The NTVDM and WOW subsystems cannot start correctly, what can I do?

John Savill

July 12, 1999

1 Min Read
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A. The NT Virtual Dos Machine and the Windows On Windows subsystem areused to run older 16 bit software applications. Below are some trouble shootingsteps

  1. Check the Autoexec.nt and Config.nt for anything unusual or anything that can be commented out (in the %systemroot%system32 directory).

  2. Rename Autoexec.bat (e.g. c:autoexec.bat).

  3. Check for changes in Win.ini or System.ini, or replace by expanding the original files off of the installation media. (%systemroot% directory)

  4. Rename all other *.ini files if possible

  5. In the Config.nt file, allow only:

    dos=high, umb
    device=%SystemRoot%system32himem.sys
    files=60
    shell=%SystemRoot%system32command.com /e:4096

If you still have problems checkout Knowledge Base article http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q196/4/53.aspwhich has more information.

These files are also on the Emergency Repair disk so you could just copy theversions from the disk over your existing ones which may fix the problem.

This can also be caused by a virus, for example "NYB" in the bootsector of the machine. (PC has a bootable DOS and a bootable NT partition).

About the Author

John Savill

John Savill

https://savilltech.net

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