Cannot Start Windows or Programs in Windows (132571)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows 95
- Microsoft Windows 98
- Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
This article was previously published under Q132571 If this article does not describe your hardware-related issue, please see the following Microsoft Web site to view more articles about hardware: SYMPTOMS
When you try to start Windows or a program in Windows, you may receive an
error message indicating that there is not enough memory to do so.
CAUSE
This behavior can occur if there is not enough real and virtual memory to
start the Windows shell or the program.
RESOLUTION
Start your computer to a command prompt and free some space on the
hard disk on which the swap file is located. Once you free space on
your hard disk, restart Windows normally and try to run the program
again. To start your computer to a command prompt, follow the steps in
the appropriate section below:
Windows Millennium Edition (Me)
Use your Windows Me startup disk to start to a command prompt.
Windows 95
Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message,
press the F8 key, and then choose Command Prompt Only.
Windows 98
Restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key after your
computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then choose
Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu. For more information
about Windows 98 startup, see the following article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: 178548
TITLE : No "Starting Windows 98" Message at Startup
MORE INFORMATION
If you try to start a program on a computer that has 4 megabytes (MB) of
random access memory (RAM) and less than 8 MB of free space on the hard
disk containing the swap file, you may be unable to shutdown and restart
your computer normally. In this case, you must press CTRL+ALT+DEL to open
the Close Program dialog box, and then click Shut Down to shut down
Windows.
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 8/8/2006 |
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| Keywords: | kbenv kbprb KB132571 |
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