Error Messages n Way out

Error Message: VFAT Device Initialization Failed

When you start Windows, you may receive the following error message on a blue screen:

VFAT Device Initialization Failed

A device or resource required by VFAT is not present or is unavailable. VFAT cannot continue loading. System halted.

CAUSE:
This error message can occur when any one of the following conditions exists:
The Ifshlp.sys file is missing from the Windows folder.
The Config.sys file contains a line pointing to a previous version of the Ifshlp.sys file.

The following Ifshlp.sys statement was deleted from the Config.sys file after reinstalling Windows : DEVICE=:\\IFSHLP.SYS
where is the drive containing Windows and is the Windows folder.

For example, if Windows is installed in the WINDOWS folder on drive C, the line will read: DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS

The [Paths] section in the Msdos.sys file is incorrect. See the contents of the Msdos.sys File

A Winboot.ini file from a previous incomplete installation is present in the root folder of the boot disk.

RESOLUTION:
To resolve the problem, use the method in the appropriate section below.

Ifshlp.sys File Missing from Windows Folder

If the Ifshlp.sys file is missing from the Windows folder, Use WinSafe's DOS command WINSAFE or extract a new copy of the file from your original Windows cabinet files to the Windows folder.

For information about using the Extract tool, at the Windows prompt type "Extract /?" or see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: ARTICLE-ID: Q129605

TITLE : How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files

Config.sys file points to Previous Version of Ifshlp.sys file

1. Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows " message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.

2. Use any text editor (such as Edit.com) to open the Config.sys file.

3. Remove the line that loads Ifshlp.sys. (Windows automatically loads this driver when you start your computer.)

4. Save and then close the Config.sys file.

5. Restart your computer.

Ifshlp.sys statement was deleted from the Config.sys file after reinstalling Windows

When reinstalling Windows , Setup will delete the Ifshlp.sys statement in the Config.sys file and not replace it. To add the Ifshlp.sys statement back to the Config.sys file, follow these steps:

1. Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows " message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.

2. Use any text editor (such as Edit.com) to open the Config.sys file.

3. Add the following line to the Config.sys file:
DEVICE=:\\IFSHLP.SYS

where is the drive containing Windows and is the Windows folder. For example, if Windows is installed in the WINDOWS folder on drive C, add the following line: DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS

4. Save and then close the Config.sys file.

5. Restart your computer.

Incorrect [Paths] Section in Msdos.sys File

1. Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows " message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.

2. Type the following line at the command prompt: Attrib -s -h -r msdos.sys

3. Use any text editor (such as Edit.com) to open the Msdos.sys file.

4. Verify that the following lines in the Msdos.sys file are correct

[Paths]
WinDir=
WinBootDir=
HostWinBootDrv=C

where is the folder containing Windows . Note that if you are using disk compression software (such as DriveSpace), you must change the drive letter in the "HostWinBootDrv=" line to the drive letter of the host drive.

5. Save and then close the Msdos.sys file.

6. Type the following line at the command prompt: Attrib +s +h +r msdos.sys

7. Restart your computer.

Winboot.ini File Present in Root Folder of Boot Drive

1. Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows " message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.

2. Delete the Winboot.ini file in the root folder of the boot drive.

3. Restart your computer.
Windows9x /ME Internal Stack Overflow Errors


Stacks are reserved memory that programs use for processing hardware events. A stack overflow occurs when there is not enough space in memory to run the hardware interrupt routines. Changing the "STACKS=" line in the Config.sys file, eliminating terminate-and-stay-resident program (TSRs), and eliminating hardware conflicts are all possible corrections for this problem.

When Windows delivers an error message related to an internal stack overflow, it is because there is not enough space in memory either set aside or available to handle the calls being made to the system hardware. There are several things to consider when troubleshooting this problem:

1.The startup file Config.sys may not be properly configured for the Windows installation. First try removing the following lines, If you still have a problem try the following values:

STACKS=64,512 ;(this is the maximum allowed)
FILES=60
BUFFERS=40

If you are using the dual-boot capabilities of Windows, the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files may not contain the correct configuration to run Windows. When you are dual-booting between Windows 3.x and Windows, these files may not have been renamed back to Config.dos and Autoexec.dos.

Examine the Config.sys file to determine if files such as Himem.sys or Emm386.exe are being loaded from a folder other than the Windows folder. If so, boot Windows using the Safe Mode Command Prompt Only option. Rename the Config.sys file to Config.dos and the Autoexec.bat file to Autoexec.dos and the restart the computer.

2.Some TSRs may be interfering with Windows. Disable any non-boot device drivers in the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files. If you are installing from Windows 3.x and getting a stack overflow error, check the Win.ini and System.ini files for non-Windows-based programs or drivers loading.

3.There may be an incompatible hardware configuration. Check the port and IRQ settings of the network card, sound card, and modem. Make sure that there are no COM2/COM4 or COM1/COM3 conflicts and that no devices are sharing IRQs. Disable or remove conflicting devices.

