PRB: Win32s Errors During Visual FoxPro Installation

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0

SYMPTOMS

When installing Visual FoxPro version 3.0, you may see the following message:

  Win32s error
  Improper installation
  Win32s requires  w32s.386 in order to run
  Reinstall win32s

CAUSE

This is not a Win32s problem. It is related to a missing Device=*vmcpd line in the 386Enh section of the SYSTEM.INI file. This line provides a virtual device driver for math coprocessors.

WORKAROUND

Add this line:

   Device=*vmcpd

STATUS

Microsoft is researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

A virtual device driver (VxD) is a 32-bit, protected-mode, dynamic-link library that manages a system resource, such as a hardware device or installed software so that more than one application can use the resource at the same time. Virtual devices work in conjunction with Windows to process interrupts and carry out I/O operations for a given application without disrupting how other applications run. A virtual device is required for any hardware device that has settable operating modes or retains data over any period of time. In other words, if the state of the hardware device can be disrupted by switching between multiple applications, the device must have a corresponding virtual device. The virtual device keeps track of the state of the device for each application and ensures that the device is in the correct state whenever an application continues.