[Radien]

Hi there, I'm a new member; I've come here because I have a problem it seems someone else has already solved, but I need the details on what to do.

Recently my computer's registry went all funkdafied, and a friend helped me reinstall Windows completely to reset the registry. This solved a lot of problems, but thanks to the sad fact that I own a Compaq, it started plenty of other problems.

I found this topic, below, that described my problem in the first post.
http://www.geekstogo...showtopic=38510

My problem is thus:
When my computer boots up, it comes up with an error message during startup which tells me that I'm missing several files: vnetsetup.vxd, vredir.vxd, and dfs.vxd. At the end of this error message, the computer freezes. I was getting this error message earlier, but my computer didn't freeze until several reboots later (isn't that always the way ). When I was able to boot successfully, another error message would come up, telling me that msnp32.dll is missing.

It seems the person with the problem in the above topic had already figured out what to do. If anyone knows how to fix this, I'd greatly appreciate instructions.

OR, I'd be quite happy with just getting those files, if someone is able to supply them. I can't seem to find anywhere to download them on the net.

Please help!

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These files are all in the win98 folder of your installation disk. You need to go into Safe mode and uninstall the network adaptor in Device Manager, so that you can boot into Normal mode. After you've booted into normal mode reinstall the adapter and when it asks for the files browse to the win98 folder in the D: drive. You will need to put the install disk in after you've booted. On many OEM machines the files may be in the Companion disk that comes with the machine.

Edited by Tyger, 27 October 2005 - 07:20 AM.

[Tyger]

These files are all in the win98 folder of your installation disk. You need to go into Safe mode and uninstall the network adaptor in Device Manager, so that you can boot into Normal mode. After you've booted into normal mode reinstall the adapter and when it asks for the files browse to the win98 folder in the D: drive. You will need to put the install disk in after you've booted. On many OEM machines the files may be in the Companion disk that comes with the machine.

Edited by Tyger, 27 October 2005 - 07:20 AM.

[Radien]

Hmm, okay. Well, I can either boot up successfully in safe mode, or I can physically detach the Netgear ethernet card and it will boot up normally (apparently my Compaq machine doesn't like the drivers for the new ethernet card).

I told it to search the Win98 installation CD for the files, but it wasn't finding them. :-/ I will take your advice, though, and search for them with the Find feature, just in case the "Add New Hardware" procedure isn't doing a proper search. If I find them, I'll copy them to my hard drive.

Thanks for your help so far. I will see whether this works, and report back within a few hours.

UPDATE:

I tried searching for all of these files on several applicable CDs and my entire hard drive. No luck. They were on neither the Win98 CD, nor the Compaq restore CD, nor the Netgear driver install CD. The closest I found were two files on my hard drive named "vnetbios.vxd" and "cdfs.vxd". They sound related, but not what I'm looking for.

So, does anyone actually have these files on their computer?...



P.S. - It might be worth mentioning that when I installed my Netgear Ethernet Card drivers, a file was coming up as missing. I told it to look in the CD-ROM drive, but didn't give it an exact location. It might have skipped the file without telling me. This could be causing problems.

Edited by Radien, 27 October 2005 - 05:38 PM.

[Tyger]

What your'e going to have to do is go to the netgear website and download the right drivers to a floppy and run them on the machine. I don't know how they do their installations ao I can't tell you, just follow their instructions. But the files you mentioined should be in the win98 or cabs folder, so you will need that too. Good luck, and if you need more help don't be afraaid to ask.

[Radien]

Thanks a lot Tyger. I hadn't considered that perhaps Netgear's install CD wasn't comprehensive. I will give that a try soon. However, I'm pretty close to giving up on my current computer. It's somewhere around 6 years old and hardly worth the trouble, since I may need a new one in the next year, anyway. Still, keeping it on three legs out of four until I replace it will be a good thing.

[peterm]

Did you install the patch Starjax had pointed to in the original post ?

[Radien]

Did you install the patch Starjax had pointed to in the original post ?

Um, no, I hadn't tried that yet, because I'm still struggling with the particular problem guymontech solved before he came here to ask for help.

His topic question involved the "Dynamic Link Library could not find msnp32.dll" error, which occurs after the Windows GUI has started up. I'm getting that error message, as well, but I usually can't even get that far. The computer freezes during the error message about the series of missing VXD files. Also, the "msnp32.dll" error message doesn't seem to be causing computer lockups.

However, since the "msnp32.dll" bug is apparently caused by ethernet card drivers, it is likely a related issue. I'll check into it when I get home tomorrow evening.

Edited by Radien, 30 October 2005 - 04:39 AM.

