Error When Running Setup from MS-DOS SHELL

 Last reviewed: November 21, 1994
Article ID: Q83481
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

When installing the Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1, the following error message may appear if MS-DOS Shell is resident in memory and the Task Swapper option is enabled: 

   You are attempting to run Setup from within Windows.
   You need to quit Windows, and then run Setup from the
   MS-DOS command prompt. Press F3 to quit Setup.
To prevent this error message, close Shell before installing Windows 3.1.

MORE INFORMATION

To correct this problem, use the following steps:

  1. Press F3 to exit Windows Setup.

  2. Type "exit" (without the quotation marks), and press ENTER. (This returns you to Shell.)

  3. Press ALT+F4 to close Shell and exit to the MS-DOS command prompt.

  4. Run Windows Setup.

If you run SETUP.EXE from within Shell with Task Swapper enabled, the aforementioned error message may occur, or your system may hang. Setup may run without error in conjunction with the Shell if Task Swapper is disabled; however, it may cause problems, depending on other MS-DOS Environment Settings.

Microsoft does not recommend running Windows Setup from MS-DOS Shell or any type of menu or shell program.

KBCategory: kbsetup kbtool kberrmsg
KBSubcategory: win31
Additional reference words: 3.10 dosshell

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Last reviewed: November 21, 1994
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