Microsoft KB Archive/93363

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Usage Questions & Answers for Windows 3.1

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Q93363

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows 3.1

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 Q. How does holding down the SHIFT key affect Microsoft Windows startup and exit?

A. When you start Windows, if you hold down the SHIFT key after typing WIN and pressing ENTER, the applications in the startup group do not load.

If you hold down the SHIFT key while you double-click the Control-menu box in Program Manager (as if you were trying to exit Windows), the Program Manager layout is saved without actually exiting Windows. Q. When I exit Windows on my IBM(R) PS/2(R) computer, or another computer that uses a mouse connected to an IBM PS/2-style mouse port, there seems to be a long delay before the MS-DOS prompt appears. How can I correct this problem?

A. This delay occurs most frequently on PS/2 models 56 and 57; however, it may also occur on models 70, 80, 90, and 95. To correct this problem, use the following two steps:

 Open the SYSTEM.INI file with a standard ASCII text editor, such as Microsoft Windows Notepad.  Locate the [386Enh] section and add the following line: "InitPS2MouseAtExit=False"

This line prevents Windows from attempting to reinitialize the PS/2-style mouse port prior to exiting to MS-DOS. While this does correct the initial problem, it may cause problems with some older MS-DOS-based applications that use the mouse. Q. When I try to start Windows, I receive the error message &quot;Error Loading PROGMAN.EXE.&quot; What is causing this error and how can I correct it?

A. The following three conditions can cause this error message:

  The first cause is an incorrect or missing SHELL= line in the [boot] section of the SYSTEM.INI file.

To correct this problem, edit SYSTEM.INI with a standard ASCII text editor. Locate the SHELL= line in the [boot] section and make sure it reads &quot;SHELL=PROGMAN.EXE&quot;. Make sure you have only one PROGMAN.EXE file, that it is dated 3/10/92 or later, and that it is in the WINDOWS directory. If the correct PROGMAN.EXE is missing from the WINDOWS directory, use the EXPAND utility, which is installed in the WINDOWS directory on your hard disk during Setup, to expand the correct version of PROGMAN.EXE to the WINDOWS directory. To do this, type the following: "EXPAND A:\PROGMAN.EX_ C:\WINDOWS\PROGMAN.EXE" You should also make sure there is a line in the [boot] section that reads &quot;SYSTEM.DRV=SYSTEM.DRV.&quot; If you have Adobe Type Manager(R) installed, the line should read &quot;SYSTEM.DRV=ATMSYS.DRV.&quot;   The second cause of the &quot;Error Loading PROGMAN.EXE&quot; error is an incorrect version of the SHELL.DLL file.

To correct this problem, make sure you have only one file called SHELL.DLL, that it is dated 3/10/92 or later, and that it is located in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.

If SHELL.DLL is missing or damaged, use the EXPAND utility to expand the correct version of SHELL.DLL to the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory by typing the following: "EXPAND A:SHELL.DL_ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SHELL.DLL"</li> The third cause of the &quot;Error Loading PROGMAN.EXE&quot; error is the presence of the VSafe virus-protection program in the CONFIG.SYS file.

To correct this problem, remove the VSAFE.SYS file from the CONFIG.SYS file and VSAFE.EXE from the LOAD= command in the WIN.INI file.

For more information on the VSafe virus-protection software, please contact Central Point Software.</li></ol> </li> Q. My Novell(R) NetWare(R) NWPOPUP.EXE messaging utility doesn't seem to be working correctly. I do not receive any messages until I exit Windows. What is causing this problem?

A. If you are running Windows in 386 enhanced mode and you have a version of the Novell NetWare NWPOPUP.EXE file dated earlier than 3/10/92 in your WINDOWS directory, the utility is loaded, but it cannot initialize properly under Windows 3.1. This problem also occurs if NWPOPUP.EXE is located in a directory before the WINDOWS directory entry in the PATH= statement in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. In either case, you may need to add the following line to the [386Enh] section of your SYSTEM.INI file:

TimerCriticalSection=10000

This command increases the amount of time (specified in milliseconds) before the critical section is timed out.</li> Q. I am the system administrator for a Novell NetWare network. Most of my workstations run without any problems, but two of them cannot run in 386 enhanced mode; they run in standard mode only. However, if I do not log these workstations on to the network, they do run in 386 enhanced mode. What is causing this problem and how can I correct it?

