Error Message: Stop C00000142 (DLL Initialization Failed)

ID: Q191991

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When Windows NT 4.0 starts, you may receive the following error message:

STOP C0000142 (DLL initialization failed)

Initialization of the dynamic link library c:<path>\user32.dll failed.
The process is terminating abnormally


CAUSE

This issue can occur if there are conflicting versions of the User32.dll and Gdi32.dll files.


RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, replace the Gdi32.dll file in the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder with the file that is included in the Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack that was loaded on the original installation. To verify, SP3 files display a modified date of 4/30/97 or 5/1/97, and SP4 files show a modified date of 10/15/98.

Method 1

If you have access to another Windows NT-based computer with Windows NT 4.0 SP3 installed, copy the Gdi32.dll file from the other computer to the original computer. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. On the other computer, click Start, point to Programs, and then click Command Prompt.


  2. Insert a formatted floppy disk into the floppy disk drive, type the following line, and then press ENTER

    copy %SystemRoot%\system32\gdi32.dll <drive>:

    where <drive> is the drive letter of the floppy disk drive.


  3. Restart the original computer using any bootable floppy disk (such as an MS-DOS boot disk, a Microsoft Windows 95 Emergency Boot disk, or a Microsoft Windows 98 Startup disk), and then insert the floppy disk you used in step 2 in the floppy disk drive.

    NOTE: For instructions about how to create a boot floppy disk, please consult your operating system's documentation.


  4. Type the following lines, pressing ENTER after each line

    ren %SystemRoot%\system32\gdi32.dll gdi32.old copy <drive>:\gdi32.dll %SystemRoot%\system32\

    where <drive> is the drive letter of the floppy disk drive.


  5. Restart the computer.


Method 2

If you dual-boot Windows NT and Windows 95 or Windows 98 on your computer, follow these steps:

  1. Start Windows 95 or Windows 98.


  2. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click MS-DOS Prompt.


  3. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:

    ren %SystemRoot%\system32\gdi32.dll gdi32.old


  4. If you have the SP3 CD-ROM, place it in the CD-ROM drive, type the following line, and then press ENTER

    expand -r <drive>:\i386\gdi32.dll %SystemRoot%\system32\

    where <drive> is the drive letter of the CD-ROM drive. After you complete this step, skip to step 7.


  5. If you downloaded SP3, you need to extract all files from the Nt4sp3_i.exe file before you can obtain the Gdi32.dll file. To extract all files from the Nt4sp3_i.exe file, consult the instructions in the "Downloading and Extracting the Service Pack" section of the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    Q152841 Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 Readme.txt File (40-bit)


  6. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:

    copy <path>\gdi32.dll %SystemRoot%\system32\

    where <path> is the location of the SP3 files.


  7. Restart your computer.


Method 3

If you have Windows NT installed on an NTFS partition, follow these steps:

  1. Install Windows NT in a different folder on your hard disk, and then install SP3.


  2. Copy the Gdi32.dll file from the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder in the new Windows NT installation to the corresponding folder in the original installation. To do so, type the following line, and then press ENTER

    copy %SystemRoot%\system32\Gdi32.dll <path>\system32

    where <path> is the original installation.


  3. Restart your computer to the original Windows NT installation.


  4. Remove the temporary Windows NT installation, and then delete any entries in the Boot.ini file that are entered for that installation.


Additional query words: 


Keywords          : kberrmsg 
Version           : winnt:4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: March 11, 1999