Because of the complexity of running 32-bit applications under Windows 3.x and Windows for Workgroups 3.x, occasionally you will encounter errors. This article is laid out in a logical troubleshooting order. It is recommended that you try these steps in order. After each step it is also recommended that you try to reproduce the error that you were getting initially. If the problem continues, go on to the next step.
Some of the following troubleshooting steps require good working knowledge of computers and Windows. It is advised that you seek the help of others if you are unclear or uncomfortable with performing these steps.
1. ADJUST VIRTUAL MEMORY / SWAP FILE
Virtual memory should be setup as permanent and should be at least twice the size of the amount of physical RAM that you have in your system. If a Permanent Swap File has already been established, then it is recommended that the permanent swap file be deleted and recreated. Deleting and recreating a Swap File is as easy as disabling Virtual Memory, restarting Windows, and then turning the Virtual Memory back on.
2. BOOT YOUR SYSTEM CLEAN
When booting a system clean, it is recommended that you boot with only HIMEM.SYS loaded in the CONFIG.SYS and nothing in your AUTOEXEC.BAT. If other TSRs or device drivers are necessary to boot your system, such as SCSI drivers or disk compression drivers, they should also be included. Booting with just HIMEM.SYS is all that is required to run Windows and ANY Claris 32-bit application.
Booting a system clean with DOS 6.0 or above is a simple process. Just restart your system and press the F8 key when you see the STARTING MS-DOS prompt come up. This will allow you to step through and confirm the loading of each line in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Remember to say no to everything except for HIMEM.SYS (and anything else you absolutely need).
If you do not have DOS 6.0 or above it is recommended that you create a bootable diskette with the above suggestions.
Error messages when launching Windows and slow performance are to be expected. The error messages can be ignored as long as they do not prevent you from getting into Windows.
PLEASE NOTE: Booting your system clean is not a permanent solution. The next time you start up your system normally you run the risk of the error returning. If booting your system clean fixes the errors you are getting, it is advised you consult with your PC vendor on how to better configure your system.
3. START WINDOWS CLEAN
There are three things to check when starting Windows with a basic configuration.
The first thing is to check the LOAD and RUN lines in the WIN.INI file. These files can be looked at and edited with ANY text editor. It is recommended that you comment out these two lines to prevent them from being executed. To do this, place a semicolon (;) in front of each line and save the file. The next time Windows is run, these two lines will be ignored.
The second thing to do is to check the Windows Startup Group. If there are any icons in the STARTUP Program Group they should temporarily be relocated to another group so they are not executed. After moving these icons, the next time Windows is run they will not be processed. You can also hold down the SHIFT key when restarting Windows to bypass anything in the STARTUP Program Group.
The last thing to check is the Windows Task List. Holding down the CTRL+ESC keys brings up the TASK LIST and shows everything that is running in the background when running Windows. The only thing that should be on this list is the PROGRAM MANAGER (or equivalent).
PLEASE NOTE: Starting Windows clean is not a permanent solution. The next time you start up your system normally you run the risk of the error returning. If starting Windows clean fixes the errors you are getting, it is advised you consult with your PC vendor on how to better configure your system.
4. CHECK YOUR VIDEO DRIVER
NOTE: This step may require the use of your Microsoft Windows diskettes. Make sure they are available before continuing.
It is recommended that you try reproducing the error using the Microsoft VGA driver. Older video drivers may not be compatible with Win32s and may need to be updated. Additionally, some drivers for video cards based on the S3 chip are not compatible with Win32s applications. To determine if your video card is based on the S3 chip or to inquire about updated drivers, please contact your video card vendor.
5. CHECK HARD DRIVE
It is recommended that your hard drive be checked for minor damage and/or fragmentation. Microsoft, as well as some third-party developers have created disk analysis and repair utilities as well as utilities to optimize disk performance. Two such utilities that ship with DOS 6.x are SCANDISK and DEFRAG. Any equivalent utility can be used.
6. VERIFY CONFIGURATION OF THE WIN32S SUB-SYSTEM
It is very important for the Win32s sub-system to be installed correctly for any Win32s based application to function properly. To confirm the configuration of Win32s on your system, there are three things to check.
The first thing to do is to verify that the /WINDOWS/SYSTEM/WIN32S directory exists. If it does not exist then your Claris application should be reinstalled.
The second thing to do would be to test to see if you can run the FREECELL card game without error. The FREECELL card game is installed, by default, when you install Win32s. If FREECELL does not run, then your system is having a fundamental problem running 32-bit applications. Contact Microsoft Technical Support for additional information.
