. Makesure that cables are properly seated and anySCSI devices are properly terminated.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x00000023(0xParameter1, 0xParameter2, 0xPa-rameter3 , 0xParameter4) FAT_FILE_SYSTEM.”

Translation: This error occurs when youare using the FAT file system (the method anOS uses to keep track of files) and have a phys-ical problem with a hard drive, or an IRP(Interrupt Request Packet, a method of send-ing data or commands between devices andthe Windows Plug-and-Play manager) didn’tcomplete successfully or is corrupted.

0xParameter1 contains the source file num-ber (the first four hexadecimal charactersafter 0x) and the source line number (the lastfour hexadecimal characters) where the STOPerror occurred.

Solution: Disable all backup utilities, virusscanners, firewall software, and any other soft-ware that runs automatically at startup. Verifythe file system’s integrity by running theCHKDSK utility and repairing any errors itreports. To do this, click Start and Run, typechkdsk in the Open field, and click OK.Contact the manufacturer to ensure that youhave the latest drivers for your hard drive(s)and any removable media drives, includingtape backup and optical drives.

If you are unable to boot your computer torun CHKDSK, try using the Recovery Consoleto run the CHKDSK routine. To do this, youwill need to boot from a Win2000 setup CD orstartup floppy diskettes. If you don’t havethese handy, you can make a set by bootingfrom any Windows startup diskette thatincludes support for CD-ROM drives, such asWindows 95/98/Me.

After you successfully boot with CD-ROMsupport, insert the Win2000 CD. Navigate tothe SUPPORT\Bootdisk\ directory on the CD-ROM drive and then run the Make-boot.exe or Makebt32.exe program to create the set-up diskettes.

Boot from the setup diskettes. When theWelcome To Setup dialog box displays, pressF10 to start the Recovery Console. When theRecovery Console prompt displays, you cantry to repair the corrupted NTFS drive orpartition by typing the command chkdsk X:/p where X is the drive letter (for example,C). When the command finishes, remove the

Windows 2000

Most Common Error MessageError Message: “The device cannot start. (Code 10) Try updating the device drivers for

this device.”

Translation: This error message can occur when you’re using the Device Managerto check the status of specific hardware devices. The cause is usuallyeither an older driver that isn’t compatible with Windows 2000 or a cor-rupted driver. In many cases, you’ll see this error when you reinstallhardware or reinstall Windows to fix an unrelated problem. Most of usare a bit unreliable about updating hardware drivers. We conscientious-ly update them once and then forget about them when we need to rein-stall Windows or a piece of hardware.

Solution: Before you reinstall Windows, a hardware device, or its drivers, check withthe manufacturer to ensure that you’re using the most current drivers. ■■

diskette, type exit , press RETURN, andrestart your computer.

If you still can’t boot your computer, youmay need to delete and re-create the corruptedpartition. Unfortunately, you will lose all dataon the partition.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x00000024(0xParameter1, 0xParameter2, 0xPa-rameter3, 0xParameter4) NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM.”

Translation: There’s a problem with theNtfs.sys file, the driver that enables your com-puter to read and write data to a hard drive thatuses the NTFS file system. The problem can be acorruption in the file, a damaged hard drivedisk, or damaged SCSI or IDE (Integrated DriveElectronics) controllers (any device that controlsdata transfer between a device and a computer).

0xParameter1 contains the source file num-ber (the first four hexadecimal characters after0x) and the source line number (the last fourhexadecimal characters) where the STOP erroractually occurred.

Solution: Use the Event Viewer to checkfor error messages from SCSI or FASTFAT (thedriver that Win2000 uses to access FAT filesystems) in the system log. To launch theEvent Viewer, click Start, Settings, and ControlPanel; double-click Administrative Tools; anddouble-click Event Viewer. Check for errormessages from Autochk in the application log.Error messages may tell you whether a deviceor a device driver is causing the STOP error.

Disable virus scanning, backup, disk defrag-menting, and other programs that actively moni-tor the file system. If you have a hardware diag-nostic program, it may be able to determinewhich device is causing the problem.

Run the CHKDSK utility with the /r switchto detect and correct file system damage, ifany. To do this, click Start and Run, type chkdsk /r in the Open field, and click OK. Ifyou are unable to boot your computer to runCHKDSK, try using the Recovery Console torun the CHKDSK routine. To do this, you willneed to boot from Win2000 startup diskettes.

Before booting from the startup diskettes, youmust modify the Txtsetup.sif file, located on thefirst setup diskette to disable the Ntfs.sys filefrom loading at boot time. Insert the first setupdiskette into a working computer and then useNotepad to open the Txtsetup.sif file. Scrollthrough the file until you find the sectionlabeled [FileSystems.Load]. Locate the line thatbegins with ntfs = ntfs.sys. Put a semicolon atthe front of this line and save your changes. Thenew line should read, “;ntfs = ntfs.sys.”

Boot from the setup diskettes. When theWelcome To Setup dialog box displays, pressF10 to start the Recovery Console. When theRecovery Console prompt displays, you cantry to repair the corrupted NTFS drive or parti-tion. To attempt this, type chkdsk X: /p whereX is the drive letter (for example, C).

When the CHKDSK utility finishes, removethe diskette, type exit, press RETURN, andrestart your computer. If you still can’t bootyour computer, you may need to delete andrecreate the corrupted partition.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000002E (0xPa-rameter1 , 0xParameter2, 0xParameter3,0xParameter4) DATA_BUS_ERROR.”

Translation: A parity error has been detect-ed. This generally indicates a RAM failure insystem memory, the L2 RAM cache, or VideoRAM. It can also indicate a virus in the MBR

PC Errors • 89

(Master Boot Record, a small program, usuallylocated at the beginning of a hard drive, thatlaunches whenever the computer first boots) ora device driver attempting to access memory ina memory range that doesn’t exist.

The four parameters provide the followinginformation:• 0xParameter1: This parameter contains the vir-

tual address that was in use when the faultoccurred. This information can help experi-enced programmers locate a problem withina software program.

• 0xParameter2: This parameter contains thephysical memory address that was in usewhen the fault occurred. This informationmay point to a specific memory chip that is defective.

• 0xParameter3: This parameter contains thevalue of the Processor Status Register, whichtracks CPU activity. The data represents thevalue that was present at the time of thefault. Programmers and hardware develop-ers can use this information to determine theevents the processor was involved in whenthe fault occurred.

• 0xParameter4: This parameter contains thevalue of the faulting instruction register.This information may contain the instruc-tions that the processor executed when thefault occurred.Solution: If the error occurred after you

installed RAM, there may be a problem with theinstallation. Make sure thatthe RAM is seated correctlyin its connector and that thecontacts are clean. If theproblem persists, verify thatthe RAM is the correct typefor this installation and iscorrectly rated for speed,voltage, and other parame-ters required by your specif-ic computer. If everything iscorrect, contact the manufac-turer of your computer’smotherboard for BIOS (BasicInput/Output System, asmall program that containsall the code necessary toaccess the basic hardware on the motherboard)updates, if any.

If there are no new components to explain theerror, the problem may be a failed RAM mod-ule, a virus in the MBR, or a failing hard drive.

If your computer manufacturer provided a hardware test utility, use it to diagnose which RAM module is bad. If you don’t have a

diagnostic application, remove all but oneRAM module and reboot your computer. Ifyou don’t get an error message, add one RAMmodule back at a time and reboot your com-puter until the problem returns. Replace thedefective module.

Run a current virus scanner that can checkand repair the Master Boot Block (the firstlocation on a hard drive; usually contains theMBR) on your hard drive.

Although rare, it’s possible for a failing harddrive to generate this error message. Use theCHKDSK utility to validate your drive. If yourdrive was formatted using NTFS, use CHKDSKwith the /f (error-fixing) and /r (informationrecovery) switches. To do this, click Start andRun; type chkdsk /f /r in the Open field andclick OK.

If none of these steps resolves the problem,consider taking your computer to a competentdiagnostic testing facility. The problem maybe a motherboard failure.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000007B:(0xF741B84C, 0x00000034, 0x00000000,0x00000000) INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE.”

Translation: You may see this error messageif you move a hard drive that contains a Win2000OS to a different computer or if you install a newmotherboard or hard drive controller. TheRegistry (a database that Windows uses to store

configuration information)stored on the hard driveyou’re booting from doesn’thave the correct entries forthe new motherboard orhard drive controller. TheRegistry contains the PnP(Plug-n-Play) IDs that iden-tify the hard drive con-troller. Win2000 uses thePnP ID to load the correctdriver for the mass storagedevice. In this case, thedevice driver that Win2000is loading from the Registrydoesn’t work with the newmotherboard or your PC’s

hard drive controller.Solution: If you see this error message after

installing a new hard drive controller, your cur-rent Win2000 installation doesn’t have the nec-essary drivers or the proper Registry entries.You can solve the problem by reconfiguringyour computer with the old hard drive con-troller and attaching the hard drive that contains

the operating system back to the original con-troller. Confirm that you can boot successfullyand then install the new hard drive controller,leaving the old controller in place and the harddrive connected to the old controller. Boot yourcomputer. Win2000 will recognize that a newcontroller has been added, install the necessarydrivers, and make the necessary entries in theRegistry. After you successfully install the newcontroller, shut down your computer, removethe old controller, attach the hard drive to thenew controller, and reboot your computer.

If you see this error message after movingyour hard drive to another computer, or afterinstalling a new motherboard, you can repairthe Windows installation. Boot from theWin2000 setup diskettes or the Win2000 CD.At the Welcome to Setup screen, pressENTER. Press F8 to accept the license agree-ment. Select your current Win2000 installa-tion (it may already be selected) and press R.Follow the on-screen instructions to completethe repair process.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000007F(0xParameter1, 0xParameter2, 0xPara-meter3, 0xParameter4) UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP.”

Translation: This error can indicate hard-ware or software problems, but the most likelycause is hardware. The actual failure is listedin 0xParameter1; the other parameters have nomeaning. 0xParameter1 contains the actual trapvalues, which you can look up in X86 proces-sor (any processor that’s compatible with theIntel X86 architecture) manuals. The most com-mon failures are:• 0x00000000: Divide By Zero Error. The sys-

tem made an attempt to divide a number byzero. Poorly written software or corrupteddata in memory can cause this problem.

• 0x00000004: Overflow. An overflow condi-tion occurs when the result of an operation,such as addition or multiplication, isbeyond the range of the processor registerthat holds the result.

• 0x00000005: Bounds Check Fault. Thisindicates that a chunk of data stored inmemory exceeds its expected size. Poorlywritten software or faulty memory cancause this problem.

• 0x00000006: Invalid Opcode (a programinstruction that memory loads as needed).In this case the processor received aninstruction it couldn’t interpret. Failedmemory that’s corrupting data before it’ssent to the processor is the usual culprit.

Windows 2000

If you see this error message, one ofyour device drivers is either corruptedor incompatible with Windows 2000.

90 • PC Errors

• 0x00000008: Double Fault. A double faultusually results from a memory page fault.Here the processor attempted to access anunavailable memory page. The double faultoccurs because the invalid access result usu-ally generates an interrupt request withinvalid data. All of these errors can be caused by faulty

hardware, usually RAM that has failed. Otherprobable causes include overclocking theprocessor, faulty hardware devices, or badlywritten software.

Solution: If you’re trying to overclock(manipulate hardware and/or software set-tings to eke out extra speed) your computer,this error message is telling you that the speedyou’re attempting isn’t viable. Lower youroverclock settings or consider returning to thedefault values for your processor.

Use a diagnostic utility to check for RAM fail-ure. Replace affected RAM modules if indicated.

Remove any unnecessary controller cards,such as sound cards, game controllers, andUSB (Universal Serial Bus) or FireWire add-ons and see if the problem recurs. If it doesn’t, add one controller back at a time,reboot, and check again. Continue thisprocess until you find the defective controllercard. You can replace the controller card ordo without it if you don’t need it.

If you’ve recently installed new software,uninstall it and reboot your computer. If theproblem still occurs, contact the software man-ufacturer for updates.

Modem Errors

Error Message: “Error 692: Hardwarefailure in port or attached device.”

Translation: Windows was unable toaccess or detect the modem. If it’s an externalmodem, it may be turned off, or the modem

cable may be disconnected. For internal andexternal modems, the modem may not be rec-ognized as compatible with Win2000 or thehandshaking option (a method of exchanginginformation that ensures each side has sent orreceived valid data) may be set incorrectly.

Solution: If you have an external modem,be sure the power is on and the cable is firmlyattached. Reset the modem, if needed.

For internal and external modems, checkthe Windows Hardware Compatibility List atwww.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/search.mspx.Contact the modem manufacturer for the lat-est drivers.

Error Message: “Error 633. The modemis already in use or not configured fordialing out.”

Translation: Win2000 couldn’t open a con-nection to your modem. This message usuallyoccurs when an external modem is turned offor wasn’t connected to your computer whenyou booted.

Solution: The easiest solution is to turn themodem on and/or reconnect it to your com-puter and then reboot.

If for some reason you can’t reboot your com-puter, but you still need to access the modem,reconnect the modem and make sure it’s turnedon. Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel.Double-click the System icon. Select theHardware tab and then click Device Manager.In the list of devices, right-click Modems andselect Scan For Hardware Changes. A dialogbox will open, indicating that the scanning is inprogress. When the scan is complete, the dialogbox will go away, and the hardware list will beupdated with any changes. The modem shouldnow be available for use.

Error Message: “Modem is busy or notresponding.”

Translation: Windows is unable to connectto the modem because it’s already in use byanother application. This generally occurswhen a background process uses the modemto retrieve information while you are connect-ed to, or trying to connect to, a network usingyour modem. This error can also occur ifyou’re trying to use two different network ser-vices that both require a modem.

Solution: Exit from the application that’s cur-rently using the modem and retry the connectionwith the second application. If the error persists,try resetting the modem (external modem) orrebooting your computer (internal modem).

Printer Errors

Error Message: “Could not connect to theprinter: The system cannot find the filespecified.” or “Servername\sharename isan invalid port name.” or “Test Pagefailed to print. Would you like to viewthe printer troubleshooter for assistance?The filename, directory name, or volumelabel syntax is incorrect.” or “Test pagefailed to print. Would you like to viewthe printer troubleshooter for assistance?Unable to create a job.” or “Could notstart a print job.”

Translation: These erroneous error mes-sages crop up when you try to print to a pass-word-protected Win2000 printer share (aprinter configuration that provides printingaccess to users on a network).

Solution: You can prevent these error mes-sages by doing one or more of the following.

Log on to the PC with an account that hasthe correct permissions. Remove the passwordprotection from the Windows printer share.Double-click the My Network Places icon onyour Desktop and then double-click the comput-er hosting the shared printer. A window shouldopen, showing shared resources on the selectedcomputer, including the problem printer.

Click Start, Accessories, and CommandPrompt. In the Command Prompt window, typenet use lptX \\servername\printername pass-word, where X is the next available LPT1 (lineprinter terminal) port for your computer, server-name is the name for the computer hosting theprinter, printername is the shared printer’s name,and password is the password you use to accessthe shared printer. Press ENTER.

Click Start, Settings, and Printers. Double-clickthe Add Printer icon. When the Add PrinterWizard launches, click Next. Select Local Printerand click Next. In the list of available ports, select

Windows 2000

Most Hilarious Error MessageError Message: Your computer begins to play “Fur Elise” or “It’s a Small World.”

Translation: This audible, rather than visual, error message occurs when the CPUfan inside your computer stops working. We can only wonder if theWindows 2000 developers had just returned from an overly long vacation at Disney World.

Solution: As funny as it may seem to have your PC suddenly start serenadingyou, don’t take this light-hearted sound lightly. A malfunctioning CPUfan can quickly allow your CPU to overheat and fail. Shut down yourcomputer immediately and check the motherboard and CPU fan. ■■

PC Errors • 91

Solution: Make sure the drive has media init. Remove the media, reinsert it, and tryaccessing the drive again. If the problemrecurs, check the media to be sure it isn’t dam-aged, blank, or in the wrong drive, such as anoptical drive. If the problem persists, check themedia in another computer. If it works, trycleaning the drive with a cleaner designed forthat type of drive.

Error Message: “Serious Disk ErrorWriting Drive X.”

Translation: The X represents a drive thathas a serious problem. In many cases, you canrecover the drive using Windows’ error-check-ing utility or a third-party hard drive utility. Insome cases, you may need to replace the drive.

Solution: Before using a disk utility, try toback up the drive or copy any important filesto removable media such as diskettes or CD-Rs. You may not be able to complete the back-up or copy all of your files, but it’s alwaysworth a shot.

Double-click the My Computer icon on yourDesktop. Right-click the drive named in theerror message, select Properties, click the Toolstab, and click Check Now. In the Check Diskoptions dialog box, put a check mark next toAutomatically Fix File System Errors and clickStart. If the drive you’re trying to repair is theboot volume, you’ll see the following message:“The disk check could not be performed becauseexclusive access to the drive could not beobtained. Do you want to schedule this diskcheck to occur the next time you restart the com-puter?” Click Yes and restart your computer.

If these steps succeed at repairing the drive,perform a full backup of the drive and plan toreplace it soon. In the meantime, back up yourfiles on a regular basis. If you were unable torepair the drive, you will need to replace it.

Error Message: “Non-System disk or diskerror. Replace and press any key when ready.”

Translation: During the boot process,Windows scans the floppy drive to see if adiskette is present. If there’s a diskette in thedrive, Windows reads it to determine whetherit contains a bootable system. If it does, theboot process continues, using the data on thediskette. If the diskette is blank or doesn’t con-tain a bootable system, you’ll see the errormessage above.

Solution: If you intended to boot from aboot diskette, make sure you chose the correctdiskette. Then reinsert it and press any key. Ifyou didn’t intend to boot from a diskette,

Windows 2000

Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: “Error performing Inpage Operation.”

Translation: This error message appears to be telling you that there’s a problemwith Windows 2000’s memory paging system. It could easily convinceyou to check system RAM or the hard drive where the Virtual Memorypage is stored.

In reality, this error message is most likely to occur when you’re try-ing to copy a file from a bad diskette to your hard drive or to anotherdiskette. When you copy small files (less than 256KB), Windows uses adifferent copying process, one that maps the file into Virtual Memoryspace. Windows then reads the data from Virtual Memory space,instead of from the slower floppy drive.

If a problem occurs during the file copy, you’ll usually see the errormessage above, which will lead you astray instead of identifying thecorrect source of the error (the floppy drive or the media).

Solution: Inspect the diskette for damage. Reinsert it and try again. If that does-n’t help, a third-party drive utility may be able to recover the file. ■■

the LPT port you specified in the Net Use com-mand above. Click Next. Follow the Add PrinterWizard’s prompts to complete the installation.The next time you print, select the printer youcreated with the Add Printer Wizard.

Error Message: “There was an errorfound when printing the document XXto LPT1. Do you want to retry or cancelthe job?”

Translation: By itself, this error message(in which XX represents the name of the fileyou’re trying to print) may not indicate a hard-ware problem. If it occurs frequently, the par-allel port your printer connects to may be setto a nonactive state, either by your mother-board’s BIOS or by Win2000.

Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel.Double-click the System icon. Select theHardware tab and then click Device Manager.Expand the Ports (COM & LPT) entry by click-ing the plus sign (+). Double-click the LPT portyour printer connects to. Click the General taband check the Device Status area. If the statusis “Code 29: Firmware not correctly installed,”then the LPT port is disabled.

Solution: Restart your computer and thenenter the BIOS setup page (usually by press-ing DELETE when your computer starts toboot). There are many different BIOSes, soconsult your computer or motherboard man-ual to find out how to access your particularBIOS. What you need to do is locate the con-figuration information for the parallel port,which may be under an Advanced, I/O

Configuration, or Communication section ofthe BIOS Setup program. Locate the LPT portand change the setting from Automatic, OS Controlled, or Disabled to Enabled orECP+EPP (contact your BIOS manufacturerfor detailed information about setting theparallel port parameters). The importantpoint is that the port should not be disabledor set to Automatic or OS Controlled.

Error Message: “A port with that namealready exists. Choose another portname.”

Translation: This message appears whenyou use the Add Printer Wizard after failing toinstall a printer, usually because you canceledthe installation because of missing information.

When you cancel the Add Printer Wizard, itdoesn’t perform a cleanup to remove anything ithas already configured, so it has probablyalready assigned a printer to the port you’renow trying to use.

Solution: Remove the port the Add PrinterWizard created. Click Start, Settings, andPrinters. From the File menu, select ServerProperties and then click the Ports tab.Highlight the port you’re trying to use, clickDelete Port, and click OK.

Drive Errors

Error Message: “Not ready readingdrive X.”

Translation: There’s a problem reading adrive (X above), usually removable media.

92 • PC Errors

remove it. Then press any key to continue theboot process.

Device Manager Errors

Error Message: “This device is not config-ured correctly (Code 1). To update the dri-vers for this device, click Update Driver. Ifthat doesn’t work, see your hardware doc-umentation for more information.”

Translation: Although this error message ispretty explicit, it’s helpful to know what’sbehind it. Win2000 contains a ConfigFlags (datathat reflects a device’s current status) value forevery device in the Windows Registry. In thiscase, the device has been enumerated (detected),but the Device Manager wasn’t able to find anassociated INF file, which is necessary to fin-ish configuring the device. Therefore, theConfigFlags value for this device was never set.This happens when you install a new piece ofhardware but, when prompted for a device dri-ver, fail to install the correct driver.

Solution: Click the Update Driver button. Ifthe Update Driver button isn’t on the Generaltab, click the Driver tab and then click UpdateDriver. You’ll need the driver software to com-plete the installation. Check with the manufac-turer to be sure you have the latest drivers.

Error Message: “The driver for thisdevice might be corrupt, or your systemmay be running low on memory or otherresources. (Code 3).”

Translation: In most cases, this messageappears because a damaged device driver isbeing loaded into the computer’s memory. It’sunlikely that the cause really is low memory.To check, press CTRL-ALT-DEL and then clickTask Manager. Click the Performance tabwhere you can verify whether your computeris low on available memory.

Solution: Replace the bad driver. Contact themanufacturer and, if a more current driver isavailable, follow the manufacturer’s instructionsfor installation. If no new driver is available or ifthe driver didn’t come with instructions, click theUpdate Driver button, which should be justbelow the error message. If there’s no button,select the Driver tab. Then click Update Driverand follow the on-screen instructions.

After you install the new driver, reboot yourcomputer. Check the Device Manager to ensurethat the error message is no longer present. Thenuse the Task Manager to check memory usage. Ifyou’re still using a large amount of systemmemory, consider adding more RAM.

Error Message: “Windows cannot identi-fy all the resources this device uses.(Code 16) To specify additional resourcesfor this device, click the Resources taband fill in the missing settings. Checkyour hardware documentation to find outwhat settings to use.”

Translation: This usually indicates a cor-rupted or incompatible driver or a hardwarefailure. Windows was unable to retrieve theresource setting information from the hardwaredevice’s configuration memory, and the driverdidn’t provide the necessary information.

Solution: According to the error message,you should manually configure the resource set-tings, but this usually isn’t an acceptable optionbecause it can interfere with other PnP hardwaredevices. Contact the manufacturer for the latestWin2000-compatible drivers. Use the UpdateDriver button under the Driver tab to launch theUpdate Driver Wizard and follow the on-screeninstructions.

Restart your computer and then use theDevice Manager to check the status of the sus-pect device. If the problem still exists, contactthe manufacturer for any special instructionsfor uninstalling older drivers or installing newdrivers. If there are no special instructions, thehardware device may be damaged and mayneed to be repaired or replaced.

Miscellaneous Errors

Error Message: “General ProtectionFault in module XX.”

Translation: General protection faultsoccur when an application or DLL (dynamic-link library, a small file containing functionsthat can be used by multiple applications), rep-resented by the XX above, attempts to write orread memory assigned to another application.

This is almost always a software-related prob-lem, usually caused by compatibility issues

between two or more applications, but it canalso be caused by a memory error, either in sys-tem RAM or the graphics card’s video RAM.

Solution: Use a memory testing utility toverify that RAM isn’t the problem. Contactyour video card manufacturer for a utility totest the video card. These utilities can usuallyalso test video RAM.

Error Message: “While setting up DVD-video playback, it was found that XXVideo cannot be shown on the computermonitor because of one of the followingreasons: Low video memory. Please tryusing lower display resolution and/orcolors. The display adapter is incompati-ble with the DVD decoder. Please try toobtain a display driver update.”

Translation: The video card doesn’t haveenough memory or the DVD playback soft-ware isn’t compatible with the video card.

Solution: Contact the manufacturer of yourDVD decoder software for an update thatworks with Win2000 and your video card.Follow the manufacturer’s instructions toupdate the software.

If your video card doesn’t have enoughvideo RAM or performance, you can alleviatethe problem by reducing your display resolu-tion. Right-click your Desktop and selectProperties from the pop-up menu. Click theSettings tab. Drag the Screen Area slider to theleft to reduce screen resolution. A good start-ing point is 800 x 600, although you can tryvarious screen sizes. Click OK and try theDVD player again. Repeat until the error mes-sage disappears and playback quality isacceptable.

If you plan to watch a lot of DVDs on yourcomputer, consider upgrading your video cardfor better performance.

by Tom Nelson and Mary O’Connor

Windows 2000

Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “Coprocessor not available fault.”

Translation: This message was fairly common years ago, when motherboards hadseparate processors and math coprocessors. Today, a single CPUcontains all of the elements necessary to perform both functions.

Solution: If your computer isn’t a vintage machine, check the motherboard andCPU. If you do have an older computer, this is its not-so-subtle way oftelling you that it’s time to consider an upgrade. ■■

RS

PC Errors • 93

The four parameters displayed in the errormessage, which we’ve labeled 0xParameter1,0xParameter2, 0xParameter3, 0xParameter4, con-tain the following information:

0xParameter1: The virtual memory addressthat the application tried unsuccessfully toaccess. When an application needs to storedata in, or retrieve data from, memory, and itsrequest includes the location where the datacan be found or will be stored.

0xParameter2: The type of memory accessthe application was going to perform, eitherWrite (if 0xParameter2 = 0x00000001), in whichcase, the application was going to store newinformation in the memory location listed in0xParameter1 , or Read (if 0xParameter2 =0x00000000), in which case the application wasgoing to retrieve data stored in the memorylocation listed in 0xParameter1.

0xParameter3: If the data is all zeros (that is,0x00000000), this parameter has no meaning. Ifthe data is anything but all zeros, this parame-ter represents the memory address that con-tains the instruction, executed by the comput-er’s processor, which caused the error.

0xParameter4: Every STOP error messagedisplays four parameters, but not all parame-ters are always relevant. This parameter is notused for this error message and contains nousable information.

Solution: This problem often occurs whenyou install new system services, including anysoftware that runs as a service under Win2000.If this error message appears shortly after youinstall a new service, disable the service, andcontact the developer for updates.

If the error occurs at system startup, and pre-vents you from disabling the service, rebootyour computer and press F8 as your systemstarts to boot. From Win2000 Advanced MenuOptions, select Last Known Good Configurationand follow the on-screen instructions.

If you recently installed or updated an antivirus program, disable the programand contact the developer for updates or assistance.

Error Message: “STOP: 0xC000021A(0xParameter1, 0xParameter2, 0xPara-meter3, 0xParameter4) STATUS_SYSTEM_PROCESS_TERMINATED.”

Translation: A user mode process, such asWinlogon (which manages how users log onand off) or CSRSS (Client/Server RuntimeServer Subsystem, which manages backgroundWindows processes and graphics), has been

Windows 2000

W indows 2000 is an improvement overearlier versions of the Windows OS,but one area that still hasn’t received

the attention it deserves is error reporting.Windows error messages are often cryptic atbest and sometimes stingy about providinginformation that can actually help you diag-nose a problem.

We’ve gathered a list of some of the morecommon software error messages and deci-phered their meaning for you. The next timeyou run into a General Protection Fault, youwon’t have to close your eyes, reboot, andhope for the best. Instead, you’ll not onlyunderstand what happened, you’ll knowwhat you can do to help reduce the chances ofa recurrence.

STOP Errors

Error Message: “STOP: 0x0000000A” or“ IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.”

Translation: This usually means a hard-ware device in your computer has failed, but itcan also occur after you install new software.In the latter case, no unusual problems existed

before installing the software, and you didn’tactually add new hardware.

Solution: Uninstall the new software. Ifyou are unable to restart your computer suc-cessfully, turn off the power, wait a few sec-onds, turn on the PC, and press F8 as your sys-tem starts to boot. This will bring up theWin2000 Advanced Menu Options. Use thearrow keys to select Last Known GoodConfiguration. Follow the on-screen instruc-tions to complete the startup process.

Contact the software developer to find outif a newer version of the software is availableand if there are any known issues betweenthe software and any hardware installed onyour computer. If there’s a compatibilityproblem between your hardware and the soft-ware, contact the hardware manufacturerabout possible updates.

Error Message: “STOP: “0x00000050”(0xParameter1, 0xParameter2, 0xParame-ter3, 0xParameter4) PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA.”

Translation: The requested data wasn’tfound in memory. Possible causes are hard-ware (faulty RAM), buggy system services, orantivirus software.

Windows 2000Software ErrorsHow To Figure Out What Your OS Is

Trying To Tell You

94 • PC Errors

fatally compromised. Because security can nolonger be assumed, the OS switches to kernelmode (a basic operating mode that doesn’tinvolve user settings and applications), whichgenerates this error.

Win2000 requires Winlogon and CSRSS tobe available at all times. The failure of eitherleads to a STOP error. This is one of the fewfailures in user space that can bring downWindows entirely.

Parameter1 contains a status code specific tothe software driver. Contact the developer ifyou need to decipher the status code.

The most common causes of this error mes-sage are third-party applications, system serviceand device drivers, and mismatched system files.

Solution: Installing Win2000 Service Pack 4can solve this problem. Refer to the “How ToInstall A Service Pack” sidebar for details.

If the error message occurs after installing orupdating an application, uninstall the applica-tion and contact the developer. If the erroroccurs at system startup, and prevents youfrom disabling the service, reboot your com-puter and press F8 as your computer starts toboot. From Win2000 Advanced Menu Options,select the Last Known Good Configurationoption, and follow the on-screen instructions.

If you haven’t recently installed new soft-ware, the problem may be corrupt or mis-matched system files. If you can boot the com-puter, click Start and select Run. In the Rundialog box, type SFC /scannow and click OKto run the System File Checker, which shouldcorrect any mismatched system files.

Error Message: “STOP: 0xC0000221 S T A T U S _ I M A G E _ C H E C K S U M_MISMATCH PATH\XX” or “STOP:C0000221 unknown hard error PATH\XX.”

Translation: This error message can appearin multiple ways, including as a BSOD (BlueScreen of Death; a blue screen that appearswhen Windows encounters a serious problemand crashes) or a simple dialog box. Its appear-ance depends on how much of the OS wasloaded before the error was encountered.

The PATH in the error message indicates thepath to the file or files involved in the error,and XX represents the file name.

No matter what form this message takes, itrelates to a corrupted file that couldn’t beloaded following the integrity check thatWindows performs at startup.

Solution: Replace the file (which is mostoften a Windows system file) with a fresh copy.Start your computer in Safe Mode by pressingthe F8 key repeatedly while the PC boots orrestarts and then selecting the Safe Mode

option. Use the System FileChecker utility to correct the prob-lem by clicking Start and Run,typing sfc /scannow in the Openfield, and clicking OK.

When the System File Checker isfinished, try rebooting. If you stillencounter the error, or you couldn’tboot into Safe Mode, you will needto repair or reinstall Win2000.

To repair Win2000 insert yourWin2000 CD and reboot. Whenthe option appears to boot fromthe CD, press any key. At theWelcome To Setup screen, press Rto start the repair process. At the

Repair Options screen, press R to select theemergency repair process and follow the on-screen instructions.

If the problem persists, you may need toreinstall Win2000.

Printing Errors

Error Message: “BAD_POOL_CALLERStop 0xC2.”

Translation: You’re trying to print or useWindows Explorer to open a document thatcontains a bad or corrupted font.

Solution: Microsoft determined that this isa problem with Win2000 Professional,Win2000 Server, and Win2000 AdvancedServer. A hot fix is available by contactingMicrosoft Help And Support via phone (visitthe Help And Support site at www.support.microsoft.com to obtain an appropriatephone number). However, keep in mind thatMicrosoft recommends installing the fix only if

you’re experiencing a problem and that you will be charged a fee for calling theMicrosoft support number unless the supportstaff determines that the update will resolveyour problem.

Error Message: “Win32k!EXFOR-MOBJ::vGetCoefficient+0xb.”

Translation: You’re printing to a printserver that’s using Win2000 and a Microsoft-supplied default printer driver, and the pageyou’re trying to print contains white text.

Solution: Use the manufacturer’s printerdriver, if one is available. Win2000 SP4 includesa fix for this issue; refer to the “How To InstallA Service Pack” sidebar for more information.

Error Message: “The separator pagedoes not exist.”

Translation: You may see this error mes-sage when you try to insert a separator pagebetween printed documents using theAdvanced tab of the printer’s Properties dialogbox. If the printer can’t locate the separatorpage file, or if the file’s attributes aren’t set cor-rectly, the error can occur.

Solution: Separator pages are installed aspart of a Win2000 installation and/or withprinter drivers. These pages usually end with a.SEP file extension. Make sure you’re selectingthe correct separator page for your printer type.

Separator pages must have the correct fileattributes, or they won’t load when called for.Valid separator file attributes are Read-Only,Archive, and Normal. Different OSes mayinterpret file attributes differently. In Win2000Professional, a separator page with no fileattributes is considered normal. In Win2000Server, a separator page with no file attributesreturns an error.

Most Windows installations and third-partymanufacturers set separator page file attributesto Archive, which allows them to run with bothWin2000 Professional and Win2000 Server. Ifyou use the backup program included withWin2000, it clears the Archive file attribute afterperforming an incremental backup.

The latest Win2000 Service Pack includes afix for this issue.

Error Message: “Unable to create oropen the file XX.”

Translation: The print spooler (programthat manages print jobs) can’t access a file. Inmost cases you’re either running low on freehard drive space or don’t have the proper per-missions to print the file.

Windows 2000

A hot fix is available from Microsoft for BAD_POOL_CALLER printing errors, which result from documents with bad or corruptembedded fonts. The fix may require you to pay a support fee.

PC Errors • 95

Solution: Empty the Recycle Bin. Then usethe Disk Cleanup utility to remove temporaryfiles. To do this, click Start, Programs,Accessories, System Tools, and Disk Cleanup.Select the drive you want to clean up, click OK,and follow the on-screen instructions.

The print spooler must open the file and storeit temporarily in a spooling directory. If you’rein a network environment, contact your systemadministrator to be sure you have write permis-sion for the directory. If you’re using a stand-alone computer, access rights aren’t likely to bea problem, but you can confirm this by clickingStart, Settings, and selecting Printers. Right-clickthe icon for the printer and select Propertiesfrom the pop-up menu. Click the Security taband check to be sure you have permission to usethe printer and manage documents.

Error Message: “An application errorhas occurred and an application errorlog is being generated. SPOOLSV.EXEException: access violation (0xc0000005),Address Parameter1.”

Translation: The Windows Print Spooler(the service for which Spoolsv.exe is the exe-cutable file) can cause this error if there are toomany .SPL (spool) files and/or .TMP (temp)files in the spooler directory. Parameter1 is amemory address where the violation occurred.

Solution: Remove the .SPL, .TMP, and any.SHD files currently in the print spooler direc-tory. The default spooler directory isC:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\SPOOL\PRINTERS.After you remove the files, restart the printspooler. Any jobs in the spool directory will be lost.

If you’re unable to delete the files, turn theprint spooler off. To do this, click Start,Settings, and Printers. Right-click the appropri-ate printer and select Properties. Select theAdvanced tab and disable print spooling.

File System Errors

Error Message: “Could not load or run XXspecified in the Registry. Make sure thefile exists on your computer, or removethe reference to it in the Registry.”

Translation: When an application launches,Windows checks the Registry for any files, pref-erences, or other information the applicationneeds. If a file is specified in a Registry entry forthe application, and that file is not at the pathspecified, the error message above will appear.

Solution: This problem may occur becausethe file (represented by XX above) was moved

or deleted. In most cases you can correct theproblem by uninstalling the application thatcaused the error and then reinstalling it. Thisprocess should also reinstall the missing file.

Error Message: “The file XX that short-cut YY refers to cannot be found” or“The item XX that this shortcut refers to

has been changed or moved, so thisshortcut will no long work properly.”

Translation: You’re using a shortcut (rep-resented by YY) to access a file (represented byXX) that has been moved, renamed, or deleted.

Solution: Right-click the shortcut andselect Properties. Select the Shortcut tab andclick Find Target to search for the file.

For the second error message, Windowsautomatically attempts to find the target anddisplay the same options that display whenyou manually select Find Target. If Windowsfinds the file, click Fix It to correct the shortcut.

Otherwise, delete the shortcut or cancel theFind Target function.

If the Find Target function can’t find the file,you can delete the shortcut, manually locatethe file, and recreate the shortcut.

Error Message: “XX This file exists withRead-Only attributes. Please use a dif-ferent file name” or “Access toPATH\XX was denied.”

Translation: Both error messages refer to afile (represented by XX) set as Read-Only,thereby preventing you from overwriting orchanging it. The first error message may occurwhen you copy or move a file and the secondwhen you try to save a read-only file fromwithin an application.

Solution: Copy or save the file with a dif-ferent name to avoid having to change thefile’s permissions or find a system administra-tor to fix them for you.

If you believe the file should not be set toRead-Only, contact your system administrator.

Error Message: “Cannot copy XX: Accessis denied. The source file may be in use.”

Translation: You’re trying to replace anexisting file (represented by XX) without suffi-cient write privileges. It might not actually bethe case that the file is in use.

Solution: Rename the new file, so youwon’t be overwriting an existing file.

Windows 2000

Most Common Error MessageError Message: “General Protection Fault in module XX.”

Translation: General Protection Faults occur when an associated DLL (dynamic-link library) file (represented by XX) attempts to access protected memory space assigned to another application, DLL file, or other system component.

Solution: If XX is an application, be sure you’re using the latest version of the software. Visit the software manufacturer’s Web site and update the application if possible.

If XX is a system or DLL file, tracking down the cause of the problem is more difficult. If it’s a DLL file, click Start, Search, and For Files Or Folders to search for it. When you find it, check to be sure that the DLL file you’re using (usually the one located at C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32) is the latest version compared to any other copies that may exist on your computer (you can find this information by right-clicking the file, selecting Properties, and selecting the Version tab). If it’s older than another version on your computer, chances are an application you recently installed overwrote a newer version of the DLL file with an older version included with the application installer. Replace the DLL file with the newest version. Also, be sure your copy of Win2000 is up-to-date. ■■

If you don’t have sufficient write privileges, you’llsee this error when you try to replace a file. Toget around this problem, rename the new file.

96 • PC Errors

If you believe you should have write permissions for the file, contact your system administrator.

Error Message: “XX This file is alreadyin use. Select a new name or close thefile in use by another application.”

Translation: You’re attempting to save oropen a file (represented by XX) that is already inuse by another application. Usually this happenswhen you’re working on a file and switch toanother application to work on the same filewithout closing it in the original application.

Solution: Switch to the other application andclose the document or the application. Be carefulwhen closing a file if edits have been made intwo different applications. The last applicationto perform a save usually overwrites anychanges made earlier in another application.

Error Message: “Maximum number offiles already open. Close a file or appli-cation to open this file.”

Translation: You have exceeded the maxi-mum number of files that the system permitsyou to use at one time.

Solution: Close one or more files. Open filelimits can be imposed by an application or byyour computer’s file system. If you work on aserver, or are connected to one, the open filelimits may be a policy decision on the server. Ifyou’re using a Win2000 server, you can ask theadministrator to check the MaxOpens entry inthe server’s configuration file.

Error Message: “XX The above filename is invalid.”

Translation: The name (represented byXX) you’re trying to use when creating a file ordirectory doesn’t meet the criteria for a validfile name. (The full file name may not displayin the error message. It may be truncated ormissing characters.) File or directory names inWin2000 may contain upper or lower casecharacters, except for the following reservedcharacters: ? “ / \\ , . * | :.

Solution: Change the file name to includeonly valid characters.

DLL Errors

Error Message: “The dynamic-linklibrary WININET.DLL could not befound in the specific path.”

Translation: Windows applications usethe Wininet.dll file (a DLL [dynamic-linklibrary] file stores instructions common tomultiple programs) to communicate with yourWeb browser. Wininet.dll is normally locatedin the WINNT\SYSTEM32 directory butappears to be missing.

