Error Message: The Following System Files Have Been Replaced with Older Versions (183479)

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, update the system file information on your computer. To do so, try the following methods in the following order:

Method 1

1. Rename the Ddeml.dll file (or whichever file is listed in the error message) in the Windows\System folder to a .old file extension. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. In Windows 95, restart your computer, press the F8 key when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.
      
      In Windows 98, press and hold down the CTRL key after your computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then choose Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu. For more information about Windows 98 startup, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

      ARTICLE-ID: 178548
      TITLE : No "Starting Windows 98" Message at Startup

   2. Rename the Ddeml.dll file in the Windows\System folder to Ddeml.old by typing the following line and then pressing ENTER

      ren <drive>:\<windows>\system\Ddeml.dll Ddeml.old

      where <drive> is the drive letter on which the Windows folder is located, and <windows> is the name of the folder in which Windows is installed. For example:

      ren c:\windows\system\ Ddeml.dll Ddeml.old

      NOTE: This procedure assumes you do not have a file named Ddeml.old. If you do have a file by this name, use a file name extension that is not currently in use.
   
   
   
2. Copy the Ddeml.dll file from the Windows\Sysbckup folder to the Windows\System folder. To do so, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after each line:

   cd\
   copy c:\windows\sysbckup\ddeml.dll c:\windows\system\ddeml.dll

3. Restart your computer, and then test to determine if the issue has been resolved. If the issue has been resolved, do not continue with the remaining steps in this article. If the issue is not resolved, continue to the next section of this article.

Method 2

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.

1. Rename the Ddeml.dll file (or whichever file is listed in the error message) in the Windows\System folder and the Windows\Sysbckup folder to a .xxx file extension. For information about how to rename a file, click Start, click Help, click the Index tab, type "renaming" (without quotation marks), and then double-click the "Renaming files" topic.
2. Extract a new copy of the Ddeml.dll file (or whichever file is listed in the error message) from your original Windows 95 or Windows 98 disks or CD-ROM to the Windows\System folder. In Windows 95, the Ddeml.dll file is in the following locations:
   • The Win95_03.cab cabinet file on the Windows 95 CD-ROM.
   • The Win95_04.cab cabinet file on the Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) CD-ROM.
   • The Win95_04.cab cabinet file on disk 4 of the original Windows 95 DMF floppy disks.
   • The Win95_05.cab cabinet file on disk 5 of the original Windows 95 non-DMF floppy disks.
   
   In Windows 98, use the System File Checker tool to extract the Ddeml.dll file.
   
   For information about how to extract a file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: 129605
   TITLE : How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files

3. Copy the file you extracted into the Windows\Sysbckup folder, and then restart your computer.
4. Delete the Ddeml.dll (or whichever file is listed in the error message) value from the following registry key:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\CheckVerDLLs