16-Bit Applications Often Cause Random and Diverse Messages

This article was previously published under Q102662

Windows 16-bit applications sometimes display messages that indicate problems such as "Out of memory" or "Insufficient system resources" instead of the true nature of the problem: a 16-bit printer driver has been designated as the default printer. You may not have done this intentionally: some 16-bit programs, during setup, install a 16-bit printer driver as the default printer for the system.

With a 16-bit default driver installed, Win32 API printer function calls start failing because of the design incompatibility of the API function and the driver. These failures cause programs to display meaningless "informative" messages.

To correct this problem, use the Windows NT Print Manager to install a different printer as the default (even if there isn't really a printer attached).