Solution: Verify that Wininet.dll is in theC:\WINNT\SYSTEM32 directory. If the file ismissing, click Start, Search, and For Files OrFolders to try to locate it. If you find morethan one copy of the file, check the versioninformation for each file (you can find thisinformation by right-clicking the file, select-ing Properties, and selecting the Version tab).Copy the most recent version to the C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32 directory.

If Wininet.dll is already in theC:\WINNT\SYSTEM32 directory, it may bean older version associated with a third-party

application, thereby causing compatibilityproblems. Search for a more recent version ofthe file to use as a replacement.

If you don’t find Wininet.dll, visit Micro-soft’s Internet Explorer home page (www.microsoft.com/windows/ie) to download thelatest version of IE, which includes theWininet.dll file.

Error Message: “Cannot overwrite XX:The specified file is being used.”

Translation: Windows will not allow youto overwrite a DLL file (represented by XX)that is currently in use.

Solution: Copy the replacement DLL file tothe Temporary directory, usually located atC:\WINNT\TEMP. Rename the DLL file inthe C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32 directory byadding the word “old” to the file name (forexample, Wininetold.dll). Click Start, Pro-grams, Accessories, and Command Prompt. Inthe Command Prompt window, type the fol-lowing after the command prompt, one line ata time, replacing DLLFILE with the name ofthe DLL file you copied to the temp directory.Press ENTER after each line.

cd %SystemRoot%\temp copy DLLFILE %SystemRoot%\System32\ exit

Restart your computer to apply the changes.

Error Message: “This program has per-formed an illegal operation and will beshut down. If the problem persists, con-tact the program vendor. XX caused anInvalid Page Fault in Module YY.”

Translation: The application you’re using(represented by XX) tried to access protectedmemory space used by another application,system file, or DLL file.

Solution: This error message is common,and almost always indicates a poorly writtenapplication or DLL file. The affected module(represented by YY ) is often a common DLLfile used by many applications or the OS. Thismakes it difficult to determine which applica-tions are actually interfering with each other.The best solution is to use the Task Manager(press CTRL-ALT-DELETE, click Task Man-ager, and select the Applications tab) to notewhich programs were running when the erroroccurred. Use this information as a reference ifthe error occurs again.

Save data in any open applications andreboot your computer. If you need to use theapplication that caused the problem, limit the

Windows 2000

Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: “You cannot drag an item into a button on the Taskbar. However if you

do this without releasing the mouse button, the window will open and you can the drag the item into the window.”

Translation: This message appears to first tell you that you can’t do something, and then tell you that you can. Taskbar buttons, which represent currently open windows and applications, do not support the drag-and-drop capabilities of the Desktop.

Solution: Use the Taskbar button to open the window the button represents and then drag the item into that window. As noted in the error message, you can accomplish this in a single step by dragging the item to the Taskbar button, without releasing the mouse button. In a few seconds, the window the Taskbar button represents will open. Still holding down the mouse button, drag the item into the newly-opened window. Release the mouse button to copy or move the item. ■■

PC Errors • 97

number of other open applications. Visit thesoftware manufacturer’s Web site and checkfor program updates that might solve theproblem. Also use the Windows Update pro-gram (click Start and Windows Update) toensure you have the latest Win2000 updates.

Miscellaneous Errors

Error Message: “There was an internalerror and one of the windows you wereusing has been closed. It is recommendedthat you save your work and close all pro-grams, and then restart your computer.”

Translation: This type of error is primarilythe result of application problems, incompati-bility between applications, or backgroundprocesses, such as those associated withantivirus programs. A window was closed torelease system resources that may havebecome corrupt or are no longer available.

Solution: Save your work. For future refer-ence, take note of the applications that wereopen when the error occurred.

Although this step may be difficult to performif your computer is unstable because of thiserror, press CTRL-ALT-DELETE to launch the

Task Manager. Select the Performance tab andcheck memory and CPU usage. If memory orprocessor usage is very high, change to theProcesses tab, and find the processes with thehighest CPU and/or memory usage. Write downthis information and restart your computer.

The next time this error message occurs,make a note of the same information and com-pare it with the previous information. The pur-pose of this exercise is to try to narrow downthe applications or processes that are causingproblems. You can then contact the softwaremanufacturer(s) about available updates. Alsouse the Windows Update program (click Startand Windows Update) to be sure you have thelatest Win2000 updates.

Error Message: “An error occurred send-ing the command to the application.”

Translation: This error can occur whenyou use the Task Manager to end a task.

Solution: Because you’re using the TaskManager to try to close an application, there’s apossibility that the application, or other compo-nents of the OS, may be in an unknown stateand unable to respond to the Task Manager’scommand to stop the program from running.

Try selecting the appropriate program andclicking End Task again. If the problem per-sists, try closing other applications or process-es. If the application still fails to respond to theEnd Task command, restart your computer.Refer to the application’s manual for informa-tion about recovering lost data when the appli-cation fails in this manner.

Error Message: “XX An error hasoccurred in your program. To keep work-ing anyway, click Ignore and save yourwork to a new file. To quit this program,click Close. You will lose informationyou entered since the last save.”

Translation: A program has encountered aproblem it can’t fix by itself. The error messageappears to indicate that the problem is withthe program (represented by XX), but the actu-al root of the problem may be incompatibilitywith another application or with device dri-vers the application uses.

Solution: You can click the Ignore button, butmore than likely the application will crash beforeyou can save your work. If possible use the SaveAs option to save your work under a differentname. This will cause minimal corruption to thecurrently open data file. Clicking Close will stopthe program in a fairly clean manner, with lesschance of corruption, but you will lose any workyou’ve done since your last save.

Finding the cause of this problem is difficult.One approach is to ensure that the application,your OS, and any device drivers the applica-tion uses are up-to-date. Be sure to check video,multimedia, audio, CD, and DVD driversbecause one or more of these drivers are likelyto have been in use at the time of the error.

Error Message: “Your system is runninglow on Virtual Memory, please closesome applications” or “Your system islow on Virtual Memory. To ensure thatWindows runs properly, increase thesize of your Virtual Memory paging file.For more information see Help” or“Your system is low on Virtual Memory.Windows is increasing the size of yourVirtual Memory paging file. During thisprocess, memory requests from someapplication may be denied. For moreinformation see Help.”

Translation: Win2000’s virtual memory(hard drive space reserved to act as if it wereRAM when necessary) settings are preventingapplications from functioning properly. Youare most likely to see one of these error

Windows 2000

Most Hilarious Error Message Error Message: “Unknown error.”

Translation: Windows doesn’t know what happened and hasn’t a clue what to doabout it.

Solution: Your guess is as good as ours. You can exit and relaunch the application you were using, or even reboot your computer, if it makes you feel better, but neither of these actions will necessarily solve the problem, whatever it was. This error doesn’t usually repeat itself twice in a row, so regardless of what you were doing, give it another shot. ■■

Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “Due to an unexpected error the system cannot be restarted.”

Translation: Windows system drivers were unable to force a restart. This can happen when you try to restart your computer when Windows Media Player or related applications are open.

Solution: Microsoft suggests shutting down or restarting, although if you could restart, you wouldn’t see this error message. We suggest closing any open applications, or using the Task Manager (press CTRL-ALT-DELETE, click Task Manager) to end a task that has stopped responding to your OS, and then shutting down or restarting. ■■

98 • PC Errors

messages when you launch an application orwhen you attempt to work with large filesfrom within an application.

Solution: Increasing the virtual memorypaging file (the file on the hard drive reservedfor use as virtual memory) size may alleviatethe problems with specific applications, but it’snot necessarily the best option. Adding physi-cal RAM is usually a better choice, especiallywhen application performance is an issue. Inthe interim, you can adjust virtual memory set-tings to allow your applications to run.

Right-click the My Computer icon on yourDesktop and select Properties. In the SystemProperties window, select the Advanced tab.Click Performance Options. In the VirtualMemory area of the dialog box, click Change.The value in the Initial Size (MB) field shouldbe at least one and one-half times your physi-cal memory size. This is the default value thatWin2000 uses when you first configure it. Ifyou have lowered the value, or added RAMsince installing Win2000, you may need toincrease this value.

For example, if you have 256MB RAMinstalled, the Initial Size (MB) field should read384. The value in the Maximum Size (MB) fieldshould be twice the initial size, or in this case, 768.

If the values are correct, and you still see theerror message, try using this formula: Initialsize = physical RAM x 2. Maximum size =Initial size x 2.

Error Message: “An error occurredwhile saving changes. Some changeswill not be remembered.”

Translation: This error relates to Win2000control panels. Most of the changes you canmake within the control panels are written tothe Registry (a database Windows uses to storeconfiguration information). This error messageindicates that the changes could not be writtensuccessfully to the Registry, so they will nolonger be saved in memory when you restartyour computer.

Solution: A failure writing to the Registrycan occur if you are running very low on avail-able memory. Low memory problems can bemomentary, a direct result of the number andtypes of applications you are using or haverecently used. Rebooting should clear the lowmemory error and allow you to use theControl Panel to reconfigure your settings.

If a low memory error still occurs, makesure your RAM is properly installed, have atechnician check the RAM’s integrity, and/oradd more RAM.

Unusually long Registry keys or values canalso cause a failure writing to the Registry. Thelatest Win2000 Service Pack includes a fix forthis issue. Refer to the “How To Install AService Pack” sidebar for details.

Error Message: “Windows could notstart because the following file is miss-ing or corrupt: \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEMced.”

Translation: This message, which issometimes also followed by the error mes-sage, “System hive error,” indicates thatWindows was unable to load the System hive(Windows Registry file) at boot time becausethe System hive is too big, badly fragmented(scattered across multiple locations on a harddrive), or missing.

This problem occurs during an early phaseof the boot process, during which availablememory is limited. The Registry must sharethis limited memory with other boot processes,including loading the kernel (core portion ofan operating system), boot drivers, and othercomponents. If the System hive is too large tofit into the available memory, or is so frag-mented that it prevents complete loading,you’ll see this error message.

Solution: Use the Recovery Console to tryto create a nonfragmented (or at least, lessfragmented) version of the System hive. Insertyour Win2000 installation CD and reboot yourcomputer. At the beginning of the bootprocess, when you see the option to Press AnyKey to boot from CD, press any key. When theWelcome To Setup screen appears, press R torepair Win2000. On the next screen, press C tostart the Recovery Console. Select the installa-tion you want to repair. Enter your administra-tor password at the prompt. The RecoveryConsole will display a command prompt. Type

the following, one line at a time, and pressENTER after each line.

cd System32\configren system system.oldren system.alt systemalt.oldcopy system.old systemcopy systemalt.old system.altexitreboot

If you still see the error message, you willneed to restore a copy of the System hive.Follow the above instructions to boot into theRecovery Console. If you have never created aRegistry backup, you will need to restore thedefault System hive. If you have backed up theRegistry, you should restore the System hivefrom the backup.

If you have never backed up the Registry,type the following at the command prompt, oneline at a time, and press ENTER after each line.

copy c:\winnt\repair\system c:\winnt\system32\config\

yexit

If you have backed up the Registry, type thefollowing at the command prompt, one line ata time, and press ENTER after each line.

copy c:\winnt\repair\regbackup\systemc:\winnt\system32\config\

yexit

You may need to reinstall any hardware orsoftware you installed after you last backed upthe Registry.

If you still cannot boot into Win2000, con-sider reinstalling Win2000 or editing theRegistry to reduce its size.

by Tom Nelson and Mary O’Connor

Windows 2000

How To Install A Service Pack

To resolve some of the error messages in this article you need to install the latest ser-vice pack for Windows 2000, Win2000 Service Pack 4. You can obtain SP4 using the

Windows Update utility. As long as you have an active Internet connection, click Start andWindows Update to launch the utility, andthen follow the on-screen prompts todownload and install Win2000 SP4.Alternately, you can visit Microsoft’sWindows 2000 Service Pack 4 Web pageat www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/servicepacks/sp4/default.aspand follow the instructions for downloadingand installing Win2000 SP4. ■■

RS

PC Errors • 99

W ithout a network to browse or sharethese days, computers seem, well,boring. A networking problem can

shut down useful work in no time flat. Below,we’ll parse some of the most common net-work-related error messages Windows 2000can throw at you, along with the solutions youshould try first.

First Things First

Error Message: “The system could notlog you on. Make sure your Usernameand domain are correct, then type yourpassword again. Letters in passwordsmust be typed using the correct case.Make sure that Caps Lock is not acci-dentally on.”

Translation: Windows is having troubleauthenticating you either on your local com-puter or network domain controller (computerrunning Win2000 Server that manages net-work access). Larger networks usually have a

domain controller computer somewhere wherenetwork administrators keep track of every-one’s logon information. If you don’t have adomain controller on your network, it might beyour own computer that is rejecting you. Ouch!

Solution: This one is pretty self-explanatory.In most cases, you’re simply typing either theusername or the password incorrectly. BecauseWin2000 logons are case-sensitive, the CAPSLOCK key suggestion offered in the message isa good one. Make sure you’re spelling every-thing right and that you didn’t change the password the other day andforget about it. If you know anadministrator user ID andpassword, log on as an admin-istrator and open the Com-puter Management console inAdministrative Tools. Thereyou can check the list of allusers and make sure the user -name you’re having troublewith is, in fact, listed. If the

user ID does not exist on this computer, you cancreate it by selecting Action and then New User.

Error Message: “Unable to log you onbecause your account has been lockedout, please contact your administrator.”

Translation: The most likely scenario lead-ing up to this error is that you failed too manyattempts to log in properly. Anyone who hashad to log in every morning has done it, usual-ly the day after changing to a new password.To protect the network from brute-force pass-word hacking, Win2000 automatically cuts offyour user ID for a specified amount of time.

Solution: You can wait it out, but thatmight entail sitting around for quite a while ifthe timeout period (time it takes until the sys-tem allows you to attempt to log in again) isvery long. If you’re connected to a Windowsdomain, contact the network administratorand ask if she’ll help you out of this jam. If youaren’t connected to a domain, you can log on to your own machine as an adminis-trator and let yourself back in. Click Start,Settings, and Control Panel. Double-click theAdministrative Tools icon and then double-click Computer Management. In the left pane,click the plus sign (+) to open Local Users AndGroups and then Users. Double-click theaccount you need to unlock and remove thecheck next to Account Locked Out.

Error Message: “Your password willexpire in XX days. Do you want tochange it now?” or “Your password hasexpired and must be changed.”

Translation: This message speaks for itself(XX, of course, represents the number of daysyou have left until your password expires).Sure, it’s a pain, but it’s basic network security.You should change your password periodical-ly to minimize the possibility that some unau-thorized person will learn the password andcompromise the system. If your networkadministrator has set a time limit on your pass-

word, Win2000 will start nag-ging you a few days before thepassword expires to come upwith something new.

Windows 2000

End ConnectionHeadachesWindows 2000 Networking & Online-Related Errors

Each computer on the networkmust have a unique name.Change your machine’s networkname from the NetworkIdentification tab in the SystemProperties dialog box.

100 • PC Errors

Solution: Click Yes and the Change Pass-word screen appears. Type a new passwordand then type it again to verify. Click OK tosave the new password. Your network admin-istrator might also have set up certain criteriaby which to judge your password to make sure it isn’t too simple (and, therefore, easy to crack). You probably won’t be able to usethe same password as last time, and youmight have to include at least one numberand one capital letter.

Error Message: “Your account has beendisabled. Please see your system admin-istrator.”

Translation: Win2000 recognizes youruser ID and password, but the account hasbeen shut down. Either someone has changedthe settings on your computer or your networkadministrator changed settings on the domaincontroller machine.

Solution: If you’re connected to a networkand you log in to a domain, the networkadministrator is going to have to solve thisissue. If you aren’t part of a domain, try logging on to the machine with an administra-tor account to enable your account. Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel. Double-click Administrative Tools and ComputerManagement. In the left pane, expand LocalUsers And Groups and then Users. Double-click the appropriate user name to see its prop-erties. Remove the check mark by AccountDisabled and click OK. The user ID shouldwork as before.

Learning To Share

Error Message: “\\computer\resource isnot accessible. Access Denied.”

Translation: This is a frustrating error thatcan crop up when you attempt to connect to ashared resource on a network, representedabove as computer\resource.

The resource might even show up asnormal in the Network Neighborhood,but nonetheless, those two rudest ofwords—access denied—assault yourscreen.

Often this error means that NTFS(Windows NT/2000/XP’s organization-al system for storing files on hard dri-ves) partition permissions have notbeen properly assigned or that sharepermissions are not correctly set.

Solution: Check to make sure thatboth the share permissions and the

NTFS partition permissions are configured forindividual user or group access.

Error Message: “An error occurredwhile reconnecting XX: to \\computer\resource. This connection has not beenrestored.”

Translation: When you see an error likethis, it means that Win2000 is unable to find onthe network the specific computer or resourceyou told it to find. Usually this error pops upwhen you are attempting to map a local driveletter (such as that represented by XX above)to a resource (a printer, for instance) on anoth-er computer through the network (representedby computer\resource). If the resource used tobe accessible, it can be frustrating to find itabsent without leave.

Solution: First, make sure your con-nection to the network, and especially the

computer in question, is working. Try accessinga resource on a different computer than the onethat’s proving difficult. If that doesn’t work, theproblem is likely with your own computer.Make sure you have a connection to the net-work hub—you should see a green light onyour network adapter and the hub itself.

If you were able to access a differentresource, the target computer might be theone with the problem. It could simply be shutoff, or it could have an actual network prob-lem. Look for the link lights on that computeras you did with your own. Assuming theshared computer is properly connected to thenetwork, see if the resource it is hosting is setup to be shared. On the remote computer,double-click My Computer and navigate tothe resource you want to access through thenetwork. Right-click that resource and selectSharing. See that the Share This Folder or

Shared As option is selected and theright share name is displayed in theShare Name drop-down list.

Error Message: “My NetworkPlaces: \\computer\resource isnot accessible. The network pathwas not found.”

Translation: As with the last error,this means that the OS is not able tolocate the particular resource youwant. Along with mapping a drive,Win2000 lets you set up a network

Windows 2000

Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: “A duplicate name exists on the network.”

Translation: If you’re trying to connect a new computer to the network and someother computer on the same network already has the selected name,Windows returns this error. Network administrators sometimes run intothis kind of error when they’re transferring settings from one computerto another, and the network name tags along with everything else. Thiserror can also occur when two users with the same first or last nameboth try to give their machines an easy-to-remember moniker. Any kidnamed Tyler is going to have some problems with this in a few years.

Solution: The network will become a confusing place if two workstations have thesame name, so Windows is not going to let it happen. You will need tochange the name of your computer (or get the other person to changethe name of their computer). Right-click the My Computer icon on yourDesktop and select Properties. In the System Properties window, clickthe Network Identification tab and then the Properties button. In theIdentification Changes dialog box, type a new name in the ComputerName field and click OK. You may need to restart your computerbefore the change takes effect. ■■

The Users section of the Computer Management console is wherethe administrator of a system controls access on a per-user basis.

PC Errors • 101

path in My Network Places as a way to conve-niently connect to resources you frequentlyuse. Either way, various problems can makethe network resource unavailable.

Solution: Troubleshooting a My NetworkPlaces error will be much like troubleshoot-ing a mapped drive letter error. Follow theinstructions provided for solving the previouserror message.

Error Message: “No more connectionscan be made at this remote computer atthis time because there are already asmany connections as the computer canaccept.”

Translation: As the error says, too manypeople are trying to use this resource at thesame time. How many is too many? Networkadministrators can configure resources to allowonly a certain number of connections; that num-ber can vary depending on the configuration. Ifthe remote computer you’re trying to access isrunning Win2000 or WinXP, you may also runup against a built-in 10-user connection limit.There might be a software license limit for ele-ments of your networking software.

Solution: Get ahold of the office intercom and tell everyone else to stopusing that network resource,or else. OK, we admit that’sprobably not a good solu-tion. An alternative option isto simply wait and try toconnect again later. Or, askthe network administrator tolook into the matter anddetermine whether the sharecan be configured to acceptadditional connections.

Error Message: “Error234: Additional data isavailable.”

Translation: You might see this messagewhen you’re browsing folders on a WinNT orWin2000 machine from a Windows 95 work-station. It sounds a bit cryptic—what is this“additional data” anyway? Why not just spitout an explanation that makes more sense? Asit turns out, the older OS has trouble readingshare names with more than 12 characters orwith spaces. If someone gave such a name to aresource on the WinNT/2000 machine, youcould get slapped with this Error 234.

Solution: Just make sure that the WinNT/2000 computer you want to access over thenetwork has a share name that doesn’t contain

any spaces and is less than 12 characters long.If you don’t have control over that resource,you might need the network administrator tomake the change.

Scary Errors

Error Message: “STOP: 0x000000C2(0x00000007, 0x00000fd3, 0x88289700,

0x00000000)” Translation: Yikes!

This kind of error message,displayed on a BSOD (BlueScreen of Death, the com-mon term for the bluescreen that appears whenyour computer experiencesa serious crash), reallydoesn’t offer any clues onits own. It can appear omi-nously when you try toclose a file on a networkshared resource.

Solution: This errorrelates to a known bug in

Win2000 that has been repaired in ServicePack 4, a bundle of patches Microsoft puttogether to address various errors. To down-load the most recent Service Pack, head to www.support.microsoft.com, click theKnowledge Base Article ID Number Searchlink, and look for Article 260910. There you’llfind information about all Win2000 patchesand packs.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x000000D1(0xFF8BA000, 0x00000002, 0x00000001,0xF3AAA40E) DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL”

Translation: This is another error thatresults from a known Win2000 flaw. It canappear when someone removes a TCP/IP(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Pro-tocol) network connection in a certain way andmay cause the computer to hang.

Solution: Follow the directions for solvingthe previous error message to download the lat-est Win2000 Service Pack. This error was fixedback in Service Pack 1, but the most recentService Pack will include the patch, as well.

Error Message: “STOP: 0x000000D1(68b6a590 00000002 00000000 bfda3841)”

Translation: As with the last few errormessages listed above, this one results from aWindows flaw that can crop up in the middleof a network data stream. It appears while thesystem hangs.

Solution: There’s not much you can do tosolve this in the short term other than restartthe machine. When you regain control, head to the Microsoft site and download the lat-est Win2000 Service Pack to banish this bugaccording to the instructions for solving theprevious two error messages.

Error Message: “Query result parsingfailure.”

Translation: Just as you might find it diffi-cult to understand Win2000 error messages,sometimes Win2000 finds it difficult to under-stand the language of the network. When yousee this error, it means that the OS is havingtrouble interpreting the network protocolbindings that tell your computer how to talkover the network. Basically, bindings are howWindows knows what protocols to use withspecific network adapters such as your LAN

Windows 2000

Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “Check networking protocol connections . . . TCP/IP CP reported error

733: Your computer and the remote computer could not agree on PPPcontrol protocols.”

Translation: You might see this error when you try to connect to an ISP with dial-upnetworking using PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol). The most commoncause is that a setting called “Negotiate multi-link for single link connec-tions” is enabled when it shouldn’t be.

Solution: Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Network And Dial-upConnections. Right-click the connection you’re trying to use and clickProperties. Click the Networking tab and the Settings button. Clear thecheck mark from Negotiate Multi-Link For Single Link Connections.Click through the OKs to save your changes. ■■

When you create a new user ID onthe system, it must be differentfrom existing user names.

102 • PC Errors

Right-click the My Net-work Places icon on theDesktop and select Prop-erties. In the Network AndDial-up Connections win-dow, double-click the iconfor the affected networkconnection and select Prop-erties. Double-click theInternet Protocol (TCP/IP)icon to make changes toyour IP configuration.

You’ll recognize the IPaddress because it is alwaysin the form of four numbersseparated by periods. Forexample, the IP address192.168.1.1 is similar to anaddress you might see. Ifyou don’t know what other

IP addresses might be available, try increas-ing the last number in the existing address byone. For instance, in our example you wouldtry 192.168.1.2. Then click OK and restart themachine for the change to take effect.

If you get the same error again, try thenext IP address up. If you have a large net-work, this method is probably going to taketoo much time to be useful. Try calling thenetwork administrator.

Error Message: “The device XX: isalready connected to \\server\resource.Do you wish to replace the current con-nection with \\server2\resource2?”

Translation: Win2000 likes to keep track of stuff, and in this case it’s noticed that you appear to be trying to map a drive letter(represented by XX) to a shared networkresource (identified above as server\resource)that’s already mapped to another resource(server2\resource2).

Solution: How you decide to solve thiserror is really up to you. If you want to remapthe drive letter to a different resource, you can.Click Yes in the error message dialog box, andWin2000 will automatically make the switch.

If you want to choose a different drive letter,click No and pick another drive from the drop-down menu. This might be the best choice ifyour network administrator is trying to keep a standardized system of drives mapped toparticular resources.

by Alan Phelps

Windows 2000

Most Common Error MessageError Message: “Local Area Connection - Network cable unplugged.”

Translation: With Windows 2000, Microsoft attempted to incorporate some new net-work troubleshooting tools to help you solve annoying problems a bitfaster. Of course, one of the most common issues, whether we like toadmit it or not, is the simple unplugged cord. Win2000 can sense when anetwork cable appears to have suddenly become disengaged and alertyou with the above error and also a red “X” in the Windows Taskbar.

Solution: The “Network cable unplugged” message is not always exactly correct,but it does let you know that something is amiss. Start your problem-solving routine by making sure that your network cable is, in fact,plugged into your computer and into the wall socket. You might want totry unplugging the cable at both ends and then reattaching it to makesure that the connection is sound. Your network adapter card probablyhas a tiny, green LED (light-emitting diode) next to the connector thatlights up when you have a good connection to your network hub. If thislink light doesn’t turn on, there’s something wrong with the cable, thenetwork hub, or your network adapter. If no one else connected to yourhub is having the same problem, your cable and adapter might not beworking correctly. Try a different cable to rule that out. Also, check tomake sure that the network adapter is inserted correctly into its mother-board slot or PC Card slot. Sometimes they can become loose as peo-ple connect and reconnect cables. ■■

(local-area network) card. You might see thiserror message after you’ve installed a new network adapter or software that affects yournetwork adapter, such as a device driver (soft-ware that lets the OS communicate with yourcomputer’s hardware).

Solution: Begin by resetting the networkprotocol bindings for your network adapteror all of your adapters if you have more thanone. Double-click the My Computer icon onthe Desktop and double-click Network AndDial-up Connections. Right-click your net-work adapter icon and select Properties. Anew window appears with information aboutthe current protocols, services, and networkclients. Reset the binding information byremoving the check next to each listed proto-col. When finished, click OK to go back to theNetwork And Dial-up Connections window.

Right-click the network adapter icon againand select Properties. Click the empty check-boxes next to the protocols that your comput-er needs for its network and click OK. If youaren’t sure which protocols to check, consultyour system administrator.

Reboot the machine and you should beable to access the network as normal. If youstill have problems, check the adapter cardmanufacturer’s Web site for the latest device

driver updates and trouble-shooting information.

Seeing Double

Error Message: “The sys-tem has detected an IPaddress conflict withanother system on thenetwork. The local inter-face has been disabled.More details are avail-able in the system eventlog. Consult your net-work administrator toresolve the conflict.”

Translation: Like com-puter names, computer IPaddresses (the numericalnames assigned to each de-vice on the network) must be unique for thenetwork to function properly.

Solution: No IP address can be used twicesimultaneously, so you will need to change theaddress of your computer or the device thatit’s conflicting with it. Because you’re right infront of your computer, it’s probably easiest tochange that unless the switch would causeother problems with the network scheme.

If you need to pick out a new IP address, head to the TCP/IP(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) configurationsection of the appropriate network connection properties settings dialog box.

RS

PC Errors • 103

Microsoft Office 2003

Traditionally, a Microsoft Officeinstallation is something like thefabled girl with the curl in the mid-dle of her forehead: When it works,it works very, very well, and when

it doesn’t work, it’s horrid. Here are a few ofthe grizzliest error messages you mightencounter when installing or upgrading OfficeSystem 2003 and the steps you can take tomake those messages go away.

Installation Errors

Error Message: “Error 1305: Setup Cannotread XX. Check your network connection or, ifyou are installing from CD-ROM, be sure thatthe YY CD-ROM is in the drive. Click Retry tocontinue or Cancel to stop the installation.”

Translation: Your Office 2003 CD-ROM isdamaged, a program installed on your com-puter is conflicting with the Office 2003 setup,or there is some sort of trouble with your CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) drive. (In this message,XX refers to a file that Setup can’t read fromthe Office CD.)

Solution(s): If you’re installing from a CD-ROM, attempt the following fixes in the orderlisted below.

Try a clean boot before installation. A cleanboot is a Windows startup that loads only themost basic programs—and that most likely doesnot load any software that might be conflictingwith your Office 2003 installation. To set up aclean boot, click Start and Run; type msconfigand press ENTER. In the System ConfigurationUtility’s General tab, click Selective Start-up,

and uncheck ProcessSYSTEM.INI, ProcessWIN.INI, and LoadStartup Items. Clickthe Services tab;check the Hide AllMicrosoft Servicesoption and then clickDisable All. Click OKand Restart. Try againto install Office 2003. Ifit works, run msconfigagain; in the Generaltab, select NormalStartup so your com-puter will resume startingnormally.

Make sure your CD-ROM or DVD-ROMdrive is working correctly. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and choose Properties. Inthe System Properties dialog, select theHardware tab and click the Device Managerbutton. In the list of devices, click the plus sign(+) next to DVD/CD-ROM drives, right-clickyour drive, and choose Properties. If the deviceis working properly, close out of everything youopened. If it isn’t, you can try troubleshootingthe drive by clicking the Troubleshoot button,but you’ll probably do better to contact the driveor computer manufacturer’s Web site or techni-cal support line.

Clean your Office 2003 CD-ROM. Wipe theunlabeled side of your Office 2003 CD with aclean, soft cloth. (NOTE: Don’t use paper, or evena soft paper towel can scratch a CD.) Next, washand dry the CD using warm water or a CDcleaning kit—again, no paper.

Try to install Office one more time. If youstill get the error message, it’s probably time tocall Microsoft technical support for help. (Inmost cases, installation support will be free andunlimited until you successfully install Office.)

Error Message: “Error 1307 There is notenough disk space to install this file. Freesome disk space and then click ‘Retry’, or click‘Cancel’ to exit.” or “The highlighted volumesdo not have enough disk space available forthe currently selected features.” or “Automatic

Recovery protects your computer if setup fails.There is not enough disk space on the drivehighlighted below to store the AutomaticRecovery data. This data is temporary and willbe deleted when setup completes.”

Translation: You don’t have enoughspace on your hard drive to install MicrosoftOffice 2003.

Solution: Free some space. Because pro-grams usually take up much more space thandocument or data files, often the fastest way toreclaim hard drive space is to uninstall any pro-grams you use infrequently or not at all. First,click Start, then Programs (or All Programs),and select the program folder for any programyou’d like to delete; if the folder includes anUninstall application, use it to uninstall the pro-gram (a program’s own uninstall option oftendoes the most thorough job of removing theprogram). Repeat this for as many programs asyou don’t need. Next, click Start and chooseControl Panel. Double-click Add/RemovePrograms. Find a program you don’t need orcan tolerate removing; select it, click Remove orChange/Remove, and follow the instructions toremove the program. Repeat this for every pro-gram you can afford to remove and then tryagain to install Office 2003.

Note that once you install Office, you may beable to reinstall some of the programs you delet-ed since few of them will require the amount offree hard drive space that an Office installationrequires. However, even if you manage to clear

Microsoft Office System 2003Installation & Startup Errors

When Setup has trouble reading files from yourOffice CD, try a clean reboot and then reattemptthe Office installation.

104 • PC Errors

enough drive space to install Office, considerthis error message a warning sign. Office andyour other applications aren’t going to run theirbest on a crowded hard drive; what’s more, youmay be only a few giant PowerPoint presenta-tions away from a totally stuffed drive.

Error Message: “Error 1608. Setup could notlocate a version of Microsoft Office 97, 2000or XP on the selected drive. Click OK to stopthe installation. If you have a version ofMicrosoft Office on CD-ROM, run setupagain. For more information, see XX under‘Locating a previous version of Office.’ ”

Translation: While trying to upgrade toOffice 2003 from an earlier version of Office,setup has prompted you for a CD-ROM con-taining your previous version of Office—butafter you provided it, you were rewardedwith this error message. After clicking OK,you were rewarded with another error mes-sage, “Installation ended prematurely becauseof an error.”

Solution: Restart the Office 2003 setup.When the User Information box appears, enteryour Product Key in the five boxes provided,and click OK; in the Product ComplianceCheck CD Key dialog box, click OK, too. You’llmove to the Product Compliance Check dialogbox; in the Drive list, click the CD-ROM orDVD-ROM drive containing your Office 2003CD. Remove the Office 2003 CD from thisdrive and insert:• Office XP CD1, if you’re upgrading from

Office XP;• Office 97 Small Business Edition CD1, if

you’re upgrading from Office 97 SmallBusiness Edition; or

• Office 2000 Small Business Edition CD2, ifyou’re upgrading from Office 2000 SmallBusiness Edition

Wait about 30 seconds for the computer to rec-ognize the changed CD and then click OK. Whenthe End-User License Agreement appears,remove the CD for the previous version of Officeand re-insert the Office 2003 CD. Select I AcceptThe Terms Of The License Agreement (EULA)and then click Next. You should be able to followthe instructions to complete the installation.

Error Message: “The MSIEXEC file islinked to missing export MSI.DLL:222.”

Translation: Your Microsoft Windowsinstaller files, which you need in order toinstall Office 2003 on Windows 2000, havebeen corrupted or damaged.

Solution: Update the installer files forWin2000. Surf to www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=32832&NewList=1, which contains links to the appropriatefiles and instructions for downloading andinstalling them. When you finish, try again toinstall Office 2003.

Setup Modification Errors

Error Message: “Office Source Engine error:Error 25090. Office Setup encountered a prob-lem with the Office Source Engine, systemerror: -2147024703.”

Translation: The Office Source engine(Ose.exe), which gets copied to your harddrive during Office installation, and whichcopies additional Office 2003 installation filesfrom the CD to your computer when you mod-ify your setup, has somehow become damagedor corrupted. Without a properly functioningOffice Source Engine, you can’t change any-thing about your Office setup.

Solution: If you’re lucky, you’ll be able tosolve the problem by recopying Ose.exe fromyour Office CD. Insert the CD into yourCD/DVD-ROM drive and use My Computerto navigate to the Files\Setup folder on theCD. Right-click Ose.exe and click Copy. Next,navigate to the PROGRAM FILES\COMMONFILES\MICROSOFT SHARED\Source Enginefolder, click Paste, and then Yes to replace theexisting file. Cross your fingers and re-attemptyour setup. If recopying the Ose.exe doesn’twork, you’ll have to uninstall Office, throughthe Windows Control Panel, and then reinstallit. (If you upgraded, you’ll need to have handythe CDs from your previous version.)

Startup Errors

Error Message: “The application failed toinitialize properly (0xc0150002). Click on OKto terminate the application.”

Translation: There are two possibilitieshere, both of them a bit convoluted. In the firstscenario, sometime after installing Office 2003


When you upgrade from an earlier version ofOffice to Office 2003, run applications from theAll Programs menu the first time, so thatWindows XP can add the appropriate icons toyour Most Recently Used programs menu.

Most Annoying (And Seemingly Irrelevant) Error Message

Error Message: “A Runtime Error has occurred. Do you wish to debug?Line: XX. Error: YY.”

Translation: After installing Microsoft Office System 2003, your Office applications work fine—but every time you use Internet Explorer to visit a Web site you see a message like the one above, prompting you to debug a run-time error. (The error occurs in a script contained in the Web page you’re viewing; XX is the line number of the script where the error occurs, and YY is a description of the error, for example, “null” is null or not an object.)

Solution: You’re having this problem because the Microsoft Office 2003 installationsometimes enables Internet Explorer’s script debugging and then forgets to disable it. Unless you enjoy these messages, you don’t really need Script Debugging, so turn it off yourself. In the Internet Explorer menu choose Tools and Internet Options and click the Advanced tab. In the Settings list, under Browsing, check Disable Script Debugging and uncheck Display A Notification About Every Script Error. Then click OK. The messages should disappear. ■■

PC Errors • 105

and Windows XP SP1a (Service Pack 1a ) onyour computer, you either upgraded WinXPHome to WinXP Professional, reinstalledWinXP, or repaired WinXP. After doing thisyou can’t start an Office 2003 application with-out getting this error message. The second pos-sibility is that, sometime after installing Office2003, you installed WinXP SP1 (Service Pack 1)and did not restart the computer as promptedat the end of the SP1 installation process. (Thisis a common oversight. The Restart YourComputer request is often buried under otherwindows and dialog boxes displayed duringthe SP1 installation, and many people miss it.)

Solutions: In the first case, reinstall WinXPSP1a. The easiest way to do this is to visit theofficial Windows XP Service Pack 1a Web pageat www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/servicepacks/sp1/default.aspand follow the instructions there. For the sec-ond scenario, restart your computer. Youshould be able to restart your Office 2003 appli-cations without incident.

Error Message: “Your installation cannot beactivated because you have activated up to thelimit for your Product Key. For details aboutthe maximum allowed number of product acti-vations, close this wizard and review the EndUser License Agreement, available through theHelp menu of this application. If you believethat you are getting this message in error, clickBack and choose the telephone option. Thetelephone activation system will provide youthe opportunity to speak with a support repre-sentative about all activation issues.”

Translation: This happens after you installand activate Office 2003 on one computer, andthen install Office 2003 from the same CD(s) ona second computer—even if you uninstall Office2003 from the first computer before installing iton the second computer. Uninstalling does notdeactivate the original activation.

Solution: Call Microsoft’s activationdepartment at the number displayed on-screen. When you reach the automated phonemenu, press zero (0) and you’ll be directed to aperson who can help you. You’ll need toattempt a restart of an Office 2003 applicationso that your Activation Wizard is on-screenwhen you call.

Error Message: “You have not entered avalid product key. Please check the numberlocated on the sticker on the back of the CDcase or on your Certificate of Authenticity.”

Translation: You purchased a computerwith Office 2003 preinstalled. Before runningany of the preinstalled Office applications, youinstalled Office 2003 Professional. You thenstarted an Office application and received theerror message, essentially because your systemcan’t decide which Office edition the applica-tion belongs to.

Solution: You need to remove the Office edi-tion you don’t want—probably the pre-installedOffice edition—and then reinstall Office 2003Professional. Click Start, choose Control Panel,and double-click Add Or Remove Programs.Select your preinstalled Office edition, clickRemove, and follow the instructions to removethis edition of Office. Next, still in the Add OrRemove Programs dialog box, click Add NewPrograms. Click CD or Floppy; when the InstallProgram from Floppy Disk Or CD-ROM dialogbox appears, put your Office Professional CD inyour drive and click Next. Follow the instruc-tions to install Office Professional, making sureto enter the product key from the back of yourOffice Professional CD-ROM case when prompt-ed. You shouldn’t see the error message again.

(NOTE: Even if you decide you’d prefer OfficeStandard or Basic, install Office Professional anduse the Custom install to specify only those Officeapplications you want.)

Error Message: “Please wait while Win-dows configures Office XP Pro…” or “Thisaction is only valid for products that are cur-rently installed.”

Translation: You installed MicrosoftOffice XP and then moved the Office XPshortcuts to a Start menu folder other thanthe All Programs folder, where the Office XPinstallation puts them by default. Then youupgraded from Office XP to Office 2003 andtried to start one of your new Office 2003applications by clicking what seemed to bethe appropriate shortcuts on your MostRecently Used Programs menu (the left sec-tion of the Start menu). This occurs becausethe shortcuts in your Most Recently UsedPrograms menu point to your Start menufolder, while Office 2003 installed your newOffice apps in your All Programs folder.

Solution: Start your Office 2003 programsfrom the All Programs menu. As soon as youuse them, WinXP will replace the old short-cuts on your Most Recently Used Programsmenu with shortcuts that point to your newOffice 2003 applications, and you shouldn’thave the problem again.

by Mark Scapicchio


OneNote Weighs In

OneNote is Microsoft’s note-taking and note management program. As a new (and fairlystraightforward) application, OneNote error messages are fairly uncommon. Still, you

might run into one or two, such as the one noted below.

Error Message: “While verifying the integrity of your section files, OneNote detected a problem with the following file: XX.one.”

Translation: You tried to open, optimize, find, or back up a OneNote file (where XX.one is the name of that file), but OneNote has determined that the file has been damaged or corrupted.

