KB136630 - Creating a New Win.com File When You Cannot Start Windows

Article ID: 136630

Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007

Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition
Microsoft Windows 95
Microsoft Windows 95 OEM Service Release

This article was previously published under Q136630

SYMPTOMS

When you try to start Windows 95/98, you may receive one of the following error messages and be returned to the MS-DOS prompt:

The following file is missing or corrupted: Win.com
The following file is missing or corrupted: Win.com Program too big to fit in memory
Cannot find Win.com, unable to continue loading Windows
Program too large

CAUSE

This issue can occur if the Win.com file is missing or damaged. Check the file to see if it is the correct size:

Windows 98:	24,791 bytes
Windows 95:	22,679 bytes
Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2:	24,503 bytes

RESOLUTION

Create a new Win.com file by extracting the Win.cnf file from your Windows disks or CD-ROM to the Windows folder, and then renaming it to Win.com. To do so, follow these steps:

Extract the Win.cnf file from your Windows disks or CD-ROM to the Windows folder. For information about how to do so, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: 129605
TITLE : How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files
NOTE: The Win.cnf file is in the following locations:
- Disk 3 of the original Windows 95 disks
- Win95_03.cab of the original Windows 95 CD-ROM
- Win98_28.cab of the original Windows 98 CD-ROM
- Win98_25.cab of the original Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM
Rename the Win.cnf file in the Windows folder to Win.com. To do so, type the following line, and then press ENTER:

ren c:\windows\win.cnf c:\windows\win.com
Restart your computer.

MORE INFORMATION

If the Win.com file is too small, you receive the first error message listed above. If the Win.com file is too large, you receive the second error message. If the Win.com file is missing, you receive the third error message.

Additional query words: 98 win com

Keywords: kbenv kberrmsg kbfaq kbprb KB136630