4.The computer may need a BIOS upgrade. Check the BIOS version and contact the manufacturer of your computer for information about a BIOS upgrade.
WinPopUp is Annoying


Sometimes on a bad boot you may start getting WinPopUp messages in a Dos Window, when in fact nothing is wrong.
Disable it
Go to your Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, Windows Setup, Accessories, and go down to the bottom of the list. Uncheck the Winpopup. It may or may not work for you, but I have seen it take care of problems in the past
Windows Protection Errors; Try This Before You Format and Re-load


Here's an option to try before reloading Windows. Boot into safe mode and use RegMedic and the R and R All Hardware. If you do not have RegMedic installed then you will have to delete everything you can under device manager. If there are duplicate entries they can cause protection errors. Then boot into normal mode and run the hardware installation wizard. You won't be able to load very many things until the primary IDE controllers are loaded but once they are you should be able to load all of the device drivers. I've had this work many times.
Advanced Power Management (APM)


Advanced Power Management (APM) is a wonderful energy-saving feature that many computer systems now come with. During idle periods, this feature switches your computer to suspend mode, reducing the amount of energy it consumes without completely shutting it down. But did you know that enabling this feature on a Windows system causes the Windows clock to lose time? When your computer switches to suspend mode, the Windows clock can slow down and possibly even stop. Fortunately, APM doesn't affect the underlying system clock, so the time loss on your Windows clock isn't permanent. Simply restarting your computer will restore the correct time on the Windows clock. But if you have to reboot your computer to reset the clock after every suspend mode period, it's pointless to enable APM in the first place. Here's how you can keep APM enabled without stealing time from the Windows clock.

Two causes, two solutions

There are two possible explanations as to why a conflict between APM and your Windows clock might exist. The first is likely to apply to older computer systems. On such systems, the BIOS (basic input/output system) might be providing support only for an older version of APM. If this is the case, you should try upgrading your computer's BIOS to resolve the conflict. Your computer manufacturer should be able to provide a BIOS upgrade for your system. The second explanation for a conflict between APM and your Windows clock is that you might not have installed Windows APM support. If you enabled APM in your computer's CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) settings after Windows was already installed, this explanation is the more likely one. In this case, you'll have to reinstall Windows in order to install APM support.

Once you've installed Windows APM support, check to make sure this support is enabled. To do so, right-click the My Computer icon, choose Properties, and click the Device Manager tab.

The System Properties sheet's Device Manager tab lets you verify that Windows APM support is enabled.

Next, expand the System Devices branch by clicking the plus sign next to it. Then, double-click Advanced Power Management Support. In the resulting dialog box, click the Settings tab and select the Enable Power Management Support check box, if it isn't already checked. Finally, close all open dialog boxes and then click the Start button and choose Suspend.

Conclusion

If your Windows clock freezes along with the rest of your system in suspend mode, you now have two possible explanations for this problem. You also have two resolutions, so you don't have to choose between saving energy and marking accurate time.
ERROR "In use by unknown device"


"In use by unknown device" means that something that is not plug-and-play compatible (perhaps in your BIOS or Config.sys or autoexec.bat) is using the resource. Since it's not plug and play compatible, Windows can't tell who is using it.

Error Message: Windows Cannot Find Autorun.exe

When you are viewing drives in My Computer, one or more of the drives may have an incorrect icon associated with it. When you double-click the icon to view the contents of the drive, the following error message may be displayed:

Program Not Found
Windows cannot find Autorun.exe.
This program is needed for opening files of type 'File'.

You are then prompted for the location of the Autorun.exe file.

The reason is: An Autorun.inf file exists in the root folder of the drive.

To fix this: Delete or rename the Autorun.inf file in the root folder of the affected drive.

The Autorun.inf file is used with CD-ROMs to automatically run specified programs. When a non-CD-ROM drive contains an Autorun.inf file, AutoPlay is started when
you double-click the drive's icon. AutoPlay attempts to load Autorun.exe (which is not present) to read the Autorun.inf file.

If the Autorun.exe file is also present in the root folder, the actions specified in the Autorun.inf file are carried out if possible.

Error Message: Incorrect MS-DOS version

After you install Windows and restart the system, it returns to an MS-DOS prompt with the following error message:

Incorrect MS-DOS version

There are two possible reasons, either you attempted to reinstall Windows using a different version of Setver is being loaded in the Config.sys.
Enter the name of Command Interpreter (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM)
This problem can occur if SETVER.EXE is being loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file and has a setting indicating that COMMAND.COM should look for a version of MS-DOS earlier than 7.0.

Boot the system with the Windows Startup disk and do the following:

1. Change to the WINDOWS directory by typing the following:

cd\

2. Rename the SETVER.EXE file by typing the following:

ren setver.exe setver.old

3. Remove the Windows Startup disk from drive A, then shut down and restart the system. (Windows loads at this point.)

4. Click the Start button, point to Programs, and then click MS-DOS Prompt.

5. Change to the Windows directory by typing the following:

cd\

6. Rename the SETVER.EXE file again by typing the following:

ren setver.old setver.exe

7. Remove the COMMAND.COM entry by typing the following:

setver command.com /d

8. Restart the computer to make the SETVER changes take effect.

The above procedure allows SETVER to maintain compatibility with existing MS-DOS-based applications.

When Windows is installed, the new SETVER.EXE assumes the settings of the currently loaded SETVER.EXE in an effort to maintain compatibility with existing MS-DOS-based applications.
You do not have permission to access the Registry

If you get a message like You do not have permission to access the Registry during an installation of some software, it is time to clean out the Key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ SharedDLLs. This Key can be not more the 64KB. You will find that many files in the list that are really not Shared files. Files extensions like BMPs, DEPs, CNVs,SCRs, and so on, that can be removed. HLP files should be in the Help Key not the SharedDLLs Key. Clean out this Key and then attempt to install the software.

Illegal Error Occurs when the Screen Saver is Stopped

Try this: go into Control Panel, to Add remove software. Go into the Windows Setup Tab, highlight Accessories, and choose details. In there, uncheck screen savers. Press OK, then Apply. This will uninstall your Screen Savers.

Once that is done, go back into Screen savers, and recheck it. You will need the Windows CD to load the screen savers again. Finally, select the 3-D text SS. This will reinstalled them.