Err Msg: 'Incorrect System Version' When Starting MS-DOS App

ID: Q81609

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows versions 3.1, 3.11
Microsoft Windows for Workgroups versions 3.1, 3.11

SYMPTOMS

You may receive one of the following error messages when you try to run an MS-DOS-based application under Microsoft Windows or Windows for Workgroups in the 386 enhanced mode:

Incorrect system version; reinstall the 386 enhanced mode of Windows

Incompatible Version of Operating System

CAUSES

The problem is probably caused by one of the following:

The video grabber does not match the virtual display device.

An old WINOA386.MOD file resides in the Windows\SYSTEM subdirectory.

The machine has a duplicate COMMAND.COM file (dated prior to your current version) in the Windows directory.

You have a WINOA386.MOD file in both the Windows and Windows\SYSTEM subdirectory.

WORKAROUND

To correct these problems, see the appropriate section below.

Wrong Video Grabber

The SYSTEM.INI file contains three entries that specify which video driver you use in the 386 enhanced mode of Windows. These are the "386Grabber" and "display.drv" entries in the [boot] section and the "display" entry in the [386Enh] section. The error message above usually occurs when one of these entries is not consistent with the others--usually due to using a Windows version 3.0 video driver with Windows version 3.1.

If you are using display drivers not included with Windows 3.1, contact your display adapter manufacturer to get an updated driver installation disk.

In many cases, you can work around this problem by manually installing the version 3.0 driver files that are included on the Windows 3.1 Setup disks. If your display driver works in Windows 3.0 using the standard VGA virtual display device file (specified by "display=*vddvga" in the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file), then do the following:

Copy and expand the VDDVGA30.386 file from the Windows 3.1 Setup Disk 1 (5.25-inch or 3.5-inch disk set) into your Windows 3.1 SYSTEM subdirectory.

To expand the VDDVGA30.386 file, use the Expand utility (EXPAND.EXE) in the Windows directory. If you are unsure of the syntax for using Expand, type expand /? at the MS-DOS command prompt.

Change the line "display=..." in the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI to read:
```
display=VDDVGA30.386 
```

If your display driver works in Windows 3.0 using the standard VGA grabber file (specified by "386Grabber=VGA.3GR" in the [boot] section of the SYSTEM.INI file), then do the following:

Copy and expand the VGA30.3GR file from the Windows 3.1 Setup disks (Disk 3 for the 5.25-inch disk set and Disk 2 for the 3.5-inch disk set) into your Windows 3.1 SYSTEM subdirectory.

To expand the VGA30.3GR file, use the Expand utility (EXPAND.EXE) in the Windows directory. If you are unsure of the syntax for using Expand, type expand /? at the MS-DOS command prompt.

Change the line "386Grabber=" in the [boot] section of the SYSTEM.INI file to read:
386Grabber=VGA30.3GR

Old WINOA386.MOD File

To determine if this is the problem, do the following:

Run File Manager.

Change to the root directory (C:\).

From the File menu, choose Search.

In the Search For box, type *.MOD. Make sure the Search All Subdirectories check box is selected, and choose the OK button.

When the Search Results window appears, choose All File Details from the View menu.

If the WINOA386.MOD file is not in the Windows\SYSTEM directory, or if the file is has a date earlier than March 10, 1992, delete it.

If you deleted a file in step 6, copy and expand the WINOA386.MOD file from the Windows 3.1 Setup Disk 4 (5.25-inch or 3.5-inch disk set) into your Windows 3.1 SYSTEM subdirectory.

To expand the WINOA386.MOD file, use the Expand utility (EXPAND.EXE) in the Windows directory. If you are unsure of the syntax for using Expand, type expand /? at the MS-DOS command prompt.

Duplicate COMMAND.COM File

You should have two COMMAND.COM files on your machine: one in your root directory and the other in the directory that contains your MS-DOS files (typically C:\DOS). If you have an extra COMMAND.COM file, it is probably in your Windows directory and it is probably dated prior to the version of COMMAND.COM loaded when you booted MS-DOS. You need to delete this file.

To verify that this is the problem, double-click on the COMMAND.COM file in the root directory and it will launch a virtual MS-DOS machine.

Duplicate WINOA386.MOD File

To work correct this situation, delete the WINOA386.MOD file from the Windows directory.

Additional query words: tshoot 3.10 3.1 3.00 3.0 3.11 applications c:\windows

Keywords :
Version : WINDOWS:3.1,3.11
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type :