This issue can occur in Windows 98 or Windows ME if either of the following files is damaged, missing, or of the incorrect version.


* Msvfw32.dll
* Msvideo.dll


To resolve this behavior, rename the Msvfw32.dll and Msvideo.dll files, and then extract new copies of these files from your original Microsoft Windows compact disc (CD) (or from the \Windows\Install\Options or \Windows\Install\Cabs folder) to the Windows\System folder on your hard disk. To do this, follow these steps.

  1. Rename the Msvfw32.dll and Msvideo.dll Files:
  2. Insert your Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) Startup disk into the floppy disk drive of your computer, and then restart your computer.
  3. When the Windows 98 or Windows Me Startup menu appears, select Start computer with CD-ROM Support. Make a note of the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive, for example, E:.
  4. At the command prompt, type the following lines and press ENTER after each line:

    C:
    cd Windows\System
  5. Rename the Msvfw32.dll and Msvideo.dll files file by using the .old extension. To do this, type the following lines and press ENTER after each line:

    ren msvfw32.dll msvfw32.old
    ren msvideo.dll msvideo.old
  6. Insert your Windows 98 or Windows Me compact disc (CD) into the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
  7. At the command prompt, type the following lines and press ENTER after each line:

    A:
    ext
  8. At the "Please enter the path to the Windows CAB files (a:)" prompt, type drive:\win98 (if you are running Windows 98) or type drive:\win9x (if you are running Windows Me), where drive is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive, and then press ENTER. For example, type:

    E:\win98

    -or-

    E:\win9x

    Note: If you have an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) installation of Windows, the installation files may also be located in one of the following folders.

    C:\Windows\Options\Cabs (for Windows 98)
    C:\Windows\Options\Install (for Windows Me)

    where C is the drive on which Windows is installed. If these files are on your computer, you do not need your Windows CD because you can extract the files from the appropriate folder on your hard disk. For example, for Windows Me, type C:\Windows\Options\Install, and then press ENTER.
  9. At the Please enter the name(s) of the files(s) you want to extract prompt, type msvfw32.dll msvideo.dll, and then press ENTER.
  10. At the Please enter the path to extract to ("Enter" for current directory) prompt, type C:\Windows\System, and then press ENTER.
  11. At the Is this okay? (y/n) prompt, type Y, and then press ENTER.
  12. Remove your Windows 98 or Windows Me Startup disk, and then restart your computer.