[peterm]

Ok go to the properties of network neighbourhood and check if you have IPX listed
This can cause the error message.
Have you tried System file checker ?
Put your 98 cd in your drive go to start type in sfc ok
this should replace the files from the cab files on the cd
Also how to extract files
http://support.micro...com/kb/q129605/

Edited by peterm, 30 October 2005 - 05:50 AM.

[Radien]

Okay, update...

I haven't downloaded new Netgear drivers yet, but I was looking into SFC. However, either I'm not finding the right file to extra from, or else I don't see what this is supposed to do for my particular problem.

Also, apparently, when the Netgear drivers were installed, it didn't create a "Network Neighborhood" icon on the desktop. Which seems odd to me.

[Tyger]

One thing is we don't exactly know what you're trying to do. We do know it involves a netgear card, I've installed quite a few, one of my favorite cards because I have the drivers, and easy to install. That being said, are you trying to connect to a home network or direct to DSL? If you're connecting to DSL you won't see network neighborhood. And if you're using PPPoE on win98 you will need to use the disk provided by your ISP, or you will need to use a router to connect to PPPoE and log in, and set up a home network. Win98 was developed before PPPoE so that isn't "native" to it. It has to be installed separately.

Edited by Tyger, 31 October 2005 - 06:32 PM.

[Radien]

Good news: my computer will now start up with the network card plugged in, WITHOUT freezing up at the "vnetsetup.vxd" error message. I'm not sure whether it had to do with anything I did. I still get the error message, but no freezing.

Well, I'm trying to connect through a router, to a cable modem. I'm not sure what PPPoE. Is it related to PPP? I think I might know what that is.

If DSL is different from cable, then no, I'm not connecting via DSL. I was only looking for Network Neighborhood because peterm suggested it... I've never used Network Neighborhood on this computer before, and I suspect the only reason it was there originally was because my techy friend tried to set up a filesharing network between multiple computers under the same roof (it didn't work).

As for what I'm trying to do, well, I'm not sure. I know the problem is probably Compaq software conflicts and messy reinstalls.

[Tyger]

Well that information clarifies things a great deal. When the computer asks for the vnetsetup files browse to the installation files, whether they are on the hard drive or the installation cd, they will be in the folder named win98, so you will browse to D:\win98. If you have a cd for the network card you can copy the win98 folder from your Windows installtion disk to your hard drive so you can have the cd-rom available for the network card cd. After you've installed the network card and there is no yellow question mark next to it in device manager, do this:

Right click on the Internet connection wizard and choose properties, then click on Find Target, when the folder opens double click the icwoobe, and when that wizard runs choose the LAN options. Choose automatically configure. If you tend to lose the connection you may need to enter your router's address as the proxy in your network connection.

You should be up and running in a few minutes.

[Radien]

Phew... okay, another update... Here's what I've done:

1.) Looked in E:\Win98 and found the CAB files you were referring to. Found that vnetsetup.vxd, vredir.vxd, and dfs.vxd are in Net9.cab.

2.) Copied the three files to C:\Windows\System\ and rebooted. It froze up. I undid what I'd done and moved on.

3. ) Copied the three files to C:\Windows\Cabs\ and rebooted. Nothing changed; it worked as it did before I did step 1. I undid what I'd done and moved on.

4.) Realized there is a duplicate Net9.cab file in Win98 on drive C, which also contains the three files. Used SFC to restore E:\Win98\Net9.cab to C:\Win98\Net9.cab. Again, nothing changed. I didn't return the files to their original state, surmising that they probably weren't the problem. I did keep a backup copy of Net9.cab, though.

5.) Tried to move on to your next suggestion and open icwoobe.exe. Got the error "Failed to load the Internet Connection wizard helper component."




Agh... I think I've been beaten...

Edited by Radien, 02 November 2005 - 10:36 PM.

[peterm]

Hey guys I know nothing about cable but do you think that no network neighbourhood could be the problem?

[Tyger]

Hey guys I know nothing about cable but do you think that no network neighbourhood could be the problem?

The Network Neighborhood should appear as soon as he runs icwoobe.

Radien, whenever it asks for those files point to the win98 folder, windows will automatically find the files in the right cabinet. However first, if you haven't, run system file checker, Go to Start>Run, type in sfc, hit OK, follow the prompts to check the files. That should restore the helper component.

If all of this doesn't work, you can reinstall Windows without losing your settings by using the files in C:, if you're in normal mode go Start>Run type in C:\win98\setup, or whatever the file pathi is to the installation files, and hit OK. Don't use the CD for this, you may accidentally lose your programs and files if you do. Have your product key handy, you may need it. You can find it in the registry. Look at the posts above for installing to find it.