Warning Message Displayed When Installing or Running a Program

ID: Q183983


The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows 98


SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to install or run a program in Windows, you may receive one of the following warning messages

  • <file name>
    This program did not run correctly on Windows 95 and still may not run correctly due to enhanced operating system features. For information about obtaining an updated version, or help regarding workarounds for known issues, click Details. If after reviewing the help topic you still wish to continue, click Run Program.



  • <file name>
    This program may not run correctly on Windows 98 because of enhanced operating system features. For information about obtaining an updated version, or help regarding workarounds for known issues, click Details. If after reviewing the help topic you still wish to continue, click Run Program.



  • <file name>
    This program ran on Windows 95, however some reconfiguration was necessary for the program to run correctly. The same changes are recommended for Windows 98. For more information, click Details. To continue without making changes, click Run Program.



  • <file name>
    This program runs on Windows 98. However, because of new features in the operating system, additional configuration may be necessary for your program to run correctly. For more information click Details. To continue without making changes, click Run Program.



  • <file name>
    This program did not run correctly on Windows 95 in conjunction with drives using the enhanced FAT32 file system. For information about obtaining an updated version or information regarding known issues, click Details. If after reviewing the help topic you still wish to continue, click Run Program.



  • <file name>
    This program may not run correctly on Windows 98 due to enhanced FAT32 features. For information about obtaining an updated version or information regarding known issues, click Details. If after reviewing the help topic you still wish to continue, click Run Program.



  • <file name>
    Setup has detected that you are running a version of Windows which already includes the updated files or enhancements you are attempting to install. Do not click Run Program without first consulting the help topic provided. For more information regarding this warning, click Details.




where <file name> is the name of the program file you are attempting to run.

The dialog box that displays each of these warning messages contains the following buttons:

   Button        Result
   ------        ------------------------------------------------------
   Run Program   Ignores warning and run program
   Cancel        Does not run program and returns to Windows
   Details       Displays programs-specific text from the Apps.hlp file 


CAUSE

These warning messages can occur if you are attempting to install or run a program that is known to have or cause problems with the version of Windows or Microsoft Internet Explorer that is installed on your computer.


RESOLUTION

To determine whether you should continue to install or run the program, click Details for information about workarounds for known issues or the availability of an updated version of the program.

If no updates to the program are available, or if installing or running the program is not known to cause serious problems, click Run Program.

NOTE: When you attempt to install or run some programs (for example, Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95, Internet Explorer 3.02 or earlier, or Microsoft Windows 95), the Run Program button may be unavailable. This is by design since installing or running these programs can render Windows 98 inoperable. If the Run Program button is available, you can click the "Don't display this message in the future" check box to select it to prevent this warning message from being displayed each time you run the program. If the Run Program button is unavailable, clicking the "Don't display this message in the future" check box to select it has no effect.


MORE INFORMATION

How to Search the Apps.hlp File

The text that is displayed when you click Details on the warning message dialog box is stored in the Apps.hlp file. You can search the Apps.hlp file for specific program compatibility issues by building a word list that includes untitled topics. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.


  2. In the Windows\Help folder, rename or delete the following files if they exist:
    
        - Apps.fts
        - Apps.gid
      
    For information about renaming or deleting files, click Start, click Help, click the Index tab, type "renaming" (without quotation marks), and then double-click the "Renaming Files" topic, or type removing, and then double-click the "Removing Files, Folders" topic.


  3. Double-click the Apps.hlp file.


  4. Click Help Topics, and then click the Find tab to start the Find Setup wizard.


  5. Click Custom Search Capabilities, and then click Next.


  6. In the Select The File To Include box, click Apps.hlp, and then click Next.


  7. Click Include Untitled Topics, and then click Next.


  8. Click Include Phrase Searching, and then click Next.


  9. Click Display Matching Phrases, and then click Next.


  10. Click Support Similarity Searches, and then click Next.


  11. Click Finish to create a word list.


Once your word list is created, you can search for specific Apps.hlp warning messages by double-clicking the Apps.hlp file, clicking the Find tab, and then typing the program name in the "Type the word(s) you want to find" box. For example, if you search for "Plus!" in the Windows 98 Apps.hlp file, the (Untitled #181) help topic is displayed. This help topic contains the following text:
Important

Do not install Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 over Windows 98. Doing so will corrupt your desktop. Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 contains older versions of some files, such as Internet Explorer. The enhancements in Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 have already been incorporated into Windows 98.

If Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 was already installed before you upgraded to Windows 98, do not uninstall it. Uninstalling Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 will corrupt the operating system.

NOTE: Some programs may not be listed in the Apps.hlp file by name. Instead, a generic Apps.hlp warning message is used for the type of program being installed or run. For example, the following text may be displayed for any Windows 3.1 backup utility:
This backup utility was designed for Windows 3.1. Because this version of Windows supports long file names, this program may not function correctly.

For information about obtaining a version of this utility that was designed for this version of Windows, contact its manufacturer or your software vendor.

Keywords : kberrmsg kbsetup win98
Version : WINDOWS:
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb


Last Reviewed: February 2, 1999
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