Cannot Start Windows 95 from NetWare Server with RPL

• Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

On a computer with a hard disk that starts Windows 95 from a Novell NetWare server using Remote Program Loader (RPL), you may experience one or more of the following problems:

• The real-mode network cannot be started.
• The computer stops responding (hangs) during startup.
• You receive an error message stating that the registry path cannot be updated.

CAUSE

When you start Windows 95 from a Novell NetWare server with RPL, a folder called Suboot is created on the local hard disk. All of the files necessary to start the real-mode network are copied into this folder. A copy of the registry (called System.dat) is also copied to the root directory of the local hard disk, with the System, Hidden, and Read-Only attributes set. The next time you start the computer, the command in the Autoexec.bat file to copy the registry fails, because the the current version still has its Hidden, System, and Read-Only attributes set.

This is not a problem if nothing in the registry has changed, but if you reinstall Windows 95, or make any changes to the registry, the problems described above may occur.

RESOLUTION

Delete the System.dat file in the root directory of the hard disk and then restart the computer. Note that you may need to clear the file's System, Hidden, and Read-Only attributes before you can delete it.