The last thing to do is to configure Win32s to load last in your SYSTEM.INI file. During the installation of your Claris application, it modifies the SYSTEM.INI file to load drivers necessary for Win32s to function properly on your system. By default the installer loads the Win32s driver at the top of the 386 Enhanced ([386Enh]) section of the SYSTEM.INI. Edit the SYSTEM.INI file and move the reference to Win32s from the top of the 386 Enhanced section to the bottom of the 386 Enhanced section.
7. DELETE AND REINSTALL YOUR WINDOWS BASED CLARIS APPLICATION
NOTE: It is recommended in this step that you back up your data files to prevent accidental deletion of them.
Occasionally important application files get corrupted or misplaced. Claris Windows applications come with an automated uninstall utility. The one drawback to using this utility is that it does not have the ability to automatically remove the Win32s sub-system. Therefore Win32s will need to be removed manually. Below are some basic steps in removing Win32s from your system. If you need further explanation of how to do this please see the TechInfo article "HOW TO UNINSTALL WIN32S FROM YOUR SYSTEM."
- remove the "device=c:\\windows\\system\\win32s\\w32s.386" line from your SYSTEM.INI
- remove WINMM16.DLL from the DRIVERS line in the BOOT section of the SYSTEM.INI
- delete W32SYS.DLL, WIN32S16.DLL, and WIN32S.INI files from the SYSTEM directory
- delete the WIN32S directory
Once your Claris application AND Win32s are removed, reinstall the application per the install instructions that came with your software.
8. OBTAIN THE LATEST VERSION OF THE WIN32S SUB-SYSTEM
The latest version of Win32s, as of 19 Mar 1996, is 1.30. Other Win32s applications that you might have installed since installing your Claris application may have updated the version of Win32s already. To check the version of Win32s that is currently running on your system, examine the WIN32S.INI file located in your SYSTEM sub-directory. This file contains version information, among other things.
If the version shows 1.30.XXX or greater than that indicates you have the latest version of Win32s and there is no need to update. The latest version of Win32s can be downloaded from the Microsoft BBS at 206-936-6735. The name of the file, as of 19 Mar 1996 (when this article was written), is PW1118.EXE. It is also available on the Internet at
http://www.microsoft.com/kb/softlib/mslfiles/PW1118.EXE
9. RENAME THE WIN.INI FILE IN YOUR SYSTEM DIRECTORY
Renaming this file and restarting Windows will start Windows in a generic configuration. Fonts, printers, and other parameters may not function properly. If you are unable to reproduce the errors you are getting after renaming the WIN.INI, that indicates that there is something in that file that is causing a problem or the WIN.INI file has become too large for Windows to manage properly.
Troubleshooting its size and/or contents goes beyond the capability of this article or our Technical Support to assist you. At this point, it is recommended that you contact Microsoft Technical Support for information on managing your WIN.INI file.
If this does not fix the errors you are receiving, it is highly recommended that you rename your WIN.INI file back so your Windows environment functions properly.
10. REINSTALL WINDOWS & YOUR CLARIS APPLICATION IN A NEW DIRECTORY
At this point evidently there is something in your existing Windows configuration that is not compatible with your 32-bit Claris application. To confirm this, it is suggested that you installed a NEW copy of Windows in a different directory and then install your CLARIS application based on this version of Windows.
This is a drastic step and requires at least 20 megabytes of free disk space to perform. Make sure when installing Windows again that you choose a CUSTOM SETUP and that you pick a different directory for Windows other than the one it is already in.
Please consult your Microsoft documentation for further information on installing and reinstalling Windows.
Once Windows is installed, install your Claris application based on the new version of Windows.
11. WRAPUP
There are some systems out there that for some reason or another are not compatible with Win32s. If you have gone through all 10 troubleshooting steps and are still getting errors it is possible that your system is incompatible.
Here are some other things to keep in mind when troubleshooting Win32s errors:
*** Is it File Specific? -- If you can only reproduce the error you are getting when using a specific file, it is possible the file is damaged or corrupted. Contact Technical Support for more information.
*** Do you have the latest drivers? -- If you get a Win32s error when trying to print, for example, it may be due to an outdated or buggy printer driver. Contact your printer vendor for more information on updating your driver. SCSI drivers, memory managers, and other device drivers may also need updating.
*** Can you reproduce this error on another machine? -- If you have other machines at your disposal, try reproducing the problem on the other machines. If the problem follows the machines around it may be the way they are all configured or it could indicate a problem with a particular data files you might be using.
*** Keep in mind it is impossible to get a Win32s error in Microsoft Windows 95. -- If all else fails you might want to consider updating to Windows 95. Since your Claris application is already 32-bit not only will it be more stable but it will also run much faster under Windows 95 in most configurations. Windows 95, being a 32-bit Operating System already, does not need the Win32s sub-system so it is ignored if installed.