Games: Error message: Not a Valid Win32 Application (315589)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Bicycle Board Games Version 1.5
  • Microsoft Bicycle Card Games Version 1.0
  • Microsoft Dungeon Siege 1.0
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 - Century of Flight
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Professional Edition
  • Microsoft Train Simulator
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs Expansion Pack
  • Microsoft Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania Expansion Pack
This article was previously published under Q315589

SYMPTOMS

When you start any of the Microsoft games listed in the "Applies To" section, you may experience one of the following symptoms:
  • You recieve the following error message:
    <game>.exe is Not a Valid Win32 Application.
  • A black command prompt box flashes on the screen.
  • When you run in a command prompt, you receive the following error message:
    Program too big to fit in memory.

CAUSE

This issue may occur if your game's installation is damaged (corrupted).

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use the following methods in the order presented.

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

Uninstall the game

  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
  3. In the list of installed programs, click the game, and then click Add/Remove.
  4. When you are prompted to uninstall the program, click Yes.
  5. When the uninstall process is complete, click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
  6. In the Named box, type "DungeonSiege.exe", "fs2002.exe", "train.exe", or "zoo.exe" (including the quotation marks).

    Note The name of the executable you type in will depend on what game you have installed. The executable names match the following games:

    Dungeon Siege = "DungeonSiege.exe"
    Flight Simulator 2002 = "fs2002.exe"
    Train Simulator = "train.exe"
    Zoo Tycoon = "zoo.exe"

  7. In the Look In box, click the hard disk on which you installed the game, and then click Find Now.
  8. In the list of found files and folders, right-click the game executable file, and then click Delete.
If you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes or Yes to all.

Empty the Temp folder

To empty the Temp folder and the Temporary Internet Files folder, use the Disk Cleanup tool. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
  2. Click C: (or whatever drive on which Windows is installed), and then click OK.
  3. Click to select the Temporary files check box.
  4. Click OK, and then click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Restart your computer by performing a clean boot

To perform a clean boot, follow the steps appropriate to your version of Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Windows XP

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

310353 How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP

Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
  1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. On the General tab, click Selective startup.
  3. Click to clear all of the check boxes under Selective startup.
  4. On the Startup tab, click to select the *StateMgr check box.
  5. Click OK. When you receive the message to restart your computer, click Yes. After the computer restarts, click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.

    Important Look closely at the General tab to ensure that the check boxes that you cleared are still cleared. If none of the check boxes are selected, proceed to the following method. If you see a selected, unavailable check box (it appears dimmed and has a check mark in it), your computer is not truly "clean-booted," and you may need to contact the manufacturer of the program that is listed next to the selected, unavailable check box for assistance.
Microsoft Windows 98
  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information.
  2. On the Tools menu, click System Configuration Utility.
  3. On the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then click to clear the following check boxes:
    • Process Config.sys file
    • Process Autoexec.bat file
    • Process Winstart.bat file (if available)
    • Process Win.ini file
    • Load Startup group items
  4. Click OK. When you are prompted to restart the computer, do so.
Note To restore your original Startup options, click Normal Startup on the General tab in the System Configuration Utility tool.

Reinstall the game

To reinstall the game, follow these steps:
  1. Insert the game CD-ROM into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.

    If the Setup program does not start automatically, follow these steps:
    1. Click Start, click Run, type <cd-rom>:\setup.exe in the Open box. In this example, <cd-rom> is the letter of your computer's CD or DVD drive.
    2. Click OK.
  2. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to install the game.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/4/2006
Keywords:kbsetup kberrmsg kbprb KB315589
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