When a Invalid VxD error Shows at Startup
When I start my computer an Invalid VxD error message appears.

Standard Disclaimer:
Well I ran the "My computer does not start or shut down properly" category from "Microsoft's Troubleshooting" section here on my page. At first I thought, no this is thievery.  Then I remembered that many people don't want to sign-up to the Microsoft Knowledge Base and have to give out all the information of their lives. And remembered how all those neat Windows 95 troubleshooters disappeared after a while so I thought, what the heck, I have this information for when it disappears. Plus I have a felling that after 98 is around for a while only Internet Explorer users will be privy to it, as is the case with the download site. Of course I could be wrong. Better safe than sued?? Anyway, here's Part 2 and Part 3 of Part 2. Huh??

Can you start your computer in Safe mode?
1.Restart the computer.
2.Press and hold down the CTRL key as the computer starts.
3.On the Startup menu, choose Safe mode.

THEN

Enable the Diagnostic Startup option in the System Configuration utility.
1.Click Start, and then click Run.

2.In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.

3.On the General tab, click Create Backup to back up your current system configuration files with System Configuration utility.

4.Click Diagnostic Startup, and then click OK.

5.When you are prompted to restart your computer, click OK.

6.On the Startup menu, choose Step-by-step confirmation.

7.When you are prompted to process the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files, press the ESC key to bypass the files. Press ENTER to load all other items.

IF NO LUCK THEN:

What is the extension of the file in the error message?
If he extension is .386 then:

Check to see that the entries in the Windows .ini files correct.

To determine whether there is a conflict in the System.ini or Win.ini file

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
3. On the General tab, click Selective startup.
4. Click to clear all the check boxes under Selective startup.
5. Click to select the Process System.ini file check box.
6. Click to select the Process Win.ini file check box.
7. Click OK.
8. When you are prompted to restart your computer, click OK.

If your computer does not start or shut down correctly now, there is a problem with an entry in the System.ini or Win.ini file. Examine the entries more closely to determine the exact cause of the problem. Once you determine which entry is causing the problem, remove the entry, disable the entry by placing a semicolon (;) in front of it, or modify the entry so that it no longer causes the problem.

IF NO LUCK THEN:

Are the StaticVxD values in the registry incorrect?

If the error message does not specify a device driver, one of the StaticVxD values in the registry is probably blank or contains only spaces. The StaticVxD values are located in the registry in the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD

For information about how to edit the registry, see "To change a value" in Registry Editor Help.

Important

Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows 98. Microsoft cannot
guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To correct StaticVxD values in the registry

1.Make a backup copy of the registry files.

a.Click Start, and then click Run.
b.In the Open box, type scanregw, and then click OK.
c.When you are prompted to back up the system registry, click Yes, and then click OK.

2.Use Registry Editor to locate and delete any StaticVxD value in the registry that contains invalid data, is blank, or contains only
spaces.

IF NO LUCK THEN:

Did you recently remove a program from your computer?

If you recently removed a program or component from your computer, reinstall it, and then run the appropriate uninstall tool. If no uninstall tool is available for the program or component, contact the manufacturer to obtain instructions for removing it.

IF NO LUCK THEN:
Well, then you get the SORRY WE CAN'T FIX IT MESSAGE.

Part 2 of Part 2.

When I start my computer an Invalid VxD error message appears.
If the extension is .vxd:

Is the Vnetsup.vxd file missing?

If the Vnetsup.vxd file is missing, you can install and then remove a network component to work around the problem.

See Addendum

To install and remove network components

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.
2. Click Add, click Adapter, and then click Add.
3. In the Manufacturers box, click (detected net drivers). In the Network Adapters box, click Existing Ndis2 Driver, and then click OK.
4. If you are prompted to enter a workgroup name and a computer name, fill in the appropriate boxes on the Identification tab.
5. Click OK or Close until you return to Control Panel.
6. When you are prompted to restart your computer, click OK.
7. After the computer restarts, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.
8. Click Existing Ndis2 Driver, click Remove, and then click OK.
9. When you are prompted to restart your computer, click OK.

IF NO LUCK THEN:

Are the entries in the Windows .ini files correct?