Solution: For starters, click OK. OneNote’s automatic file repair feature restarts OneNote, attempts to repair the file, and presents you with a new message: “OneNote has repaired the following file: XX.one.” However, even though the file has been repaired, you may have lost data. Open the file and check it. If any data or content is missing, choose Help, Open Backup; in the File list, double-click the most recent backup, and then double-click the section that’s missing data. OneNote opens this section in a new tab. Check the tab; if it contains the content you’re missing, copy and paste it into the appropriate section of your OneNote file. When you’re finished, right-click the Backup tab,and choose Close to close the backup. If the backup doesn’t contain your missing information, it’s lost for good (unless you can recreate it from memory or printouts). ■■

RS

106 • PC Errors

G enerally, there are three types of errorsthat you may encounter when usingWord 2003:

• Fatal exception errors• Nonfatal errors caused by internal conflicts• Runtime errors

All of these error types are caused either byproblems in the application itself, by conflictsbetween the application and the operatingsystem, or by a problem within the documentthat you are working on at the time that theerror occurs.

The solutions will vary, depending on thecause. Your application may have beeninstalled incorrectly, or it may have been dam-aged due to an unexpected shutdown or avirus infection. The solution in either case maybe to reinstall the application. You may haveanother application running that has a conflictwith Word 2003, and therefore you might haveto reinstall or upgrade that application to get itto “play nice” with Word. Sometimes part of a

document gets damaged and you may need tostart the document over (although there arealso techniques that let you reuse most of thework you have already done).

The way to troubleshoot any error is fairlyuniform. Record the error by writing downthe error message and its details and followthe instructions included as part of the errormessage (if you can) to try to correct the prob-lem. Try to remember what you were doingwhen the error occurred. If you didn’t capturethe error message, try to re-create the error sothat you can generate the same error message.Finally, search the Microsoft Knowledge Baseat www.microsoft.com to see if the error hasbeen reported and if there is a standard solu-tion. New errors get reported continually toMicrosoft, and the solutions are often avail-able on the Microsoft Web site. If you don’tsee the answer here, you can go to Microsoft’sSupport site (support.microsoft.com) andenter the information from the error messageto get the latest information.

Methods for correcting an error can rangefrom the simple, such as restarting your com-puter, to the more complex, such as reinstallingyour application software. You may also needto install an upgraded version of some otherapplication software to make it compatiblewith Word 2003.

Fatal Error MessagesWhen Microsoft Word 2003 encounters a

fatal error, it will display a message similar tothe following:

“Microsoft Word 2003 has encountered aproblem and needs to close. We are sorry forthe inconvenience. Please tell Microsoft aboutthis problem.

We have created an error report that youcan send to help us improve Microsoft Word2003. We will treat this report as confidentialand anonymous. To see what this error reportcontains, click here.”

Note that this type of error dialog box in-cludes a link that allows you to view the detailsof the error. This list of details is called the errorsignature, and it is where the message usuallylooks the most incomprehensible. In spite of that,this is where the experienced user or a technicianwill be able to start diagnosing the problem. Thedetails will look something like this:

This signature says that the Windows Wordexecutable file (Winword.exe) had a problemexecuting a module of the code called Mso.dll.

The offset further identifies the location of theerror within the code. For most mortals, thisappears no more helpful than the error mes-sage itself. However, you can use this informa-tion to search Microsoft’s database of reportederrors to find out the next steps to take to cor-rect the problem, and a support tech can usethe information to help pin down the problem.

Let’s take a look at some common fatalerrors and their suggested solutions below.Note that in all of these cases, you will havealready seen the fatal error message (similar tothat listed above) and then clicked the To See

AppName AppVer ModName ModVer Offset--------------------------------------------------------------------------Winword.exe 11.0.5207.4 Mso.dll 11.0.5207.5 00842bfc

Word 2003Diagnose & Correct Microsoft Word Error Messages


108 • PC Errors

What This Error Report Contains, Click Herelink to view the detailed signature.

Error Message: (Signature): “ApplicationName: Winword.exe. Application Version:11.0.5604.0. Module Name: Mso.dll. ModuleVersion: 11.0.5606.0. Offset: 00059890.”

Translation: This error normally occurswhen Word 2003 is running in Windows98/Me Compatibility Mode. Windows XP’sWindows Compatibility Mode feature allowsyou run applications created for earlier ver-sions of Windows on WinXP. However, Word2003 does not work in Windows CompatibilityMode for Win98/Me. If you have enabled thisfeature and you’re working with a documentcreated in an earlier version of Word, you maysee this error signature after receiving the ini-tial fatal error message.

Solution: The good news is that Word 2003will work just fine with documents created inearlier versions of Word; there’s no need toinvoke Windows’ Compatibility Mode feature.Turn off the feature by taking the followingsteps: Click Start, Search, and then select FilesOr Folders. When the search dialog box opens,enter winword.exe in the Search For… fieldand start the search. Once the search is com-plete, you should see an icon and file listingfor the Winword application. Right-click theWinword icon and select Properties. Select theCompatibility tab at the top of the Propertiesdialog box. Click to clear the check mark in theRun This Program In Compatibility Mode Forbox and then click OK. Word 2003 should nowwork with documents created in earlier ver-sions of the program.

Error Message: (Signature): “ApplicationName: Winword.exe. Application Version:

11.0.5604.0. Module Name: Gdiplus.dll.Module Version: 6.0.3260.0. Offset: 00082f1d.”

Translation: You may see this signature ifMicrosoft Word 2003 quits unexpectedly whenyou’re using another graphics-heavy applica-tion at the same time as you’re running Word.Especially when you use applications withheavy reliance on graphics enhancement rou-tines such as DirectX and the DCI (DisplayControl Interface), you can get resource con-flicts that result in this fatal error. The moregraphics-intensive programs that you use atthe same time, the more likely you will end upwith a resource conflict that will cause this fail-ure. Games are usually the most obviouscause, but other programs, including MicrosoftNetMeeting, can also trigger this error.

Solution: When a graphics-based erroroccurs, you can correct the problem by notrunning the graphics-intensive programs atthe same time that you are using Word 2003.Another alternative is to turn off the graphicshardware acceleration on your machine. Thiswill slow down your computer’s response toDirectX and other graphics commands, but itwill reduce the likelihood of a further fatalcrash. To do so, click Start and select ControlPanel. At the Control Panel, select AppearanceAnd Themes; then click Display and choosethe Settings tab. Click Advanced and selectTroubleshoot. There is a sliding adjustment forHardware Acceleration. Move the slider to thethird position from the left, and you will seethis message:

“Disable all DirectDraw and Direct 3Daccelerations, as well as all cursor andadvanced drawing accelerations. Use this set-

ting to correct severe problems with DirectXaccelerated applications.”

Click OK to complete the adjustment andthen click OK again on the Display Propertiesdialog box to close it.

Error Message: (Signature): “ApplicationName: Winword.exe. Application Version:11.0.55207.4. Module Name: Mso.dll. ModuleVersion: 11.0.5207.5. Offset: 00842bfc.” Whenyou close the error signature, you may receivethis error additional message: “The exceptionIllegal Instruction. An attempt was made toexecute an illegal instruction. (oxc000001d)occurred in the application at location0x31482bfc.”

Translation: This fatal error messagemay occur if you are using Adobe Acrobat inconjunction with Word 2003 to create docu-ments or presentations. An incompatibilitywith a file in Adobe Acrobat 5.0.5 is normallywhat causes the problem.

Solution: You have two options: You canbuy the upgrade to Adobe Acrobat 6.0.1 orelse rename the Pdfmaker.dot file to preventaccess to the file by Word 2003. To renamethe file, click Start and Search and selectFiles Or Folders. When the search box opens,enter pdfmaker.dot in the search field. Oncethe search is complete, you’ll see all in-stances of the file. Right-click each instanceof the file and click Rename. You can justrename the extension from .DOT to .OLDand press ENTER.

Error Message: (Signature): “ApplicationName: Winword.exe. Application Version:11.0.5604.0. Module Name: Winword.exe.Module Version: 11.0.5604.0. Offset: 003606fc.”

Translation: This error is caused byusing OLE (object linking and embedding) toplace objects (images, charts, spreadsheets,etc.) in a Word 2003 document. OLE is theprocess of creating an object in one applica-tion and embedding it in another. It is differ-ent from merely cutting and pasting becausethe embedded object invokes the originalprogram from within the host program. Thespecific problem may occur if you back-ground save a Word document containing anOLE object. Background saving is the processthat allows you to keep working on a docu-ment while it is being saved to your harddrive. You may see this fatal error messagewhen saving or printing a document or whentrying to exit Word 2003 if you have OLEobjects embedded in your Word document.


Adjust Word’s properties if you’rehaving problems with theCompatibility Mode feature.

If you have a problem with graphics-intensive programs conflicting withWord, you may need to correct theGraphics Display settings.

PC Errors • 109

Solution: Microsoft has issued an updateto Word 2003 that’s available at the Word2003 Support Center (support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=off2003). Installing thatupdate is the best solution to this problem.However, if you just want a temporary fix forthe problem, you can disable the BackgroundSave feature in Word 2003 and continue tosave Word documents with OLE objectsembedded in them. To turn off this featuretemporarily, open Word 2003 and select theTools menu. Click Options and select theSave tab. Click to remove the check markfrom the Allow Background Saves box. ClickOK to close the dialog box and you’ll be ableto save OLE objects in your Word 2003 docu-ment. However, keep in mind that until youinstall the Word update, your computer willnot be able to perform other tasks while youare saving documents.

Error Message: (Signature): “ApplicationName: Winword.exe. Application Version:10.0.4009.0. Module Name: winword.exe.Module Version: 10.0.4009.0. Offset:00144ad3. Word has detected a problem withthe existing normal.dot. Would you like tocreate a new normal.dot?”

Translation: Normal.dot is the globaltemplate that stores the majority of your for-mat settings and application-wide macros forWord 2003. Template files use a file formatthat is different from a regular documentfile’s format. If the Normal.dot template getsstored as a Word document (that is, as a DOCfile), you will get a fatal error with this errorsignature and the usual prompt to report theerror to Microsoft.

Solution: After you choose Send ErrorReport or Don’t Send from the error message,you’ll see the additional message. Select Yes todelete the incorrect Normal.dot file andreplace it with a new one having the standardformat defaults. If you have created a special-ized default template file for your documents,you will lose all of your customized settingsand will need to re-create them.

Nonfatal Errors Caused ByInternal Conflicts

Error Message: “The document caused aserious error the last time it was opened.Would you like to continue opening it?”

Translation: After the second time youtry to open a document that causes Word2003 to crash for any reason, Word 2003 will

mark the file as a problem and place the fileon a list of disabled files. Further attempts toopen the problem file will result in this mes-sage every time you try to open it until youcorrect the problem.

Solution: If Word 2003 opens properlyand your other documents do not experi-ence these errors, you may have a corruptedparagraph marker in your document. Doc-uments in Word 2003 store their paragraphformatting in the paragraph marker at theend of each paragraph and the formattingfor the whole document in the final para-graph marker in the document. You can seethe paragraph markers by clicking the para-graph icon (¶) on your toolbar. Look for aparagraph that has strange formatting orfonts, remove the marker from the end ofthat paragraph, and save the file. If oneparagraph does not stand out, try removingthe final paragraph marker from the docu-ment. Once you think you have resolved theoriginal problem, you can remove the docu-ment from the disabled files list and tryrestarting. Find your disabled files by click-ing Help and then About Microsoft OfficeWord. Click the Disabled Items box and youwill see a list of those items. To remove afile from the list, select the item with yourcursor and click Enable. If you have previ-ously solved the root problem, you will beable to open the file.

Error Message: “Microsoft Word cannotinstall the necessary files due to WindowsInstaller Error 1605.”

Translation: If you have a problem withthe Word Startup folder, Word may fail toopen when you try to start it and you will seethis error message. The Startup folder is thelocation where the Word 2003 applicationstores templates containing add-ins andmacros that you create. These templates startautomatically when you start Word.

Solution: To resolve the problem, you needto find out which template is the source of theproblem and delete it from your Word 2003Startup folder.

The Startup folder is a hidden folder, sofirst you need to make it visible by openingWindows Explorer, clicking the Tools menu,and selecting Folder Options. Click the Viewtab; from the list that appears, select ShowHidden Files And Folders. Click OK and youwill return to the main Windows Explorerpage. On the left-side pane, cl ick MyComputer and then select the drive where

Word is installed (usually drive C:). ClickDocuments And Settings, Owner (or thename of the person to whom the software isregistered), Application Data, and Word.Under Word, you will see a folder markedStartup. (NOTE: It’s possible that your Wordfolder may be located elsewhere, depending onwhere you installed the application.) Click toopen it and you’ll see a list of all templatesin the folder. Make a new folder by clickingFile, New, and Folder. Name the folderTemp Startup.

Select the first template listed in the Startupfolder and either drag and drop it into theTemp Startup folder or highlight the item withyour mouse and select the Edit menu and theMove To Folder option. Once the file is out ofthe Startup folder, try to start Word 2003. If itstarts, you have removed the culprit. If Worddoesn’t start, repeat the process until you findthe offending template file. Once you havelocated the problem file, move all the otherfiles back to Startup and delete the TempStartup folder.

Error Message: “The command cannot beperformed because a dialog box is open.Click OK and then close any open dialogboxes to continue.”

Translation: When you are in WindowsExplorer and you double-click a Word 2003document to open it, you may receive thiserror message if your Word Startup folder hasa template containing an autoexec macro thatopens a dialog box.

Solution: To resolve this error, you canstart the document directly from Word, whichwill avoid any conflict among the dialog box,Windows Explorer, and Word. You can alsofollow the procedure for the previous solutionto locate and delete the template that causesthe problem.

Error Message: “The margins of section<n> are set outside the printable area of thepage. Do you want to continue?”

Translation: If part of your documenthas wider than normal margins, you may getthis error message when you try to printyour document. Choosing Yes will causeyour document to print, although some partsof the document may not appear on thepage. If you click No, the document will notbe printed. This error occurs because print-ers are unable to print all the way to theedge of a page, and you have your marginsset beyond the printer’s range.


110 • PC Errors

Solution: You can reset the margins bymaking a note of the section indicated in theerror message and then selecting the Editmenu and clicking Go To. When you see theGo To What box, click Section. Enter the sec-tion number in the Section Number field andclick Go To and then Close. Now select Fileand Page Setup. Click the Margins tab andthen OK. You’ll see a dialog box with this mes-sage: “One or more margins are set outside theprintable area of the page. Choose the Fix but-ton to have Word set the page margins withinthe appropriate range.” Select the Fix button toincrease the margin in the unprintable area tothe minimum setting for the selection.

You can also just choose to print the docu-ment as is, but you’ll probably find that partsof the document will be cut off.

Runtime Errors

Error Message: “There is not enoughmemory or disk space to complete the oper-ation.” Or “There is insufficient memory ordisk space. Close extra windows and saveyour work.” Or “Word cannot complete thesave due to a file permission error.” Or“This program has performed an illegaloperation and will be shut down. If thisproblem persists, contact the programvendor.”

Translation: This error will occur whenyou are trying to save a Word 2003 file andthe application stops responding if the pagefile (the section of hard drive that Windowsuses as virtual memory) has gotten too large.

In extreme cases the page file can fill upmost of the available space on your harddrive. This can also occur if you are runningcertain antivirus software versions or if you

are trying to save your document to a floppydiskette or CD that is already full.

Solution: Depending on the cause, youcan take several approaches to solving thisproblem. You can add more hard drivespace by replacing your drive with a largerone or you can add an additional (internalor external) drive. But try the simple solu-tion first: Close any open files or programsthat you don’t need and restart your com-puter to release the page file. If you are run-ning antivirus software, try disabling theprogram temporarily. If that solves theproblem, you should contact the antivirussoftware’s publisher to see if there is anupdate or a workaround.

You should also consider deleting files orprograms that you don’t need by runningDisk Cleanup. To do so, click Start and selectPrograms, Accessories, System Tools, andDisk Cleanup. You’ll see a dialog box labeled

Select Drive that lets you select the drive youwant to clean up (usually C:). Select the driveand click OK. When you see the next DiskCleanup tab, click to select the files that youwant to remove and click OK. This willremove the files from your drive and free upspace for your other files.

Finally, another option is to run a file com-pression utility to free up some space on yourhard drive.

Note that, in the case of the “file permis-sion” error cited above, your problem may infact be that you’re attempting to write to a filewithout permission to do so. This can occur,for example, in a network situation when youhave permission to open and look at a file butnot to delete it or change its contents. In acase like that, you’ll need to contact the net-work administrator.

by Bert Nixon


Word will attempt to adjust your document’smargins if you have them set beyond what yourprinter can handle.

Most Frustrating Error Message

A lmost by definition, all error messages are frustrating. This one’s especially irritating,though, because you obviously knew (and may even have written down) the password

at one point but have now forgotten (or lost) it.

Error Message: “The Password Is Incorrect. Word Cannot Open the Document.”

Translation: If you have chosen to place password protection on your Word 2003 documents, you will receive one of these error messages if you enter an incorrect password when you try to open the document. You can protect your Word 2003 document with a password by selecting Options from the Tools menu. Select the Security tab, and you can require a passwordto open the document or to change the document. The password can be any combination of letters, numbers, punctuation marks, or spaces up to 15 characters. Passwords are case sensitive, so make sure your CAPS LOCK key has not been activated.

Solution: If you receive this error, retry the password, making sure you have repeated the correct sequence of characters. Remember to enter the password using the same uppercase and lowercase characters you used originally. Unfortunately, if you do not supply the correct password, you cannot reopen the document unless you wish to resort to a third-partypassword-cracking utility. ■■

If you used password protection onyour document, be sure that youremember the password or you won’tbe able to access your document.

RS

PC Errors • 111

E xcel 2003, like all Microsoft Officeapplications, has its fair share of cryp-tic error messages. Understanding how

the messages are designed and what theymean can help you recover from a problemand get back to using your computer the wayyou want to.

There are three basic categories of errors inExcel:• Fatal errors that cause your computer to

stop working and require you to restartyour system to begin correcting the prob-lem. Usually you’ll lose any unsaved datathat you were working on when a fatalerror strikes. Fatal errors in Excel 2003 aremost often caused by an incompatibilitywith an application external to Excel.

• Nonfatal errors that are caused by interac-tions with other applications.

• Nonfatal errors that are the result of aninternal setting within Excel 2003. The userhas the greatest amount of control over pre-venting these errors and correcting themeasily and quickly.

This signature says that Excel.exe, the Excelexecutable file, had a problem executing amodule of the code called Mso.dll. The Offsetfurther identifies the location of the errorwithin the code. Although this sort of mes-sage doesn’t make much sense to most of us,you can use this information to searchMicrosoft’s database of reported errors to findout the next steps to take to correct the prob-lem, and a support technician can use it tohelp pin down the problem.

Here are some fatal errors common toExcel. (Some of these errors may also be com-mon to other applications in the MicrosoftOffice suite.) (NOTE: In the examples below, theassumption is that you’ve already seen the initialmessage and have clicked the Details link to viewthe detailed error signature.)

Error Message (Signature): “AppName:WinExcel.exe. AppVer: 11.0.5207.4. Mod-Name: Mso.dll. ModVer: 11.0.5207.5. Offset:00842bfc.” After closing the error signature,you will see this additional error mes-sage: “The exception Illegal Instruction.An attempt was made to execute an illegalinstruction. (oxc000001d) occurred in theapplication at location 0x31482bfc.”

Translation: You may encounter thismessage if you’re using Adobe Acrobat inconjunction with Excel 2003 to create docu-ments and presentations. It’s caused by anincompatibility with a file in Adobe Acrobat5.0.5 called Pdfmaker.dot. When Excelattempts to access the file, it can’t processthe instructions correctly, which causes thefatal error.

Solution: There are two ways to correctthis problem: Either buy and install theupgrade to Adobe Acrobat 6.0 or rename thePdfmaker.dot file to prevent access to thefile by Excel 2003. If you don’t want to buythe Adobe upgrade, you can prevent Excelfrom accessing the incompatible file byrenaming it. To rename the file, click Start,

Excel 2003Diagnose & Correct Excel Errors

Fatal Error MessagesWhen Microsoft Excel 2003 encounters a

fatal error, it will display an error messagesimilar to the following: “Microsoft Excel 2003has encountered a problem and needs to close.We are sorry for the inconvenience. Please tellMicrosoft about this problem. We have createdan error report that you can send to help usimprove Microsoft Excel 2003. We will treatthis report as confidential and anonymous. Tosee what this error report contains, click here.”

Any time you see this error-reporting dialogbox, you have encountered a fatal error. Youmay choose to report the error or not; regard-less of whether you report it, you can usuallyget more detail on the error by clicking theDetails link. Doing so will display the errorsignature, a listing of specific details about theerror. Although it looks cryptic to most of us,the error signature contains more detailedinformation about the error, and an experi-enced user or technician can use this to startdiagnosing the problem. The details of the sig-nature will look something like this:

Application Name Application Version Module Name Module Version Offset

————————————————————————————————————Excel.exe 11.0.5612.0 Mso.dll 11.0.5606.0 00059890


112 • PC Errors

Search, and select Files Or Folders. Whenthe search dialog opens, enter pdfmaker.dotin the Search For Files Or Folders Namedfield and begin the search. Once the searchis completed, you will see all instances ofthe file. Right-click each instance of the fileand click Rename. You can just rename theextension from .dot to .old (or another nameof your choosing) and press ENTER.

Error Message (Signature): “AppName:excel.exe. AppVer: 11.0.5612.0. ModName:gdiplus.dll. ModVer: 6.0.3260.0. Offset:00082f15.”

Translation: You may see this error signature if Microsoft Excel 2003 quits unex-pectedly when you’re using another graph-ics-intensive application at the same time. IfExcel is running graphics routines that com-pete with other programs for access to thecomputer’s display buffer (the portion ofmemory that controls the flow of graphicsand video images across your computerscreen), your application may stop workingproperly. Especially when using applicationswith heavy reliance on graphics enhance-ment routines such as DirectX and DCI(Display Control Interface), your programsmay experience resource conflicts that createthis fatal error. The more graphics-intensiveprograms that you use at the same time, thehigher the probability that you will cause aresource conflict that will result in this fail-ure. Games are usually the most obviouscause of this problem, but other programs,including Microsoft NetMeeting, can alsotrigger it.

Solution: When a graphics-based erroroccurs, you can usually correct the problemby not running another graphics-intensiveprogram at the same time that you are usingExcel 2003. Another alternative is to turn offthe graphics hardware acceleration on yourmachine. This action will slow down yourcomputer’s response to DirectX and othergraphics commands, but it will also reducethe likelihood of a fatal crash. To turn thegraphics hardware acceleration off inWindows XP, click Start and select ControlPanel. From within the Control Panel, selectAppearance And Themes, then click Display,and choose the Settings tab. Click Advancedand then select Troubleshoot. Move theHardware Acceleration slider to the thirdposition from the left, and you will see thismessage: “Disable all DirectDraw and Direct3D accelerations, as well as all cursor and

advanced drawing accelerations. Use this set-ting to correct severe problems with DirectXaccelerated applications.” Click OK to com-plete the adjustment and then click OK againon the Display Properties dialog box to closeit. This should eliminate the conflict thatcauses this error.

Nonfatal Errors Caused ByInteractions With Other

ApplicationsThese errors are often caused by an incom-

patibility between Excel 2003 and an earlierversion of the application or by incompatibilitywith another application running at the sametime as Excel.

Error Message: “Errors were detected in filename.xls, but Microsoft Excel was able toopen the file by making the repairs listedbelow. Save the file to make these repairspermanent.” This error message may be fol-lowed by another error message after youattempt to save the file: “Damage to the filewas so extensive that repairs were not possi-ble. Excel attempted to recover your formulasand values, but some data may have been lostor corrupted.”

Translation: This error sometimes occurswhen you try to open a file in Excel 2003 thathas been previously saved in an earlier versionof Excel. The workbook may be damaged orcorrupted, and you will experience this erroreven though the Excel file opens without anyproblem in your earlier version of Excel.

Solution: If you have the earlier version ofExcel available, install it on the computerwhere you have Excel 2003 installed. Open theoriginal file, copy the file, and paste it into anopen Excel 2003 workbook. You should nowbe able to save the file in Excel 2003.

Error Message: “Unable to read file.”Translation: This is an error that often

occurs when you try to open an Excel 2003 filethat contains links to other Excel spreadsheetsthat have been generated by exporting aMicrosoft Access report to Excel 2003.

Solution: You can usually get your files toopen properly if you first open the subsidiarylinked Excel workbooks before you open theworkbook that contains the links from theAccess files.

Error Messages: “This workbook containsone or more Microsoft Excel 4.0 macros. Thesemacros may contain viruses or other harmful

code. These macros will be disabled.” Or,“This workbook contains one or moreMicrosoft Excel 4.0 macros. These macros maycontain viruses or other harmful code. Openthis workbook only if you trust the source. Doyou want to enable these macros?”

Translation: This error occurs whenyour workbook contains macros assigned toMicrosoft Excel 4.0. Macros are predefinedcommands that cause a series of specificsteps to be executed automatically within aprogram such as Excel 2003 when a work-book is opened. Because these commandssometimes contain malicious code when youreceive them from outside sources, Excel2003 has several macro-related security set-tings designed to detect macros in newworkbooks and to alert the user to their pres-ence. This gives you the opportunity todecide if you want to trust the macro andproceed, verify the source of the file, ordelete the macro before opening the work-book. If your Macro Security Level is set toHigh, you will see the first error message. Ifyour setting is Medium, you will see the sec-ond message. If your security level is set toLow (not recommended), you will not seethe message. View your macro security lev-els by opening the Tools menu at the top ofthe worksheet and then selecting Macro andSecurity. You have the option of modifyingyour settings at this point.

Solution: When you get this message andyou believe you want to open the workbook,you may choose to remove the macro fromthe workbook. Remove the macro or macrosby selecting the Insert menu, selectingName, and clicking Define. You should seenames associated with the macros. Select thename and click Delete. Repeat these steps foreach name in the workbook. When you’refinished deleting the macros, click OK, selectthe File menu and Save As, and save the fileunder a different name.

Nonfatal Errors Resulting FromAn Internal Setting Within Excel

2003By far, these are the most common types

of errors you will encounter in Excel 2003.Luckily, they’re also usually the simplesterrors to correct, once you understand thecause of the problem.

Error Message: “The document caused aserious error the last time it was opened.Would you like to continue opening it?”


PC Errors • 113

Translation: After the second time you tryto open a document that causes Excel 2003 tocrash for any reason, Excel 2003 will mark thefile as a problem and place the file on a list ofdisabled files. Further attempts to open the filewill result in this message.

Solution: You need to remove the file fromthe Disabled Files list, but not until you’vefound and corrected the cause of the problem.Find your disabled files by clicking Help andthen About Microsoft Office Excel. Click theDisabled Items box, and you’ll see a list. To

remove a file from the list, select the item andclick Enable. If you have previously solved theproblem, you should now be able to open thefile normally.

Error Message: “Microsoft Excel cannotfind the data you’re searching for. Check yoursearch options, location, and formatting.”

Translation: If you are using the DataFilter command in Microsoft Excel 2003, youmay receive this error message when youuse the Find utility to locate text, values, orother data in your filtered list. If your datafiltering parameters exclude the data or textthat you are looking for so that it is not dis-played, the Search utility will not be able tofind the data.

Solution: You can solve this problem bysetting the filter criteria to Show All on eachworksheet in your workbook before you per-form the search. You set the filter in the Excelworksheet by clicking Data on the menu bar atthe top of the screen and then selecting Filterand Show All. Do this for each worksheet thatyou want to search.

Error Message: “Cannot delete file name.This file is in use by the following program:Microsoft Excel. You must close the filebefore proceeding.”

Translation: There are several locationswithin Windows from which you can delete afile. Among these are the dialog boxes for theOpen and Save As functions in Excel 2003, aswell as in Windows Explorer. When you tryto delete an Excel 2003 file from any of theselocations, you will see this error if the fileyou are trying to delete is already open else-where on your computer. When Excel opensa file, the file cannot be deleted and can beopened again only as a read-only file. If youare working in a networked environmentwhere multiple people might have access tofiles, someone else may have the file openand locked.

Solution: Because you can’t delete anopen, locked file, you need to locate the openversion of the file and close it. In a networkedenvironment, it is also common for the net-work administrator to restrict the right todelete a file. If that is the case, you shouldcontact your network administrator to giveyou the appropriate level of permission todelete the file.

Error Message: “Cannot find the file filename.xls (or one of its components) .Make sure the path and file name are cor-rect and that all required libraries areavailable.”

Translation: When you attempt to openMicrosoft Excel files from an object embeddedin an application other than Excel 2003, youmay receive this error message if Excel is notproperly configured in the Registry.

Solution: You will need to “register” yourcopy of Excel by forcing it to rewrite its Registrykeys. This will also cause Excel to reassociate allof its files and workbooks.(NOTE: This procedure is notthe same thing as registering theapplication software with themanufacturer.) To registerExcel, first quit Excel and anyother programs that you arerunning. Click Start and select

Run. In the Run field, enter excel /unregserverand click OK. Repeat the Start and Run steps,but this time type excel /regserver and click OK.Start Excel; after it runs, quit the program andrestart your computer. (Note the space after“excel” and before the slash.)

Error Message: “This operation is attempt-ing to change a filtered range on your work-sheet and cannot be completed. To completethis operation, the AutoFilter feature in theworksheet needs to be modified.”

Translation: You will receive this errormessage when you try to create a list from afiltered range of cells in Excel 2003 if the lastrow of your selected range of cells does notappear in the filtered range. For instance, let’ssay you’re working with a spreadsheetrange that includes rows 1 through 31 onyour spreadsheet, but your currently activefiltering includes the data only through row28. AutoFilter will prevent you from seeingthe data in the last three rows of the range,and you will get the error.

Solution: You can work around this prob-lem by including the first blank row under thefiltered range when you specify the range foryour list. This way you’ll be sure that all thedata is considered in the list.

Error Message: “Some of the cells you aretrying to change are password protected, butno one password will allow access to all ofthe cells. Click OK, and then try editing onecell at a time.”

Translation: If you have password protec-tion on a range of cells in your Excel 2003worksheet, you’ll receive this message if youtry to edit more than one protected cell at thesame time, for instance, by trying to copy thecontents of a range of cells into a protectedrange of cells.

Solution: As long as you have the cor-rect passwords, you can solve this problemby double-clicking any single cell in therange you want to edit. Excel will promptyou for the password. Enter the passwordand click OK. This will remove the rangeprotection for all the cells in your target


Opening password-protected cells in an Excel 2003 worksheet mayrequire some extra steps.

Locate your disabled files in Excel2003 by selecting Help and thenclicking About Microsoft Office Excel2003. The Disabled Files tab lets yousee and enable disabled files onceyou have corrected any errors.

Reassociate Excel 2003 files, ifnecessary, by forcing the programto rewrite its Registry keys.

114 • PC Errors

range that are protected by that password.Note that the error message is not reallyaccurate. It implies that you’ll need multiplepasswords to unlock all of the cells. In fact,one password actually will allow access toall the cells in the range if you enter it thatone time.

Error Message: “Microsoft Excel cannotfind a match.”

Translation: When you are trying to usethe Replace functions in Excel 2003, you maysee this error message even though the textyou are trying to replace does exist in the work-sheet. The problem may occur when the activecell in your worksheet doesn’t have the matchand you have also not followed the correct (ifsomwhat confusing) sequence of steps beforeyou select Replace in the Find And Replacedialog box.

Solution: There are three different waysto make this function work properly. First,you can use the Replace All command bychoosing the Edit menu and clicking Replace.A dialog box with the Find What field willdisplay on your screen. Type the text youwant to replace in the Find What field (forexample, thier) and the substitution text (forexample, their) in the Replace With field.Click Replace All, and all instances of theoriginal text will be replaced in your worksheet. You can automatically find allinstances of your text and replace them selectively by following the same steps asabove except that you’ll need to click FindNext after you have landed on an instance ofthe text that you don’t want to change.Clicking Find Next will take you to the nextinstance, and you can continue through theworksheet until you have seen (and chosenwhether to correct) every instance. ClickReplace when you want to change the text,and Excel will make your changes and auto-matically take you to the next instance.

Error Message: “Cannot find the file path(or one of its components). Make sure thepath and filename are correct and that allrequired libraries are available.” Generallythis message appears when Excel opens with-out displaying a workbook.

Translation: This problem can be causedwhen the Ignore Other Applications setting isactive in Excel 2003. You may see this errormessage when you double-click an Excel 2003workbook to open it from Windows Explorer.Excel may actually open, but the selected file

does not. If you already have Excel 2003 open,another instance of the program may start up.This occurs because Windows Explorer opensdocuments in all applications using DDE(dynamic data exchange) messages to sendinstructions to the source application (Excel, inthis case), telling the program to open and thenopen the file that you selected. If the setting forIgnore Other Applications is active in any ofyour workbooks, Excel 2003 will ignore theDDE messages from Windows Explorer, andnone of your workbooks will open when youattempt to invoke them by double-clicking thefile icons. (Note that this does not affect open-ing files from within Excel itself. Having theIgnore Other Applications setting active does

not preclude opening worksheet files fromwithin Excel.)

Solution:To verify that the Ignore OtherApplications setting is the cause of the prob-lem and to correct it, select the Tools menu atthe top of your worksheet and click Options.Select the General tab on the dialog box thatdisplays on your screen. Find the checkboxnext to Ignore Other Applications and click toclear it. Click OK and close the dialog box. Youshould now be able to open your Excel work-books by selecting and double-clicking themfrom within Windows Explorer.

by Bert Nixon


Most Frustrating Excel Error Message

A lthough it may not be obvious, there are times when one cannot merge cells unless thecells are of the same size. At first glance, it may not be apparent why the cells’ size

should matter, but there are cases when it does, especially when attempting to sort the cells.

Error Message: “This operation requires the merged cells to be identically sized.”

Translation: This error can occur for a number of reasons. Excel users often merge cells when one piece of information pertains to several subheadings, such as in a daily schedule. Excel 2003 requires all the cells in a range to be the same size, and it won’t execute a Sort command if the cells aredifferent sizes. If you try to sort a range of cells in an Excel 2003 spread-sheet and some of the cells in the range are merged cells and some aren’t or if all of the cells are merged but are of different sizes, you will see this error. The error can also occur when you try to use the Paste Special command in Excel 2003 if you are copying merged cells and pasting them as Values Only within the same worksheet.

Solution: If you encounter this error, you need to make sure that each cell in the range you are working with has the same number of rows and columns as the other cells in the range. Either merge the cells that are not merged or split all the cells into their original sizes by first highlighting the range of cells you want to change and then selecting the Format menu at the top of the worksheet. Select Cells and click the Alignment tab. Under the heading Text Control in the dialog box, there is an option to Merge Cells. Click to place a check mark in this box to merge the cellsor remove the check mark to split the cells that you have highlighted. As long as the cells are now equally sized, you’ll be able to complete the operations on the range you have selected. ■■

Cells must be the same size in Excel2003 in order to sort properly.

RS

PC Errors • 115

O ffice 2003 errors are bad in general, butPowerPoint 2003 errors are particularlypainful. Because this is presentation

software, errors often occur in front of an audi-ence or while users are putting the finishingtouches on that important slideshow that is dueimmediately. The good news is that many of themost common PowerPoint 2003 error messagesare relatively simple to decipher, if not to fix.

Office 2003 only works on Windows 2000and Windows XP, so all of the instructionsprovided in this article apply only to thoseoperating systems.

Opening & Playing Files

Error Message: “PowerPoint can’t readXX.ppt.”

Translation: You’ve tried to open a .PPT filewith the path and name listed in XX. The path isthe list of folders that leads to the folder wherethe file is stored. For example, the path C:\POW-ERPOINT\BUSINESS means the file is stored inthe Business folder, which is in the PowerPointfolder, which is on the C: drive. When this errormessage appears, it means PowerPoint found thelisted file but can’t open it for viewing or editing.

Solution: This error message is one of theworst you can encounter because it means your.PPT file is damaged. In most cases there is noway to open a damaged file, but Microsoft sug-gests trying to open the file in PowerPoint 2000

or earlier if possible. Theseolder versions of the soft-ware are not as strict asPowerPoint 2003 when it comes to readingdamaged files, sothere’s a slightchange they willbe able to openit. Unfortunately,opening a damagedfile can cause instabilityin PowerPoint and possiblyeven in Windows, so save allopen files and documentsand shut down all other pro-grams before attempting thistrick and prepare for a crash.

Error Messages: “PowerPoint can’t readXX.” Or “PowerPoint can’t open XX becausepart of file is missing.” Or “PowerPoint can’topen the type of file represented by XX.”

Translation: Didn’t we just cover this? Notentirely. The three error messages above some-times appear when users open a PowerPoint filecontaining OfficeArt shapes created in previous

PowerPoint 2003Work The Bugs Out Of Your Presentations

Most Common Error MessageError Message: “Microsoft PowerPoint has encountered a problem and needs to close.

We are sorry for the inconvenience.”

Translation: PowerPoint 2003 is more stable than previous releases, but this error mes-sage indicates that a dreaded program crash has occurred. Hope you saved your work before it was triggered!

Solution: Usually there is nothing that you can do about this error message except to try not to reproduce it the next time PowerPoint is launched. If the error appears when you use Adobe Acrobat within PowerPoint, there is a more tangible solution. Reboot the computer if necessary and, in Windows 2000, click Start, expand Search, and click For Files And Folders. In Windows XP click Start, click Search, and click All Files And Folders. Type pdfmaker.ppain the text field and click Search Now (Search in WinXP). If any hits appear in the right pane, right-click them, click Rename, and give them a different name, such as Pdfmaker.bad. Then visit the Adobe Reader download page at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html and use the provided drop-down menus to download and install the latest version of the Adobe Reader software, which should fix this problem within PowerPoint and other Office applications. It’s a 15.9MB download, so dial-up modem users shouldprepare for a relatively long download session. ■■

Sometimes you have to reconfigureWindows to associate .PPT fileswith PowerPoint.


116 • PC Errors

versions of Microsoft Office. PowerPoint 2003uses a more complicated version of OfficeArtand messes with the previously created shapes,possibly causing file corruption even though theoriginal document was not corrupted.

Solution: Microsoft offers a downloadableCritical Update that fixes this problem. Installit and all other available patches by visiting theOffice Update Web site at office.microsoft.com/OfficeUpdate/default.aspx and clickingCheck For Updates. If a Security Warning boxappears asking if you want to install and runOffice Update Installation Engine click Yes,wait for the program to install, and make sureOffice 2003 Critical Update is selected in thelist that appears. Click Start Installation toapply the patch.

Error Message: “The file you are attempt-ing to play has an extension that does notmatch the file format. Playing the file mayresult in unexpected behavior.”

Translation: Extensions are the three-char-acter (sometimes four-character) abbreviationsappended to files so that Windows can differen-tiate among file types. They are always pre-ceded by a period. For example, the extension.TXT means the associate file is a text document,and .PPT denotes a PowerPoint file. When thismessage appears, PowerPoint is saying that theextension for an embedded movie is invalid.

Solution: This error usually appears when amovie file with the extension .MOV, denoting anApple QuickTime movie, is embedded in thePowerPoint 2003 presentation. The only wayaround this error is to convert the .MOV file to avideo format that PowerPoint 2003 can handle,such as .AVI (Audio Video Interleave), .MPG(Moving Picture Experts Group), or .WMV(Windows Media Video). Windows doesn’tcome with tools to do this, but several third-party solutions are available. If you created thevideo yourself, see if your editing package hasthe capability to save the file in a compatible

format. If the video was obtained elsewhere,consider purchasing Apple’s QuickTime Pro($29.99; www.apple.com/quicktime), which isthe software most commonly used to create.MOV files. Use the software to load the file,expand the File menu, click Export, and selectthe format you want to convert to using the pop-up window that appears. Be sure to read thedocumentation that comes with the software, asseveral advanced options are available duringthe conversion that impact video quality.

Error Messages: “The file XX is not avail-able.” Or “The file XX is unavailable.” Or“User does not have access privileges.”

Translation: Sometimes these messagesappear because files get moved, are damaged,or are inaccessible because system administra-tors have not given you the right to accessthem. If none of these possibilities apply toyour situation and these error messagesappear, there likely is a problem with theantivirus software installed on your computer.

Solution: Visit your antivirus softwaremanufacturer’s Web site to obtain the latestpatches and virus definitions, or use any auto-updating features included in your antivirussoftware to do the same thing. These errorssometimes crop up if you install antivirussoftware from a CD-ROM after installingOffice 2003; the antivirus software restrictsaccess to certain files because it flags them aspotential threats. Updating the software to thelatest version should solve this problem.

Error Message: “Windows Media Playercannot find the specified file. Be sure thepath is typed correctly. If it is, the file doesnot exist in the specified location, or the com-puter where the file is stored is offline.”

