Maintenance Mode Setup Can Cause Corrupted WIN.COM (89212)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows 3.11
This article was previously published under Q89212

SYMPTOMS

The MS-DOS-based maintenance mode of Windows 3.1 Setup may create a zero length WIN.COM file if you change the video driver on a network installation of Windows. This occurs only if the SETUP.EXE and SETUP.INF files have been copied to and run from the user directory.

MORE INFORMATION

On a network installation of Windows, the Setup files should remain in the shared directory on the network server. If WIN.COM has been corrupted, you cannot start Windows.

The corrupted WIN.COM can be restored by completing the following steps:

  1. Delete WIN.COM from the user directory.
  2. Delete the SETUP.INF and SETUP.EXE files from the user directory.
  3. Run Setup from the user's directory. Note: The shared directory has to be in the MS-DOS Path.
  4. Select the appropriate video driver.
After completing these steps, a new WIN.COM is generated and the Windows installation is functional again.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/13/2003
Keywords:KB89212
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.