To determine whether there is a conflict in the System.ini or Win.ini file

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
3. On the General tab, click Selective startup.
4. Click to clear all the check boxes under Selective startup.
5. Click to select the Process System.ini file check box.
6. Click to select the Process Win.ini file check box.
7. Click OK.
8 .When you are prompted to restart your computer, click OK.

If your computer does not start or shut down correctly now, there is a problem with an entry in the System.ini or Win.ini file. Examine the entries more closely to determine the exact cause of the problem. Once you determine which entry is causing the problem, remove the entry, disable the entry by placing a semicolon (;) in front of it, or modify the entry so that it no longer causes the problem.

IF NO LUCK THEN:

Are the StaticVxD values in the registry incorrect?

If the error message does not specify a device driver, one of the StaticVxD values in the registry is probably blank or contains only spaces. The StaticVxD values are located in the registry in the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD

For information about how to edit the registry, see "To change a value" in Registry Editor Help.

Important

Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows 98. Microsoft cannot
guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To correct StaticVxD values in the registry

1. Make a backup copy of the registry files.

a.Click Start, and then click Run.
b.In the Open box, type scanregw, and then click OK.
c.When you are prompted to back up the system registry, click Yes, and then click OK.

2.Use Registry Editor to locate and delete any StaticVxD value in the registry that contains invalid data, is blank, or contains only
spaces.

IF NO LUCK THEN:

Did you recently remove a program from your computer?

If you recently removed a program or component from your computer, reinstall it, and then run the appropriate uninstall tool. If no uninstall tool is available for the program or component, contact the manufacturer to obtain instructions for removing it.

IF NO LUCK THEN:

Then you get the SORRY WE CAN'T FIX IT MESSAGE again.

Part 3 of Part 2.

When I start my computer an Invalid VxD error message appears.
BUT, No file name is displayed in the error message:

Step 1.
Are the entries in the Windows .ini files correct?

To determine whether there is a conflict in the System.ini or Win.ini file

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
3. On the General tab, click Selective startup.
4. Click to clear all the check boxes under Selective startup.
5. Click to select the Process System.ini file check box.
6. Click to select the Process Win.ini file check box.
7. Click OK.
8. When you are prompted to restart your computer, click OK.

If your computer does not start or shut down correctly now, there is a problem with an entry in the System.ini or Win.ini file. Examine the entries more closely to determine the exact cause of the problem. Once you determine which entry is causing the problem, remove the entry, disable the entry by placing a semicolon (;) in front of it, or modify the entry so that it no longer causes the problem.

IF NO LUCK THEN:

Are the StaticVxD values in the registry incorrect?

If the error message does not specify a device driver, one of the StaticVxD values in the registry is probably blank or contains only spaces. The StaticVxD values are located in the registry in the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD

For information about how to edit the registry, see "To change a value" in Registry Editor Help.

Important

Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows 98. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To correct StaticVxD values in the registry

1. Make a backup copy of the registry files.

a.Click Start, and then click Run.
b.In the Open box, type scanregw, and then click OK.
c.When you are prompted to back up the system registry, click Yes, and then click OK.

2. Use Registry Editor to locate and delete any StaticVxD value in the registry that contains invalid data, is blank, or contains only spaces.

IF NO LUCK THEN:

Did you recently remove a program from your computer?

If you recently removed a program or component from your computer, reinstall it, and then run the appropriate uninstall tool. If no uninstall tool is available for the program or component, contact the manufacturer to obtain instructions for removing it.

IF NO LUCK THEN:

Then you get the SORRY WE CAN'T FIX IT MESSAGE one last time.

Addendum

Use this setting to determine whether a 95/98 machine will ever maintain the list of network machines (i.e. be a network browser).  Since Windows 9x machines do not generally have the resources NT servers and workstations have, a Windows 9x machine can be brought to its knees if it is ever elected to maintain the list of currently active network machines.  The machine that holds the network list is polled by other machines on the network to determine what resources are currently available.  If the machine maintaining the list is not very powerful, the entire network will suffer.

Using this setting you can disable this option and make sure that the
network selects machines more equipped to handle the network browsing load.
To set this option, go to:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\vnetsup
and create a value "MaintainServerList" (REG_SZ) and set it equal to the correct corresponding number:
1 = Enabled (always be a network browser)
2 = Auto (only be a network browser if needed)
0 = Disabled (never be a network browser)

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