Translation: One of the multimedia filesreferenced but not embedded in the Power-Point presentation cannot be found. For exam-ple, if the presentation contains a link to a filestored on another computer on a network, andthat computer is turned off, PowerPoint can’taccess the file for playback.

Solution: Most multimedia problems areavoidable in the first place by embedding files inthe presentation (placing copies of the source filedirectly in the presentation) instead of linking tofiles that are stored externally. Embedded multi-media files can dramatically increase the storagespace a PowerPoint presentation requires becausethey are bundled as part of the presentation file,but this usually is an acceptable trade-off for thepeace of mind of knowing that this error messagewon’t appear during a presentation.

If embedding such files isn’t a viableoption, double-check to see if the file linkedto the presentation is where you said itwould be, because if it was moved after yousaved the presentation the link will notupdate automatically to reflect the change inlocation. Also, if the multimedia file is storedon a computer located elsewhere on a net-work, check to see if the network connectionis working properly and that the computer orfile server where the file is stored is turned


Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: “There is insufficient memory. Save the document now.”

Translation: This message perplexes novices because it seems to contradict itself—ifthe computer is out of memory, how can you save the document? In reality this highlights the difference between the computer’s physical RAM, which is used to run programs and store files that you open for editing, and the computer’s storage devices (such as hard drives, where it permanently stores data that you save).

Solution: Do as the message says and save the open file immediately so it is stored on your computer’s hard drive or another storage device. To con-tinue working, try shutting down as many programs as possible that are running in the background, as they consume RAM that could be allocat-ed to the file you are working on. If that is impossible, and the file you’re editing is simply too large to fit within your computer’s RAM, consider adding more memory by adding extra RAM chips or replacing existing modules with higher-capacity ones. Contact your PC’s manufacturer or read the documentation that came with the system to determine what type of memory it requires, as numerous varieties are available. ■■

Install the Office Update InstallationEngine if prompted to keep PowerPointas up-to-date as possible.

PC Errors • 117

on. At the very least, try to save all files associ-ated with a presentation on the computer thatwill run the presentation so they can beaccessed locally, and update references tothose files within the presentation accordingly.

Error Message: “Cannot delete XX. Thisfile is in use by the following program: YY.You must close the file before proceeding.”

Translation: File XX is open in programYY, so it is impossible to delete. This messagecan vary but always begins with “Cannotdelete XX.”

Solution: If the file you want to delete isopen in another program on your computer,switch to that program, close the file, andthen delete the file. This error also appears iffile sharing is in use and someone else onyour network has the file open on his com-puter. Ask him to close the file and it be-comes eligible for deletion.

Finally, this message also appears whenusers attempt to delete files stored on anothercomputer on a network that they don’t havepermission to delete. Permissions are set bynetwork administrators, and if you are notassigned delete privileges in the folder wherethe file in question is stored, you will not beable to get rid of it. Contact your networkadministrator or the person who uses thecomputer where the file is stored to see ifthey can delete the file or grant you deleteprivileges within that particular folder.

Error Message: “XX.ppt is currently in use.PowerPoint can’t modify it at this time.”

Translation: Someone, somewhere (mostlikely you) has the file you want to edit openin another program or in another instance ofPowerPoint.

Solution: Shut down all of your open pro-grams to make sure none of them has the pre-sentation opened and try shutting down andthen restarting PowerPoint to see of the fileloads properly and can be edited and saved. Ifthis error message still appears, someone elseon your network has the file open on theircomputer, so ask them to close it or expand theFile menu, click Save As, save the presentationunder a different name, and perform the editsand saves on the new copy.

Error Message: “Windows cannot openthis file.”

Translation: Windows keeps a list of regis-tered file types so it knows what program touse when a user tries to open a file with a par-ticular extension. For example, when Word isinstalled, DOC files are registered to it so thatwhen users open a file with the .DOC exten-sion, Word automatically launches and dis-plays the file. All PPT files should be regis-tered to launch PowerPoint when opened, butsometimes other programs take the registra-tion for themselves or the PPT registration isotherwise disassociated with PowerPoint. Theend result is that Windows no longer knows

which program is associated with PPT filesand lets the user know via an error message.

Solution: Microsoft provides three solutionsfor solving this problem. First, try to manuallyrestore the association between PowerPoint andthe .PPT extension by clicking start, clicking MyComputer, expanding the Tools menu, andclicking Folder Options. Select the File Types tabin the Folder Options dialog box, scroll downthe Registered File Types list until you find PPT(Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation), click thatentry, and click the Change button. When theOpen With box appears, scroll through thePrograms list until you see Microsoft OfficePowerPoint, click that entry, and click OK. If theentry is not listed, click Browse, navigate toC:\PROGRAM FILES\MICROSOFTOFFICE\OFFICE 10, click Powerpnt.exe, and click Open.Click OK, click Close, and PPT files will onceagain fire up PowerPoint automatically whenyou open them.

If that doesn’t work, try repairing yourPowerPoint installation. Open PowerPoint,expand the Help menu, click Detect And Repair,and click Start. Follow the prompts to repair theinstallation, and keep your installation CD-ROMhandy because Windows may ask for it. If thisdoesn’t work you must open the file directly bylaunching PowerPoint, expanding the Filemenu, and clicking Open. Navigate to the trou-blesome file and click Open.

Saving Files

Error Message: “XX is read-only. Do youwant to save changes to a different file name?”

Translation: Remember putting tape overthe holes in the top of your cassettes so nobody


Most Hilarious Error MessageError Message: “The source application is busy and can’t respond immediately.”

Translation: What’s next, “we’ll get back to you within two business days”? This message sometimes appears when PowerPoint attempts to open an embedded object that is already open in another program, but that other program has generated a dialog box or error message box that must be closed. Adding insult to injury, clicking Cancel in the Power-Point error message box just causes the same error to appear again and again because the software continually tries to open the inacces-sible embedded object.

Solution: The open dialog box or error message in the other application must be closed before PowerPoint can open the embedded object. Click the program’s entry on the Taskbar to bring it to the forefront, and click OK or Cancel to close the dialog box or error message associated with that pro-gram. If the Taskbar trick doesn’t work, hold down the ALT key and tap the TAB key to cycle through open programs until you reach the one with the dia-log box or error message, and proceed from there. Now, switch back to PowerPoint and it should have no trouble opening the embedded object. ■■

You can’t modify read-only documentsunless you first revoke their read-onlystatus via the Properties dialog box.

118 • PC Errors

could accidentally record over them? The XXread-only files referenced in this error messageare locked down in the same way; you canopen and view them, but you can’t edit them,and neither can anyone else.

Solution: To see if a file is read-only, right-click its icon, click Properties, select the Generaltab, and look for a Read-Only checkbox in theAttributes section. Remove the check mark tomake the file editable, or place a mark in the boxto make the file read-only. If that doesn’t work,save the file using a different name as the errormessage suggests, and work with the copy.

Printing Files

Error Message: “Windows cannot print dueto a problem with the current printer setup.”

Translation: This error message appearsalong with a list of potential solutions thatusually work, unless you are trying to print avery large (in terms of file size) PowerPointfile. When that is the case, there usually isnothing wrong with the printer, despite whatthe error message says.

Solution: Sometimes pictures and graphicsembedded within a PowerPoint file are toolarge and must be reduced in size before theprinter can handle the file. Microsoft recom-mends opening the file in PowerPoint 2003and compressing pictures to reduce their filesizes. Find the Picture toolbar and clickCompress Pictures. If the toolbar isn’t visible,expand the View menu, expand Toolbars, andclick the Picture entry.

When the Compress Pictures dialog boxappears, make sure the All Pictures In Doc-ument radio button is selected, select thePrint radio button in the Change Resolutionsection, and select the checkboxes next toCompress Pictures and Delete CroppedAreas Of Pictures. Click OK, click Apply, letthe utility do its work, and try printing thefile again.

Error Message: “Not enough printer mem-ory available to print page.”

Translation: The size of the PowerPointpresentation you are trying to print has out-stripped the memory capacity of the printer,stalling the print job indefinitely.

Solution: If the printer you’re using doesn’thave enough physical RAM to handle the print

job, the only way to solve this problem is to addto the printer’s memory by adding more mem-ory or replacing the existing chip(s) with largerones. Look at the documentation that came withthe printer or contact the manufacturer to see ifthis is possible and to find out how much itcosts, as printer memory is generally moreexpensive than PC memory.

Sometimes this error occurs because of animproper printer memory setting withinWindows, in which case it is easy to fix. InWin2000 click Start, expand Settings, and clickPrinters. In WinXP click Start, click ControlPanel, click Switch To Classic View on the leftif it isn’t already selected, and click PrintersAnd Faxes. Right-click the icon that corre-sponds to the printer generating the error mes-sage, click Properties, and select the DeviceSettings tab. Look in the Printer Memory sec-tion to see if the number corresponds to theamount of memory installed in the computer.If it doesn’t match up, select the proper settingand click OK.

by Tracy Baker


Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “Microsoft PowerPoint ‘hlink.dll’ can’t be loaded.” Or “Microsoft

PowerPoint failed to load ‘hlink.dll’.”

Translation: What’s a DLL, anyway? It’s short for dynamic-link library, and PowerPoint relies on certain DLLs for proper operation, including Hlink.dll. This file is installed along with Internet Explorer and controls the way PowerPoint handles Internet hyperlinks.

Solution: The only way to solve this problem is to repair or reinstall IE Close all open programs, click Start, expand Find, and click Files or Folders. In Windows XP click Start, click Search, and click All Files Or Folders. Type hlink.dll in the search box and click Search (Find Now in Windows2000). Wait for the search to complete and if Hlink.dll appears, right-click it, click Rename, and change the name to something different, suchas Hlink.bad.

Now comes the tricky part of reinstalling or repairing IE, which will add a fresh copy of Hlink.dll to your computer’s hard drive. This process varies depending on the version of IE installed on your computer, so if you use any version between 4.0 and 5.5, visit support.microsoft.com and search for Knowledge Base Article 258893, entitled “Information About How To Reinstall Internet Explorer.” If you use IE6.x on any OS other than WinXP, visit the same site and look for Knowledge Base Article 293907, “How To Uninstall Internet Explorer 6.” If you use IE6.x with WinXP, search for Knowledge Base Article 318378, “How To Reinstall Or Repair Internet Explorer And Outlook Express In Windows XP.” The WinXP fix involves editing Windows’ Registry, so pay close attention to the provided steps andback up all of your important files before proceeding. ■■

Compressing pictures is a greatway to dramatically reduce the filesize of a PowerPoint Presentation.

It doesn’t matter how much memory isinstalled in your printer if Windows isn’tconfigured to properly recognize it.

RS

PC Errors • 119

Email has become such a crucialcommunication tool that problemswith email software can seri-

ously affect your business andpersonal relationships. Out-look 2003 is far more stable than previous ver-sions of the software,but it still has itsshare of problems.Oddly enough, someof these flaws are by-products of specialfeatures included withthe software, but that’sthe nature of the beast inthese security-minded days.

Error Message: “Outlookblocked access to the fol-lowing potentially un-safe attachments: XX”

Translation: Attachments are files(pictures, songs, or text documents) ap-pended to email messages. Any file has thepotential to become an attachment, includingviruses and other malicious files, and Outlook2003 is designed to block access to files thathave extensions commonly used by theseunwanted programs and are considered Level1 threats. File extensions that have Level 1threat status include .ADE, .ADP, .APP, .ASX,.BAS, .BAT, .CHM, .CMD, .COM, .CPL, .CER,.CRT, .EXE, .FXP, .HLP, .HTA, .INF, .INS,.ISP, .JS, .JSE, .LNK, .MDA, .MDB, .MDE,.MDT, .MDW, .MDZ, .MSC, .MSI, .MSP,.MST, .OPS, .PCD, .PIF, .PRF, .PRG, .PST,.REG, .SCF, .SCR, .SCT, .SHB, .SHS, .URL,.VB, .VBE, .VBS, .WSC, .WSF, and .WSH. Fileswith these extensions have the capability toautomatically execute scripts that issue aseries of commands to a PC without any fur-ther input from its user.

Solution: Before doing anything else, sicyour antivirus software on the blocked file tomake sure it checks out. If that isn’t possibleand the attachment looks suspicious, email theperson who sent the file to make sure theymeant to send it. If they don’t respond, assume

the worst and don’t openthe file, or run a search on the file name usingGoogle (www.google.com). Viruses and othermalicious programs generally are sent usingthe same file name or email subject line, and aGoogle search for those elements can let youknow if they are associated with a virus orhave affected other computers.

If you are certain the attachment is legiti-mate and Outlook still blocks access to it,

have the person who sent it change the exten-sion to something Outlook accepts, such as

.DOC. When you receive the file, save it toyour Windows Desktop or a folder,

right-click its icon, click Rename,and rename it using its original

extension. For example, if afriend sends a file named

Friend.exe that is blocked,have him change thefile’s name to Friend.docand resend it. When thefile shows up, use theRename command tochange its name back to

Friend.exe and executethe file. We can’t stressenough that you shouldonly use such methodsif you are absolutelycertain the file is not athreat. If you have

even a speck of doubtor suspicion, let Outlook do its job and forgetabout opening the file.

Error Message: “Microsoft Outlook hasencountered a problem and needs to close.We are sorry for the inconvenience.”

Translation: Something, somewhere,has caused Outlook 2003 to crash. Openemail messages that you haven’t saved orsent will be lost, but in the vast majority ofcases your .PST file (the big database thatstores all of your sent and received emails)remains intact.

Solution: Think about what led up to thecrash and try to avoid doing the same thingwhen Outlook 2003 loads. Did you open aparticular email file? Launch a different pro-gram? Access a particular menu setting?Work around the problem for a bit to see ifthe program remains stable, save any openwork (including files that are open in otherprograms), and then try to reproduce theproblem. If Outlook consistently crasheswhen you open another program but not atother times, it is likely that the other programis stealing system resources such as memory

Outlook 2003Failure To Communicate? We Can Help

It is possible to use your ISP’s outgoing emailserver and use an outgoing email address thathas nothing to do with that server.


120 • PC Errors

that are already allocated to Outlook, or istying into Outlook somehow. Try reinstallingthe application or updating it to its mostrecent version using a patch downloadedfrom the manufacturer’s Web site. If a partic-ular message causes the crash, try forwardingthe message to a Web email account andopening it there, or delete it entirely to see ifthe problem goes away.

In some cases, especially when accessingOutlook’s menus causes problems, there is aproblem with Outlook itself and the programmust be repaired or reinstalled. If you can getthe software to load at all, make a backup

copy of your email folders by expanding theFile menu, clicking Import And Export, click-ing Export To A File, and clicking Next.Select Personal Folder File (.PST), click Next,and select the folders and subfolders youwant to include in the backup set. To includethem all, click Personal Folders, select theInclude Subfolders checkbox, and click Next.Choose a name and location for the backupfile, select the radio button that correspondsto the type of backup you’re creating (if anolder copy already exists, you can save timeby choosing Do Not Export Duplicate Items),and click Finish.

With the backup safely tucked away, it’stime to use Outlook 2003’s built-in repair toolsto try to fix the problem. Open the program,expand the Help Menu, click Detect AndRepair, select whichever checkboxes you feelare appropriate (we recommend selecting theRestore My Shortcuts While Repairing check-box but leaving the other checkbox unchecked),and click Start. Keep your installation CD closeby, as Windows may ask for it during therepair operation.

Error Message: “The file XX.pst could notbe found.”

Translation: Here, “XX.pst” refers to thedatabase that holds all received and sent emailmessages. If Outlook can’t find the file, it can’topen the file, so your Inbox, Sent Items, andother folders will be empty.

Solution: This error message often occurswhen the .PST file you use is stored else-where on the network and the machinewhere it resides is turned off or otherwisedisconnected from the network. Contact yoursystem administrator to see if they can reme-dy this problem or if it is possible to movethe .PST file to your computer so you canaccess it locally.

If the .PST file is stored locally and thiserror message appears, the file likely is cor-rupted. This is a dire situation because all of


Detect And Repair can fix minor problems withOutlook, but it only works if you can get the program to load in the first place.

If Outlook 2003 loses your user profile, useWindows to create a new one so you can sendand receive email messages.

Most Common Error MessageError Message: “ ‘Sending and Receiving’ reported error (0x8004210B): The operation

timed out waiting for a response from the sending (SMTP) server. If you continue to receive this message, contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP).”

Translation: The outgoing email server is experiencing problems, or Outlook 2003 is trying to contact the wrong server and is being blocked.

Solution: “Time out” errors usually are the fault of the email server, so there is nothing most users can do about it aside from calling their network administrator or ISP to make sure they are resolving the problem. Many times it is best to wait anywhere from several minutes to a few hours andtry to send email again. Most email server problems are resolved quicklybecause they are usually software-related. Hardware-related problems that require hard drive swapping, cable replacement, or similar tasks take more time to resolve.There is one other possibility regarding error messages related to sending email. If you have a hosted Web site or Web mail service and use its out-going mail servers instead of the outgoing mail servers provided by your ISP, the ISP might purposely block the outgoing email. This has happenedto us in the past, and the only way to resolve it was to configure Outlook 2003 to use our Web site’s server for incoming mail but route all outgoing mail through the ISP’s SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server. Fortunately there is a way to do this without having to change the From line in your email messages. Expand the Tools menu, click Options, select the Mail Setup tab, and click E-mail Accounts. Select the View Or Change Existing E-Mail Accounts button, click Next, click the name of the account that is generating the error message, and click Change. When the E-mail Accounts dialog box appears, leave the information in the Incoming Mail Server field intact, but change the information in the Outgoing Mail Server field to match your ISP’s SMTP server (look at its Web site or call technical support to find out exactly what to enter here). In the E-Mail Address field, type the name that you want to have appear in the From line of your mes-sages, click Next, and click Finish. Now Outlook will send email from your ISP’s server, but they will appear to come from your Web site’s server because of the From line. Unfortunately, outgoing messages will be subject to the restrictions imposed by the ISP, which generally caps maximum out-going email sizes at 2MB to 3MB. ■■

PC Errors • 121

your email messages, contacts, and otherOutlook data is stored in this big .PST file,but Outlook 2003 comes with an InboxRepair Tool that works fairly well in suchsituations. In Windows 2000 click Start,expand Search, and click For Files OrFolders. In Windows XP click Start, expandSearch, and Click All Files Or Folders. Typescanpst.exe in the search box and clickSearch in Win2000 or Search Now in WinXP.Wait for the file to appear in the searchresults box and double-click its name tolaunch the program.

Now you must type the name of the .PSTfile that needs to be repaired, or click theBrowse button to navigate to the file manually.Once it is selected, click Start and the repairtool will scour the file for errors—and with anyluck will fix them, as well, so Outlook canaccess the cleaned up .PST file.

Error Message: “System resources are criti-cally low. Close some windows.”

Translation: System resources, such asRAM and CPU clock cycles, that are needed torun programs are available in limited amounts,and once they are all used up error messageslike this are likely to appear.

Solution: Do what the message says andclose some open programs or windows. Thismessage is likely to appear on computers thatdon’t have a lot of RAM installed but where auser has several email messages open at thesame time for viewing or editing. Try closingsome to free up resources.

Microsoft also reports that this messagesometimes appears when users configureOutlook with publicly accessible folders andthen add groups of users to the permissionslists for those folders. To get around this prob-lem, try adding the permissions individually.Launch Outlook 2003, right-click the folderwhere you added the group permissions, andclick Properties. Select the Permissions tab inthe resulting dialog box, click Add, click auser’s name to select it, and click Add. Keepselecting users and clicking Add to add themto the permissions list and the error messageshould no longer appear.

Error Message: “Outlook failed to startcorrectly last time. Starting Outlook in safemode will help you correct or isolate a start-up problem in order to successfully start theprogram. Some functionality may be dis-abled in this mode. Do you want to startOutlook in safe mode?”

Translation: This is a rare example of anerror message that requires a yes or no answer.When Outlook 2003 crashes or fails to load, theprogram generates this error message whenyou restart it. Safe Mode is a special operatingmode that disables several of Outlook’s fea-tures but at least lets the program load so youcan see existing emails and access other ele-ments of the software. If this feature soundsfamiliar, it should; Outlook’s Safe Mode is sim-ilar conceptually to Windows’ own Safe Mode.

Solution: We see this error message often,and in the overwhelming majority of cases it issafe to answer “no” and load Outlook 2003 inits fully functional configuration. We’ve neverlost email messages or other data by choosing

this option, but if you don’t want to risk it, loadinto Safe Mode and troubleshoot from there.

To see what features are disabled whenOutlook runs in Safe Mode, expand the Helpmenu, click About Microsoft Office Outlook,and click the Disabled Items button. Now youcan click individual items and click the Enablebutton to turn them on individually and see ifthey cause any problems. If they do, you mayhave to open the Help menu and click DetectAnd Repair to fix your copy of Outlook 2003.As stated in a previous tip, keep the Officeinstallation CD nearby, as Windows some-times needs it to perform the repairs.

by Tracy Baker


Most Hilarious Error MessageError Message: “Some items could not be deleted. They were either moved or already

deleted, or access was denied.”

Translation: This message isn’t funny because of what it says; it’s funny because of one of the conditions that trigger it—a user trying to delete 5,000 or moremessages at the same time.

Solution: Sometimes this error message means exactly what it says, and users must get permission from a network administrator or manually locate moved files they want to delete. If it appears because you tried to delete an absurd number of email messages, delete them in smaller chunks, and try to keep your inbox tidier in the future to avoid such problems. ■■

Most Cryptic Error MessageError Message: “The operation failed. An object could not be found.”

Translation: What operation? What object? This message sometimes appears when you click the Send And Receive button, and it means Outlook 2003 can’tfind the profile associated with your email account. Profiles contain per-sonalized settings and other configuration information.

Solution: The only way around this problem is to create a new profile. In Windows 2000 click Start, expand Settings, click Control Panel, and double-click Mail. In Windows XP click Start, click Control Panel, click Switch To Classic View if it isn’t in that mode already, and double-click Mail. Click Show Profiles, click Add, give the profile a name (we recommend “Outlook”), and click OK. Click Add A New E-Mail Account, click Next, choose the type of email server your ISP, hosted site, or other email provider uses, and click Next. Fill in the blanks with the information sup-plied by your ISP or other email provider (don’t forget to click More Settings to adjust those extra options), and click Finish. Start Outlook and it should load the new profile and run properly. ■■

RS

122 • PC Errors

Online Communications

Going online is supposed to be aneasy and trouble-free experi-ence—just connect to an ISP andenjoy seamless Web surfing any-where in the world. That’s fine

when everything works properly. Web sitescan provide endless hours of interactive enter-tainment and education. Unfortunately, theInternet is a global hodgepodge of end users,Internet service providers, data carriers, andnetwork servers. User errors, service interrup-tions, unreachable Web servers, and otherfoibles all contribute to occasional problemsthat prevent the smooth access that we’vecome to expect from the Internet.

Although an average Internet user can’t pre-vent most problems, servers and Web browsersdo report trouble through the use of error mes-sages. The kicker is that most error messages arenotoriously cryptic, using numbers and phrasesthat rarely explain the underlying trouble—andusually never outline corrective actions. But helpis finally available. We’ve collected a bounty ofcommon error messages and arranged them foryou in numerical and alphabetical order. We’lltranslate what these errors mean and show youjust what you can do about them.

Troubleshooting By The Numbers

Error Message: “401 – Unauthorized”Translation: Also termed “401 – Authori-

zation Required” (but some Web sites maycustomize this message such as “Access

Denied” or “Unavailable”). Many Web sitesrestrict access using password protection.Chances are that you’ve attempted to view arestricted Web page (perhaps due to an incor-rect URL), or the password that you used waswrong or typed incorrectly.

Solution: Recheck the URL and make surethat you’re trying to reach the correct Web page(see the solution for the “Most Common ErrorMessage” sidebar). If the URL is correct and youneed a password to get in, recheck the passwordas you type it, and take note of upper and lower-case characters. For example, a password suchas “LeMM^ng” can easily be typed as “lem-ming” if you forget to use the SHIFT key. If yourpassword is correct, but you still cannot accessthe Web page, contact the site Webmaster tocheck the status of your account. The accountmay have been suspended or closed, or the pass-word may have been reset. In either case, theWebmaster can help restore access.

Error Message: “402 – Payment Required”Translation: The desired Web page is proba-

bly available, but authentication (usually in theform of a password and/or username) is neededto access the site. However, logon credentialsmay require payment to the site operator beforeaccess is set up for you. For example, many Websites require a monthly subscription for access.

Solution: A valid subscription or accesspayment will typically correct this problem byestablishing your account (often including avalid password and/or username). Afterwards,you should be able to access the desired site. If you have an existing account but you still

cannot access the site, contact the Webmaster tocheck the status of your account—the accountmay have been suspended or closed for issuessuch as nonpayment (a credit card number hasbeen rejected). The Webmaster can usuallyupdate payment information and reestablishyour access.

Error Message: “403 – Forbidden”Translation: The Web server understands

the URL but refuses to provide access. This iscommon when a Web page is intended for

personal or “in-house” use (and may berestricted with a password). In other cases,the Webmaster may have configured thedesired page improperly. For example, thefile may need to be assigned “read permis-sion” for all users. Finally, the Web servermay be congested or down for maintenance,prohibiting access to its contents.

Solution: Start with the basics and recheckthe correct URL (see the solution for “The MostCommon Error Message”). If the URL is correctand you need a password to get in, recheck thepassword as you type it, and take note of upperand lowercase characters. Because congestioncan tie up a Web site, try reloading or refresh-ing the page with the browser’s Refresh button(or try again later). If the problem persists, alertthe Webmaster for assistance.

Error Message: “404 – Not Found”Translation: Also termed “The Requested

URL Was Not Found” or “File Not Found.”

General Online ErrorsWe Demystify The Internet’s Cryptic Errors

You likely need user ID and password credentialsto access this Web site.

It’ll cost you to access this site, so be sure tocontact the Web site operator.

You simply don’t have the authorization to viewthis Web page or media.

PC Errors • 123

There is indeed a Web site located at thataddress, but the particular HTML pagerequested in the URL does not exist. The URLmay have been entered improperly (a basictypo), or the page no longer exists.

Solution: Recheck the URL and makesure that you’re trying to reach the correctWeb page (see the solution for the “TheMost Common Error Message”). In manycases, the page’s content may still be avail-able on the Web site, but the page itself mayhave been renamed, moved, or added toanother page. Try poking around on theWeb site to see if you can find the content onanother page. For example, the home pagemay offer a link to a new or updated pagethat will help you.

Error Message: “406 – Not Acceptable”Translation: Web browsers can tell the

Web server what kinds of data that the brows-er will accept. This error occurs because therequested Web page could not be returned in alanguage, character set, or data format thatyour Web browser can use.

Solution: Most current Web browsersaccept a wide variety of data, so 406 errors arevery rare today. However, they still occur,most often when trying to present a Web pagewith a foreign character set. For example, aU.S. client may see this error when attemptingto visit a Web site that uses Chinese or Koreancharacter sets. You may be able to update lan-guages or character sets that will allow your

browser to access the site properly. The easiestsolution is simply to access a different lan-guage or version of the Web site that offersbetter compatibility with your browser. Checkthe home page or contact the Webmaster forlinks to alternate Web sites.

Error Message: “408 – Request Timeout”

Translation: The Web server has drop-ped your connection. This occurs when therehas been too much time between the creationof an IP (Internet Protocol) connection (a

“socket” between the browser and Web serv-er) and the receipt of data on that connection.The connection has been lost, and yourbrowser must repeat the request.

Solution: Excess traffic loads on the clientsystem or Web server may be timing out theconnection and causing 408 errors. Try estab-lishing a new connection by reloading orrefreshing the page with the browser’sRefresh button (or try again later). If the trou-ble occurs with only a certain Web site, theproblem is likely at the Web-server end—there is little you can do except try againlater. If the trouble occurs with any Web site,you may have problems with TCP/IP (Trans-mission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)on your client system, or there are accessproblems with your local ISP.

Error Message: “409 – Conflict”Translation: The request submitted by

your browser cannot be completed because itconflicts with a rule established by the Web

server. This is not really a securityissue, but rather an application-specific conflict (such as whenusing Microsoft FrontPage). Forexample, if you attempt to uploada file to a Web server, but that fileis older than the current file, theversion conflict will likely cause a409 error.

Solution: You normally don’tsee this error unless you’re creat-ing Web pages. If so, check thepage versions that you’re upload-ing against current versions. Alsorecheck the configuration of yourWeb server (or contact your Webhosting company for technicalsupport). Otherwise, you shouldcontact the Webmasters of offend-ing sites to make them aware ofthe trouble.

Error Message: “410 – Gone”Translation: When a Web page

moves, an older URL is often redi-rected to a new URL. A 410 errorindicates that the desired URL isno longer available—this basicallymeans the page has moved andthere is no forwarding informa-tion. This is common for URLsthat are intentionally time-limitedor orphaned.

Solution: This error is similarto 404 – Not Found, but a 410 error

suggests that the page may still exist in anoth-er location. However, the URL is effectivelyuseless without forwarding information.


Your browser cannot display the contents of aWeb page, so try another language version of the site (if possible).

The server is expecting a request with a specificlength, so you may not be able to access thisWeb site.

Most Hilarious Error MessageError Message: “No Response”

Translation: Also termed “No Response… Using A Previously Cached Copy” or “Site Unavailable.” Here is one of the more amusing error messages—how can there be no response when you get a response telling you that there’s been no response? In reality, this simply means that the desired Web server is not responding to your request, probably because it is congested with excessive traffic, or the server is not available due to failure or maintenance. If you’ve visited the Web site previously, a cached copy of the page may appear in your browser.

Solution: Recheck the URL and make sure that you’re trying to reach the correct Web page (see the solu-tion for “400 – Bad Request”). Try reloading or refreshing the page with the browser’s Refresh button. The server itself may be partially offline for maintenance, in which case the best solution is to try the site again later. If the situation persists, notify the site’s Webmaster about the problem. ■■

124 • PC Errors

Recheck the URL and make sure that you’retrying to reach the correct Web page (see thesolution for “The Most Common ErrorMessage” sidebar). The page itself may havebeen renamed, moved, or added to anotherpage. Go to the home page for that Web siteand see if you can find the content on anotherpage. For example, the home page may offer alink to a new or updated page that will helpyou.

Error Message: “411 – Length Required”Translation: The Web server is looking for

specific HTTP “content length” information inyour browser’s request. No specific lengthinformation was provided by the browser, sothe Web server returned a 411 error.

Solution: Data length information may beneeded when uploading data to the Web serv-er but is generally never needed when retriev-ing information from a Web server. This erroris typically due to configuration or program-ming errors on the Web server end. You

should contact the Webmasters of the offend-ing sites to make them aware of the trouble.

Error Message: “412 – PreconditionFailed”

Translation: The Web server is looking for a“precondition” specification in your browser’sHTTP data. The Web server determined that therequired precondition was not met and returned

a 412 error.Solution: This error is

typically due to configu-ration or programmingerrors on the Web serverend. You should contactWebmasters of the offend-ing sites to make themaware of the trouble.

Error Message: “413 –Request Entity TooLarge”

Translation: The Webserver has determinedthat the data being sentby the browser is simplytoo large (that is, toomany bytes). This occurswhen file size limits areexceeded. For example,when uploading a verylarge file (using a tech-nique such as HTTPPUT), a 413 error may bereturned when the Webserver sees that the filesize is too large.

Solution: This error istypically due to configu-ration or programmingerrors on the Web serverend. It may be possible toshrink the request entity

(such as uploading a smaller file). Otherwise,the Web server will need to be reconfigured toaccommodate the larger entity. You shouldinform Webmasters of the offending sitesabout the trouble.

Error Message: “414 – Request URI TooLong”

Translation: A URI (Universal ResourceIdentifier) is a generic term for all types ofnames and addresses that identify Webobjects. A URL is just one type of URI. Thiserror occurs when the Web server determinesthat the URL is larger (that is, too manybytes) than the server can interpret. In somecases, this error may suggest that a server is

under attack by a client attempting to exploitsecurity holes.

Solution: This error is rare because Webservers typically service ample length (2,048or 4,096 characters). However, today’s use ofcomplex, dynamic Web content can result invery long URL strings. Recheck the URL andmake sure that you’re trying to reach thecorrect Web page (see the solution for “TheMost Common Error Message”). You mightalso try a shortened variation of the URL toreach the Web site, then try browsing to thedesired Web page from there. Finally, con-tact the Webmasters to make them aware ofthe trouble.

Error Message: “415 – UnsupportedMedia Type”

Translation: The Web server determinesthat the client (browser) is requesting a URLresource, but the actual media is not fullycompatible with the request. This oftenoccurs during a data transfer between theWeb server and client. For example, if you’reuploading a file to the Web server using amethod that the Web server isn’t prepared toaccept, a 415 error is usually returned.


There is a serious problem with the URL that youtried, so check the URL or contact the Webmaster.

A server has received an invalid response from anupstream server, so try your request again later.

Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: “407 – Proxy Authentication Required”

Translation: A proxy server is a server that sits between a Web browser and an actual Web server. The proxy server reads all requests to the actual server and attempts to service each request itself—if not, the request is forwarded to the actual server. Proxy servers improve performance by caching popular pages for certain groups of users and are often used to enhance the security of a Web site.

When you get a 407 error, the URL resource is available, but a connection requires the use of a proxy server that also needs authentication credentials. This error indicates that access has been denied because you have not logged onto the proxy server first or have logged on incorrectly.

Solution: You’ll need to log into the appropriate proxy server first and provide the proper credentials (password and/or username) before you’re able to proceed to the desired URL. This generally means you’ll need a URL for the proxy server, along with authentication credentials. Once you’re successfully logged onto the proxy server, you can usually navigate to the desired Web site successfully. If you have trouble obtaining proxy server information, contact the Webmaster for detailed user instructions. ■■

PC Errors • 125

Solution: This error is typically due to con-figuration or programming errors on the Webserver end. The Web server will need to bereconfigured to accommodate the mediarequest or method. You should contact theWebmasters of offending sites to make themaware of the trouble.

Error Message: “500 – Server Error”Translation: Also termed “500 – Internal

Error.” This is a general-purpose error pro-duced by a Web server when a problem hasoccurred that the server cannot identify fur-ther. Some fault has prevented the server fromfulfilling your request.

Solution: Recheck the URL and make surethat you’re trying to reach the correct Webpage (see the solution for “The Most CommonError Message”). Excessive traffic (such as acongested server) can also cause server errors,so try reloading or refreshing the page withthe browser’s Refresh button (or try againlater). If the problem persists, contact thesite’s Webmaster.

Error Message: “501 – Not Implemented”Translation: The Web server does not

understand or support the HTTP methodused by the client. This is almost always theresult of an HTML coding problem or versionconflict and often occurs with Web pages thatinclude forms that can be submitted to theWeb server.

Solution: While this error is rare, there islittle you can do except to alert the Webmasterabout the problem.

Error Message: “502 – Bad Gateway”Translation: Also termed “502 – Service

Temporarily Overloaded.” A server (not al-ways a Web server) is working as a gateway tofulfill your browser’s request. However, thegateway server cannot receive an acceptableresponse from an upstream server working onyour request. This typically means that thegateway server is not communicating properlywith upstream servers.

Solution: Chances are that there are com-munication problems between the remotegateway and its upstream servers. There is lit-tle you can do except to try again later or con-tact the Webmaster about the problem.

Error Message: “503 – Service Unavailable”Translation: The Web server is temporari-

ly overloaded or down for maintenance orupgrade, but this temporary condition should

be resolved after some delay. Some serversmay refuse a connection entirely and producea different error code.

Solution: The Web server is functioning(because it’s returning an error code), but itscontent is unavailable at the moment. Theeasiest solution here is to try reloading orrefreshing the page with the browser’sRefresh button (or try again later). If theproblem persists, notify the Webmaster aboutthe situation.

Error Message: “504 – Gateway Timeout”Translation: A server (not always a Web

server) is working as a gateway to fulfill yourbrowser’s request. However, the gatewayserver did not receive a timely response froman upstream server working on your request.This typically means that the gateway serveris not communicating properly with up-stream servers.

Solution: There is slow IP communicationproblems between the remote gateway andits upstream servers. There is little you cando except try the site again later or contactthe Webmaster about the problem.

Error Message: “505 – HTTP Version NotSupported”

Translation: This error occurs becausethe Web server does not support the HTTPprotocol used by your Web browser. Forexample, the server will return a 505 error ifyour browser attempts a request using HTTP1.0 or 1.1 but the Web browser only supportsHTTP 0.9.

Solution: Most Web browsers assumethat servers support HTTP 1.x, and very fewWeb servers will risk the poor security andperformance found with older HTTP ver-sions. Chances are that the Web operator willneed to upgrade the Web server software, socontact the Webmaster about the situation.

Cryptic Messages

Error Message: “A Request To TheHost Is Taking Longer Than Expected”

Translation: This is usually a result ofcongested Internet traffic. The Web server isbusy or cannot respond to your request in atimely manner. You may notice that otheronline features (such as email or newsgroupaccess) are also taking a very long time.

Solution: Recheck the URL and makesure that you’re trying to reach the correctWeb page (see the solution for “The MostCommon Error Message”). Also try otherWeb sites—if the error only occurs with onesite, that Web server may be congested, so tryreloading or refreshing the page with thebrowser’s Refresh button (or try again later).If the trouble seems to hit every Web site youtry to visit, the problem may be on your PC.One quick trick is to reboot your computerand clear the browser cache. For InternetExplorer 6.x, open the Internet Options dia-log from the Tools menu, then click DeleteCookies, Delete Files, and Clear History.Now try the request again. You might alsotry closing any unneeded applications (espe-cially bandwidth-demanding applications).

Error Message: “Bad File Request”Translation: There is probably a pro-

gramming problem with a Web form. Formelements include features such as text boxes,drop-down menus, checkboxes, and so on.Web browsers support industry-standardform elements, but errors occur when theWeb page creator made a mistake in theirform programming, or incorporated nonstan-dard form elements to the Web page.

Solution: Congestion across the Internet orat the remote Web server can occasionallycause this trouble, so try reloading or refresh-ing the page with the browser’s Refresh button


A server or DNS (Domain Name System) lookuperror often just says the page cannot be displayed.

A Bad Request error probably means that you’veentered a URL improperly.

126 • PC Errors

(or try again later). If the problem persists, con-tact the Webmaster about the problem.

Error Message: “Cannot Add FormSubmission Result To Bookmark List”

Translation: This error occurs when youattempt to save the results of a form-basedsearch engine (such as WebCrawler or Alta-Vista) as a bookmark. The problem is that theURL is not valid even though it may appear tobe just fine.

Solution: You can often work around thiserror by saving the search results as an HTMLdocument on your local hard drive. Use theSave As command under the browser’s Filemenu to save the search page, and then tryadding the saved page to your bookmarks.CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripting inthe search results page can sometimes interferewith this tactic, so it is not always successful.(CGI is a standard for how servers exchangeinformation with applications under the Web’sprotocol HTTP. Typical uses for CGI includethe forms that users fill out on Web sites.)

Error Message: “Can’t Parse HTTP”Translation: This error means that your

Web browser cannot process the URL thatyou’ve entered. For example, most browsersallow you to omit the “http://” portion of aURL, though some browsers require it.

Solution: See the solution for “A RequestTo The Host Is Taking Longer Than Expected.”

Error Message: “Connection Refused ByHost”

Translation: The Web server has refusedto establish a connection (socket) with yourbrowser. You may be prohibited from access-ing the requested URL, or the URL is pass-word protected.

Solution: See the solution for “403 –Forbidden.”

Error Message: “Failed DNS Lookup”Translation: Also termed “No DNS

Entry.” The Internet’s DNS (Domain NameSystem) cannot translate the URL addressinto a corresponding IP address. Since DNSservers are typically redundant, the problemis more likely to be an incorrect URL on yourend, or a congested Web server on the remoteend. The Web server may also have failed oris down for maintenance.

Solution: Recheck the URL and makesure that you’re trying to reach the correctWeb page (see the solution for “The Most

Common Error Message”). The Web servermay be overloaded or congested withInternet traffic, so try reloading or refreshingthe page with the browser’s Refresh button(or try again later). In rare cases, there maybe problems with your Internet software orconnection. Try rebooting the PC and restart-ing the connection and browser software.

Error Message: “File Contains No Data”Translation: You’ve accessed a valid URL,

but the contents of that Web page are empty.This can occur when the page is being updat-ed or is being used as a placeholder, awaitingfuture content from the site operator.

Solution: Recheck the URL and makesure that you’re trying to reach the correctWeb page (see the solution for “The MostCommon Error Message”). Try reloading orrefreshing the page with the browser’sRefresh button (or try again later). If the situ-ation persists, contact the site’s Webmasterabout the problem.

