Windows 95/98 Boots Directly to "Shut Down" Screen

ID: Q141898

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you start your computer, you may see the following message:

It's now safe to turn off your computer
This behavior can occur in any mode.


CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the Vmm32.vxd or Wininit.exe file is missing or damaged.


RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

To Re-create the Vmm32.vxd File

  1. Restart your computer. For Windows 95, when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu. For Windows 98, 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.


  2. Type the following line to change to the Windows\System folder:

    cd \windows\system


  3. Type the following line:

    ren vmm32.vxd vmm32.old


  4. Reinstall Windows 95/98.


NOTE: If you installed Windows 95 from a CD-ROM, you may need to enable the Mscdex.exe line in the Autoexec.bat file or reinstall the real-mode CD-ROM drivers included with the CD-ROM drive before you can reinstall Windows 95. After you enable the real-mode CD-ROM drivers, repeat step 1 to restart the computer.

To Obtain a New Copy of the Wininit.exe File

  1. Extract a new copy of the Wininit.exe file from your original Windows 95/98 disks or CD-ROM to the Windows folder. In Windows 95, the Wininit.exe file is located in the Win95_11.cab cabinet file on the Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 11 of your original Windows 95 disks.

    For more information about using the Extract tool, click Start, point to Programs, click MS-DOS prompt, type extract, and then press ENTER.

    For additional information about using the Extract tool, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    Q129605 How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files


  2. Restart the computer.


NOTE: If you installed Windows 95 from a CD-ROM, you may need to enable the Mscdex.exe line in the Autoexec.bat file or reinstall the real-mode CD-ROM drivers included with the CD-ROM drive before you can reinstall Windows 95. After you enable the real-mode CD-ROM drivers, repeat step 1 to restart the computer.


MORE INFORMATION

A Vmm32.vxd file is included on the Windows 95 disks and CD-ROM. Extracting this version of the file does not solve the problem, as it is an incomplete version of the file. You must run Setup to re-create a system-specific Vmm32.vxd file.

If Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) is enabled in your computer's Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), the "It's now safe to turn off your computer" message may not be displayed when you shut down Windows 95/98.

Additional query words: shutdown boot 


Keywords          : kbsetup win95 winboot win98 
Version           : WINDOWS:95
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: July 6, 1999