Third-Party Applications May Need to Be Reinstalled (82072)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows 3.11
This article was previously published under Q82072

SUMMARY

Some third-party, or independent software vendors (ISV), applications do not function correctly in Microsoft Windows version 3.1 if they were installed with an existing copy of Windows 3.0 on the hard drive and then Windows 3.10 was installed into a separate directory.

Many applications modify the Windows WIN.INI file and other data files and copy their own .INIs, .DLLs, EXEs and other files into the current WINDOWS or SYSTEM directories when they install. The new installation of Windows isn't aware of any of these modifications and may not be able to run the existing applications.

MORE INFORMATION

Follow these steps to solve the problem:

  1. Back up your current Windows 3.0 directory and subdirectories (SYSTEM, MSAPPS and others).
  2. Install Windows 3.1 into the same directory as Windows 3.0 in order to update the existing version of Windows to version 3.1.

    -or-
  3. Reinstall third-party applications for the Windows 3.1 directory.
  4. During the installation of these applications make sure that they use the same directories as were used in their original installation.

    For example, if Wingz was original installed in a directory called C:\WINGZ, then during the reinstallation choose that directory.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/15/2003
Keywords:KB82072
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.