Error Message:“Helper Applica-tion Not Found”

Translation: Alsotermed “Viewer NotFound,” “No HelperApplication Defin-ed,” or “UnknownFile Type.” This errormeans your browserdid not recognize afile type that you’reattempting to down-load. For example,files such as Real-Audio, MPEG, orPDF files need aplug-in viewer capa-ble of decoding andusing the file.

Solution: You will need to down-load and install anapplication that isappropriate for eachfile type. For exam-ple, you would needAdobe Acrobat Read-er to view PDF files.The easiest solution isto save those soundor video files to diskfirst and then obtain

and install the corresponding application foryour browser as soon as possible.

Error Message: “Host Unavailable”Translation: The remote Web server is

down or otherwise offline. This may be as sim-ple as a failed connection, or the server may bedefective, or it may just be getting an update.

Solution: Try reloading or refreshing thepage with the browser’s Refresh button (ortry again later). If the problem persists, con-tact the Webmaster about the situation.

Error Message: “Host Unknown”Translation: Also termed “Unable To

Locate Host” or “Unable to Locate Server.”You cannot establish a connection with theWeb server. This error occurs because the Webserver is not available due to a failure or main-tenance, there is trouble with your Internetconnection, or you typed the URL improperly.

Solution: Recheck the URL and makesure that you’re trying to reach the correct


Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “405 – Method Not Allowed”

Translation: For each particular resource type, HTTP allows for a variety of actions (or “methods”) between a Web server and a browser. These methods include Options, Get, Head, URL, Post, Put, Delete, Trace, Connect, and more (depending on the HTTP version in use). Web servers can be configured to allow or reject any method. For example, your ‘read-only’ Web server may disallow PUT and DELETE methods. When your Web browser tries to use a method for obtaining a Web resource that the server prohibits, an error occurs. Bottom line—you cannot exchange desired data with the Web server.

Solution: You normally don’t see this error unless you’re creating Web pages. In most cases, 405 errors arise when using POST (power on self test) methods—you may be trying to provide input on your Web site (such as a form), but not all ISPs allow POST methods needed to process that form. You can try GET commands in place of POST commands. In short, most 405 errors can be corrected by adjusting the configuration of your Web server (to allow POST methods, for example).If you see a 405 error on another Web site, contactthe site’s Webmaster for corrective action. ■■

PC Errors • 127

Web page (see the solution for “The MostCommon Error Message”). Try reloading orrefreshing the page with the browser’sRefresh button (or try again later). If theproblem persists, check your Internet connec-tion by trying other Web sites or functionssuch as email. Always-on connections mayneed to be rebooted by cycling power to thecable or DSL modem.

Error Message: “Network ConnectionWas Refused By The Server”

Translation: Also termed “Too ManyConnections – Try Again Later,” “Too MuchNetwork Traffic,” or “Too Many Users.” Everyserver has a limit to the number of requests itcan handle at any given moment. Chances arethat the server is just too busy because it’s ser-vicing the maximum number of requests.

Solution: The best solution is to try reload-ing or refreshing the page with the browser’sRefresh button (or try again later). If the trou-ble persists, the Web server may require addi-tional bandwidth—contact the Webmasterabout the problem.

Error Message: “NNTP Server Error”Translation: You are trying to read or

post messages with a newsgroup. Your ISPprovides the NNTP (Network News TransferProtocol) server that supports newsgroupoperations. This error occurs because you’reunable to connect to a Usenet newsgroup.

Solution: The newsgroup URL may havebeen typed improperly. Recheck the URL andmake sure that you’re trying to reach the cor-rect newsgroup (see the solution for “TheMost Common Error Message”). There mayalso be an issue with the newsgroup itself.Try some other newsgroups (if possible). Ifonly one newsgroup fails, the trouble may beon the remote end. If any newsgroup fails,check your software settings or contact yourISP for assistance.

Error Message: “Permission Denied”Translation: This error typically occurs

when attempting to upload or download afile, often through FTP. You may not haveauthority to perform your file transfer, or thedesired file does not exist. For example, youmay be trying to download a file from adirectory that you do not have access to. Insome cases, the server may simply be toocongested to handle your request.

Solution: Always start by verifying theexact file name that you’re trying to access

(file names are often case-sensitive). In theevent of congestion, try your access at anoth-er time when the remote server may be lesscongested. If the problem persists, contact thesystem administrator for assistance. You mayneed adjustments to your access rights.

Error Message: “TCP Error”Translation: Also termed “TCP Error

Encountered While Sending Request ToServer.” Data is exchanged across theInternet using TCP (Transmission ControlProtocol). This error occurs when there istrouble in TCP exchanges between yourbrowser and the remote server.

Solution: Try other Web sites to confirmthat your browser is working. If it’s not, you may need toreinstall TCP/IP onyour computer. Ifother Web sitesrespond normally,there is probably ahardware fault pre-venting ac-cess tothe Web server. Tryagain later, or con-tact the Web-master(or ISP) about theproblem.

Error Message:“Transfer Inter-rupted”

T r a n s l a t i o n :Your Web browserattempts to completea page according tothe HTML and otherin-structions con-tained in that page’scoding. This errorgenerally oc-curswhen the re-questfor graphic elementsbecomes too corrupt-ed for the Web serv-er to process.

Solution: Try re-loading or refreshingthe page with thebrowser’s Refreshbutton (or try againlater). If the problempersists, contact theWebmaster concern-ing the problem.

Error Message: “You Can’t Log OnAs An Anonymous User”

Translation: Some FTP sites prohibitanonymous users or only allow for a limitednumber of anonymous users. This errorappears when you attempt an FTP anony-mous logon, or the site has already reachedits anonymous limit.

Solution: Try accessing the site againlater when you expect it to be less congested.If you have a valid user ID and password, tryaccessing the site manually using an FTPsoftware utility. If you need anonymouslogon, contact the system administrator.

by Stephen J. Bigelow


Most Common Error MessageError Message: “400-Bad Request”

Translation: The URL that you’re trying to reach is typedimproperly or does not exist. This means you’ve typed the URL improperly (a basic typo), the server does not recognize the URL, or you do not have the authorization to access the desired URL.

Solution: Check the URL to see that you’ve entered it completely and correctly—this can be a real challenge for long or complex URLs. It may be easier to cut and paste the URL from a docu-ment file or email directly into the address line of your Web browser. Pay particular attention to the placement of special characters such as equal signs, colons, percent signs, ques-tion marks, and ampersands (there should be no spaces in a URL). Some Web sites distin-guish upper and lowercase letters, so be sure to capitalize where necessary. If the URL is exactly right, the server may be congested, so just try it again later. ■■

The file you requested does not exist, so checkyour URL and try again.

RS

128 • PC Errors


Revive Your NetworkTroubleshoot Network & InternetConnection Problems

A lthough new operating systems andnetworking devices make connecting tothe Internet or a local network a much

easier chore than it was only a few years ago,users still run into the occasional glitch.Unfortunately, the error messages that standbetween you and the Internet are still crypticand unhelpful. We’ll help you understandsome of the most common messages and fixthe problems they identify.

Modem Errors

Error Message: “The modem VxD is notpresent. Please refer to the troubleshoot-ing section in the User’s Guide.”

Translation: You may see this message ifyou install Windows 98SE on a computer thathas a winmodem. Unlike standard modems,winmodems (also called software modems) useyour computer’s processing power to translateanalog signals to digital signals. If an IRQ (inter-rupt request line) conflict occurs, Win98SE willdisplay this message during installation. Youmay also see this message if you haven’tinstalled your winmodem’s drivers.

Solution: Click OK to close the error mes-sage and then complete the installation. OnceWindows starts and the Desktop appears,right-click the My Computer icon and thenselect Properties from the context menu. Clickthe Device Manager tab and scroll to Modems.Double-click Modems and then click yourmodem. Click the Remove button and thenclick OK. When you restart your computer,Win98SE will automatically install themodem’s drivers. Keep your system’s CDshandy in case the wizard asks for a CD.

Error Message: “Error 678 – There WasNo Answer”

Translation: If your modem dials a longdistance number to connect to your ISP andyou receive this message, the phone line

your computer. If this doesn’t solve the prob-lem, or if you have an internal modem, you mayneed to reinstall the modem’s drivers. Right-click the My Computer icon, select Propertiesfrom the context menu, click the Hardware tab,and then click the Device Manager button.Double-click Modems, right-click your modem,and then select Update Drivers.

You may see the error message while usingthe RAS (Remote Access Service) feature,which lets you dial into a computer to retrievefiles remotely. Enter the Device Manager, dou-ble-click Network Adapters, right-click RASAsync Adapter, select Properties from the con-text menu, and then click Update Drivers.

Error Message: “Rundll32.exe HasPerformed An Illegal Operation”

Translation: If your PC runs Windows 95,this message may appear when you uninstall amodem. Win95 generates the message if it triesto update its modem list before it completelyremoves your modem from the list.

Solution: You can avoid this message byusing the Device Manager or ModemProperties to uninstall the modem. (If youleave both windows open while uninstallingthe modem, the error message may appear.)To uninstall a modem via the Device Manager,right-click My Computer, click Properties,click the Device Manager tab, double-clickModems, and then click your modem. ClickRemove and then click OK in the ConfirmDevice Removal dialog box. To uninstall amodem via Modem Properties, click Start,Settings, Control Panel, and then double-clickModems. Click the appropriate modem underThe Following Modems Are Set Up On ThisComputer, and then click Remove.

Broadband Errors

Error Message: “Your Network Config-uration Is Not Complete”

Translation: This message may appearwhen you use Win98SE’s ICS (Internet Con-nection Sharing) to share your Internet connec-tion with other computers. The error messagemeans either that your computer has only onenetwork card or that one of the two networkcards is not correctly installed.

Solution: ICS requires a computer that hastwo functional network cards. The first net-work card connects to your broadband Internetconnection (such as a cable modem) and thesecond network card connects the PC with

probably doesn’t have long distance service.A voice message asking you to enter a longdistance access code causes the error toappear. You won’t hear the message whenyou dial the number via the modem, but youcan hear the message by using a telephone todial the number.

Solution: You can solve the problem byadding a long distance phone service to thephone line, but keep in mind that you’ll payfor both the long distance service and your ISPfees. If your ISP doesn’t offer a local dialupnumber, you may want to switch to a local ISPor another ISP that offers local numbers.

Error Message: “Error 797 – The ModemCould Not Be Found”

Translation: Windows 2000/XP displaysthis message if the OS can’t find your modem’sdrivers. It may also display this message ifyour external modem powered on after thecomputer booted.

Solution: If you have an external modemand powered on your PC before your modem,shut down the computer and the modem andthen power on your modem before powering on

PC Errors • 129

which you want share the connection. If yourPC has only one Ethernet port, add anotherEthernet network card. If you already have twoEthernet ports, reinstall the cards’ drivers.(Download the latest drivers from the Web.)

Error Message: “Fatal Exception OE At 0028:c001545a; Exception OE At0028:c81oa23a In vxd AFVXD (01)+0000164a called from 0028:c00457ec invxd ND15 (01) + 0000 4860”

Translation: You may encounter this errorwhile surfing the Internet if you have a cablemodem and Windows 98.

Solution: You’ll need to edit the WindowsRegistry to fix this problem. If you damage theRegistry, Windows may not start (in which caseyou might need to reinstall Windows), so besure to back up the Registry before you changeits contents. To back up the Registry, click Start,Run, and then type regedit in the Open field.Next, click File, Export. Enter a name for yourbacked up Registry in the File Name box, andthen select the folder in which you want to savethe Registry. Click the All radio button underExport Range, and then click Save.

Once you have backed up the Registry, clickStart, Settings, Control Panel, and then double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. Clickthe Windows Setup tab, double-click Com-munications, and then remove the check fromthe Dial-Up Networking box. Click OK, andthen click OK again when the Dial-UpNetworking dialog box appears. Restart yourcomputer.

Next, reenter the Registry and then deleteall WinSock2 keys from these Registry folders:• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\

CurrentControlSet\Services\VXD\AFVXD• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\

CurrentControlSet\Services\VXD\DHCP• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\

CurrentControlSet\Services\VXD\MSTCP• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\

CurrentControlSet\Services\VXD\Winsock• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\

CurrentControlSet\Services\VXD\Winsock2• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\

CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\

CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock2


• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteAccess\Authentication\SMM_Files.Close the Registry. Click Start, Settings,

Control Panel. Double-click Add/Remove Pro-grams, click Windows Setup, double-clickCommunications, and then check the Dial-UpNetworking box. Click OK and restart your PC.

Error Message: “Your network is config-ured such that you cannot make phonecalls” or “You cannot make phone callsor start voice or video conversationswith Windows Messenger”

Translation: One of these messages mayappear if you have a Linksys EtherFast cable/DSL modem that has version 1.38 or olderfirmware. The problem prevents networkusers from using Windows Messenger’s Voice-and Video Conversation features.

Solution: You can resolve this problem bydownloading the latest firmware version fromLinksys. Visit www.linksys.com/support.Click Technical Support, Product Pages, andselect Driver/Firmware from the Search Fordropdown menu. Next, select your model and OS, and click Firmware. Affected Link-sys models include BEFSR11, BEFSR41,BEFSR41W, BEFSR81, BEFSRU31, BEFSX41,BEFVP41, and HPRO200.

Error Message: “RawESR.sys Cannot BeFound”

Translation: This message may appear ifyou have WinXP and your ISP requires a user-name and password. SBC DSL service usersmay encounter this error.

Solution: To create a new DSL connection,click Start, Control Panel, and then double-click Internet Options (if you don’t see thisicon, click Switch To Classic View on the left todisplay Control Panel icons). Click Setup tostart the New Connection Wizard and thenclick Next. Click the Connect To The Internetradio button, and then click Next again. Clickthe Set Up My Connection Manually radio but-ton, Next. Click Connect Using A BroadbandConnection That Requires Using A User NameAnd Password and then click Next. Enter aname for your connection in the ISP Namebox, click Next, and then enter your connec-tion’s username and password. Click Next,check the Add A Shortcut To This ConnectionTo My Desktop box, and then click Finish. Youcan use the shortcut to access the Internet.

by Joshua Gulick

Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: Invalid page fault in module: kernel32.dll At 015f:bff766f6

Translation: Generally speaking, users only encounter networking errors when they tryto connect to the Internet or a network. However, you might find yourselffacing a modem problem while using Microsoft Windows Media Player.When this error occurs, a blue screen displays the above error message,which indicates that your modem does not have the correct drivers.

Solution: Fortunately, fixing the problem is much easier than deciphering the crypticmessage. Chances are, the modem manufacturer’s Web site offers driverdownloads. If so, determine your modem’s model number and then down-load the appropriate drivers from the Web site.

To install new drivers, right-click My Computer, click Properties, clickthe Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager. Double-click

Modems, right-click your modem, and thenselect Update Driver from the context menu. Inthe Hardware Update Wizard, click the InstallFrom A List Or Specific Location (Advanced)radio button and then Next. Click the Don’tSearch. I Will Choose The Driver To Installradio button, and then click Next. Select yourmodem from the Models list and then clickHave Disk. When the Install From Disk dialogbox appears, click Browse, navigate to yournew drivers, and then click Open. Complete thewizard to install the new drivers. ■■

RS

130 • PC Errors

T homas Jefferson once said, “Ignorance ispreferable to error, and he is less remotefrom the truth who believes nothing

than he who believes what is wrong.” Al-though Jefferson was talking about beliefs inthe 18th century, anyone who has ever used acomputer in this century can identify with thesentiment. There you are, happily surfing theWeb, and suddenly the error message IexploreCaused An Invalid Page Fault In ModuleUrlmon.dll pops up. Say what? Many errormessages are so confusing or misguid-ing that they lead you further awayfrom understanding what’s reallygoing on.

But error messages are a fact of Webbrowsing life, and deep down youknow ignorance isn’t the best way tohandle them. Understanding what anerror message means and how to solvethe problem will lead to more produc-tive surfing in the future. So here areinterpretations of the more commonerror messages and solutions to keepthem from reappearing.

Netscape

Error Message: “Error 214, FileNot Found”

Translation: This message some-times appears when you’re installingNetscape 7. (It also appears occasional-ly when installing earlier versions ofNetscape, including Netscape 6. Werecommend you install the most recentversion of the software, however.) The mes-sage may appear if you downloaded the soft-ware during a server or connection glitch or ifyou had already installed some of theNetscape plug-ins prior to attempted Netscape7 installation.

Solution: Exit the setup process and com-pletely turn off your PC. Restart your comput-er. Once the startup is complete, exit any run-ning programs, including virus-protectionsoftware. These programs are located in the

System Tray, at the far right of the Taskbar.Restart the setup process by launching theNetscape installation file.

Error Message: “XX Could Not BeFound. Please check the name and tryagain.“

Translation: The XX represents the Website you’re attempting to connect to, such aswww.smartcomputing.com. If this messageoccurs in a dialog box when you’re launching

the software, it’s possible that your Internetconnection is down. Each browser provides itsown error message for this situation, althoughthe other browsers’ messages tend to be moreself-explanatory. (For instance, AOL users see“Unable to connect to the AOL Service.”)

Solution: Yes, it’s fairly obvious; checkyour Internet connection. Make sure all cablesand lines are securely connected, and if you’reon a dial-up connection, ensure the phone isnot in use by another person or application.

You can view the status of the connection byplacing your pointer over the icon in theSystem Tray.

Error Message: “Internal Page Fault”Translation: If you’re visiting a site that

uses Shockwave or Flash, as an increasingnumber of sites do these days, you may seethis message. The Shockwave or Flash playeryou have is old and not compatible withNetscape.

Solution: Go to the Macromedia site atwww.macromedia.com and download andinstall the latest version of Shockwave orFlash. Also, be aware this message may appearwhen using other software that is not current,and you may need to download another pro-gram, such as an image viewer.

Error Message: “Invalid Page Fault”Translation: This message occurs

in multiple situations. One commoninstance is when you’re launchingNetscape by clicking your profile inthe Profile Manager. Another is whenyou’re printing a Web page.

Solution: In the first situation, it’spossible you have a corrupted plug-in associated with your profile. Headto wp.netscape.com/plugins/manager.html to view your plug-ins; hereyou can download and reinstallthem. In the second case, make sureprinter drivers are up-to-date by con-tacting the manufacturer. If they are,your cache may be full. Empty it bygoing to the Edit menu, selectingPreferences, clicking Advanced, andclicking Cache. Select the Clear Cache(version 7) or Clear Disk Cache (ver-sion 6) button. Click OK.

Error Message: “JavaScriptError”

Translation: HTML program-mers commonly use JavaScript, a scripting lan-guage that spices up Web pages. For example,JavaScript makes possible image rollovers, orcharacters that change when you place thepointer over them. If JavaScript is not enabledin your browser, this message may appear in adialog box, and your only possible action is toclick OK.

Solution: Enable JavaScript by going to theEdit menu and selecting Preferences. In theCategory box on the left, click the Advanced

Browser ErrorsWhat You Can Do When The Surf’s Not Up


PC Errors • 131

heading and then the Scripts & Windows (ver-sion 6.x) or Scripts & Plugins (version 7.x) sub-heading. Place a check mark in the Navigatorcheckbox under Enable JavaScript For. ClickOK. Depending on your version, you may beable to turn off JavaScript error messagesentirely—although the error will still exist—bychoosing the Debug subheading in thePreferences window and unchecking ShowStrict JavaScript Warnings.

Mozilla

Error Message: “Mozilla cannot usethe profile ‘default’ because it is inuse. Please choose another profile orcreate a new one.”

Translation: This message may appearwhen you begin to launch Mozilla, eventhough it is apparently contradictory, as itimplies your profile is in use but youhaven’t yet opened the software pro-gram. That’s because you probably haveNetscape already running. Mozilla sharesmany files with later versions of Netscape,including profiles, and it recognizes theopen profile.

Solution: The easy solution is to closeNetscape and log onto Mozilla. But doing somay lead to lost bookmarks, email, or othersettings in either program. We recognize thatMozilla users as a group tend to be sophisticat-ed Internet users, and you may use multiplebrowsers. This should be fine as long as youuse separate profiles, so follow the on-screeninstructions for creating a new profile and useit each time you use Mozilla.

Error Message: “Operation Timed Out”Translation: When you attempt to connect

to a slow Web site, if the site does not load in a“reasonable” amount of time—Mozilla’sdefault value is 30 seconds—this messageappears.

Solution: Increase the amount of timeMozilla will contact a Web site. Typeabout:config in Mozilla’s address bar to callup a list of Mozilla’s options. Scroll down untilyou see the option network.http.connect.time-out. Highlight the option, right-click it, andselect Modify. In the Enter Integer Value dia-log box, type the desired amount of time, inseconds, and click OK.

Error Message: “Redirection Limit ForThis URL Exceeded. Unable To LoadThe Requested Page.”

Translation: You’re visiting a Web sitethat is attempting to redirect you to anotherpage, but the redirection is not happening.This is likely because you have blocked cook-ies the server is trying to place on your harddisk; servers may need to place cookies beforethey complete a redirection. When the server

cannot place a cookie, it tries repeatedly untilthis error message appears.

Solution: Make cookie settings less restric-tive. You don’t have to do this globally; youcan do it individually by site. Go to the Toolsmenu, choose Cookie Manager, and select

Allow Cookies From This Site. When theCookie Permissions Changed dialog boxappears, click OK.

Error Message: “Java Not Installed” or“Java Not Enabled”

Translation: You may think that Java isworking perfectly fine, but apparently Mozilladisagrees.

Solution: First, select Preferences from theEdit menu, click the Advanced category, andmake sure Enable Java is checked. Click OK.Open your computer’s Control Panel and dou-

ble-click the Java Plug-in icon (in WindowsXP, use the Classic view). Select theBrowser tab. Make sure Mozilla is checkedand click Apply. This should take care ofthe problem. To confirm, type about:plug-ins in Mozilla’s address bar and view thevarious Java Plug-in entries (scroll down tosee the entire list); each will have Yes underthe Enabled box.

Opera

Error Message: “Your Current LoginSession Is Expired, Please Re-LoginBefore Using Our Services.”

Translation: You may have already dis-covered Opera handles cookies differentlythan most other browsers. In order to logonto a Web site, you must enable cookies inyour browser or the above messageappears. (Opera is working on changing

this feature in future browser versions.)Solution: From the File menu, click

Preferences. Select Privacy and place a checkmark in the box next to Enable Cookies.Sometimes, however, even when cookies areenabled, you may receive an error messagethat states your browser doesn’t support cook-ies. If so, according to the folks at Opera, thereason this happens is the remote server islooking for Netscape or Internet Explorer anddoesn’t recognize Opera. There’s not muchyou can do to solve this problem.

Error Message: “Could Not FindAcrobat External Window(s) Handler.”

Translation: You’re trying to view anAdobe Acrobat file—one with a PDF exten-sion—but you get this message instead. Youlikely either do not have the Adobe AcrobatReader, or the reader is corrupt.

Solution: Your best bet is to install a cleancopy of the software. To uninstall the AdobeReader, use the Add/Remove Programs op-tion in your Control Panel. Then, go towww.adobe.com/products/acrobat/read-step2.html and download the latest copy. Thereare also several workarounds. You can openAdobe Reader first and then try to open thePDF file in Opera. Or, disable Web Browser


Downloading the latest version of Shockwave can cutdown on Internal Page Fault errors in Netscape.

Mozilla and Netscape recognize the sameprofiles. This message may mean youalready have a version of Netscape running.

132 • PC Errors

Integration in Adobe Reader so that the fileautomatically opens in Adobe Reader ratherthan a browser. In Adobe Reader 6.0 (instruc-tions vary slightly in earlier versions), selectPreferences from the Edit menu. Click Internet.Deselect Display PDF In Browser. Click OK.

Error Message: “Upgrade YourBrowser” or “Browser Unsupported”

Translation: Developers design Web siteswith particular browsers in mind. If you’ve everexperimented with Netscape or IE, you mayhave noticed some sites look different in thetwo browsers. Unfortunately for Opera users,some designers write browser detection scriptthat looks for Netscape or IE, and if the scriptdoesn’t find either, the site is inaccessible.

Solution: You can configure Opera to “pretend” it is the widely used IE. In thePreferences dialog box, click Network. In the drop-down menu next to BrowserIdentification, select Identify As MSIE 6.0 (orthe latest available version of IE). Click Applyand click OK.

Error Message: “Permission Denied”Translation: The remote server does not

want you to access it. If you have a personalfirewall, it’s likely you have a proxy connec-tion, and in Opera, a common cause of thismessage is incorrect proxy settings. Don’tknow what a proxy is? A proxy server receivesWeb page requests from a user, fetches thepage from the Internet, and then serves it tothe computer that requested it in a processtransparent to the user.

Solution: Check your proxy settings. Readthe documentation for your personal firewall,or, if you’re on a network, ask your systemadministrator to verify the correct settings.Then, in the Preferences dialog box, selectNetwork. Click the Proxy Servers button.Verify that the host name and port numbersare correct; if not, edit them now. Click OK,and click OK again.

AOL

Error Message: “Unable To Connect ToThe AOL Service”

Translation: The error message is clear,but what isn’t so obvious is why you can’t con-nect to the service. If you’ve tried the usualculprits, such as a loose cable or phone line, ora family member using the same telephoneline your dial-up service uses, the problemmay be with your AOL location configuration.

Solution: AOL locations are the placesfrom which you connect to AOL. Typical desk-top users will use the same location each timethey log on, but others may use more than onelocation. For instance, suppose you have anotebook. You use it to connect to AOL both athome, where you use a dial-up connection,and at an office, where you have a broadbandconnection. You must sign on using the appro-priate location. On the Sign On screen, clickthe drop-down menu next to Location, choosethe correct location, and sign onto AOL.

Error Message: “AOL Has To ResetYour Connection”

Translation: This message appears whenyou have been online and the connection fails.Like the prior error message, the statement isclear, but the possible causes are numerous.The problem could be with your modem orrouter, or it could be on the AOL side.

Solution: AOL has a Fix It For Me button atthe bottom left of this error message that goesthrough the necessary steps to re-establish theconnection and attempt to keep it from reoc-curring. Click the button to launch theAbnormal Disconnect dialog box. Save anyopen work, ensure your modem is turned onand connected to the computer, and clickContinue. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Error Message: “An AOL Error HasOccurred.”

Translation: In another case of stating theobvious, this error message tells you there’s aproblem but it doesn’t say why. It can occurwhen you’re browsing the Web—perhaps theprogram is incompatible with another openprogram—and it can also occur in other situa-tions. What it means is you need to closealmost every program running on your PCand reopen only the necessary ones.

Solution: Open the Windows TaskManager (in WinXP) by pressing and holdingdown CTRL-ALT-DEL. In the Applicationstab, highlight each program and click the EndTask button. Once the Applications tab isempty, close the Windows Task Manager.Then, launch AOL again. (If you’re using anearlier OS, such as Windows 98, press CTRL-ALT-DEL to open the Close Program window,


Most Common Error MessageError Message: “Page Cannot Be Displayed”

Translation: This is by far the most common error message we’ve experienced when browsing the Web. It generally means you’ve asked the Web browser to deliver a Web page it can’t find. The reason may be that the file doesn’t exist (for more information on “404 not found” and related messages see the article “General Online Error Messages” on page 123), but there are multiple other causes, including technical difficulties and incompatible software.

Solution: The solution for most browsers is to check your Internet connection, check the Web site address, and try again. But AOL users have an additional tool, called the Web Browser Auto Fix, which diagnoses and fixes the problem. Open the software but do not connect to AOL. Click Help on the AOL toolbar and then click AOL Help. Select the Index tab. Type FIX in the text field and then press Enter on your keyboard. Solving Common AOL Problems appears. Simply follow the on-screen instructions. ■■

PC Errors • 133

and close every program except Explorer andSystray.)

Error Message: “Not Implemented”Translation: This may occur when you’re

viewing a Web page that the AOL browsercannot read correctly. It often happens whenyou’re submitting an online form.

Solution: There’s not much you can do, asthis usually happens because the Web pagedesigner has included code the AOL browsercannot handle. As we mentioned in the Operasection, designers typically design with partic-ular browsers in mind, especially IE, the mostcommonly used Web browser. If you get thismessage, you may want to help yourself andfuture visitors by emailing the site’s contactsand notifying them of the problem. Look forcontact information on the Web site.

Error Message: “Too Much NetworkTraffic”

Translation: Too many people are tryingto visit the same Web site you are, and the sitecan’t handle the traffic. If you get this messageoften, however, the cause is possibly yourbrowser cache. When you visit Web sites,the browser stores a copy of them onyour hard drive for faster loading in thefuture. When this cache is full, this mes-sage may appear.

Solution: Click the Settings icon onthe AOL toolbar. In the Settings:Essentials dialog box, select the Essentialstab and click Internet [Web] Options. Inthe Internet Options dialog box on theGeneral tab under the TemporaryInternet Files section, click the DeleteFiles button. Wait a moment as the soft-ware empties out your cache and clickOK.

Error Message: “You Do Not Have ThePlug-In Needed To View The ‘Applica-tion/Plug-In’ Type Of Information OnThis Page. To Get The Plug-In Now,Click View Plug-In Directory”

Translation: Plug-ins are scripts, utilities,or instructions that add to the functionality ofa program without changing the program’sbase code. The Macromedia Shockwave plug-in, for example, allows special animated Webcontent to be displayed in the AOL browser.When you visit a Web site that requires a plug-in you don’t have, this message appears.

Solution: Click the View Plug-In Directorybutton on the message. This takes you to a

Web page from where you can download theappropriate plug-in. Click the download but-ton or link—it will vary by Web site—andwrite down the location the file is being savedto. Close AOL. Go to My Computer (via anicon on your Desktop or through your Start

menu) and browse to the saved file. Double-click to install it. Once installation is complete,relaunch AOL and revisit the Web page.

Internet Explorer Primarily Windows XP

Error Message: “Setup Has Detected ANewer Version Of Internet ExplorerAlready Installed On This System.Setup Cannot Continue”

Translation: By default, Internet Explorer6 is installed on all versions of WinXP, and youwon’t need to install IE. But if the software iscorrupted, you may wish to reinstall IE 6. In

some reinstallations, this error messageappears.

Solution: WARNING! There, did we getyour attention? There is a solution to this prob-lem, but it involves editing the Registry, thedatabase that contains information about user

preferences and system configuration.Use extreme caution when editing theRegistry because errors in it can disableWindows and prevent the PC from boot-ing. First, we recommend you visit theSmart Computing Web site and search forarticles on the Registry. Then, if you’rean experienced PC user, log on as anadministrator, click Start, and click Run.In the Open box, type regedit, and clickOK. Locate the appropriate Registry sub-key, right-click the IsInstalled(REG_DWORD) value, and then click Modify.Use the following Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\ACTIVE SETUP\INSTALLED COMPONENTS\{89820200-

ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383} Change thevalue data from 1 to 0. Click OK. Quit RegistryEditor and then install Internet Explorer 6.

Error Message: “Internet Explorer HasEncountered A Problem And Needs ToClose. We Are Sorry For The Incon-venience.”

Translation: Crashes are a fact of comput-ing life, and when it happens while you’reusing IE on your WinXP machine, this mes-sage may appear. Fortunately, you can use theInternet Explorer Error Reporting tool,installed by default on WinXP, to diagnose theproblem. (A variation of the message appears


Most Hilarious Error MessageError Message: “Sorry, You Do Not Have Permission To Press This Key”

Translation: Excuse me? Yes, this message really did happen to us. We were filling out an online survey, and we attempted to type the letter a in a text field. We tried the letter b and got the same result. Who is this site to tell us that we can’t press a letter on our computer keyboard?

Solution: Because the error message was in a dialog box titled JavaScript Application, we knew the problem didn’tlie with our keyboard—plus, we’d used it just fine in filling out other online forms—and rather was because the Web page designer had used some incorrect code. We emailed the Webmaster to let the site know about the problem. A few days later, the site was fixed. ■■

By configuring Opera to “masquerade” as Internet Explorer,you may encounter fewer error messages while browsing.

134 • PC Errors

in earlier Windows versions, but if you do nothave the error-reporting tool, the followingsolution is unavailable to you, and Microsoftinstead recommends you restart your comput-er or contact the program vendor.)

Solution: After IE closes, you’ll see a dialogbox that says, “Please tell Microsoft about thisproblem. We have created an error report thatyou can send to help us improve InternetExplorer. We will treat this report as confiden-tial and anonymous.” Click the Send ErrorReport button to send that information toMicrosoft so the company can work on creat-ing a fix or workaround. If one already exists,you’ll see a More Information link. Click it andyou’ll often be transported to a Microsoft Webpage with specific instructions on how to pre-vent a future similar crash.

Error Message: “Problems With ThisWeb Page Might Prevent It From BeingDisplayed Properly Or FunctioningProperly. In The Future You CanDisplay This Message By Double-Clicking The Warning Icon DisplayedIn The Status Bar.”

Translation: The message is fairly straight-forward; it’s telling you that the HTML code inthe Web page you’re visiting doesn’t displayproperly in your IE browser. This messageoccurs in IE 6 and earlier versions.

Solution: First, determine whether theproblem lies with the page in particular oryour browser settings in general. If the errordoesn’t exist on other pages, or exists onlyinfrequently, it’s likely the error is in thepage design, and you can’t do much about it.(You may try to view the page in anotherbrowser, such as Mozilla or Opera, on yoursystem.) If this is a widespread problem,check any antivirus or firewall programs onyour system to ensure they aren’t blockingscripts, ActiveX controls or Java applets.Cleaning out your cache, cookie file and his-tory may also help. Go to the Tools menu andselect Internet Options. On the General tab,click the Delete Files, Delete Cookies, andClear History buttons, responding affirma-tively to their prompts. Click OK to close theInternet Options dialog box.

Error Message: “Internet ExplorerScript Error. An error has occurred inthe script on this page. Line: 49 Char: 1Error: This command is unavailablebecause the license to use this applica-tion has expired. Code: 0 URL:

res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~1\OFFICE10\EXCEL.EXE\3000 Do you wantto continue running scripts on thispage?”

Translation: There are a variety of knownscript errors. The clue to this one is in theURL; it shows that the trouble lies when youhave an inactivated copy of Excel 2002 onyour hard drive. For other script errors, lookat the URL line for hints as to the cause.

Solution: Go to Start, All Programs,Microsoft Office Tools, and click ActivateProduct. Follow the on-screen steps of theactivation wizard. When done, click Finish.

Error Message: “Error. A Runtime Er-ror Has Occurred. Do You Wish ToDebug?”

Translation: Unlike the previous errormessage, where you didn’t fully install and

activate an Office product, this situation mayoccur after you install Office 2003. If youselect Web Debugging during the Office 2003installation, IE’s disable script debugging fea-ture is turned off, and you must reconfig-ure it.

Solution: In IE’s Internet Options dialogbox select the Advanced tab. In the Settingsmenu, under Browsing, place a check mark inthe Disable Script Debugging box. Make surethe Display A Notification About EveryScript Error checkbox is empty. Click OK.

Error Message: “Unable To Down-load An Appropriate Decompressor.(Error=80040200)” or “One Or MoreCodecs Required To Open ThisContent Could Not Be Found.(Error=C00D10D1)”

Translation: You’re visiting a Web pagethat contains a media file. You click the file tolaunch Windows Media Player, but if you donot have the required decompressor soft-ware, the file will not play.

Solution: Possible causes include an out-dated version of IE, but if you’re running IE 6on WinXP, it could be that your security set-tings are too high. Open IE’s Internet Optionsdialog box. Choose the Security tab. UnderSecurity Level For This Zone, click theDefault Level button. Is the slider set toHigh? Then move it to Medium, click OK,and restart your computer.

Error Message: “IEXPLORE Caused An Invalid Page Fault In Module KER-NEL32.DLL At 025f:Bff87ede” or


Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “Object Doesn’t Support This Property Or Method.:’Onmove’”

Translation: This error message occurs when you’re using a WinXP machine with IE and Commerce Server 2000 BizDesk or IE6 and Commerce Server 2000 BizDesk, and you arrange assigned properties within a product definition.

Solution: The odds of coming across this error message are, well, fairly slim, and we expect you probably won’t be referring to this information often. Still, if you see the error message, resolve the problem by opening the BizDesk site folder on the drive where you unpacked your Commerce site. Locate the Common.asp file. Open Common.asp in a text editor and change all instances of OnMove to OnMovex. Then, in BizDesk site folder that you opened earlier, locate the Edit_ProductDefinition.asp file.Open this file in a text editor, as well, and change all instances of OnMove to OnMovex. ■■

AOL’s “Fix It For Me” button can help you re-establish communications when you lose con-nections to Web sites.

PC Errors • 135

“IEXPLORE Caused An Invalid PageFault In Module <Unknown> At0000.78581f00.” (The latter portion ofthe message may include differentnumbers or symbols.)

Translation: Radiate, also known asAureate, is adware related to banner ads youview in your browser. The Radiate softwaremonitors which banner ads you click andhow much time you spend reading a givenbanner. You may not have heard of Radiate,but at one point it was behind more than 250shareware programs, and it may cause thismessage to appear when you’re closing IE.

Solution: We don’t recommend it in mostcases, but your best option is to do nothing.The error message doesn’t prevent you fromdoing what you were attempting to do—close the IE program—so go head and closeit. The Aureate company appears to bedefunct, so this error message soon shouldcease to exist.

Primarily Windows 98/Me

Error Message: “ERROR: OE: 0028:C0012D2C” followed by

“ERROR: 0D: 0246: XXXXXXXX PressKey To Continue.” (The eight-digitstring of Xs stands for the memorylocation.)

Translation: Windows Me users may seea black screen followed by this error messagein a number of situations. The most commonsituations are if you have software incompat-ible with IE or a damaged copy of IE.

Solution: Antivirus or personal firewallsmay be incompatible with your version of IE.

An easy fix would be to remove these programs, but they can be essential to thesmooth operation of your PC, so we re-commend you download and install a newcopy of IE or attempt to repair your current version. Click Start, Settings, and open yourControl Panel. Double-click Add/Remove

Programs. Select Microsoft Internet Explorer5.x And Internet Tools, click Add/Remove,and click Repair Internet Explorer. Click OK, click Yes to repair the installation, and then restart the computer when you areprompted.

Error Message: “HTTP Error 403Forbidden Internet Explorer. You AreNot Authorized To View This Page.You Might Not Have Permission ToView This Directory Or Page UsingThe Credentials You Supplied.”

Translation: Don’t let the first part of themessage fool you. (For more informationabout the HTTP 403 errors, see the article

“General Online Error Messages” elsewherein this section.) If you’re a Win98 user access-ing the Windows Update Web site, youmight get the following message.

Solution: Clear out your cache by openingthe Internet Options dialog box and clickingthe Delete Files button on the General tab.Click OK. Click OK to close the dialog box.Go to the Tools menu and select WindowsUpdate.

Error Message: “Page Cannot BeDisplayed”

Translation: This message appears fre-quently and in a range of situations—that’swhy it’s our Most Common Error Message(see sidebar), but one situation deserves spe-cial mention here. Win98 users who installand uninstall the popular Gator programmay still have an incompatibility that causesthis error.

Solution: When you installed Gator, youalso likely installed OfferCompanion.Removing Gator doesn’t ensure removal ofOfferCompanion, which can interfere withIE. In the Add/Remove Programs Propertiesdialog box, click OfferCompanion, and clickRemove. Follow the on-screen instructionsand restart the computer when prompted.

Error Message: “Unable To Print Doc-ument, Either Document’s ApplicationIs Not Installed Correctly, There Is Not Enough Memory To Load TheApplication, Or This Application DoesNot Support Printing (For ExampleSound Files Can Not Be Printed)”

Translation: Win98 users who select PrintAll Linked Documents may run into thiserror when they try to print Web pages, espe-cially if on a slower dial-up connection.

Solution: Print the Web pages whileoffline. First, you must download the Webpage and its linked pages. In IE 5, go to theFavorites menu and select Add To Favorites.Check the Make Available Offline box andthen click the Customize button. The wizardwill walk you through adding linked pages.When finished, close IE and disconnect. StartIE, go to the File menu, and select WorkOffline. Find the Web page in the favoriteslist, go to the File menu, select Print, andselect the Print All Linked Documents check-box. Click OK.

by Heidi V. Anderson


Most Confusing Error MessageError Message: “Invalid DHCP Lease”

Translation: Try as we could, we couldn’t figure out a plausible phrase that fit the acronym until we searched the Microsoft Knowledge Base. Doesn’t Have Complete Priority? Dogs Hate Cat People? Don’t Hassle Computer Pros? Turns out, DHCP stands for a Dynamic Host Configuration Profile. If you use a cable modem, it may try to automatically obtain an IP address from a DHCP server. Meanwhile, WinXP is automatically assigning an IP address, and the two may conflict. When this happens, IE produces this error message.

