Windows Err Msg: The Program Group File Has Been Modified

Last reviewed: December 14, 1994
Article ID: Q105216

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

SYMPTOMS

You may receive the following error message when you exit Windows 3.1 in 386 enhanced mode:

   Group File Error
   The program group file has been modified by another program or user
   and will be reloaded; try the operation again.

Choosing the OK button has no effect; the only course of action is to reboot your machine.

NOTE: This error has not been reproduced in standard mode.

CAUSE

This problem can be caused by either of the following:

Two groups with the same name exist in the [Groups] section of the PROGMAN.INI file. For example:
```
      [Groups]
      Group9=c:\win\apps.grp
      Group8=c:\win\apps.grp
```
Two groups with the same number exist in the [Groups] section of the PROGMAN.INI file. For example:
```
      [Groups]
      Group7=c:\win\apps.grp
      Group7=c:\win\main.grp
```

RESOLUTION

Exit Windows and open the PROGMAN.INI file in a text editor, such as MS-DOS Editor.
Remove any duplicate group name(s), and/or change any duplicate group number(s) in the [Groups] section.
Modify the ORDER= line in the [Settings] section so that there are no duplicate or extra numbers.

If there are no duplicate groups names or group numbers, rename the PROGMAN.INI file and then rebuild the file. For instructions on rebuilding the PROGMAN.INI file, query in the Microsoft Knowledge Base on the following words:

   progman.ini and rebuild and groups and setup

KBCategory: kbenv kberrmsg
KBSubcategory: win31
Additional reference words: 3.10 3.1 3.11

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Last reviewed: December 14, 1994
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