DLL Errors When Running Windows 16-Bit Applications

ID: Q125905

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 3.5
Microsoft Windows NT Server version 3.5

SYMPTOMS

The following error message will occur when you attempt to run an application on Windows NT that requires a Dynamic-Link Library (DLL) file that the application cannot find:

File Error

Cannot find xxxx.DLL

Where xxxx is the filename of the DLL that cannot be found.

CAUSE

This happens when Windows NT is installed on a computer that already had Windows version 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups (WfWG) installed, and where Windows NT is installed in a separate directory and the application was installed under Windows or WfWG.

This is also likely to happen when the directory of the application is not in the Path.

RESOLUTION

To avoid this problem, modify the Path statement in Windows NT to include the directory of the application DLL files as follows:

From Control Panel, choose the System icon.

In the System Environment Variables section of the System dialog box, select this line:
Path=%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%

NOTE: The path may be different if it has been modified. The path listed above is the default Path statement for Windows NT.

In the Value box, append one of the following lines to the existing Path (depending on where the DLL files for the application are installed):
;c:\windows\system

Where C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM is the Windows 3.1 or WfWg system path.

-or-

;c:\appdir

Where C:\APPDIR is the application directory.

Choose the Set button.

Choose the OK button.

NOTE: You are not required to log off or restart Windows NT after making this change. The next application you start will use the new settings. However, applications running before you made the changes will not be affected.

For additional information, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q102424: Migrating Windows 3.1 Program Groups to Windows NT

For more information on Windows NT program groups, query on the following words here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:


   migrated and icons and items and video

Additional query words: prodnt win.ini initialization

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