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Q315589: Games: Err Msg: Not a Valid Win32 Application

Article: Q315589
Product(s): Microsoft Home Games
Version(s): 1.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kberrmsg kbimu
Last Modified: 29-MAY-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Bicycle Board Games Version 1.5 
- Microsoft Bicycle Card Games Version 1.0 
- Microsoft Dungeon Siege, version 1.0 
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Professional Edition 
- Microsoft Train Simulator, version 1.0 
- Microsoft Zoo Tycoon 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you start any of the Microsoft games listed at the beginning of this
article, you may receive an error message similar to one of the following:

  <game>.exe is Not a Valid Win32 Application.

  -or-

  A black command prompt box flashes on the screen.

  -or-

  When running in a command prompt, the text: Program too big to fit in memory.

CAUSE
=====

This behavior can occur if your game's installation is damaged (corrupted).


RESOLUTION
==========

To resolve this issue, use the following methods in the order presented.

NOTE: Because there are several versions of Windows, the following steps may be
different on your computer. If they are, please see your product documentation
to complete these steps.

Uninstall the Game
------------------

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.

3. In the list of installed programs, click the game, and then click Add/Remove.

4. When you are prompted to uninstall the program, click Yes.

5. When the uninstall process is complete, click Start, point to Find, and then
  click Files or Folders.

6. In the Named box, type "DungeonSiege.exe", "fs2002.exe", "train.exe", or
  "zoo.exe" (including the quotation marks).

  NOTE: The name of the executable you type in will depend on what game you have
  installed. The executable names match the following games:

  Dungeon Siege = "DungeonSiege.exe"
  Flight Simulator 2002 = "fs2002.exe"
  Train Simulator = "train.exe"
  Zoo Tycoon = "zoo.exe"

7. In the Look In box, click the hard disk on which you installed the game, and
  then click Find Now.

8. In the list of found files and folders, right-click the game executable file,
  and then click Delete.

If you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes or Yes to all.

Empty the Temp Folder
---------------------

To empty the Temp folder and the Temporary Internet Files folder, use the Disk
Cleanup tool. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools,
  and then click Disk Cleanup.

2. Click C: (or whatever drive on which Windows is installed), and then click
  OK.

3. Click to select the "Temporary files" check box.

4. Click OK, and then click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Restart Your Computer by Performing a Clean Boot
------------------------------------------------

To perform a clean boot, follow the steps appropriate to your version of
Microsoft Windows.


Microsoft Windows XP

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q310353 How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP

Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me)

1. Click Start, click Run, type "msconfig" (without the quotation marks) in the
  Open box, and then click OK.

2. On the General tab, click "Selective startup".

3. Click to clear all of the check boxes under "Selective startup".

4. On the Startup tab, click to select the "*StateMgr" check box.


5. Click OK. When you receive the message to restart your computer, click Yes.
  After the computer restarts, click Start, click Run, type "msconfig" (without
  the quotation marks) in the Open box, and then click OK.

  IMPORTANT: Look closely at the General tab to ensure that the check boxes that
  you cleared are still cleared. If none of the check boxes are selected,
  proceed to the following method. If you see a selected, unavailable check box
  (it appears dimmed and has a check mark in it), your computer is not truly
  "clean-booted," and you may need to contact the manufacturer of the program
  that is listed next to the selected, unavailable check box for assistance.

Microsoft Windows 98

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools,
  and then click System Information.

2. On the Tools menu, click System Configuration Utility.

3. On the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then click to clear the
  following check boxes:

   - Process Config.sys file
   - Process Autoexec.bat file
   - Process Winstart.bat file (if available)
   - Process Win.ini file
   - Load Startup group items

4. Click OK. When you are prompted to restart the computer, do so.

NOTE: To restore your original Startup options, click Normal Startup on the
General tab in the System Configuration Utility tool.

Reinstall the Game
------------------

To reinstall the game, follow these steps:

1. Insert the game CD-ROM into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.

  If the Setup program does not start automatically, follow these steps:

  a. Click Start, and then click Run.

  b. In the Open box, type "<cd-rom>:\setup.exe" (without the quotation
     marks), where <cd-rom> is the letter of your computer's CD-ROM or
     DVD-ROM drive.

  c. Click OK.

2. Follow the instructions on the screen to install the game.

Additional query words: msgame

======================================================================
Keywords          : kberrmsg kbimu 
Technology        : kbHomeProdSearch kbGamesSearch kbFlightSimSearch _IK kbDungeonSiege kbTrainSim kbBicycleCard100 kbBicycleSearch kbBicycleBoard150 kbFlightSim2002 kbFlightSim2002Pro kbZooTycoon kbSimSearch
Version           : :1.0
Issue type        : kbprb

=============================================================================

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