Solution: The workaround solution depends upon whether you’re using a one-way cable modem or a two-way cable modem, and fixing the problem entirely may involve modifying your registry, so this is a procedure best left to the experts. Contact your ISP for further instructions. ■■

The Internet Explorer Error Reporting tool sendsinformation to Microsoft that can help pinpointwhat is wrong with your browser.

RS

136 • PC Errors

Solution: Assuming you have access toanother machine to work with, create abootable floppy disk, either DOS-based orWindows-based. Copy the BIOS flash loaderutility for your BIOS type (usually eitherAward or AMI) onto the disk, as well as thelatest version of your motherboard’s BIOS.Most likely you can find both the latest BIOSfile and the flash utility on your motherboardmanufacturer’s Web site. If your machine isactually prompting you to “insert disk andstrike any key,” then you’re almost done. Theflash utility will automatically load and flashthe BIOS or prompt you to enter the BIOS filename to flash. Make sure you jot down theexact name of the BIOS file in case you needit for this process.

For AMI BIOS types and other versions ofAward’s flash utility, you can follow thesame syntax convention but obviously youneed to replace the AWDFLASH commandwith the proper flash utility command that isspecific to your motherboard BIOS. Uponpower up, with this floppy disk in your

drive, the AUTOEXEC.BAT file should loadthe flash utility and BIOS file for reprogram-ming your BIOS chip. If your machine doesnot boot to your floppy drive, disconnect allother hard drives and optical drives in thesystem and then power down and power upthe system again. Follow the on-screeninstructions, and once the process is com-plete, you should be able to boot yourmachine normally.

A checksum value is generated by theCMOS and is saved for error checking on sub-sequent boot-ups. This error message willappear if the checksum is different from oneboot-up to the next. The BIOS has auto loadeda basic default configuration so that yourmotherboard boots properly. The good newsis, typically entering your BIOS menu, check-ing your settings, adjusting them if need be,and resaving before exit will clear up theerror. This error may also have been causedby a weak battery. Check the CMOS battery(it looks like a small disk-style watch batteryon your motherboard) and replace it, if

I f buggy application and OS errors are aroyal pain in your backside, then you’llprobably agree that Processor, Memory,

and other BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)-level errors can be a bone-jarring sort of dis-turbance. A fleeting Windows GPF (GeneralProtection Fault) error has nothing on the sortof issue that renders your machine complete-ly useless. You could even fix the problemwith an OS reinstall, if your rig would actual-ly boot, that is. Hardware-level errors likethese are also often the most difficult to diag-nose because the root cause could be a settingor the fact that you are dealing with a physi-cal configuration problem or physical damageto a component. We’ll cover some of the mostcommon and plaguing hardware-relatederror messages here, from the benign nui-sances to the big ugly errors that keep yoursystem offline for days or weeks.

Bad Mojo In Your BIOSWhen bad things happen to good BIOS

images, your system can sometimes act like itis possessed. Fear not, here are solutions to afew common problems, sans the voodoo dollpin sticking.

Error Message: “BIOS ROM checksumerror—System Halted, Insert Disk”

Translation: We might as well tackle thetough one first here, folks. This one in particularhas caused many a late night and numerouscases of heartburn to be sure. This occurs whenyou have corrupted your computing system’sBIOS image somehow, like with a failed flashattempt, for example. Shorting the jumper onyour motherboard for clearing CMOS (comple-mentary metal-oxide semiconductor) may ormay not get you back up and running.However, depending on your particular BIOSversion and its capability, you should be able torestore a clean BIOS image through the follow-ing flash method.

Memory, CPU, BIOS & PortHeadachesTough Solutions For Tough Issues

Hardware

PC Errors • 137

about it via this error mes-sage, obviously. It’s defi-nitely a good thing.

Connection Or Port-Related Errors

There are many potentialpoints of failure in today’smodern PC in terms ofphysical connections be-tween peripherals. If you are not the neat and tidytype, that rat’s nest insideyour PC could be thesource of your problems.

Error Message: “FloppyDisk Fail (40)”

Translation: BIOS noti-fication errors like these are

significantly easier to work with than oneslike the previous ROM checksum error. Mostlikely your floppy drive’s data or powercables have been disconnected from themotherboard floppy controller port.

Solution: You simply need to powerdown, open your case, and reseat the connec-tors for the floppy drive. If this doesn’t work,it is remotely possible that either your moth-erboard floppy controller channel has gonesouth on you or your floppy drive itself is bad.

Error Message: “Keyboard Error Or NoKeyboard Present.”

Translation: Here again, the most likelycause for this error is that the PS/2 or USB (Universal SerialBus) cable for your keyboard has been disconnected from thesystem, whether it bejust a mechanical dis-connect or actuallydamage to your key-board cabling.

Solution: It may notbe immediately obvious,but many times key-board cables are given ahard workout due torepetitive user stress on the cable or key-board itself. So don’trule out the possibilitythat your cable is bad onthat old keyboard.

Error Message: “80 Wire Cable NotInstalled”

Translation: This is a fairly noninvasiveerror message that really doesn’t have much of asymptom besides the error message itself. Thiserror comes up when you’ve plugged a legacy40-pin IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) cableon to an 80-pin ATA100 or ATA133 channel.This may happen perhaps when you install anew CD or CD-RW drive. These drives oftencome with only 40-pin cables, because they usu-ally don’t make use of the newer ATA100 andATA133 80-pin standard. However, theATA100/133 channels on your motherboard arebackward compatible, so even with older 40-pincables, you shouldn’t have any issues.

Solution: Motherboard OEMs (originalequipment manufacturers) have just taken thesteps to notify you if perhaps you have anATA100 or ATA133 capable drive on that chan-nel that actually needs an 80-pin cable. If this isthe case, just replace your existing 40-pin cablewith a new standard 80-pin cable and all shouldbe well.

Error Message: Primary (or Secondary)master hard disk fail—Fixed Disk Failure

Translation: This error can occur at POST(power on self test), as well, and could beindicative of a bad hard drive cable connectionor perhaps that your hard drive has actuallyup and died.

Solution: Either way, if you are able torecover from this error, you should back upyour critical data if possible. You shouldthen again check the data and power cableconnections to your drive and motherboard

necessary. You may also have to clear CMOSby shorting jumper pins on your mother-board, as well, to remedy the problem.

Error Message: “Hardware Mon-itor Found An Error, Please Check PowerSetup.”

Translation: Most recent motherboardshave a system “health monitoring” chip onthem that keeps vital stats on things such asvoltages, temperatures, and fan speeds.Typically this is a small chip made byWinbond known as the system “Hard-ware Monitor.” You’re getting this particularerror message because the chip has detectedsomething that it doesn’t like in your cur-rent configuration.

Solution: Monitoring functions for thesechips are typically set in the BIOS setup menu.In the power setup menu or health monitoringsections of your BIOS, you’ll see settings fordisabling or enabling monitoring functions forsystem fan speeds and temperatures.Typically this error message is caused by a fannot being plugged into a power header that isbeing monitored in the BIOS. Because the sys-tem is looking for an rpm speed reading fromthe fan and isn’t getting one, it alerts you withthis message. Check to see that your fans areplugged in and spinning at their properspeeds. If you need to, go into the BIOS anddisable the monitoring function on the specificfan power header that you may not be using.However, in general you should leave moni-toring enabled on any fan power port that isin use in your system. If a fan fails on you inthe future, you’ll certainly want to know

Hardware

The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) ROM error message comes upafter a failed POST (power on self test) attempt, if your BIOS imagehas been corrupted in some way.

The “IRQ_NOT_LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL” blue screen error is typically followed by a complete system reset. Tracking down the root cause ofthis one can be a tough problem to solve.

138 • PC Errors

Error Message: “PAGE_FAULT_IN_NON-PAGED_AREA”

Translation: This is another blue screenerror that has a more specific and targetedarea of concern. This error occurs as a resultof a system memory problem, whether it isphysical memory space or virtual memoryspace. We’ve often seen this error occur withbad memory sticks or when system DRAM(dynamic RAM) timings are too aggres-sive for the memory modules. Nine timesout of 10, it’s the resultof overclocking orRAS/CAS (row ad-dress strobe/columnaccess strobe) latencytimings that are beyond the limits of yourinstalled memory.

Solution: The bestthing to do in this sce-nario would be to turndown your bus speedsor increase VDIMM(voltage settings fordual in-line memorymodule) voltages untilyou reach a pointwhere you boot nor-mally and have full OSstability. However, itis also possible thatthis error occurs as aresult of an error invirtual memory or theWindows swap fi le.Operating systemssuch as WinXP requiremore operational me-mory than some sys-tems have installed in actual physical me-mory. Because theWindows swap file isset up in “pages,” thisfi le is also called a“page file.” So if Win-dows runs out of phys-ical memory, it goes to the page fi le on your hard drive and“swaps” data back and forth to run ap-plications and other tasks. The problem is that if Windows starts

running out of swap or page file area (per-haps your hard drive is filling up), you couldpossibly get this page fault error. The solu-tion is either freeing up disk space andincreasing your available swap file size oradding system memory. The latter is the bet-ter solution overall. More system memoryequates to more goodness for the everresource-hungry GUI (graphical user inter-face) driven OS from Microsoft.

to make sure they are properly seated. Alsotry entering the motherboard BIOS setupmenu to see if the drive is detected and con-figured properly. If the problem is with thehard drive itself, you may have to replacethe drive.

Memory & Processor Errors Memory and processor errors can often be

difficult to troubleshoot due to the myriad ofailments that could be the root cause of a sys-tem error. Here are some standard issue errortypes and a few more exotic and complexproblems, along with solutions.

Error Message: “IRQ_NOT_LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL”

Translation: This is a fairly serious erroryou can get while trying to boot Windows XPor other Windows OSes. This error manifestsitself in the classic blue screen of death, orBSOD as it is popularly known. The problemis that tracking down the root cause of thiserror can be like finding a needle in ahaystack. Blue screen errors are known ashardware or software “stop” errors. This isMicrosoft’s particularly clever way in whichthey classify a type of error that, well, . . .stops your computer. The problem with thisparticular error message is that it could rep-resent either a hardware or software levelissue. For example, we’ve seen this errorfrom time to time during a failed attempt atoverclocking. Sometimes it could be due toexcessive heat buildup in the processor; othertimes it’s due to system memory not beingable to meet the aggressive timings or busspeeds you’ve set.

Solution: This error also could be theresult of a software installation or driverinstallation that is now causing a hardwareconflict within Windows. The general rule ofthumb for troubleshooting these types ofissues is tracking down and rememberingspecifically what recent changes you’ve madeto your system OS, drivers, or hardware.Usually, the last thing you did before you gotthe blue screen error is the demon that iscausing you the heartburn. Microsoft also hasdetailed step-by-step troubleshooting tech-niques for this error message, located atwww.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/usin/howto/gettingstarted/guide/troubleshoot.asp#GSE.

As a last resort, a complete hard drive for-mat and OS reinstall may be needed, as well,to eliminate a possible driver level conflict.

Hardware

Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: “8042 Gate—A20 Error!”

Translation: This error occurs on rare occasions, and while it is typically a lower severity error message, it’s a rather ambiguous technical-sounding sort of message punctuated sternly with an excla-mation point. I mean “8042 Gate – A20” . . . Are we talking CPU transistor gates here? Is your processor about to spontaneously com-bust in a ball of fire? Fortunately this error isn’t nearly as traumatic as it could sound to some not in the know. Your keyboard’s controller chip, a small micro-controller that provides low-level control intelligence for your keyboard to com-municate to your main system, has a “Gate A-20” functional block on it that has failed to communicate with your host CPU.

Solution: Try powering down the system, disconnecting the keyboard, and then reconnecting it again before you power your system back up. If this doesn’t work, unfortunately you may have to replace the keyboard, although that’s not typically an expensive proposition unless you have a really high-end model. Either way, this issue will probably come up only on older keyboards that may be ready for replacement regardless. ■■

The Gate A20 error looks ominous but its worst-case scenario is only a matter of replacing yourkeyboard, which may be faulty.

PC Errors • 139

Error Message: “CMOS Memory SizeMismatch”

Translation: This error occurs on occa-sion, and we’ve seen it more so with mother-boards that have AMI BIOS types. It occursmost times after a user has either installed oruninstalled system memory. At the next bootup, the BIOS expected a certain memory sizeduring its count diagnostic and got some-thing different. That makes the BIOS some-what unhappy, and you end up with thiserror message.

Solution: Usually if you just hit the F1key to continue, the system will continue toboot your OS, and then next time you bootup, you won’t see this message again. That’show we like it. However, on occasion, thiserror could pop up due to the CMOS batteryon the motherboard that is failing. That’s nothow we like it. Because the BIOS can’t retainthe system’s memory size data, it could giveyou a false alert with this error. If this is thecase, replacing the CMOS battery on yourmotherboard could fix the issue.

Error Message: “Memory Test Failed”Translation: This is also an error mes-

sage you can get reported from the BIOSduring POST. Typically this is the result of abad memory stick or a remote possibilitythat your memory timings in the BIOS aretoo aggressive.

Solution: Check to see that your memorymodules are seated properly in their socketsand make sure the bus speeds and timingsare set to default in your BIOS. If you’re stillgetting this error message, you may have to

Hardware

replace one or morememory modules inyour system.

Error Message:“Override Enabled—Defaults Loaded”

Translation: If thesystem cannot bootbased on your currentCMOS settings, per-haps due to an over-aggressive overclock,for example, a goodmotherboard BIOS implementation willsometimes show thiserror message. This isanother case of a com-pletely non-life-threat-

ening error message. In fact, if you’re gettingthis message at all , then you have yourmotherboard manu-facturer to thank formaking your life sig-nificantly easier, atleast as far as yourPC is concerned.

Solution: As themessage suggests,this is a case wherethe BIOS has detect-ed a nonbootable set-ting and reset itselfto the most stable,low performance factory default set-tings available forthe motherboard.Typically, memory timings are automat-ically set to SPDDetect, and frontsidebus speeds for yourprocessor are dialeddown to the stockbus speed that isdetected from CPUmicrocode. Stock op-erational voltages forRAM and CPU arealso set by defaultwhen this error mes-sage occurs.

So, whether it wasthe memory, proces-sor, or some voltage

setting that your motherboard didn’t like,your BIOS version was designed well enoughthat it could recover on its own from a badsetup. You should reenter the BIOS menu,perhaps choose less aggressive settings, save,and reboot your machine. You may also haveto readjust some of your particular peripher-al settings for things such as integratedaudio, LAN (local-area network), or RAID(redundant array of independent disks) con-trollers, etc., because those may have beenreset to a factory default setting, as well.Some extreme cases may render your PCunbootable. In these scenarios you may needto reset your BIOS in hardware (usually bymoving a jumper over and rebooting). Pleaseconsult your motherboard manual beforeproceeding on this path.

by Dave Altavilla

The “PAGE_FAULT_IN_NON_PAGED_AREA” blue screen error crops upmany times when your system memory is being pushed to its limits.On the other hand, don’t rule out a Windows swap file issue as well.

Most Daunting Error Message(When The Screen Is Blank)Error Message: BIOS Corruption Error with no message at all

Translation: Probably the most daunting BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)-related error message is actually not a text message at all. In fact, if you’re lucky, you may only hear two low-pitched tones from your motherboard. You may hear or see nothing at all, as well. This is akin to the BIOS ROM checksum error except it’s a bit more evil since you may not be prompted by any screen message at all.

Solution: If your motherboard is not prompting you to enter a BIOS flash diskette but will not boot due to a corrupted BIOS image, you still may be able to save your bacon. However, you need to add an autoexec.bat file to your floppy disk, which will give the proper commands to your machine, call a BIOS flash utility from your floppy disk, and load its respective BIOS file. Use a text editor or the edit command at the DOS prompt after you’ve booted from a floppy disk. Make sure that you’ve created the file name as AUTOEXEC and that the extension is .BAT. ■■

For Award flash types, the syntax should look like this:

@ECHO OFF

@AWDFLASH BIOSFILENAME.BIN

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140 • PC Errors

F ew things are more frustrating then get-ting an error message when trying toaccess important data. The drives used

in modern computers all have moving partsand store files on sensitive media. Should thedrives or media get damaged in any way, andyou’re confronted by some cryptic error mes-sages, those vital bits of data may be lost for-ever. Most error messages aren’t a sign ofdoom, however. They arm you with the infor-mation you need to resolve your problems,and in some cases, get that data back.

■ Floppy Drive Errors. The death of thevenerable 3.5-inch floppy drive has been pre-dicted for years, and yet these aged devicescan still be found in the majority of computersbeing sold today. Luckily, most error messagesregarding 3.5-inch disks require little effort toresolve. The worst-case scenario entails replac-ing an inexpensive disk or cheap drive.

Error Message: “Disk is not formatted. Thedisk in drive X is not formatted. Do you wantto format it now?”

Translation: The disk you are trying toaccess either hasn’t been prepared for use with

your OS, or it has been damaged and the datacan no longer be read. Every floppy and harddisk needs to be formatted to prepare themedia for use with a particular file system.

Solution: If you get this message afterinserting a blank floppy disk or when tryingto access a brand new hard drive for the firsttime, click Yes, and format the disk. After it’sformatted, Windows(or whichever operat-ing system you run)will then be able toread and write to thedisk. Should you getthis message afterinserting a disk thatcontains importantdata—don’t format it!Formatting the diskwill wipe out anyfiles that may still beaccessible. There is achance you’ve lostthe data, but don’t assume the worst untilyou’ve verified the disk can’t be read byanother system. The floppy drive itself maybe malfunctioning. Try some other disks inthe drive to see if they can be read. Then, tryaccessing the disk from another system,preferably the system that was last used towrite to the disk.

Error Message: “Copy.The file being copied is toolarge for the destinationdrive. If possible, insert ahigher-capacity disk.”

Translation: Floppydisks don’t have an unlim-ited capacity. In fact, theamount of data they canstore is miniscule by today’sstandards. A typical 1.44MBfloppy disk, when formatted,can hold only 1.38MB ofdata. If you try to copy more

than 1.38MB of data to the disk, this errormessage will appear. You’ll get a similarerror when your hard drive reaches its maxi-mum capacity.

Solution: Copying more data than the diskcan hold is simply not an option. What youcan do, however, is compress the files or fold-ers you’re trying to copy with a utility such asWinZip or WinRAR to make one archive thatcan be stored in less space, but don’t expectany miracles, compression will take you onlyso far. Invest in a USB (Universal Serial Bus)thumb drive or CD-RW drive when you’veoutgrown floppies. They can hold much moredata and are far less fragile.

Error Message: “Copying File or Folder.Cannot copy error_copying: The disk is

write-protected. Remove the write-protectionor use another disk.”

Translation: The file or folder you’re try-ing to copy to the disk cannot be writtenbecause the disk is write-protected. Data can-not be written to the disk until the write-pro-tection has been removed.

Solution: 3.5-inch floppy disks have asmall, plastic slider at the top corner that isused to lock, or unlock the disk. When theslider is in the top position, creating a hole inthe corner of the disk, it is locked and filescannot be written or modified on the disk.Move the slider to the lower position tounlock it and remove the write-protection. Ifyou’re being frugal and trying to recycle anold driver disk, for example, that doesn’thave a slider, simply place a piece of tapeover the hole in the corner of the disk. Aslong as that hole is covered, it’s not write-protected.

■ Hard Drive Errors. The hard drive isarguably the most “mission-critical” compo-nent in any computer. Motherboards, proces-sors, and memory may fail and bring down asystem, but lose a hard drive and not only is

Drive & StorageProblem Solving Your Data is Gone! Or is it?

Hardware

Without being properly formatted, floppy disks cannot be read by your computer.

Your 3.5-inch floppy disk has a plastic slider that is used to write-protect the disk. When it’s down you can write to the disk, when it’s up the disk is write-protected.

PC Errors • 141

your system hosed, but your data is gone aswell. Pay attention to the warning signs andfrequently back up important data.

Error Message: “Error Copying File orFolder. Cannot copy XX: There is not enoughfree disk space. Delete one or more files tofree disk space, and then try again.”

Translation: A hard drive can only hold somuch data. If you try to copy 2GB worth offiles to a drive that only has 1GB of free spaceleft, you’ll get this error.

Solution: In order to cram those new filesonto your hard drive, you’ll have to free upsome space. Before you begin uninstalling infre-quently used applications, run Disk Cleanup(go to My Computer, right-click on your drive,select Properties from the menu, and then clickthe Disk Cleanup button) to free you drive ofunnecessary temporary files, and compress filesthat you haven’t accessed in awhile. You canalso try clearing older System Restore pointsthat won’t be used any longer (click on theMore Options tab in the Disk Cleanup menu,and click on the Clean Up... button in theSystem Restore section). You’ll be surprised bythe amount of space that you can free by doingthese two steps if you’ve never used Windows’Disk Cleanup feature before. If that doesn’t freeup enough space, though, you can start unin-stalling applications that you no longer need.Once you’ve you free up the necessary amountof space, try copying the files again.

Error Message: “ErrorDeleting File or Folder.Cannot delete XX: Ac-cess is denied. Makesure the disk is not fullor write-protected andthat the file is not cur-rently in use.”

Translation: If youtry to delete a file that iswrite-protected or is cur-

rently in use by another user or application,Windows will not allow you to delete it.Access to the file can also be denied if you’relogged into the system with a restricted useraccount that does not have the necessary privi-leges to delete files.

Solution: Generally, all that is necessaryto resolve this problem, provided you arelogged into the system with sufficient privi-leges, is to shut down all running applica-tions. Once the apps are closed, try deletingthe file(s) again. We commonly see this errorwhen doing routine maintenance on some ofthe systems in the lab. The Windows TEMPfolder usually contains files that can be safelydeleted, but when applications are running,some files are placed in this folder and can-not be removed until the application isclosed. Email clients and antivirus softwareare the most common culprits.

Error Message: ”Bad Sectors Found onDrive X:”

Translation: The platters used in today’shard drives are broken down into tracks andsectors. Each sector is a small portion of thedrive where data is stored. Inevitably, someof these sectors become corrupt and can nolonger be used. When a sector goes “bad” thedata stored there is usually lost.

Solution: Disk diagnostic utilities, such asScandisk or Norton Disk Doctor, inspect adrive and will attempt to repair bad sectors.

More often than not,however, that bad sectorcan no longer be usedbecause it has becomecorrupted in some way.These diagnostic utili-ties will then mark thatbad sector as unusable,and the system will nolonger attempt to writenew data there. Mostdrive manufacturers alsohave free, downloadable

diagnostic utilities that can attempt to repairbad sectors. Should it be beyond repair, the badsector will then be marked and hidden, so theOS never even knows it’s there.

A hard drive that starts reporting bad sec-tors may be on its last leg; so be sure to backup any data that is important to you as soonas you come across this error. One or twobad sectors isn’t something to get alarmedabout, but if your drive reports a few moreeach time you run Scandisk, you’ll definitelywant to replace it.

■ CD/DVD Drive Errors. The data stored onCDs or DVDs should last for years if the discsare properly cared for. This durability, cou-pled with the fact that optical drive technolo-gy is very mature and reliable, means errormessages regarding CD/DVD drives are fewand far between.

Error Message: “Invalid Write State, CouldNot Perform EndTrack, Command SequenceError, Could Not Perform Fixation…”

Translation: CDs and DVDs are burnedusing a specific process. Tracks are written toa disk and the locations of the tracks are thenstored in the disk’s TOC (Table of Contents).Then, the disk is closed and no more data canbe written. Should any part of the burnprocess fail, your CD-/DVD-authoring soft-ware of choice may report errors like theones listed above.

Solution: We used Nero 6 Ultra Editionwith a scratched CD-R to replicate all four ofthese errors, but Roxio Easy Media Creator 7(or other authoring applications) shouldreport something similar. Errors like thesewill occur when either the drive is malfunc-tioning or the media being used is defective.If this only happens occasionally, your driveis probably working properly and low-quali-ty media is the culprit. Try using a differentbrand of writable discs. Browse over to yourdrive manufacturer’s Web site to check forupdated firmware as well. New firmwarerevisions are usually released to increasecompatibility with different types of mediaand to resolve bugs that weren’t discoveredin previous firmware releases.

Error Message: “Burn Process Failed at YYx(ZZZZKB/s)”

Translation: If your recordable drive reportsany major errors while burning a CD/DVD, itwill likely result in a “Burn Process Failed” errorand the burned disc will be unusable.

Hardware

Make sure you have enough free space on your disk before you trycopying that large file.

If you’re logged in as a restricted user, the disk is write-protected, or thefile you trying to delete is in use, you’ll get an “Access Denied” error.

142 • PC Errors

Solution: There are quite a few thingsthat can cause the burn process to fail, suchas buffer under-runs, low-quality media, andeven a dirty or defective drive. Most modernburners have large buffers and incorporatetechnology designed to prevent buffer under-runs, but to increase your chances of a suc-cessful burn don’t run any disk or memoryintensive applications while writing a

CD/DVD. If your hard drive is constantlybeing accessed, it may not be able to feeddata to the burner fast enough to sustain theburn. Also, simply try using a new blank discor a different brand of media.

Should your drive be the culprit, updateits firmware and try again. If nothing helps,and you're not happy about your ever-increasing stack of coasters, the drive mayneed to be replaced.

Error Message: “Insert a writable disc tocontinue. There is no disc in the drive. Pleaseinsert a writable CD in drive X:”

Translation: The CD drive (represented byX) is reporting to the OS that there is no disc inthe drive.

Solution: Microsoft’s CD Writing Wizardwill scan your drive before the burn processbegins to ensure there is enough free spaceon the disc to accommodate all of the filesyou want to copy. If during that scan the

drive reports that there is no disc in the drive,you’ll get this error. Obviously, if there is nodisc in the drive, simply insert one to resolvethe problem. If, however, you’re getting thiserror when there is a disc inserted, there maybe a problem with your media or the driveitself. Reboot your system and try anotherblank CD (or a different brand of blank CD).

Also try a different application to burn thedisk, as the utility built-in to Windows isn’tthe most powerful tool available. If, no matterwhat you try, the drive continually reportsthat there is no disc available, it may have tobe replaced.

by Marco Chiappetta

Hardware

Insert a blank CD, or try a different brand of mediaif Microsoft's CD Writing Wizard tells you there isno disc in the drive.

Bad media or a defective drive, among otherthings, could cause your CD burn process to fail.

See You in 2005

Some errors can be rather amusing if you know what steps to take to work aroundthem. Microsoft Windows isn’t always a good judge of time, so don’t panic when

Windows tells you your senior thesis won’t be done copying for a few years.

Error Message: “Copying . . . XX Minutes Remaining”

Translation: Occasionally, when trying to copy a file or unusually large group of files, Windows will report an astronomically long time is left to complete the process. Windows calculates the amount of time left to copy a file in the first few moments of the copy process. If the file(s) is in use, or another application is excessively taxing the drive at that particular moment, the time reported can be way off the mark. This problem could also occur when trying to copy a corrupt file to a new destination.

Solution: Should you be confronted with this pseudo-error, the first thing to do is cancel the copy process. Then, shut down as many applications as possible, and simply try copying the file again. If you continue to have trouble, restart your computer, and before running any other applications, try copying the file once more. Should the problem persist, run Scandisk or a similar diagnostic utility on the drive where the file resides to ensure there isn’t a problem with the disk itself. When the scan is complete, and you’re relatively certain thereisn’t a problem with the drive, reboot your system again. Once Windows is done booting and all of your background applications have launched, disable any antivirus or security software that may be running in the background and then press CTRL-ALT-DEL to bring up Task Manger. Next, click on the Processes tab and then click on the User Name header to sort all of the running processes by your username. Highlight each of the processes associated with your username, except for explorer.exe and taskmgr.exe, and then click on the End Process button (don’t worry, they’ll all be back the next time you restart your system). With all of the background proc-esses closed, try copying the file again—you should be all set. ■■

Windows may power 97% of the world’s personalcomputers, but can it tell time correctly?

RS

PC Errors • 143

W e won’t sugar coat it: There are a lotof things that can go wrong duringprinting and scanning, and for better

or worse the fact is that most of the problemswill be due to a lack of user knowledge ratherthan an outright technical glitch. This is actual-ly good news, because it means that most ofyour troubles can be remedied with a littlebackground reading. On the other hand, some-times you’re bound to get snagged by a bonafide bug of some sort.

For times when your document handlinghits a brick wall, see if some of these solutionssave the day.

Error Message: Paper jam.Translation: Somewhere between the

paper tray and the output bin, a piece of paperhas misfed and become gummed up in theprinter’s innards, stalling the printing process.

Solution: There are two imperatives toremember: Do not rush and do not pull thepaper out backwards. Rushing often results intorn sheets, and the last thing you want is irre-trievable snippets of paper left behind in yourequipment, waiting for a critical print job dur-ing which to jam your gears. The reason not topull paper out backwards is that many print-ers are carefully designed to only feed paperthrough in one direction. If you force the com-ponents to move backwards, you may damagethe equipment and are more likely to increaseresistance that in turn leads to tearing.

If you keep getting jams, you may need toclean the unit. Consult your manual (most man-ufacturers make manuals downloadable in PDFformat) for specific instructions on how to do

this. And don’t be nervous, this isn’t brainsurgery. Alternatively, you may be getting paperjams due to high humidity. Before you put a newstack of paper in the printer, flex the ream so thatair can briefly get between the sheets.

Error Message: Printerfailed to initialize. (Theprinter may also simplyhang during printing.)

Translation: You’ve sentoff a print job, but the printernever actually starts to outputthe data. This is often the re-sult of something in the sys-tem prohibiting a file calledSpool32.exe from executingcorrectly. Spooling is the pro-cess of storing your print job until the printeris ready to accept the job.

Solution: Try disabling the print spool set-tings in Windows. Click Start, (Settings, in pre-XP Windows), and Printers. Highlight yourprinter. In earlier Windows versions, such as98 and Me, select Properties from the Filemenu, click on the Details tab, select SpoolSettings . . . , and click Print Directly ToPrinter. In the Spool Data Format drop-downmenu, choose Raw and then click OK twice.

In Windows 2000/XP, select the Advancedtab on your printer’s Properties box. Checkthe Print directly to the printer option, thenclick the Print Processor . . . button. In the

Default data type area, selectRAW. Click OK twice to savethe new settings.

Error Message: An “illegaloperation error” occurs whenyou try to print or scan.

Translat ion: No, theprinter police aren’t en routeto your desk. You probablyhave a corrupted printer dri-

ver, that little piece of software that tellsyour operating system how to work with theprinter. Your driver could have been cor-rupted by a virus, hard disk damage, or an

incompatibility glitch from a newly installedapplication, among other things.

Solution: Reinstall or update your devicedriver. Most printer and scanner manufactur-ers will post several driver revisions to theirsupport sites after a product’s initial release.

Odds are that if you haven’t updated your dri-vers in the last few months, you’re probablynot benefiting from the latest set of bug fixesand performance enhancements.

Visit your manufacturer’s support site anddownload the latest official (not beta) driverfor your device and operating system. Most ofthese downloads will be self-executing. Allyou have to do is download the file, run it,and follow the instructions. In some cases,though, you may need to install the drivermanually. The best way to go about this is touninstall the existing driver. Ideally, yourdevice will have a Start menu item noting

some sort of “uninstall” or “driver mainte-nance” routine. If so, run this and remove thecurrent driver. If not, check the Add/Remove

Troubling Printing & ScanningDocuments Check In, But Try TheseTips When They Don’t Check Out

Hardware

Good manufacturers make driver installations easy for you. Thisexample shows Samsung’s laser printer driver instructions. You may want to uninstall your present driver

before upgrading or replacing drivers.

You can improve the performance and stability of your printer orscanner by making sure you're using the latest device drivers.

144 • PC Errors

Programs list in Control Panel and look fordriver software for your printer. In some cases,you’ll want to check the hardware DeviceManager in Control Panel. For instance, ifyou’re trying to uninstall a scanner, click theplus sign (+) next to Imaging Devices, right-click your scanner, and select Uninstall.

With the current driver eliminated, look atthe new file you downloaded. If it’s a com-pressed file, such as one ending in .ZIP,uncompress it to a folder you’ll remember. Ifit’s an .EXE file, simply double-click on it inMy Computer to run it. Now, go back intoDevice Manager and click Action, Scan forhardware changes. Windows should detectyour device and either locate the correct newdriver on its own or let you point Windows tothe proper location where you stored theuncompressed files. Your device should reap-pear in Device Manager with no exclamationpoint next to it, and you’ll be innocent of fur-ther illegal operations.

Error Message: “Error 20—Memory Over-flow” (on the printer’s readout).

Translation: A large print job has floodedand locked your printer’s memory. This is espe-cially common in older systems where print jobmemory management wasn’t handled as wellas it is under modern operating systems.

Solution: Your options here will varydepending on your hardware and needs. Ifyou’ve recently moved the printer and areseeing a lot of this error, then your memorymodule(s) may have come loose and simplyneeds to be reseated. Consult your manual tosee where your printer’s memory is locatedand how to access it. While you’re there, con-sider if perhaps your print jobs are becominglarger than they used to be. If so, try addingmore memory to what you already have.Your manufacturer likely sells upgrade mod-ules, but you may score a better deal with a

most larger USB devices, such as printers andscanners. You want to use a USB hub (prefer-ably with support for USB 2.0) with AC power;although, be aware that we’ve seen plenty ofcases where a device refused to work (or con-flicted with another device) on even a poweredhub. The surest bet is to plug the devicestraight into a PC’s USB port. If you have achoice, use the USB ports in the back of the PCbecause there is always a chance that thecables providing USB to the front of the casemay have come loose.

Also, be aware that there are many docu-mented cases of a PC’s native USB ports stillnot having enough power for a printer orscanner. Both Dell and NVIDIA (with thenForce chipset) have documented instancesof this. You might be able to work aroundthis by using a properly powered USB hub.And if that’s not frustrating enough, thereare also some cases (older Belkin models forone) where the powered hub doesn’t supplyenough power for the device. You just needto experiment.

by William Van Winkle

third party such as Viking (www.vikingcomponents.com).

If hardware tweaking isn’t an option, trytackling the problem from the software side.If your job is graphical in nature, try loweringthe output dpi (resolution) in the File, PrintSetup options. Dropping a job down from600dpi to 300dpi may not give the outputquality you want, but if your print job worksat the lower resolution, then you know youneed more memory. Also try disabling printspooling as detailed above.

Error Message: None (because the deviceisn’t being detected by Windows).

Translation: You plug in the printer orscanner and nothing happens. No driverrequests. No entry in Device Manager. Nada.

Solution: There are plenty of possiblecauses as to why Windows would fail todetect your USB printer or scanner when youplug it in. The most obvious is that youhaven’t plugged in the device’s power cord.(Don’t feel bad—everybody does it.) Slightlyless obvious is that your operating may not support USB. Specifically, Win95 andWindows NT do not fullysupport USB functional-ity. The printer softwareshould kick out an errormessage about an “unsup-ported operating system”when you try to install it.Upgrade to Win98 or laterand see if this fixes theproblem.

A lack of device res-ponse might also fall underanother area . . .

Error Message: Various(including initializationerrors and “scanner notfound”).

Translation:This is acatch-all entry. Power-relat-ed problems can spawn anynumber of odd errors.

Solution: Plug the de-vice directly into your PC’sUSB port. Many USB hubsare non-powered, meaningthey have no AC powerrunning to them and onlyrely on the power comingthrough the USB connec-tion. This is insufficient for

Hardware

Most Unusual Error MessageError Message: The printer indicates that it has received an

“Offending Command”.

Translation: As entertaining and/or accurate as it might be to assume this means you’ve told the printer to go do something unmentionable to itself, it actually means that the printer can’t output your file. Often, this has to do with erroneous PostScript code involved in the software used to generate the PDF document you’re trying to print.

Solution: If possible, set your printer to PostScript Level 1 or Level 2. If that doesn’t help, try changing the fonts in your document to something simple, such as Arial or Times New Roman. Some systems choke on overly-intricate fonts or unusual characters. If you’re still scrambling, try using the Print As Image option on your print menu. This will print each page as a big graphic rather than text. It’s a slow process, but it’s better than being stalled.

Finally, as with nearly any other computer error, try the most obvious thing: reboot. That includes turning the printer off for five seconds and then turning it back on. ■■

Large print jobs troublesome? Use the printerProperties to reduce your output resolution.

RS

PC Errors • 145

A udio errors fall into a variety of cate-gories because some you can hear andothers you can’t. Then there are popu-

lar and less popular sound cards along withthose embedded audio chips. Let’s take a lookat some of the more common errors to comeup with a good, sound solution.

Sound Blaster/Creative Labs ErrorsThe Creative Labs Sound Blaster sound

cards are amongst the most popular series ofcards available. To that end we thought we’dlook at this series first.

Error Message: PlayCenter 3 or SurroundMixer gives an error in “CTDPROXY.DLL”or “Ctplay2 has generated errors and will beclosed by Windows.” This applies to theSound Blaster Audigy family underWindows 2000/XP.

Translat ion: PlayCenter andSurround Mixer are applications thatcome with Audigy sound cards andinteract with the CTDPROXY.DLL driver module. Most likely there is another audio device—probablyeither another audio adapter or a USB (Universal Serial Bus)-baseddevice with audio capabilities—some-where in the system conflicting with this module.

Solution: Go to the Sounds area inControl Panel and click the Hardwaretab. You should see a list of devices inthe following order: optical drive(s),Audigy card, Creative game port,Audio Codecs, Legacy Audio Codecs,Media Control Devices, Legacy VideoCapture Devices, and Video Codecs. If yousee additional devices listed after these, high-light each in turn as necessary and click theProperties button. If you see a Mixer Devicesitem, click the plus symbol (+) next to it,select the mixer device listed, and then clickProperties (yes, again). Check the option forDo Not Use Mixer Features On This Device.

Once you have disabled the device’s mixerfeatures, reopen your Audigy applicationand the error should be gone.

Error Message: “Ctplay2.exe/Eacontrol.exehas encountered a problem and needs toclose. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”This message appears in WinXP afterinstalling a Creative Labs Audigy card and itsattendant software.

Translation: Windows hasn’t properlyadjusted its settings to make the Audigy yournew default sound card.

Solution: Go into the Sounds And AudioDevices area of Control Panel. Click SoundsAnd Audio Devices and then the Audio tab. Inthe Sound Playback area, use the Defaultdevice pull-down menu to select your Audigycard. Click Apply and then OK.

Error Message: “Could not create file forrecording, please ensure the recording folderexists.” This message occurs when using theCreative Recorder that ships with yourSound Blaster to record a WAV file.

Translation: Creative Recorder defaults tostoring files at a specific folder location. If thesystem can’t find the folder, this error pops up.

Solution: Use Windows Explorer or My Computer to browse to the C:\PRO-GRAM FILES\CREATIVE folder. Highlightthe Recorder folder and click File, New, andFolder. Give the new folder the nameRECORDINGS. This is the specific folder nameCreative Recorder is looking for.

Other Sound ErrorsOkay, so you’ve gotten comfortable with the

Sound Blaster cards. It’s time to look at othertypes of audio-related errors.

Error Message: “Access to the specifieddevice, path or file is denied.” This messagecan occur in Win2000 OSes when you insert anaudio CD for playback.

Translation: When you pop an audio CDinto your system, the autoplay functiondefaults to using the built-in audio player inWin2000. However, if you install a third-partyplayer, and especially if you delete that play-er, Windows can get confused about the prop-er path or file with which to play your disc.

Solution: This one is a bit tricky. The systemfile you need to modify is hidden, so the firstthing to do is “unhide” it. From the Desktop,right-click My Computer and select Explore.From the Explorer File menu, select Tools,

Folder Options, the View tab, and thenShow Hidden Files And Folders. Nowuncheck the options for Hide ProtectedOperating System Files and Hide FileExtensions For Known File Types. ClickYes on the warning box that will appearand then click the Apply and OK buttons.

Now click Start, Search, and For FilesOr Folders. In the Search For Files OrFolders field, type the name sysoc.inf,confirm that you’re searching in the C:drive, and click Search Now. When thefile appears in the search results area,double-click it and then select theNotepad application to open the filewith. Within Notepad, locate the linethat starts with “old base components.”You want to remove the command andHIDE characters so that the line goes

from reading MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,mul-timed.inf,HIE, to MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,7. Next, locate the line that startswith “AccessUtil=” and delete the word Hidefrom it. Save the file and close Notepad.

You’re almost done. Dig into the Add/Remove Programs area of Control Panel, click Add/Remove Windows Components,

Sound Solutions ToAudio ProblemsClearing Up What You Can Hear

Hardware

You may not hear anything from your system if Windows does not know which audio adapter to use.

