Microsoft KB Archive/197685

= "While initializing device shell: Cannot find or load a required file krnl386.exe" error message when you start your Windows 98-based computer =

Article ID: 197685

Article Last Modified on 1/23/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q197685



SYMPTOMS
When you start your computer, you may receive the following error message:

While initializing device shell: Cannot find or load a required file krnl386.exe press any key to continue.

After you receive this error message, your computer may stop responding (hang).



CAUSE
This issue can occur if your computer has damaged or incorrectly configured hardware, or damaged or missing system files.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, perform the following steps in order, testing after each step to determine if the issue is resolved, and if it is not, continue to the next step:

 Try to start your computer in Safe Mode. To do so, restart your computer, press and hold CTRL, and then choose Safe Mode from the Startup Menu.

NOTE: If you can not start your computer in Safe mode, skip to step 6. View Device Manager to look for driver conflicts. For information about how to do so, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

ARTICLE-ID: 133240

TITLE : Troubleshooting Device Conflicts with Device Manager

 Determine if your computer has an interrupt request (IRQ) Steering conflict. To do so, disable IRQ steering, and then test to determine if the issue is resolved. For information about how to disable IRQ steering, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: 182628 TITLE : How to Disable PCI Bus IRQ Steering in Windows

NOTE: If this does not resolve the issue, re-enable IRQ steering. For information about how to do so, refer to the article listed in step 3. Restart your computer. If your computer starts without error messages, your computer's Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) may be generating incorrect information about hardware IRQ settings. To resolve this issue, contact the manufacturer of your computer's motherboard to inquire about the availability of a fix for this issue. If your computer starts with error messages, continue to step 5.

 Determine if your computer has a Bus Mastering problem. To do so, use the following steps:  In Device Manager, double-click the Hard Disk Controllers branch to expand it, and see if you have a Bus Mastering controller installed. If you have a Bus Mastering controller installed, continue to step B. If you do not have a Bus Mastering controller installed, perform the troubleshooting steps in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: 188867

TITLE : Troubleshooting Windows 98 Startup Problems

</li> Click your Bus Mastering controller, and then click Properties. Click the Driver tab, click Update Driver, follow the instructions on the screen until you are prompted to chose either "Search for a better driver...", or "Display a list of all the drivers...", and then choose "Display a list of all the drivers...".</li> Click Next. Replace your Bus Mastering controller with a Standard IDE Controller. To do so, if a Standard IDE Controller is available on the list of compatible hardware, click it, and then click Next. Note that you can use any of the Standard IDE devices on the list of compatible hardware in place of your Bus Mastering controller. If a Standard IDE Controller is not available on the list of compatible hardware, contact the manufacturer of your computer for further assistance.</li></ol> </li> If steps 3-5 help to determine that IRQ Steering or Bus Mastering is the cause of this issue, contact the manufacturer of your computer to inquire about the availability of a BIOS update or fix that provides full support for IRQ steering or Bus Mastering. If steps 3-5 do not help to determine that IRQ Steering or Bus Mastering is the cause of this issue, continue to step 7.</li> Your issue could be related to problems with your hardware or system files. To continue troubleshooting this issue, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: 188867

TITLE : Troubleshooting Windows 98 Startup Problems

</li></ol>

<div class="moreinformation_section">

MORE INFORMATION
For more information about IRQ Steering, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: 182604

TITLE : Description of PCI Bus IRQ Steering

Additional query words: 98

Keywords: kberrmsg kbprb KB197685

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