A. This problem can be caused by incorrect network software drivers, an IRQ conflict, a RAM address conflict, or a base address conflict. To troubleshoot this problem, use the following four techniques:

 Read the NETWORKS.WRI file to determine the steps necessary to upgrade your current versions of IPX and NETX. If necessary, contact your network card manufacturer for new low-level drivers.</li> Most machines do not support having two devices using the same IRQ simultaneously. Therefore, if you are using your network card on IRQ3 or IRQ4, you must either disable COM2 or COM1 (because COM1 uses IRQ4 and COM2 uses IRQ3) or reconfigure the network card for an available IRQ. On most machines, IRQ5 and IRQ2 are available (that is, no other hardware devices are attempting to use them).</li> Many network cards use a RAM address in the upper memory area between 640 and 1024 kilobytes (K). If your card is using this range, exclude use of this range with EMM386.EXE or by adding an EMMEXCLUDE statement in the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file. Some cards do not function correctly at the D000 address and need to be reconfigured for D800.</li> Many hardware devices have base memory addresses that may conflict with an existing device, such as a COM port. Try reconfiguring the network card for an address of 300 hexadecimal (h) or greater.</li></ol> </li>  Q. My network card does not register in the memory area between 640K and 1024K; therefore, I know I must manually exclude this range in the upper memory area (UMA). I placed an EMMEXCLUDE statement in the SYSTEM.INI file, but this doesn't seem to have any effect. How can I correct this problem?

A. If you are using an upper memory block (UMB) provider, you must exclude it using its own exclude command because the provider has priority in the UMB area and overrides the EMMEXCLUDE switch. For example, if you are using EMM386.EXE and need to exclude the 32K of memory from D800 to DFFF, use the following command: "DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM X=D800-DFFF" If you are not using a UMA manager or UMB provider, the EMMEXCLUDE statement in the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file should work correctly. </li> Q. I run numerous batch (.BAT) files on my computer. When I run some of these files from Windows, I receive the error message &quot;Out of Environment Space.&quot; The same .BAT files run correctly outside Windows. What is causing this error?

A. Windows 3.1 contains a switch called CommandEnvSize= that allows you to control the size of the MS-DOS environment for MS-DOS-based applications run from within Windows. Your .BAT file probably has overrun the available environment space. To increase the size of the MS-DOS environment, use the following two steps:

 Edit the SYSTEM.INI file with a standard ASCII text editor, such as Microsoft Windows Notepad.</li> Locate the [NonWindowsApp] section and add the line CommandEnvSize=. Assign a value between 160 and 32,768 following the equal sign. For more information on this switch, please refer to the SYSINI.WRI file.</li></ol> </li> Q. Why is the Advanced button in the Ports dialog box unavailable when I choose the Ports icon in Control Panel?

A. If the Windows 3.1 COMM.DRV file is installed incorrectly, the Advanced button in the Ports dialog box is unavailable. If you upgrade from Windows 3.0 to 3.1 and you were previously using a third-party communications driver with Windows 3.0, the Windows 3.1 Setup program does not update the communications driver. To ensure your COMM.DRV file is installed correctly, do the following:

  Make sure you have the following setting in the [boot] section of your SYSTEM.INI file: "COMM.DRV=COMM.DRV" If this does not correct the problem, check the COMM.DRV size and date in the SYSTEM directory. The file should be dated 3/10/92 and have a file size of 9280 bytes. If the date or size is incorrect, proceed with the next step. </li> <li> Using the EXPAND utility, reinstall COMM.DRV from the Windows Setup disks to the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory by typing the following: "EXPAND A:\COMM.DR_ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\COMM.DRV" Note: COMM.DRV is found on Disk 1 for 3.5-inch disks and Disk 2 for 5.25-inch disks. </li></ol> </li> <li>Q. Can I set up a permanent or temporary swap file on a stacked disk drive?

A. Windows 3.1 does not support the use of a permanent or temporary swap file on a stacked drive (that is, a drive on which you are running the Stacker[TM] utility).</li> <li> Q. I seem to be having some type of hardware or software conflict in my machine. What tools are available to help me determine information such as the BIOS version of the machine and what COM ports and IRQs are being used?

A. Windows 3.1 ships with the Microsoft Diagnostics (MSD) program. This tool is normally installed in your WINDOWS directory during Windows Setup. You can use MSD from within Windows; however, the most effective way to use it is to quit Windows and run MSD.EXE at the command prompt by typing the following: "C:\WINDOWS\MSD.EXE"</li></ol>

Additional query words:

Keywords : win31

Issue type : kbinfo

Technology : kbWin3xSearch kbWin310