146 • PC Errors

RS

Accessories, Utilities, and Details. Check theMultimedia box and then click OK. Click Nextand, if prompted for it, insert your Win2000CD-ROM. Click Finish. When you reboot thePC, everything should be back to normal.

Error Message: “Your Sound Card doesnot support hardware buffering. Sound willonly playback from software buffers.”You will see this when attempting to run the Microsoft DirectX Diagnostic tool (dxdiag.exe).

Translation: This error will appear onsystems using VIA’s AC’97 audio codec,which you only need to worry about if you’reusing the integrated audio on a VIA-basedmotherboard. What the message really meansis that your audio system doesn’t support the22,050Hz audio sampling rate, which is onefrequency tested for by DXdiag. Microsoftnotes that this problem only applies to theWinXP operating systems.

Solution: Relax. The built-in mixer with-in Windows will automatically switch to asampling rate that is supported by the VIAcodec. Your actual playback or recordingwill remain unaffected.

Error Message: “Code 28 (The drivers forthis device are not installed).” You may seethis message in your sound card’s device prop-erties after upgrading from Win2000 to WinXP.

Translation: In the process of upgradingyour operating system, the WDM (WindowsSound System Compatible) drivers are delet-ed. WinXP no longer needs these files, sothey are eliminated. The problem is thatyour sound card’s software is designed tolook for these files.

Solution: Check with your sound adaptermanufacturer for new drivers specificallycompatible with WinXP. If such driver’sdon’t exist, you’re out of luck and yoursound card will not work.

Speaker Errors“Huh,” you say, “I’ve never seen a speaker

error message.” Quite right. Speakers don’tgenerate error messages. We wish they did!Still, we’ve collected some of the most com-mon speaker-related glitches you’re likely toencounter, and we hope the solutions will bemusic to your ears.

Error Message: Humming or buzzing getslouder as the volume is raised in your operat-ing system or sound application.

Translation: Often, this is the result of apoor wire connection to the sound card,although it can also result from a lot of electro-magnetic interference being pumped out by apoorly shielded component within the system,especially the power supply.

Solution: Unplug and replug all internaland external wire connections to the soundcard, making sure that each is firmly seated.Also make sure that in your sound mixer soft-ware (in Windows, double-click the speakericon in your System Tray) you have the CDvolume slider set to maximum and theMaster/Play Control slider at a lower level. Besure to mute any devices not in use.

As for buzz from poor shielding, this is aharder item to fix as finding the culprit ofteninvolves swapping out suspect parts. You cantry unscrewing the power supply from thecase without unplugging any wires and let itrun outside the chassis to increase distancefrom the sound card, but this can be a moreinvolved operation than many beginners arewilling to undertake.

Error Message: You hear background hissfrom your speakers, even if nothing is playing.

Translation: A certain amount of hiss isinevitable in any amplified playback device.This is figured into the specs of your speak-ers during manufacture. At a reasonablerange of volumes and a recommended listen-ing distance range, you should not be able tohear any hiss. With your ear against thespeaker, you will hear some. The thing to beaware of is that hiss can increase to notice-able levels because of poor quality compo-nents in your sound adapter.

Solution: You may be too close to thespeakers. See if there is a way to get themfurther away from you. Many speaker mod-els can be mounted to a wall, and this may be

an option in your environment.Midlevel speakers should be atleast 2 feet from your ears, and the high-end equipment(Logitech Z-680, CreativeGigaWorks, and so on) shouldbe at least 3 feet away.

A good quality sound card,such as those from CreativeLabs or M-Audio, should not introduce additional hissinto your playback at reason-able volume levels. You’remore likely to pick up hissfrom very cheap sound cards

or bottom-quality integrated sound adaptersbuilt into motherboards. The easiest way to test this is to plug in a good quality sound card to replace your existing audioadapter. If the extra hiss vanishes, you’vepinned your problem.

Error Message: You can hear audio, but notfrom all of the speakers.

Translation: There are several possiblecauses for this. The most obvious is that oneor more of the speakers is damaged or thatthe speaker jack in your amplifier/sub-woofer is damaged. The only fix for this isreplacement, but there are some other morelikely possibilities, too.

Solution: Most surround sound speakersets use three audio cables: green for thefront left and right, orange for thecenter/sub, and black for the rear left andright. Many sound cards use the same colorcoding on their jacks to make sure that you plug the right cables into the right holes. However, some cards don’t do this(Audigy cards in particular, which rely onyou putting a color-coded sticker on thecard’s backplane), and some users accidental-ly mix up the colors anyway. Misroutedspeaker signals may not play properly, sodouble-check your connections.

Next, bring up your audio adapter’s chan-nel mixing software. You should see some-where in the software (perhaps in theadvanced settings) a set of sliders or similarcontrols for your different speaker channels.Make sure that all of your channels arecranked up and not muted.

If none of these ideas works, try pluggingthe speakers into a different PC. If this works,then your sound card is likely broken.


Hardware

Check your mixer settings if you can hear some speakers butnot others. Oh, and make sure your speakers are plugged in.

PC Errors • 147

H ere’s the good news: Our in-houseexperience with hundreds of videocards and monitors leads us to believe

that you can cure more than 90% of all video-related problems by updating and properlyconfiguring your graphics card’s drivers. Thebad news is that there are still plenty of errorsthat can hit when you least expect them. We’ve singled out some of the most prominent glitches you’re likely to encounter.

Error Message: Cycles of eight beeps whenyou try to power up the PC. This is called a“Display Memory Read/Write Failure” and canhappen on systems that use the AMI/AwardBIOS (Basic Input/Output System).

Translation: This beep sequence indicatesa video card memory error.

Solution: In the old days, you used to beable to pull the memory modules off of videocards and replace them. Now, video memoryis hardwired into the circuit board, and

it would cost more in labor to replace the memory than buy a new video card.However, before you run out for a replace-ment, try removing the card from the system,blowing any dust or dirt out of its slot, andfirmly reseating it. The problem could be a

loose connection between the card and thewires in the slot.

(NOTE: AMI/Award has two additional beepcodes that can signal video card trouble. The first isone long beep followed by two short beeps. The secondis one long beep followed by three short beeps. Bothessentially mean the same thing: Your video card isdead. If you get one of these errors and reseating thecard doesn’t work, try using it on another computer.If you still don’t have video, your card is dead.)

Error Message: “The device cannot start.(Code 10).”

Translation: This can occur with NVIDIA-based display cards when the PC does not assignthe correct system resources to the adapter.

Solution: For starters, know that this couldbe the result of incorrect drivers or a conflictwith previous drivers from a different card ven-dor. You should download the latest ForceWaredrivers from NVIDIA at www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp and follow NVIDIA’sinstructions for proper installation.

If new drivers don’t help, then you probablyneed to make a quick change to one of yourBIOS settings. You can access the BIOS by tap-ping the DELETE key when your systemchecks its memory during boot up. (If indoubt, keep hitting DELETE about twice persecond from the time the system first lights upuntil you see the main BIOS screen.) Now,somewhere in the BIOS Features area, youmay find an option called Assign IRQ To VGA.This is especially prevalent on older systems.This option must be enabled. (Some newerboards may lack this option and merely enableit automatically.) Save your settings and exit.

Error Message: “Cannot Create VideoWindow” or “Create Overlay Failed” or“Playback Failed Due To One Of TheFollowing Reasons . . .” or a similar error in theinterActual DVD Player software. Similar errorsmay be seen in other DVD playback titles.

Translation:Your video adapter hasinsufficient resources to play back yourDVD-Video content.

Solution: First, make sure your videoadapter is doing as much work as possible.

Check your hardware acceleration settings byright-clicking on the Windows Desktop and

selecting Properties. Click the Settings tab andthen the Advanced button. In many systems,you’ll then want to click the Performance tab,but this can vary according to your drivers. InATI’s recent CATALYST drivers, for example,the hardware acceleration slider is foundunder the Troubleshoot tab. When you findthe slider, make sure it is set to Full. Then clickApply and see if this fixes the problem.

Another way to ease the load on your videocard is to reduce your resolution and colordepth. As above, get to the Settings tab in yourDisplay Properties. Drop your screen resolu-tion down to 800 x 600 and your color qualityto 16-bit rather than 24- or 32-bit. You maynotice some color banding in your video, butat least you’ll have ascertained if your card isup to the task of DVD playback. If so, whatyou probably need is a video adapter withmore video memory in order to operate prop-erly at higher settings. If you’re using a videoadapter that is built into your motherboardand gets its memory by “sharing” RAM, con-sult your manual on how to allocate more sys-tem memory for the video subsystem.

One other thing to try is making sure that youhave DirectDraw acceleration enabled. ClickStart and Run and then type dxdiag. Click theDisplay tab and make sure that your DirectX

Video Card & Monitor ErrorsSome Are More Visible Than Others

Hardware

You can increase hardware acceleration in yourdisplay properties to fix some playback errors.

You can cause video problems if yourscreen resolution is set too high.

148 • PC Errors

RS

features are all enabled. On that same screen,double-check that your monitor type is not

listed as Unknown. If it is listed as Unknown,you should reinstall your monitor driver.

(NOTE: We recently found the exception to thehardware acceleration rule above while reviewingJetWay/Mach Speed’s TwinMagic motherboards,which enable one PC to serve two users simultane-ously. We found that with hardware acceleration setto Full, DVD-Video playback from two DVD drivesto separate users did not work properly. Reducinghardware acceleration fixed the problem.)

Monitor ErrorsJust like speakers, monitors usually don’t

generate errors beyond letting you know thatthey’re not receiving a signal. There is one verycommon exception to this that we’ll detail in asecond, but otherwise we thought you mightappreciate some info on a couple of other com-mon monitor-related maladies, as well.

Error Message: “Sync Out of Range” Youwill see this on an otherwise blank screen.

Translation: Assuming that the data cableis plugged in correctly, the video card is feed-ing the monitor a signal stream in excess ofwhat the monitor can accommodate. The twomain causes for this are that the user has seteither the resolution or the vertical frequencyrate too high. For example, you might set a newgraphics card to display at 1280 x 1024, but ifthe monitor is only capable of 1024 x 768 reso-lution, you’ll get a Sync Out of Range error.This is especially common in 14-inch monitors.

Solution: Because you obviously can’t makesettings changes from within regular Windows,you’ll need to reboot into Windows Safe Mode.

When you restart the system, there is a pointduring boot up when the system switches fromreporting diagnostics and detected componentsto loading Windows. This point is usuallyaccompanied by a beep and the screen goingblack. Just before this point, you want to startrepeatedly hitting the F8 key. This should bringup a menu of Windows boot options. The oneyou want to pick is Safe Mode.

From Safe Mode, right-click the Desktop andselect Properties. Go to the Settings tab and usethe slider to drop your resolution a notch ortwo. Reboot and let Windows try to go intoNormal mode. If this still doesn’t work, go backinto Safe Mode and get to the Settings tab ofDisplay Properties. Click the Advanced button,go to the Monitor tab, and check your refreshrate. The lowest advisable rate is usually 60Hz,although this works better for LCD (liquid-crystal display) screens than CRTs (cathode raytubes). Apply the change and reboot.

Error Message: The color on your CRTlooks all messed up.

Translation: There are various possiblecauses of this.

Solution: If you’re lucky,your color skewing is aresult of electromagneticinterference from a nearbydevice or static build-upwithin the monitor. Startwith trying to degauss yourscreen. Some monitors havea button to perform thistask. If yours doesn’t, turnthe monitor off for 15 min-utes; then turn it back on.

Poorly shielded speakersare a leading culprit of mon-itor oddities, and these canalso cause your display tojitter, sometimes violently.The interference sourcemight also be wiring in yourwall. Try moving the moni-tor to another place in theroom at least several feetfrom its original position. Toisolate potential video cardproblems, try plugging themonitor into a different PC.

Still stumped? Checkyour 15-pin VGA connectorfor bent or missing pins. Ifyou’re gentle and carefulwith a set of needle-nose

pliers, you can straighten bent pins and fix theproblem.

If none of this works, you’re probably dealingwith a faulty color gun inside the monitor thatneeds repairing at the factory or replacement.

Error Message: You observe image persis-tence, or “burn-in,” on your display.

Translation: You have left one image sittingon your screen for so long that you can still seesort of a ghost image of it when you switch to adifferent image or turn the display off.

Solution: With CRT screens, burn-in is per-manent, just as it has been with TVs fordecades. This is why CRT users should alwaystake care to leave a screen saver of some sortenabled, if only to go into standby mode aftera given period of inactivity.

If you see burn-in on your LCD display,don’t panic. LCD technology is impervious tolong-term burn-in. All you need to do is leavethe screen off for a while, and the ghost imageshould fade away.


Hardware

Most Common (And Annoying)Video Card ErrorError Message: “You Have Not Connected The

Power Extension Cable To Your XX.”

Translation: You guessed it. This is the only thing, along with a suggestion to refer to the Getting Started guide, that will display on your monitor if you forget to plug the four-wire power cable in to any ATI performance-level card from the RADEON 9700 PRO forward. High-end NVIDIA-based cards also require a power connection, but at least they will boot and run in a lower perfor-mance mode if you forget to plug in the power. We can't decide which approach is better. But the fact remains that leagues of system builders and upgraders everywhere are still in the habit of not needing an extra power cable for their graphics adapter and inevitably will forget and boot up without it.

Solution: Plug in the cable. Tie a ribbon around your finger to help you remember next time. ■■

You may need to increase your display settings if your display looks blocky.

PC Errors • 149

Miscellaneous

When you press the powerbutton on your computer,the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is the firstthing to swing into action.

The BIOS is actually a piece of softwarestored on a chip built in to the motherboardthat is responsible for booting your comput-er and making sure all of the devices work.At startup, the BIOS initiates a multistageprocess, which includes testing the hardwareand loading the OS. The testing stage, orPOST (power on self test) , scans yourdevices and system to see if everything iscommunicating properly.

BIOS manufacturers have created a codesystem to communicate the POST status inthe form of BIOS beeps. Some newer mother-boards include a voice recording that literallytells you the status of your computer. In mostcases, however, we are pleasantly unaware ofthe BIOS and its low-tech language. If every-thing is working like it’s supposed to, all youhear is a beep, and the computer starts.

All Beep & No Work

In the event of a critical error during thePOST, most BIOSes use beeps via the internalspeaker (or external speakers in the case ofvoiced messages) to alert you to what’swrong. This communication is very rudimen-tary. During the startup process think of yoursystem as a metal primate, only instead ofusing grunts to communicate territorial rights,your PC resorts to beeps or a combination ofbeeps and pauses to indicate it has encoun-tered specific problems. The “language” yourPC uses depends on what type of BIOS it has.You have to translate beep codes based on themodel and manufacturer. The two most domi-nant BIOS manufacturers are AMI (AmericanMegatrends, Inc.) and Phoenix Technologies,but there are many others.

To determine your BIOS manufacturer andversion number, click Start and Programs (AllPrograms if you’re using Windows XP).Navigate to Accessories, click System Tools,and then click System Information. In the

System Information window, scan the rightpane for BIOS Version/Date under the Itemcolumn. In the adjacent Value column, youwill find the manufacturer and version of yourBIOS. For example, here’s the data you mightsee for popular BIOS versions from the twoleading manufacturers:

Phoenix Technologies, LDT 6, 00 PG,8/21/2003

American Megatrends Inc. 1006.005,5/6/2003

Configure Your BIOS

Most computers have the default BIOS con-figuration set up so that the POST Status(sometimes called Power On Status, which isessentially the beep code) is enabled. If you

don’t hear a beep during a normal boot, checkyour BIOS configuration to make sure POSTStatus is enabled. The users manual that camewith your computer is your best source forinformation on how to access the BIOS setuputility. You can’t assume that one Phoenix orAMI BIOS setup utility will look the same asany other setup utility by Phoenix or AMI; thesetup utilities can vary in appearance de-pending on your system’s hardware andBIOS version. If you need to enable yourPOST status (beep codes) look for somethingto the effect of POST Status or POST Notifi-cation in your setup utility, and enable it byusing the appropriate key commands, check-boxes, or selectable options.

Your system’s manual will likely describethe features of your BIOS and include the

settings that work best for your computer.Take caution when changing your BIOS set-tings because the improper configuration canprevent the system from recognizing yourperipherals or even from booting. Typicallypressing and holding (or pressing repeated-ly) a designated key such as ESC, DELETE,F1, or F2 as the computer starts up will dis-play the BIOS setup utility. Your manual willtell you which key to use.

What’s That Beep?Occasionally an add-in card may issue

beep codes during the POST that are notdirectly associated with the BIOS, whichwould explain why your system is opera-tional despite emitting more than one beep. Ifyou start hearing beeps and your system failsto fully boot, the problem is not necessarilythat your hardware is faulty. You may sim-ply have jostled components out of place bymoving your system. You can sometimessolve the problem by reseating (removingand reinserting) memory modules or otherhardware cards within your computer’s case.Always practice extreme caution when work-ing with the inner components of your case,and make sure to eliminate static electricityby touching a metal surface before handlingany piece of your computer’s hardware. Alsobe sure to unplug your computer.

Decode That Code

■ American Megatrends Inc. If your com-puter came with an AMI BIOS, and it fails toboot after your internal speaker emits one,two, or three beeps, then the problem mostlikely lies with your memory modules. Openyour computer case (remembering to dissi-pate static electricity by touching a groundedpiece of metal). Replace one module at a timeand turn your system on. If the computerboots up, then you know the memory moduleyou just inserted is operational. Next, insertanother module and start your system again.Repeat this process until all modules arereplaced or until the beep code reoccurs andthe boot process fails. If that happens, you

Speaking BIOSHow To Decipher What Your Computer Is Saying

Using the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) con-figure menu, you can disable or enable the POST(power on self test) notification.

150 • PC Errors

can conclude that the module you put in lastis faulty. Replace it with a new module andyour system should be fine.

When your system fails to boot after four toseven, or nine to 11 beeps, it indicates a problemwith your motherboard or your expansioncards. As before, dispel static electricity andcarefully remove all expansion cards (except thevideo adapter) and boot the system. In the eventthat the error code occurs again, there is littleyou can do but contact the manufacturer of yourmotherboard or system. If the error does notoccur, replace the expansion cards one by one,starting the system after each new card. Usingthis process of elimination, you can determinewhich card is causing the problem.

If your AMI BIOS beeps five times, you maybe looking at a processor error. At this point youshould contact the manufacturer of your com-puter, though the company will likely tell youthat you need to get a new CPU. In instanceswhere a serious error such as this occurs whichrequires a significant investment to repair, youshould attempt to duplicate the error severaltimes to eliminate any other (possibly cheaper)

possibilities. Another reason for this error couldbe that the CPU fan has failed, so check to see ifit is rotating. Reseating the CPU may also solveyour problem.

If your AMI BIOS beeps eight times, directyour attention to the system video adapter. Inthe event that your video adapter is integratedwith your motherboard, the board may be faulty.If the video adapter is an expansion card, removeit (again dissipate static electricity first) and startyour system. If all goes well, reseat the videoadapter card and start your system. If the beepcode reoccurs and the system fails to boot, thenyour card is likely to blame. If the system bootsfully, then reseating the card solved the problem.

■ Phoenix Technologies. If your computer camewith a Phoenix BIOS, the beep codes consist of aseries of beeps and pauses, which will direct yourattention to the appropriate aspect of your systemthat is malfunctioning. In the event that yourPhoenix BIOS beeps once, pauses, beeps twice,pauses, beeps twice, pauses, and beeps threemore times, direct your attention to the BIOSitself. If your BIOS is upgradeable, you may need

to flash update it to solve this problem. You canvisit your motherboard manufacturer’s (not theBIOS manufacturer’s) Web site for informationon how to update your BIOS, should it require anupdate. Reseating or checking the expansioncards may also lead to an answer to the problem.Again, make sure to dissipate static electricityprior to handling your computer’s internal com-ponents. You might need to replace the BIOSshould the beeps persist, in which case youshould contact your motherboard manufacturer.

A Phoenix BIOS that beeps once, pauses,beeps four times, pauses, beeps twice, pauses,and then beeps once more is alerting you to aproblem with the CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor), which is the memory thatstores the BIOS. Attempt to remove all expan-sion cards (except the video card) and thenreseat them one at a time. If the error still occurs,contact your motherboard’s manufacturer asyou probably need to replace the CMOS .

When your Phoenix BIOS beeps once, paus-es, beeps three times, pauses, beeps once, paus-es, and beeps one more time, the error lies withthe memory modules. You should check to see

if your motherboard sup-ports the installed memo-ry, or reseat the memorymodules one at a time,restarting your systemafter each reseat.

Post Script

The lack of an industry-wide standard for BIOSbeeps means that to suc-cessfully troubleshoot yourbeeps you need to look upyour BIOS manufacturer’sbeep code list for your particular BIOS version.Phoenix and AMI bothhave downloadable PDFdocuments that detail beepcodes and what they referto. You can obtain a list ofAMI BIOS beep codes atw w w . a m e r i c a n m e g at r e n d s . c o m / s u p p o r t/bios.cfm. Phoenix beepcodes are available at www.phoenix.com/resources/biospostcode.pdf.

by Andrew Leibman

Miscellaneous

RS

# of Beeps

1 (booting halted)

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Beep Patterns (Numeralsrefer to number of beeps andhyphens represent a pause.)

1-2-2-3

1-2-3-31-3-1-1

1-3-1-31-4-2-1

POST (power on self test) Technical Description*

Memory refresh timer error

Parity error

Base memory read/write test error

Motherboard timer not operational

Processor error

8042 Gate A20 test error (cannotswitch to test mode)

General exception error

Display memory error

AMIBIOS ROM checksum error

CMOS read/write error

Cache memory test failed

POST (Power On Self Test)Technical Description*

PhoenixBIOS ROM checksum error

Error in DMA-ControllerTest DRAM refresh

Keyboard-controller test failureCMOS read/write error

Troubleshooting Tip

Reseat memory modules one at a time and replace faulty memory.



Remove and reseat all expansion cards one at a time (except video card).




Remove and reseat video card; if integrated, motherboard may be faulty.


Remove and reseat all expansion cards one at a time (except video card). Check CMOS.


Troubleshooting Tip

Remove and reseat all expansion cards one at a time (except video card). If possible, update BIOS.

Contact the manufacturer, service motherboard, or replace motherboard.Reseat memory one at a time and replace faulty memory, or check to see ifmotherboard supports installed memory.Reseat memory one at a time and replace faulty memory.Remove and reseat all expansion cards one at a time (except video card).Check CMOS.

AMIBIOS *Source: AMI Beep Code List (v1.6)

PhoenixBIOS *POST beep codes descriptions published courtesy of Phoenix Technologies.

PC Errors • 151

T alk about a scary sight. No one likes tosee error messages on their personalcomputer, but some Windows messages

are downright alarming: “A fatal exception 0E has occurred

at 0028:xxxxxxxx in VXD IFSMGR(04) +0000D4F1. The current application will beterminated.”

FEEs (fatal exception errors) don’t meanthat anything has died—not your computerand unfortunately not even that annoyingpaper clip in Microsoft Office. They do meanthat Windows 9x/Me/XP has encountered anerror so severe that the application or the OScan’t continue to run. An error message likethe one above can show up in its own windowor in a full-screen announcement often calleda Blue Screen of Death (for more on the dread-ed BSOD, see “Big, Bad & Blue” on page 7.

Usually, you can bring the computer back tolife with a reboot. Unfortunately, the problemthat caused the error could remain unsolved.Sleuthing out a solution can be tricky, so it paysto learn about FEEs and why they occur. Readon for a deeper understanding of FEEs and fortips to help you troubleshoot your system.

Post-Mortem Microsoft says that FEEs happen most often

when you’re launching an application or start-ing or shutting down Windows. Several things

susceptible to excessive heat, just like RAMmodules. They can also be physically damagedif they’re dropped or even set down roughly.

The same goes for your PC’s motherboard,or main circuit board. If any memory modulesor device cables aren’t completely connected,you’ll see at least some errors. Dirty electricalcontacts, kinked cables with broken wiresinside, faulty capacitors, and hairline cracks inthe motherboard are some of the most elusivesources of maddeningly intermittent errors.

All of these causes mean that there can be awide variety of FEEs. Windows offers a help-ing hand by breaking these down into types.Let’s have a closer look at the Win9x/Me errormessage above.

“A fatal exception 0E has occurred at 0028:xxxxxxxx in VXD IFSMGR(04) +0000D4F1.”

The 0D is a hexidecimal number code thattells you the type of FEE you’re dealing with.These codes range from 00 (0) to 09 (9) andfrom 0A (10) to 11 (17). Microsoft offers a list oftechnical descriptions of each kind of FEE (goto support.microsoft.com and search for article150314). You can also search for specific typesof FEEs in WinXP, such as general protectionfaults, in Microsoft’s Knowledge Base. We’velisted the main errors below in the CustomaryFEEs section of this article.

can cause them, the company says,such as:

“Access to an illegal instruction hasbeen encountered.” The application

has an error in its programming or istrying to do something that the OS orprocessor can’t logically let it do.

“Invalid data or code has beenaccessed.” Some data or part of theapplication may be corrupted or writtenincorrectly.

“The privilege level of an operation isinvalid.” The application is trying to do

something without permission. Most often, buggy software is to blame for

these problems. Applications often have pro-gramming mistakes that ask the computer todo something it can’t or shouldn’t, which theOS will report as an FEE. Occasionally, appli-cations that work fine by themselves mayconflict with each other to cause trouble likethis. Viruses and worms can also muckthings up.

Some hardware problems can also spawnFEEs. Your computer’s RAM modules store theOS, applications, and data the PC is currentlyusing as electric charges within solid-state mem-ory chips. These memory chips need constantelectronic refreshing, as they can’t retain data forlong without power. If the RAM isn’t of thehighest quality, it doesn’ttake much to disrupt thedelicate balancing act ofstoring 150MB or moredata in a typical computingsession. Heat buildup canalso affect RAM’s ability toproperly store data, whichis why a computer withoutgood ventilation will typi-cally have more errors thana cooler-running PC.

Because Windows usessome hard drive space asextra room for the RAM,calling it virtual memory,any problems on yourdrive can crop up as FEEs.Hard drives tend to be

Microsoft’s Knowledge Base has grown into a highly useful resource.This particular article (search for 150314) discusses all the fatalexception errors common to Windows 9x/Me.

The Fatal Exception ErrorDeciphering Processor Exception Codes

Miscellaneous

152 • PC Errors

“VXD IFSMGR” names the file involved in theerror, with the file extension switched around tothe front. In other words, it’s Ifsmgr.VXD.

The parts of the error message with numbers,such as “0028.xxxxxxxx,” designate things suchas the part of the program’s code (the list ofinstructions that makes up the application) thattriggered the error. These numbers are probablyonly of interest to the software developer.

WinXP tells you the type of error in a moreplain-English way. Here’s an example fromMicrosoft. This error happens when someonetries to run AOL 4.0 on WinXP:

“WAOL caused a General Protection Faultin module SUPERSUB.DLL at 0001:325B”

Customary FEEs Some FEEs are much more common than

the others, so we’ll hit the highlights here. A GPF (general protection fault; [type 0D])

is kind of the catch-all category among FEEs,so you’ll probably see it the most. This alsomakes its root cause harder to pin down.However, Microsoft says that GPFs often stemfrom a memory problem.

Data corruption in RAM should be yourchief suspect here. That could mean faultyRAM modules, memory sticks not seatedproperly, and/or too much heat.

Microsoft also says that GPF errors can alsohappen if the computer’s video adapter has afaulty or corrupted driver (software that letsan OS use a hardware device, such as a printeror sound card). Some software that expects

certain video adapter driver settings, such asHardware Acceleration set to Full, can cause aGPF if the drivers are set otherwise. Old multi-media applications can also be to blame, aswell as missing system files, the company says.

A page fault (0E) happens when the OScan’t find the data it’s expecting to discover invirtual memory on the hard drive. A pagerefers to the section of RAM or virtual memorystoring a piece of data. A page fault can alsooccur if the OS tries to access data in the wrongway or if a VXD (virtual device driver) file islocated in the wrong folder on the hard drive.

A stack fault (0C) occurs when an applica-tion tries to access data that it thinks is storedoutside its assigned stacks or areas of memoryallocated to it.

Resurrection Click the Details button in the error window

if one is offered. Jot down the first line or twoof the error message so you can look it up later.You don’t have to include all the “Press anykey to continue” parts, but you should writedown the type of error and filename, such as:

“A fatal exception 0E has occurred at0028:xxxxxxxx in VXD IFSMGR(03) + 000CF7C”

Sometimes you can close an error windowand try to continue your computing session. Ifyou can, run an antivirus scan. Some nasty bugscan get a better toehold on your system duringthe bootup period before antivirus and anti-spy-ware software starts to run, so it’s a good idea tofirst try to root out any possible nasties before

you shut off your PC. More often after an

FEE, you’ll have to reboot.This is especially true ifyour error message camein the form of a bluescreen. To do this, pressCTRL-ALT-DEL, pressyour PC’s reset button, orshut the computer off andturn it back on again aftera few moments.

If Windows suggests thatyou start it in Safe Mode, doso for now. Safe Mode startsthe OS with only essentialdrivers and processes. Thismay let you more easilytroubleshoot the problemthat led to the FEE, especial-ly if a third-party app ordriver is to blame.

Windows will probably offer to run Scan-Disk to check for errors resulting from thereboot, as Windows can only properly end allits processes when you shut down the normalway (click Start, Shut Down, and OK or ShutDown). Let the disk scan run a complete checkof your drive.

If you didn’t see any FEEs before youinstalled a new program, there’s a strong like-lihood that the new application is at leastpartly to blame. Uninstall it and reinstall it.Also, check its manufacturer’s Web site for alist of FAQs (frequently asked questions), oneof which may describe the problem you’rehaving. If so, try the remedy the FAQ sug-gests. For example, if the application isknown to conflict with another one, you mayneed to uninstall one of them or download anewer version.

The software vendor site’s Tech Support orDownloads sections may offer updates orpatches you can download and install. Even ifan update’s description doesn’t specificallymention your problem, it may still fix a bug inthe software that indirectly affects your situa-tion. Likewise, if you suspect your video cardor other hardware, look for a new driver orFAQs at the manufacturer’s site.

If your FEE seems to have come out of theblue, try looking it up in Microsoft’sKnowledge Base for troubleshooting help.Try keywords such as the type of error andthe file name, such as “fatal exception 0E IFS-MGR,” rather than the strings of numbers inthe message.

On the hardware side, make sure that yourcomputer’s fans are all working and that rib-bon cables aren’t blocking the airflowthrough the case. With your computer off,remove and reinstall your RAM modules tomake sure they’re seated properly. RAMfrom a quality manufacturer, such as Corsair,Micron/Crucial, or Kingston, is generallymore trouble-free than cheaper brands.

Finally, check your hard drive for errorsusing ScanDisk or CheckDisk and defrag-ment it using Disk Defragmenter. If yourdrive has very little free space, uninstall appsor delete data you don’t need or upgrade to abigger drive.

Fatal exception errors can be tricky to diag-nose, but now you know that you don’t haveto let them kill your computing fun.

by Marty Sems

Miscellaneous

Besides buggy applications, hardware device drivers are often toblame for fatal exception errors. Video card drivers top the rogues’gallery, so if you encounter FEEs, you may need to spend some timebrowsing the FAQ section on the Web site of the manufacturer thatproduced your card.

RS

PC Errors • 153

Characters-#s\\computer\resource is not accessible. Access Denied., 1010x0000008E, 360x000000D1, 360x4,0,0,0, 350xc000026C, 36400-Bad Request, 128401 – Authorization Required, see 401 – Unauthorized401 – Unauthorized, 123402 – Payment Required, 123403 – Forbidden, 123404 – Not Found, 123-124405 – Method Not Allowed, 127406 – Not Acceptable, 124407 – Proxy Authentication Required, 125408 – Request Timeout, 124409 – Conflict, 124410 – Gone, 124-125411 – Length Required, 125412 – Precondition Failed, 125413 – Request Entity Too Large, 125414 – Request URI Too Long, 125415 – Unsupported Media Type, 125-126500 – Internal Error, see 500 – Server Error500 – Server Error, 126501 – Not Implemented, 126502 – Bad Gateway, 126502 – Service Temporarily Overloaded, see 502 – Bad Gateway503 – Service Unavailable, 126504 – Gateway Timeout, 126505 – HTTP Version Not Supported, 12680 Wire Cable Not Installed, 1398042 Gate—A20 Error!, 1398E STOP, 37

AA corrupt extension ‘path’ was detected in the Registry., 84A device attached to the system is not functioning., 33A disk I/O failure occurred., 86A duplicate name exists on the network., 101A fatal exception 00 has occurred at X, 69A fatal exception 06 has occurred at X., 71A fatal exception 06 has occurred at xxxx:xxxxxxxx. The cur-

rent application will be terminated., 55A fatal exception 06 has occurred at xxxx:xxxxxxxx. The cur-

rent application will be terminated., 55A Fatal Exception 0E Has Occurred at 0028:<XXXXXXXX>

in VXD SYMEvent(02)+XXXXXXXX., 54A Fatal Exception 0E Has Occurred at 0028:<XXXXXXXX>

in VXD SYMEvent(02)+XXXXXXXX., 54A Fatal Exception 0E has occurred at 0028:C00082CD in

VxD VMM(01) +000072CD, 55A Fatal Exception 0E has occurred at 0028:C00082CD in

VxD VMM(01) +000072CD, 55A Fatal Exception 0E has occurred at 0028:C001AEEB, 54A Fatal Exception 0E has occurred at 0028:C001AEEB, 54A fatal exception 0E has occurred at 0028:C02A0201 in VXD

IOS(04)+00001FC9, 54-55A fatal exception 0E has occurred at 0028:C02A0201 in VXD

IOS(04)+00001FC9, 54-55A fatal exception 0E has occurred at 0028:xxxxxxxx in VXD

IFSMGR(04) + 0000D4F1. The current application will beterminated., 152-153

A fatal exception 0E has occurred at 0028:xxxxxxxx in VXDIFSMGR(04) + 0000D4F1. The current application will beterminated., 152-153

A fatal exception XX has occurred at xxxx:xxxxxxxx, 54A fatal exception XX has occurred at xxxx:xxxxxxxx, 54

A filename cannot contain any of the following characters:\/:*?”<>|, 68

A general network error occurred., 83A network resource shortage occurred., 85A port with that name already exists. Choose another port

name., 92A problem exists with the system configuration., 86A problem has been detected and windows has been shut-

down to prevent damage to your computer.PROCESS1_INITIALIZATION_FAILED, 16

A Product Identification Number is required to set upWindows 95 (or Windows 98)., 52

A Request To The Host Is Taking Longer Than Expected, 126A required file kernl32.dll was not found., 33A Runtime Error has occurred. Do you wish to debug? Line:

XX. Error: YY, 105A:\ is not accessible. The device is not ready., 31Access Denied, see 401 – UnauthorizedAccess to an illegal instruction has been encountered., 152Access to PATH\XX was denied., 96Access to the specified device, path or file is denied., 146Access was denied because the user name and/or password

was invalid on the domain., 44Active connections still exist., 86ActiveMovie not responding, 24An AOL Error Has Occurred., 133-134An application error has occurred and an application error log

is being generated. SPOOLSV.EXE Exception: access vi-olation (0xc0000005), Address Parameter1., 96

An error has been encountered that prevents Setup fromcontinuing. The critical system info file SySetup.inf layoutis corrupt or missing., 79

An error has occurred during configuration of home net-working on this computer. For more information, see thehome networking log file., 42

An error occurred sending the command to the application., 98An error occurred while Internet Connection Sharing was

being enabled. The dependency service or group failed tostart., 45

An error occurred while reconnecting X: to \\computer\re-source. This connection has not been restored., 101

An error occurred while saving changes. Some changes willnot be remembered., 99

An error occurred while trying to remove X. Uninstallationhas been cancelled., 66

An error occurred while Windows was working with theControl Panel file ...\SYSTEM\JOY.CPL, 64

An exception 0E has occurred at X, 70An exception OE has occurred at XX called from XX in XX,

75An inconsistency was encountered on the tape in drive letter

XX:. Do not append to this tape., 85An internal consistency check failed., 83An internal consistency error has occurred., 86An internal Windows 2000 error occurred., 82An Invalid Page Fault In Module KERNEL32.DLL At

025f:Bff87ede, 87An operations error occurred., 87An unexpected error (768) occurred at line 5118 in <driv-

eletter>\xpclient\base\boot\setup\setup.c Press any key tocontinue., 16

An unexpected error occurred., 42An unknown error has occurred., 53Another copy of this application is already running, 35AOL Has To Reset Your Connection, 133application name is not a valid win32 application., 33Application Name: Winword.exe. Application Version:

10.0.4009.0. Module Name: winword.exe. ModuleVersion: 10.0.4009.0. Offset: 00144ad3. Word has de-tected a problem with the existing normal.dot. Would youlike to create a new normal.dot?, 110

Application Name: Winword.exe. Application Version:11.0.55207.4. Module Name: Mso.dll. Module Version:11.0.5207.5. Offset: 00842bfc., 109

Application Name: Winword.exe. Application Version:11.0.5604.0. Module Name: Mso.dll. Module Version:11.0.5606.0. Offset: 00059890., 109

Application Name: Winword.exe. Application Version:11.0.5604.0. Module Name: Gdiplus.dll. Module Version:6.0.3260.0. Offset: 00082f1d., 109

Application Name: Winword.exe. Application Version:11.0.5604.0. Module Name: Winword.exe. ModuleVersion: 11.0.5604.0. Offset: 003606fc., 109

AppName: excel.exe. AppVer: 11.0.5612.0. ModName:gdiplus.dll. ModVer: 6.0.3260.0. Offset: 00082f15., 113

AppName: WinExcel.exe. AppVer: 11.0.5207.4. ModName:Mso.dll. ModVer: 11.0.5207.5. Offset: 00842bfc. Afterclosing the error signature, you will see this additional errormessage: The exception Illegal Instruction. An attempt wasmade to execute an illegal instruction. (oxc000001d) oc-curred in the application at location 0x31482bfc., 112

Automatic Recovery protects your computer if setup fails. Thereis not enough disk space on the drive highlighted below tostore the Automatic Recovery data. This data is temporaryand will be deleted when setup completes., 104-105

BBad Command Structure, 40Bad File Request, 126-127BAD_POOL_CALLER Stop 0xC2., 95Bad Sectors Found on Drive X:, 142BIOS ROM checksum error—System Halted, Insert Disk, 137Browser Unsupported, 133Burn Process Failed at YYx (ZZZZKB/s), 142-143

CC:\Windows\\system32\hal.dll. Please re-install a copy of the

above file., 22Can’t open uninstall log file XX, 66Can’t Parse HTTP,127Cannot Add Form Submission Result To Bookmark List, 127Cannot copy file to disk, the disk may be full or write-pro-

tected, 63Cannot copy XX: Access is denied. The source file may be in

use., 96-97Cannot Create Video Window, 148Cannot delete file name. This file is in use by the following

program: Microsoft Excel. You must close the file beforeproceeding., 114

Cannot delete XX. This file is in use by the following pro-gram: YY. You must close the file before proceeding., 118

Cannot delete: Cannot find the specified file. Make sure youspecify the correct path and filename., 67

Cannot Find a Device File That May Be Needed to RunWindows or a Windows application., 58

Cannot find autorun.exe, 61Cannot find the file file name.xls (or one of its components)., 114Cannot find the file path (or one of its components). Make

sure the path and filename are correct and that all re-quired libraries are available., 115

Cannot find the file X or one of its components, 67Cannot find the file(s) needed to start this application., 33Cannot load Remote Access Service Connection

Manager.,43Cannot modify the drive letter of your system or boot volume,

77Cannot open file., 71Cannot open Internet site…, 73Cannot overwrite XX: The specified file is being used., 97Cannot Shut Down Windows with USR USB Modem and ATI

Rage 128 Video Adapter, 59

Error Message Index

PC Errors • 155

CD Recording Software Will Cause Windows to BecomeUnstable, 39

CDR-101, 33CD-RW is not under Direct CD’s control, 60Certificate Services configuration information is corrupted.,

86Check networking protocol connections . . . TCP/IP CP re-

ported error 733: Your computer and the remote com-puter could not agree on PPP control protocols., 102

CMOS Memory Size Mismatch, 140Code 28 (The drivers for this device are not installed)., 147Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Local

Policies\Security Options\Shutdown: Clear virtual memorypagefile., 37

Computer is too fast for current driver software., 84Connection Refused By Host, 127Copy. The file being copied is too large for the destination

drive. If possible, insert a higher-capacity disk., 141Copying . . . XX Minutes Remaining, 143Copying File or Folder. Cannot copy error_copying: The disk

is write-protected. Remove the write-protection or use an-other disk., 141

Could not connect to the printer: The system cannot find thefile specified., 91

Could not create file for recording, please ensure therecording folder exist., 146

Could Not Find Acrobat External Window(s) Handler., 132-133

Could not initialize port, 75Could not load or run XX specified in the Registry. Make sure

the file exists on your computer, or remove the referenceto it in the Registry., 96

Could not start a print job., 91Could not start print job., 47Create Overlay Failed, 148CTDPROXY.DLL, 146Ctplay2 has generated errors and will be closed by Windows,

146Ctplay2.exe/Eacontrol.exe has encountered a problem and

needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience., 146

DDamage to the file was so extensive that repairs were not

possible. Excel attempted to recover your formulas andvalues, but some data may have been lost or corrupted.,113

Data Error Reading Drive <XX>, 58-59Data is invalid, 30Data or no disc loaded, 61Delayed Write Failed, 30Delayed Write Failed, 40Devices or applications disabled. CD Recording software will

cause Windows to become unstable. Windows has pre-vented these drivers from loading. Click here for more de-tails., 20

Disk I/O error: Status=00008001 Failed to arcread the bootpartition to check for a disk signature, 79

Disk is not formatted. The disk in drive A is not formatted. Doyou want to format it now?, 31

dmistart caused an IPF in module dmistart.exe at015f:00401a0c, 55

Drive converter unable to find the drive partition, 65Drive not responding., 85Drive X contains errors that must be corrected before the

drive can be compressed., 67Due to an unexpected error the system cannot be restarted., 98Duplicate name exists. The name ‘XX’ could not be regis-

tered on the Interface with IP addressXXX.XXX.XXX.XXX. The machine with the IP addressYYY.YYY.YYY.YYY did not allow the name to be claimedby this machine., 47

EError 1305: Setup Cannot read XX. Check your network con-

nection or, if you are installing from CD-ROM, be surethat the YY CD-ROM is in the drive. Click Retry to con-tinue or Cancel to stop the installation., 104

Error 1307 There is not enough disk space to install this file.Free some disk space and then click ‘Retry’, or click‘Cancel’ to exit., 104-105

Error 1402. Could not open key., 41Error 1608. Setup could not locate a version of Microsoft

Office 97, 2000 or XP on the selected drive. Click OK tostop the installation. If you have a version of MicrosoftOffice on CD-ROM, run setup again. For more informa-tion, see XX under “Locating a previous version ofOffice.”, 105

Error 20—Memory Overflow, 145Error 214, File Not Found, 131Error 2229: An internal error has occurred., 43Error 234: Additional data is available., 102Error 623: The system could not find the phone book entry

for this connection., 46Error 629: You have been disconnected from the computer

you dialed. Double-click the connection to try again., 73Error 629: You have been disconnected from the computer

you dialed. Double-click the connection to try again., 74Error 630: The computer is not receiving a response from the

modem. Check that the modem is plugged in, and if nec-essary, turn the modem off, and turn it back on., 74

Error 633. The modem is already in use or not configured fordialing out., 91

Error 678 – There Was No Answer, 129Error 691: Access denied because username and/or pass-

word is invalid on the domain., 44Error 692: Hardware failure in port or attached device., 91Error 692: Hardware Failure in the Modem, 31Error 745: An essential file is missing. Re-install Dial-Up

Networking., 73Error 769, 33Error 769: The specific destination is not reachable., 45Error 797 – The Modem Could Not Be Found, 129Error code 800b0001 Signature for Windows 2000

Professional is invalid. Setup had problems registering thefollowing OLE control dll: WINNT\System32\initpki.dll, 79

Error Copying File or Folder. Cannot copy XX: There is notenough free disk space. Delete one or more files to freedisk space, and then try again., 142

Error Deleting File or Folder. Cannot delete XX: Access isdenied. Make sure the disk is not full or write-protectedand that the file is not currently in use., 142

Error Deleting File. Cannot delete XX. Access is denied.Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and thatthe file is not currently in use., 67

Error Loading GDI.EXE. You Must Reinstall Windows, 57-58Error Loading Kernel. You Must Reinstall Windows., 57Error loading operating system., 82Error Loading User.exe. You Must Reinstall Windows, 57Error Message: An unexpected error has occurred.

