Article ID: 189610
Article Last Modified on 1/23/2007
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition
This article was previously published under Q189610
If this article does not describe the error message that you are receiving, view the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to view more articles that describe error messages:
315854 Windows 98 and Windows Me Error Message Resource Center
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry
SYMPTOMS
When you start Windows 98, you may receive the following error message:
NOTE: To more effectively search the Microsoft Knowledge Base, use keywords that relate to your issue. If you are searching for troubleshooting information that is not mentioned in this article, search the Microsoft Knowledge Base again by using keywords that are listed in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
242450 How to Query the Microsoft Knowledge Base Using Keywords
CAUSE
This behavior can occur if the Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus program is installed on your computer. The Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus program is not compatible with Windows 98.
RESOLUTION
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
To resolve this issue, contact Dr. Solomon's to inquire about the availability of a version of the Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus program that is compatible with Windows 98.
To work around this issue, use the appropriate method:
Uninstall Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus
If you are able to start Windows 98, uninstall Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus. If Windows 98 does not start normally, try to start it in Safe mode. To start Windows 98 in Safe mode, restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key until the Windows 98 Startup menu appears, and then choose Safe Mode. To uninstall the Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus program:
- Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
- Click Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus, click Add/Remove, and then follow the instructions on your screen.
Rename the Helpwgrd.vxd File
If you are unable to start Windows 98, rename the Helpwgrd.vxd file. To do so:
- Start your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key after your computer completes the Power On Self-Test (POST), and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.For additional information about Windows 98 startup, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
178548 No 'Starting Windows 98' Message at Startup
- Type the following commands at the command prompt, pressing ENTER after each line:
cd\
cd windows\system
ren helpwgrd.vxd helpwgrd.xxx - Restart your computer.
After you perform these steps, you may receive the following error message when you start Windows 98:
If you receive this error message, there may be references to the Helpwgrd.vxd file in either the [386enh] section of the System.ini file or the Registry. To remove these references:
- Click Start, click Run, type sysedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
- On the Window menu, click System.ini.
- On the Search menu, click Find.
- In the Find box, type helpwgrd.vxd, and then press ENTER.
- Place a semicolon (;) at the beginning of the line that contains "Helpwgrd.vxd."
- On the File menu, click Save, and then click Exit on the File menu.
- Restart your computer.
- If you still receive the error message, use Registry Editor to export the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VXD\HELPWGRD
- Use Registry Editor to delete the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VXD\HELPWGRD
- Shut down and restart your computer.
MORE INFORMATION
If Windows 98 Setup detects that Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus is running, Setup unloads Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus from memory and disables it so that it does not run when Windows 98 starts. If Setup is unable to detect that Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus is running, the error message can occur when you attempt to create an Emergency Boot Disk during Setup.
The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.
Additional query words: 98 AV antivirus ebd startup helpwgrd vxd
Keywords: kb3rdparty kberrmsg kbfatalexerr0d kbfatalexerr0e kbprb win98 KB189610
