Topic: My latest bootup problem

[Barra]

Sit back while I ramble:-
This has happened on 3 occasions now. On bootup, I get the dreaded blue screen with the message:-

While initializing device shell;
Cannot find or load required file KRNL386.exe
The path was not found.System halted

WARNING!!!
Do not suggest reinstalling windows. This will result in me quiting this forum due to the fact it would be impossible to get back here anyway because my monitor and keyboard would be in 1 room while tower would be in bits in the garden beneath my window!

[Phil]

is this of any help ?


You may receive one of the following error messages when you try to start Windows or Windows for Workgroups:

Cannot find KRNL386.EXE


Cannot find KRNL286.EXE


Cannot find KRNL.EXE (version 3.0 only)


Cannot find or load required file KRNL386.EXE. The file was not found.
CAUSE
These messages indicate that Windows cannot find the kernel necessary to run 386 enhanced, standard, or real mode (version 3.0 only). The kernel provides system services such as memory and resource management.

This problem can also occur if the WIN386.EXE file is located in the Windows folder. This file is run by WIN.COM, causing Windows to belive the Windows folder is the WindowsSystem folder.
RESOLUTION
There are two methods for resolving this issue.
If Windows 95/98 Was Not Installed/Uninstalled
Boot with clean AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files.
Make sure that your Windows directory is on your MS-DOS path.
Make sure that your path statement does not contain more than 128 characters.
Make sure that the correct kernel file indicated in the warning message actually exists in your Windows SYSTEM subdirectory. If you are running a shared copy of Windows, make sure the file is in the shared Windows directory.
Add the Windows SYSTEM subdirectory to your MS-DOS path.
Make sure your MS-DOS version is compatible with your computer.
If you are using a shared installation of Windows on a network server, make sure that your personal Windows directory and the shared Windows directory are on your MS-DOS path and are listed in that order.
Ensure you don't have any upper memory block (UMB) conflicts. For more information, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
troubleshooting and emm386.exe 4.45
Rebuild the SYSTEM.INI file.
As a last resort, reinstall Windows.
If Windows 95/98 Was Installed/Uninstalled
Remove the WIN386.EXE file from the Windows folder. If there is no WIN386.EXE file in the WindowsSystem folder, move the file from the Windows folder to the WindowsSystem folder.
Restart the computer.
If these steps do not solve the problem, use the steps in the "If Windows 95/98 Was Not Installed/Uninstalled" section.

[Simon]

WARNING!!!
Do not suggest reinstalling windows. This will result in me quiting this forum due to the fact it would be impossible to get back here anyway because my monitor and keyboard would be in 1 room while tower would be in bits in the garden beneath my window!

Been nice knowing ya Barra!!  



...but seriously, what I might have suggested, in the first place, would be to run SFC and try to pop the file back in from my Windows CD.  But that's probably totally wrong!   :-

[Barra]

"...but seriously, what I might have suggested, in the first place, would be to run SFC and try to pop the file back in from my Windows CD.  But that's probably totally wrong!    "
run SFC? Manage Sc***horpe Football Club?  :-[

Phil, "is this of any help"
Might well be mate, if I had a clue what it meant! :-[

[Simon]

Sorry, mate, System File Checker!  You'll find it somewhere in Accessories > System Tools, I think.

[Simon]

Found some more on how to replace a file with System File Checker, Barra, but I think you should check with someone like Adept, to see if this is the right thing to do, before trying it:

1: Go to start then run, type "sfc" then click OK or hit enter.
2: Click on "settings"
3: With your Win98 CD in the CDROM drive, click on the "Search Criteria" tab
4: Click on "Add folder"
5: Using the browse tool, highlight the folder "Win98" in your installation CD (Often D:Win98 but it depends on your particular system setup)
6: Click on OK, click on Apply, click on OK
7: Select "Extract one file from installation disk"
8: Type "KRNL386.EXE" in the text box and click Start
9: Select your Win98 folder in the "Restore from" drop down
10: "Save File In" should be the directory of your Windows system folder, usually C:WindowsSystem
11: Click ok, and ok again to backup your existing KRNL386.EXE file
12: Restart the computer at the prompt and shazaam!  

I hope....

These are for Win98, but I'm assuming the same applies to ME.  I'm not sure if this is the right way to go about tackling your problem though.   :-  

[Barra]

Cheers, Simon. Right Adept, I'm checking, ME et al!