(536821760) occurred at line 1768 inD:\xpclient\base\boot\setup\arcdisp.c, 17

Error performing Inpage Operation., 92Error Reading Drive <XX>, 58-59Error Reading From File [Installer Error 1305], 33Error Starting Program: A required .DLL file,

SUPERSUB.DLL was not found., 74Error starting the program. The XX file cannot start. Check

the file to determine the problem, 66Error SU0013 — Setup could not create files on your startup

drive and cannot set up Windows. If you have HPFS orWindows NT file system, you must create an MS-DOSboot partition. If you have LANtastic server or SuperStorcompression, disable it before running Setup. See

SETUP.TXT on Setup Disk 1 or the Windows CD-ROM.,53

Error SU0018 — Setup could not create files on your startupdrive and cannot set up Windows. There may be toomany files in the root directory of your startup drive. Formore information, see SETUP.TXT on Setup Disk 1 or theWindows CD-ROM., 49

Error SU0129 — Setup was unable to determine your com-puter’s hardware configuration. Setup cannot continueand will now close., 49

Error SU0350 — Setup was unable to display theNondisclosure Agreement. Setup will now close., 51

Error SU0358 — Setup detected one or more MS-DOS-based programs running on your computer. Close yourMS-DOS programs, and then click OK to continue. Or,click Cancel to quit Setup., 51

Error SU0515 — Setup was unable to configure your networkcomponents. To continue without network support, clickYes. To quit Setup, click No., 51-52

Error writing to drive C:, 64Error writing to LPTx for Printer XX, there may be a problem

with the Network or password is incorrect., 60Error. A Runtime Error Has Occurred. Do You Wish To

Debug?, 135ERROR: 0D: 0246: XXXXXXXX Press Key To Continue.,

136Error: Cannot get main entry point for C:WINDOWSSYS-

TEMVIPERSTI.CPL. Error:127 [ERROR=127 (7Fh)], 16ERROR: OE: 0028: C0012D2C, 16 Error: The signature for Windows XP edition Setup is invalid.

The error code is fffffdf0, 16Error: Warning! Setup failed to remove the setup catalog ie-

excep.cat, 16Error: Warning! Setup failed to remove the setup catalog

sp1.cat, 16Errors were detected in file name.xls, but Microsoft Excel

was able to open the file by making the repairs listedbelow. Save the file to make these repairs permanent.,113

EXPLORER caused a general protection fault in moduleCM8330SB.DRV, 59

Explorer caused a general protection fault in moduleqtw32.cpl at X, 69

EXPLORER caused an invalid page fault in moduleKERNEL32.DLL, 56

Explorer.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close.We are sorry for the inconvenience., 42

FFailed DNS Lookup, 127Failed to install product catalog., 16Fatal 0E, 55Fatal Error: An error has been encountered that prevents

setup from continuing. One of the components thatWindows needs to continue setup could not be installed.Press OK to view the setup log file., 13

Fatal Error: Setup Cannot Continue. Please ContactMicrosoft Technical Support. (Error: 3E6h), 13

Fatal Error: Setup failed to install the product catalogs. Thisis a fatal error. The setup log files should contain more in-formation., 16

Fatal Exception 0D, 54Fatal Exception 0E at 0028:c028bac6 in VXD

Vwin32(05)+0000281a dmistart timed out waiting for INIT-COMPLETE message from c:\programfiles\intel\ldcm\, 55

Fatal Exception Error Message in VXD IOS(04). The currentapplication will be terminated, 55

Fatal Exception OE At 0028:c001545a; Exception OE At0028:c81oa23a In vxd AFVXD (01) +0000164a calledfrom 0028:c00457ec in vxd ND15 (01) + 0000 4860, 130

Fatal System Error: 0x000000a0 (0x00000002, 0x00000000,0x00000000), 21

Error Message Index

156 • PC Errors

Fatal System Error: 0x000000a0(0x00000002,0x00070124,0x00000000,0x00000000), 40

File Contains No Data, 127File Not Found., see 404 – Not FoundFloppy Disk Fail (40), page 138Floppy Disk is Not Accessible, Not Formatted, or Not

Recognized by Windows, 31FTP Server could not initialize the socket library. The data is

the error., 83

G-HGeneral Protection Fault in module XX., 93, 96Hard disk drive failure, 21Hard Disk Errors Caused by Damaged Data or Physical

Damage, 58-59Hardware Monitor Found An Error, Please Check Power

Setup., 138Helper Application Not Found, 127Host Unavailable, 127Host Unknown, 127-128Hpppt.exe unable to locate component. This application

failed because WNASPI32.DLL was not found., 20HTTP Error 403 Forbidden Internet Explorer. You Are Not

Authorized To View This Page. You Might Not HavePermission To View This Directory Or Page Using TheCredentials You Supplied., 136

II/O Error, 58-59Iexplore caused an general protection fault in module

cm8330.drv, 59IEXPLORE Caused An Invalid Page Fault In Module

<Unknown> At 0000.78581f00., 135-136Illegal operation error, 144-145Initializing Device IOS: Windows Protection Error, 68Insert a writable disc to continue. There is no disc in the

drive. Please insert a writable CD in drive X:, 143Install.exe is not a valid win32 application, 39Installer not responding Internal Error 2608, 1332, 81Insufficient buffer size, unable to proceed., 83Internal Page Fault, 131Internet Connection Could Not Be Established, 46Internet Connection is Required, 46Internet Explorer Has Encountered A Problem And Needs To

Close. We Are Sorry For The Inconvenience., 134-135Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to

close. We are sorry for the inconvenience., 45-46Internet Explorer Script Error. An error has occurred in the

script on this page. Line: 49 Char: 1 Error: This commandis unavailable because the license to use this applicationhas expired. Code: 0 URL: res://C:\PROGRA~1\MI-CROS~1\OFFICE10\EXCEL.EXE\3000 Do you want tocontinue running scripts on this page?, 135

Internet Explorer Script Error: An error has occurred in thescript on this page, 74

Invalid address was specified for adapter name. This inter-face cannot be initialized., 86

Invalid data or code has been accessed., 152Invalid DHCP Lease, 136Invalid domain or server name., 84Invalid Drive Specifications, 63Invalid local device., 72Invalid page fault in module: kernel32.dll At 015f:bff766f6, 130Invalid Page Fault, 1Invalid RDP Data can Cause Terminal Service Failure., 86Invalid Write State, Could Not Perform EndTrack, Command

Sequence Error, Could Not Perform Fixation…, 142IRQ_NOT_LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL, 139IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL., 88, 94It is now safe to turn off your computer, 24

J-LJava Not Enabled, 132Java Not Installed, 132JavaScript Error, 131-132KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR, 34Keyboard Error Or No Keyboard Present., 138Load needed DLLs for Kernel, 38Local Area Connection - Network cable unplugged., 103

MMaximum number of files already open. Close a file or appli-

cation to open this file., 97Maximum number of partitions exceeded., 87Memory Allocation Failed., 87Memory Test Failed, 140Microsoft Excel cannot find a match., 115Microsoft Excel cannot find the data you’re searching for.

Check your search options, location, and formatting., 114Microsoft Internet Explorer: Internet Explorer cannot open the

Internet site XX: Invalid syntax., 74Microsoft PowerPoint “hlink.dll” can’t be loaded., 119 Microsoft PowerPoint failed to load “hlink.dll”, 119Microsoft PowerPoint has encountered a problem and needs

to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience., 116Microsoft visual C++ runtime library: runtime error! c:\pro-

gram files\intel\ldcm\ci\ia\ciamngr.exe abnormal programtermination., 55

Microsoft Word cannot install the necessary files due toWindows Installer Error 1605., 110

Modem in use by another application, 45Modem is busy or not responding., 91Mozilla cannot use the profile ‘default’ because it is in use.

Please choose another profile or create a new one., 132Mplayer2 caused an invalid page fault in module kernel32.dll, 71MPREXE.EXE caused an exception 03h in module

USER32.dll at X., 70Msgsrv32 Caused a General Protection Fault in User.exe,

56-57MSGSRV32.EXE Caused a General Protection Fault in

module CM8330SB.DRV, 59Msimn.exe has generated errors and will be closed by

Windows. You will need to restart the program. An errorlog is being created., 46

Msmsgs.exe not responding, 24My Network Places: \\computer\resource is not accessible.

The network path was not found., 101

NNetwork component upgrade Error copying OEM files from

the specified location. Do you want to cancel this up-grade?, 81

Network Connection Was Refused By The Server, 128Network logons are paused., 86Network path not found., 47NNTP Server Error, 128No DNS Entry., see Failed DNS LookupNo ISDN devices were found. Please install an ISDN device

and run the configuration wizard again., 75No more connections can be made at this remote computer

at this time because there are already as many connec-tions as the computer can accept., 102

No Response, 124Non-System disk or disk error . . . Replace and strike a key

when ready., 18Non-System disk or disk error. Replace and press any key

when ready., 92Not enough memory to run this application., 33Not enough memory was available to allocate internal

storage needed for the device., 84

Not enough printer memory available to print page., 119Not enough server storage is available to process this com-

mand., 43Not Implemented, 134Not ready reading drive X., 92

OObject Doesn’t Support This Property Or Method.:‘Onmove’,

135Offending Command, 145Office Source Engine error: Error 25090. Office Setup en-

countered a problem with the Office Source Engine,system error: -2147024703., 105

Operation Timed Out, 132Override Enabled—Defaults Loaded, 140

PPage Cannot Be Displayed, 133, 136PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA, 140Paper jam, 144Permission Denied, 128Permission Denied, 133Playback Failed Due To One Of The Following Reasons . . .,

148Please Insert a Disk into Drive A:, 32Please insert an audio compact disc, 61Please wait while Windows configures Office XP Pro…, 106Port Already Open, 74Port already open., 45PowerPoint can’t open the type of file represented by XX.,

116-117PowerPoint can’t open XX because part of file is missing.,

116-117PowerPoint can’t read XX., 116-117PowerPoint can’t read XX.ppt., 116Printer failed to initialize, 144Problems Restarting Computer with Device Using IRQ 12, 59Problems With This Web Page Might Prevent It From Being

Displayed Properly Or Functioning Properly. In TheFuture You Can Display This Message By Double-Clicking The Warning Icon Displayed In The Status Bar.,135

Program does not run under Windows., 66

Q-RQuery result parsing failure., 102RawESR.sys Cannot Be Found, 130Redirection Limit For This URL Exceeded. Unable To Load

The Requested Page., 132Registry Startup information is missing or invalid., 84Remote Procedure Call, 43Rundll caused a general protection fault in krnl386.exe, 69 Rundll caused a general protection fault in module MM-

SYSTEM.DLL at X., 70RUNDLL Error loading irprops.cpl, 37Rundll32 caused a general protection fault in module

Macw4.drv, 70Rundll32.exe Has Performed An Illegal Operation, 129Runtime Error 216 at XX, 75Runtime Error, 44

SSaving your settings., 23Scanner not found, 145Seek Error - Sector not found, 58-59Serious Disk Error Writing Drive <XX>, 58-59Serious Disk Error Writing Drive X., 92Server service is not started., 47

Error Message Index

PC Errors • 157

Server storage error , 44Servername\sharename is an invalid port name., 91Service pack 3 Setup error. An error in updating your system

has occurred., 80Services.exe - Application Error. The application failed to ini-

tialize (0xc0000006)., 32Setup (.cab) file error Setup has detected the following de-

coding error: Setup has detected a corrupt setup (.cab)file. Setup will attempt to recover from this situation, 65

Setup cannot access this disk., 78Setup cannot create the folder \WINNT\TEMP, 76Setup cannot load the keyboard layout file Kbdus.dll. Setup

cannot continue. Shut down or restart your computer., 79Setup cannot set the required Windows XP configuration in-

formation. This indicates an internal setup error. Contactyour system administrator., 15

Setup cannot upgrade your current installation to WindowsXP. Your copy of Windows XP does not support up-grading from an evaluation copy of Windows. Setupcannot continue., 16

Setup encountered an unexpected critical error . . . not allsettings were transferred . . ., 78

Setup Has Detected A Newer Version Of Internet ExplorerAlready Installed On This System. Setup CannotContinue, 134

Setup has detected the following decoding error: ‘Could notdecode this setup (.CAB) file.’ Setup will attempt to re-cover from this situation, click OK to continue, 65

Setup has disabled the upgrade option, could not load the fileD:\i386\Win9xupg\W95upg.dll. Setup cannot continue, be-cause this version can only install as an upgrade., 13

Setup has encountered a fatal error that prevents it from con-tinuing. Contact your product support representative forassistance. The following status will assist them in diag-nosing the problem. (0x4, 0x1, 0, 0) Setup cannot con-tinue. Power down or reboot your computer now., 81

Setup has encountered an error and cannot continue.Contact technical support for assistance. The followingstatus will assist them in diagnosing the problem. (0x5,0x1, 0,0) -or- (0x5, 0x1, 0x3, 0) Setup cannot continue. Toquit Setup, press F3., 80

Setup is unable to locate temporary files, 76Setup.exe is not a valid win32 application., 39SmartHeap Library. MEM_BAD_POINTER. This program has

performed an illegal operation and will shut down. If theproblem persists, contact the program vendor. X causedan invalid page fault in module Kernel32.dll at X., 71

Some of the cells you are trying to change are password pro-tected, but no one password will allow access to all of thecells. Click OK, and then try editing one cell at a time.,114

Sorry, You Do Not Have Permission To Press This Key, 134Speaker errors, 147Spool32 caused an invalid page fault in module

WNPP32.DLL, 61Spooler subsystem app has encountered a problem and

needs to close., 47STG_E_FILEALREADYEXISTS, 40STOP: 0x0000000A irql_not_less_or_equal., 12STOP: 0x0000000A, 35, 88, 94STOP: 0x0000001E (0x80000003, 0xBFC0304, 0x0000000,

0x0000001) [bugcheck code] ([1] [2] [3] [4]), 16STOP: 0x0000001E KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HAN-

DLED, 17STOP: 0x0000001E, 26STOP: 0x0000001e, 36STOP: 0x00000023 (0xParameter1, 0xParameter2,

0xParameter3, 0xParameter4) FAT_FILE_SYSTEM., 89STOP: 0x00000024 (0xParameter1, 0xParameter2,

0xParameter3, 0xParameter4) NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM., 89STOP: 0x0000002E (0xParameter1, 0xParameter2,

0xParameter3, 0xParameter4) DATA_BUS_ERROR., 89

STOP: 0x00000050 (0xParameter1, 0xParameter2,0xParameter3, 0xParameter4) PAGE_FAULT_IN_NON-PAGED_AREA., 94

STOP: 0x00000050 PAGE_FAULT_IN_NON_PAGED_AREA, 16

STOP: 0x00000073 (0x00000001, 0xc000017d,0x00000002, 0xfc96fcc0) CONFIG_LIST_FAILED, 38

STOP: 0x00000074 (0x00000003, 0x00000002,0x80087000) BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO, 41

STOP: 0x00000077 (0xParameter1, 0xParameter2,0xParameter3, 0xParameter4) KERNEL_STACK_IN-PAGE_ERROR., 88

STOP: 0x00000077, 34STOP: 0x0000007B, 35STOP: 0x0000007B: (0xF741B84C, 0x00000034,

0x00000000, 0x00000000) INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DE-VICE., 90

STOP: 0x0000007E (0xc00000005, 0xFC7F1945,0xFC9589B0, 0xFC9586Bo) Kbdclass.sys- addressFc7F1945 base at FC7F1000, Datestamp 3b7d82f3, 23

STOP: 0x0000007F (0xParameter1, 0xParameter2,0xParameter3, 0xParameter4)UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP., 90

STOP: 0x0000008E (0x00000005,0xBF869F22,0xF9470688,0x00000000), 16

STOP: 0x0000008e, 16STOP: 0x0000009F DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE,

21STOP: 0x0000009F DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE, 27

STOP: 0x000000B8 (0x00000000,0x00000000,0x00000000,0x00000000) ATTEMPTED_SWITCH_FROM_DPC ad-dress 0xf729a248 in XX., 88

STOP: 0x000000C2 (0x00000007, 0x00000fd3,0x88289700, 0x00000000), 102

STOP: 0x000000C2, 35STOP: 0x000000D1 (0xFF8BA000, 0x00000002,

0x00000001, 0xF3AAA40E)DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, 102

STOP: 0x000000D1 (68b6a590 00000002 00000000bfda3841), 102

STOP: 0x000000D1, (0x0000002b, 0x00000002,0x00000000, 0xEEEE1b01)IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Kbdclass.sys, 23

STOP: 0x000000EATHREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER, 27

STOP: 0x000000ED (0xaaaaaaa, 0xbbbbbbb, 0xccccccc)UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME, 14

STOP: 0x9F, 35

STOP: 0xA0, 26

STOP: 0xA0, 34

STOP: 0xc0000218 (0xe11a30e8, 0x00000000,0x000000000, 0x00000000)UNKNOWN_HARD_ERROR, 38

STOP: 0xc0000218 {Registry File Failure} The Registrycannot load the hive (file)., 38

STOP: 0xC000021A (0xParameter1, 0xParameter2,0xParameter3, 0xParameter4) STATUS_SYSTEM_PROCESS_TERMINATED., 94-95

STOP: 0xC0000221 STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MIS-MATCH Path\File_name, 31, 95

STOP: 0xc0000221 Unable to Load Device Driver, 27STOP: 0xc0000221 Unable to Load Device Driver, 36

STOP: 0xC0000221 unknown hard errorC:\Winnt\System32\Ntdll.dll, 31

STOP: 0xc000026C [Unable to load device driver] Driver, 19STOP: 0xc000026C Unable to Load Device Driver, 27 STOP: 0xC2, 35

STOP: 0xv0000221 [Unable to load device driver] Driver, 19STOP: 0xv0000221. Bad image check sum, the image

user32.dll is possibly corrupt. The header check sumdoes not match the computed check sum., 19

STOP: c0000218 {Registry File Failure} The Registry cannotload the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFT-WARE or its log or alternate, 39

STOP: C0000221 STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MIS-MATCH, 26

STOP: C0000221 STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MIS-MATCH, 31

STOP: C0000221 unknown hard error Path\File_name, 31,95

STOP: C0000221 Unknown Hard Error, 31STOP: The disk media is not recognized, it may not be for-

matted., 31STOP: XxXXXXXXD1, 26STOP: XxXXXXXXED UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME,

27STOP: XxXXXXXXED, 28SU5038 — Error in command line., 52Sync Out of Range, 149System Busy, 69System has recovered from a serious error

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, 41System Has Recovered from a Serious Error, 36System restart has been paused: Continue with system

restart. Delete restoration data and proceed to systemboot menu., 41

System Restore Cannot Run Until You Restart theComputer., 32

TTASKMON caused an invalid page fault in module

KERNEL32.DLL, 56TCP Error Encountered While Sending Request To Server,

see TCP ErrorTCP Error, 128Test Page failed to print. Would you like to view the printer

troubleshooter for assistance? The filename, directoryname, or volume label syntax is incorrect., 91

Test page failed to print. Would you like to view the printertroubleshooter for assistance? Unable to create a job., 91

The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0150002).Click on OK to terminate the application., 105-106

The binding handle is invalid., 85The command cannot be performed because a dialog box is

open. Click OK and then close any open dialog boxes tocontinue., 110

The computer name already exists on the network., 86The computer you are dialing in to cannot establish a Dial-Up

Networking connection. Check your password, and thentry again., 44

The computer you have dialed in to has denied access be-cause the username and/or password is invalid on the do-main., 72

The configuration file or the command line has a duplicateparameter., 87

The configuration file or the command line has an ambiguousoption., 86

The device cannot start. (Code 10) Try updating the devicedrivers for this device., 89

The device cannot start. (Code 10)., 148The device is being accessed by an active process., 84The device X: is already connected to \\server\resource. Do

you wish to replace the current connection with\\server2\resource2?, 103

The document caused a serious error the last time it wasopened. Would you like to continue opening it?, 110

The document caused a serious error the last time it wasopened. Would you like to continue opening it?, 113

The drive letter is in use locally., 84The driver for this device might be corrupt, or your system

may be running low on memory or other resources. (Code3)., 93

Error Message Index

158 • PC Errors

The driver or network connection that the shortcut ‘target.lnk’refers to is unavailable. Make sure that the disk is prop-erly inserted or the network resource is available, andthen try again., 72

The dynamic-link library WININET.DLL could not be found inthe specific path., 97

The environment is incorrect., 85The exception Illegal Instruction. An attempt was made to ex-

ecute an illegal instruction. (oxc000001d) occurred in theapplication at location 0x31482bfc., 109

The file C:\windows\system32\c_1252.nls is missing or cor-rupt., 19

The file XX is not available., 117The file XX is unavailable., 117The file XX that shortcut YY refers to cannot be found, 96The file you are attempting to play has an extension that

does not match the file format. Playing the file may resultin unexpected behavior., 117

The folder you entered does not appear to be valid. Pleasechoose another., 47

The following file is corrupted: toside.sys, 41The following system files have been replaced with older ver-

sions by a program you recently ran. These files are cur-rently in use and cannot be automatically repaired.Windows may not run correctly until you exit and restartWindows so that the files can be automatically repaired.C:\Windows\System\XX, 67

The highlighted volumes do not have enough disk spaceavailable for the currently selected features., 104-105

The Issuing Certificate could not be found. The CertificateServices may need to be reinstalled., 86

The item XX that this shortcut refers to has been changed ormoved, so this shortcut will no long work properly., 96

The local policy of this system does not allow you to log in in-teractively., 44

The margins of section <n> are set outside the printable areaof the page. Do you want to continue?, 110

The Microsoft Dial Up adapter is in use or not respondingproperly. Disconnect other connections and then tryagain. If this problem persists, shut down and restart yourcomputer. Error 645., 73

The modem VxD is not present. Please refer to the trou-bleshooting section in the User’s guide., 129

The MSIEXEC file is linked to missing export MSI.DLL:222.,105

The network is not accessible. Unable to find the device onthe network., 73

The page cannot be displayed. Cannot find server or DNSerror., 43

The page cannot be displayed. The page you’re looking formight have been removed or had its name changed., 75

The Page cannot be displayed., 74The page cannot be found. HTTP 404 - file not found., 43

The parent directory could not be located., 82

The Password Is Incorrect. Word Cannot Open theDocument., 111

The Password Is Not Valid, 33The privilege level of an operation is invalid., 152The Requested URL Was Not Found, see 404 – Not FoundThe security database is corrupted., 86

The separator page does not exist., 95

The server could not be located., 84

The server is configured without a valid user path., 82The source application is busy and can’t respond immedi-

ately., 118The specified extended attribute handle is invalid., 84The system cannot find message text for message number

0xfffffdf0 in the message file for Syssetup.dll, 16The system could not log you on. Make sure your Username

and domain are correct, then type your password again.Letters in passwords must be typed using the correct

case. Make sure that Caps Lock is not accidentally on.,100

The system has detected an IP address conflict with anothersystem on the network. The local interface has been dis-abled. More details are available in the system event log.Consult your network administrator to resolve the conflict.,103

The Target can not handle this type of document, 40The time range specified ends before it starts., 87The UPS driver could not be opened., 84The user disk quota information is unusable., 87The Windows 98 CD was not found in your CD-ROM drive.,

63The Windows registry or SYSTEM.INI file refers to this de-

vice file, but the device file no longer exists. A Windowsvirtual device driver (VxD) referenced in the System.ini fileor registry is missing or damaged., 56

The workstation driver is not installed., 85The workstation is not configured properly., 87The Workstation service is in an inconsistent state. Restart

the computer before restarting the Workstation service.,85

The wrong version of the driver has been loaded., 85There is a crosslinked file on drive X. Please run SCAN-

DISK.EXE from Setup disk 1 or the Windows CD-ROM tofix the problem. Setup cannot continue., 52

There is insufficient memory or disk space. Close extra win-dows and save your work.,111

There is insufficient memory. Save the document now., 117There is no dialtone. Make sure your modem is connected to

the phone line., 74There is not enough memory or disk space to complete the

operation., 111There was a problem in connecting to the Internet. To at-

tempt to connect again, click Try Again., 46There was a problem printing to the printer due to an un-

known system error., 72There was an error found when printing the document XX to

LPT1. Do you want to retry or cancel the job?, 92There was an internal error and one of the windows you were

using has been closed. It is recommended that you saveyour work and close all programs, and then restart yourcomputer., 98

This action is only valid for products that are currently in-stalled., 106

This Application Requires the Windows Installer to Run, 38

This device is not configured correctly (Code 1). To updatethe drivers for this device, click Update Driver. If thatdoesn’t work, see your hardware documentation for moreinformation., 93

This operation is attempting to change a filtered range onyour worksheet and cannot be completed. To completethis operation, the AutoFilter feature in the worksheetneeds to be modified., 114

This operation requires the merged cells to be identicallysized., 115

This program cannot be run in DOS Mode., 15This program cannot be run in MS-DOS mode, 76

This program has performed an illegal operation and will beshut down. If this problem persists, contact the programvendor., 67, 111

This program has performed an illegal operation and will beshut down. If the problem persists, contact the programvendor. XX caused an Invalid Page Fault in Module YY.,97-98

This workbook contains one or more Microsoft Excel 4.0macros. These macros may contain viruses or otherharmful code. These macros will be disabled., 113

This workbook contains one or more Microsoft Excel 4.0macros. These macros may contain viruses or otherharmful code. Open this workbook only if you trust thesource. Do you want to enable these macros?, 113

To view this page, you must be connected to the Internet. Toconnect to the Internet now, click Connect., 46

Too Many Connections – Try Again Later, see NetworkConnection Was Refused By The Server

Too Many Users, see Network Connection Was Refused ByThe Server

Too Much Network Traffic, 134Too Much Network Traffic, see Network Connection Was

Refused By The ServerTransfer Interrupted, 128

UUnable to allocate required resources. Initialization failed., 83Unable To Connect To The AOL Service, 133Unable to create directory., 66Unable to create or open the file XX., 95-96Unable to establish a connection with the activation server.

Please check your network settings and confirm that youare able to connect to the Internet, then try again., 44

Unable to find Setup.exe, 33Unable To Locate Host, see Host UnknownUnable to Locate Server, see Host UnknownUnable to log you on because your account has been locked

out, please contact your administrator., 100Unable to obtain configuration information for graphics card.,

87Unable to open port, 62Unable to open your default e-mail folders. The .DLL file for

the information service could not be found. MAPI was un-able to load the information service Pstprx.dll. Be sure theservice is correctly installed and configured., 46

Unable To Print Document, Either Document’s Application IsNot Installed Correctly, There Is Not Enough Memory ToLoad The Application, Or This Application Does NotSupport Printing (For Example Sound Files Can Not BePrinted), 136

Unable to read drive drive letter:, 33Unable to read file., 113Uninstall Option Not Available. There is not enough Space to

save your current operation system. Your computer hasenough disk space for Windows XP, but it does not haveenough to save your current version of Windows forbackup. The backup image size is [number_of_megabytes]It is recommended that you cancel Setup now, free addi-tional disk space, and then restart Setup., 17

Unknown error., 83, 98Upgrade Your Browser, 133User does not have access privileges.,117User has not been granted requested login type., 47

VvDisk is not formatted. The disk in drive X is not formatted.

Do you want to format it now?, 141VFAT Device Initiali-zation Failed. A device or resource re-

quired by VFAT is not present or is unavailable. VFATcannot continue loading. System halted., 58

Video decoder error, 30VMM32.VXD Is Required to Run Windows. . ., 56

WWarning SU0010 — Setup has detected a Boot Manager

partition on your computer. If you set up Windows, youwill not be able to use Boot Manager. For more informa-tion, quit Setup, and read SETUP.TXT on Setup Disk 1 orthe Windows CD-ROM., 48

Warning SU0011 — Setup has detected a password-pro-tected partition on your hard disk. To set up Windows 95(or Windows 98), you first need to remove the passwordprotection. For more information, see SETUP.TXT onSetup Disk 1 or the Windows CD-ROM., 48

Error Message Index

PC Errors • 159

Warning SU0012 — Setup detected an OS/2 or Windows NTfile system partition on your hard disk. Files on this parti-tion will not be available when you use Windows 95 (orWindows 98). For more information, see SETUP.TXT onSetup Disk 1 or the Windows CD-ROM., 48

Warning SU0016 — Setup has detected OS/2 files on yourcomputer. If you set up Windows 95 (or Windows 98), youmay not be able to use OS/2. For more information, quitSetup and read SETUP.TXT on Setup Disk 1 or theWindows CD-ROM., 49

Warning SU0019 — Setup has found commands in your AU-TOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files that are not compat-ible with Windows., 49

Warning SU0133 — Setup was unable to determine yoursystem configuration by using full detection. Would youlike to try again using minimal detection?, 49

Warning SU0139 — The directory you specified contains aversion of Windows with a different character set. Setupcannot upgrade this version. Please choose a different di-rectory., 53

Warning SU0141 — Setup could not copy files needed foryour startup disk. You can still continue with Setupwithout creating the startup disk. Click OK to continue., 50

Warning SU0151 — Setup could not verify that your com-puter has the minimum amount of memory (RAM) re-quired to run Windows 95 (or Windows 98). Do you wantto continue with Setup?, 50

Warning SU0153 — Drive X, the host drive for the com-pressed Y drive, must have at least Z bytes free to set upWindows. Free some disk space, and then run Setupagain., 50

Warning SU0159 — The directory X you specified contains aWindows NT installation. Setup cannot install Windows inthis directory. Please choose a different directory., 50

Warning SU0160 — The directory X which is needed to in-stall Windows into already contains a Windows installa-tion. Please choose a different installation directory., 50

Warning SU0164 — Setup cannot upgrade the version ofWindows in X, because you are running Windows from adifferent directory. Please choose a different directory., 53

Warning SU0167 — The specified directory contains a direc-tory named ‘desktop’ that you must move or rename beforeSetup can continue. For more information, see SETUP.TXTon Setup Disk 1 or the Windows CD-ROM., 51

Warning SU0168 — Your computer already has an operatingsystem installed, which cannot be upgraded by this ver-sion of Setup., 53

Warning SU0343 — Setup could not create X. Make sureyou specified a valid drive letter and directory name. Alsomake sure the directory name does not conflict with ex-isting files on your drive., 51

Warning SU0344 — The Windows directory X you havespecified does not currently exist. Please verify that thepath is correct., 51

Warning SU0346 — Setup cannot upgrade Windows. The di-rectory X does not contain a valid Windows installation.Please specify another directory., 53

Warning SU0361 — A Windows registry file was found. IfWindows 95 (or Windows 98) is installed in another direc-tory, continuing with Setup will disable it. Do you want tocontinue?, 51

Warning SU0362 — It is not recommended that Setup con-tinue without the proper amount of disk space free. If youcontinue, Setup may run out of disk space and not com-plete successfully., 52

Warning SU0366 — This option disables some of the com-mands in your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS filesto ensure that Windows 95 (or Windows 98) installs cor-rectly and uses the fastest drivers., 51

Warning SU0409 — Windows Setup was unable to updateyour system files. This may be caused by virus detectionthat is built in to your computer, or by virus detection soft-ware running on your computer., 52

Warning SU0516 — Setup ran into problems while trying toset up the following device on your computer: X Setupwill attempt to install this device later. If problems persist,run Setup again and choose Safe Recovery whenprompted. Click OK to continue., 52

While initializing device vkd - Windows Protection Error - Youneed to restart your computer, 63

While initializing device XX Windows Protection Error, 55While initializing device: Windows Protection Error. You need

to restart your computer., 83While setting up DVD-video playback, it was found that XX

Video cannot be shown on the computer monitor becauseof one of the following reasons: Low video memory.Please try using lower display resolution and/or colors.The display adapter is incompatible with the DVD de-coder. Please try to obtain a display driver update., 93

While verifying the integrity of your section files, OneNote de-tected a problem with the following file: XX.one, 106

Win32k!EXFORMOBJ::vGetCoefficient+0xb., 95win32sl.exe -i -r ia error, ..\..\dmispio.cpp::320 unable to reg-

ister with service provider., 55Windows 2000 Setup could not detect the version of

Windows you are currently running. Setup cannot con-tinue., 77-78

Windows cannot find “search”. You may have typed thename incorrectly in the Run dialog, or another open pro-gram cannot find a system file. To search a file, click theStart button, and then click Search., 70

Windows cannot find file ‘XX.’ Check the spelling and tryagain, or try searching for the item by clicking the Startbutton and then clicking Search., 42

Windows cannot find openme.exe, 22Windows cannot identify all the resources this device uses.

(Code 16) To specify additional resources for this device,click the Resources tab and fill in the missing settings.Check your hardware documentation to find out what set-tings to use., 93

Windows cannot open this file., 118Windows cannot print due to a problem with the current

printer setup., 119Windows cannot start this hardware device because its con-

figuration information (in the Registry) is incomplete ordamaged. (Code 19), 28

Windows could not start because the following file is missingor corrupt: \windows\System32\Drivers\Isapnp.sys, 21

Windows could not start because the following file is missingor corrupt: \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEMced., 99

Windows Media Player cannot find the specified file. Be surethe path is typed correctly. If it is, the file does not exist inthe specified location, or the computer where the file isstored is offline., 117-118

Windows Media Player Error C00D10B3 - unable to accessthe network., 45

Windows Media Player is not configured for the Internet.Before you can use the Media Guide or Radio Tuner fea-tures, you must be connected to the Internet. To connectto the Internet, run the Internet Connection Wizard and tryagain., 45

Windows Protection Error, 56Windows XP does not discover Visioneer Paperport One

Touch scanner. It is not USB but parallel only., 28WINNT32 this program has performed an illegal operation.

WINNT32 caused an invalid page fault in moduleKERNEL32.DLL, 13

WinXP could not start because the following file is missing orcorrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM, 36

Word cannot complete the save due to a file permissionerror., 111

XXX An error has occurred in your program. To keep working

anyway, click Ignore and save your work to a new file. To

quit this program, click Close. You will lose informationyou entered since the last save., 98

XX cased an invalid page fault in module HHCTRL.OCX atY, 67

XX Could Not Be Found, 131XX is not accessible. Unknown Error 2114, 72XX is read-only. Do you want to save changes to a different

file name?, 118-119XX.ppt is currently in use. PowerPoint can’t modify it at this

time., 118XX The above file name is invalid., 97XX This file exists with Read-Only attributes. Please use a

different file name, 96XX This file is already in use. Select a new name or close the

file in use by another application., 97

YYou are not logged onto the Windows 2000 workstation as a

member of the user group that has the right to view theworkstation’s Virtual Memory settings., 85

You Can’t Log On As An Anonymous User, 128You cannot drag an item into a button on the Taskbar.

However if you do this without releasing the mousebutton, the window will open and you can the drag theitem into the window., 97

You cannot make phone calls or start voice or video conver-sations with Windows Messenger, 130

You chose to install Windows 2000 on a partition that con-tains another operating system. Installing Windows 2000on this partition might cause the operating system to func-tion improperly., 80

You Do Not Have The Plug-In Needed To View The‘Application/Plug-In’ Type Of Information On This Page.To Get The Plug-In Now, Click View Plug-In Directory,134

You Have Not Connected The Power Extension Cable ToYour XX., 149

You have not entered a valid product key. Please check thenumber located on the sticker on the back of the CD caseor on your Certificate of Authenticity., 106

Your account has been disabled. Please see your systemadministrator., 101

Your Current Login Session Is Expired, Please Re-LoginBefore Using Our Services., 132

Your display adapter is not configured properly., 58Your installation cannot be activated because you have acti-

vated up to the limit for your Product Key. For detailsabout the maximum allowed number of product activa-tions, close this wizard and review the End User LicenseAgreement, available through the Help menu of this appli-cation. If you believe that you are getting this message inerror, click Back and choose the telephone option. Thetelephone activation system will provide you the opportu-nity to speak with a support representative about all acti-vation issues., 106

Your Network Configuration Is Not Complete, 129Your network is configured such that you cannot make phone

calls, 130Your password has expired and must be changed., 100Your password will expire in X days. Do you want to change

it now?, 100Your Sound Card does not support hardware buffering.

Sound will only playback from software buffers., 147Your system is running low on Virtual Memory, please close

some applications, 98-99Your system is low on Virtual Memory. To ensure that

Windows runs properly, increase the size of your VirtualMemory paging file. For more information see Help, 98-99

Your system is low on virtual memory. Windows is increasingthe size of your virtual memory paging file. During thisprocess memory requested for some applications may bedenied., 22, 41, 98-99

Error Message Index

160 • PC Errors

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