| Error Message: Explorer has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor. |
| Translation: The Explorer.exe file has attempted an invalid action, such as accessing a file that is nonexistent. This error message can occur at any time during your computing session. If it occurs when you start Win98 or WinMe, however, it is probably caused by an outdated version of Explorer.exe on the hard drive. |
| Solution: You need to extract a new copy of Explorer.exe from the Windows disc. Before you do that, however, you should rename the old copy of Explorer.exe so that it doesn’t interfere with the extraction process. Open My Computer and double-click the icon representing the hard drive where Windows is installed. In the resulting window, open the Windows folder and locate the Explorer file. Right-click this file and choose Rename from the pop-up menu. Type explorer.old and press the ENTER key to rename the file.Next, insert the CD-ROM in the computer’s disc drive, put the startup diskette in the diskette drive, and reboot your computer. When the Startup Menu appears on-screen, choose the Start Computer With CD-ROM Support option. When you finally reach a command prompt, type extract /a d:\windows\cabs\base4.cab explorer.exe /l c:\windows (where d:\windows\cabs is the location of the directory where the .CAB files are located). The Base4.cab file is the first .CAB file on the Win98 installation disc or diskette, and therefore, the first place you should start your search. If you use WinMe, start your search at the Base2.cab file. Finally, reboot the PC. It should start as expected. |
| See Also: Windows 98/Me Startup & Shutdown The Problem-Free Way To Say Hello & Goodbye |
