Error Message When You Open Control Panel (276405)

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue:

1. Start your computer in Safe mode. Restart your computer, press and hold down CTRL after your computer completes the power-on self test (POST), and then on the Startup menu, click Safe Mode.
2. Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
3. In the Search for files or folders named box, type:
   

   *.cpl

4. Click Search Now.
5. IMPORTANT: Before you rename files as part of this step, make a list of the original file names for tracking purposes.
   
   In the Search Results pane, right-click a .cpl file in the Windows\System folder, and then click Rename.
   
   NOTE: Rename the Mca.cpl file first (if it exists).
6. Rename the first file in the Search Results pane to an .old file extension. For example, if the file name is Example.cpl, rename the file to Example.old. Also, note which file you have renamed on the list you made in step 5.
7. To determine if you have renamed the damaged or incompatible .cpl file, try to open Control Panel. Repeat steps 5 through 7 until you are able to open Control Panel. When you can open Control Panel, verify that the last file you renamed is the damaged or incompatible file, and then continue to the next step.
8. Rename all of the files you renamed in step 7 back to the original file names, except for the file that you determined is causing the issue.
9. Restart your computer.
10. If the .cpl file that causes the issue is a file that is included with Windows Me, you must extract a new copy of the damaged .cpl file to the Windows\System folder. To determine if the .cpl file that causes the issue is a file that is included with Windows Me, view the list of .pl files in the More Information section of this article. For more information about how to extract a file in Windows Me, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    265371 How to extract and replace a protected file in Windows Me

    NOTE: If the .cpl file that causes the issue is not a file that is included with Windows Me, it may be a file that is included with a third-party program. If the file is included with a third-party program, contact the manufacturer of your program to determine how to resolve this issue. If the issue is resolved by renaming the Mca.cpl file, you may want to download updated drivers for your SM56 modem from the following Motorola Web site:

    http://www.motorola.com

    Later versions of the SM56 modem software provide a tool (the Sm56hlpr.exe tool) on the right side of the taskbar, instead of the Control Panel tool (the Mca.cpl tool). As of October, 2000, Motorola does not include the Mca.cpl file with any of their modem drivers, and this file is not available to download on the Motorola Web site. When you install the latest drivers for the SM56 modem, the Mca.cpl file from your Windows\System folder is not removed.

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