Question : Interuption to my start-up

Compaq Presario Pentium II 166 192 MB Ram running Windows 98.
Upon starting the computer this message comes up...
"Cannot find a device file that may be need to run Windows or a Windows application.

The windows registry of SYSTEM.INI  file refers to this device file, but the device file no longer exists.

If you deleted this file on purpose, try uninstalling the associated application using its unistall or setup program.

If you still want to use the application associated with theis device file, try reinstallin that application to replace the missing file.

C:\afterdrk\adw30.386
Press a key to continue"

I went to add/remove and looked for afterdrk but there is nothing with that name. I want to eliminate this message and thus speed up my start-up.

Thank you

Rob

Answer : Interuption to my start-up

Some info.

Glenn


Error "Cannot find a Device File ..." When Starting Windows

Issue
When you start Windows, it returns the error, "Cannot find a device file that may be needed to run Windows in 386 enhanced mode. You may need to run Setup again: C:\Afterdrk\Adw30.386. Press any key to continue." After you press a key to continue, Windows returns the error, "File Error. Cannot find Adnwpass.dll."


Detail
You've deleted the Afterdrk folder for Berkeley System's After Dark, which was installed with Adobe PhotoDeluxe 1.x.


Solutions

Reinstall After Dark, and then remove it using the After Dark installer:
1. Exit After Dark.
2. Double-click the Setup.exe file in the Photodlx\Afterdrk folder.
3. Select "Full install of the After Dark Starter" in the Choose the Type of Installation dialog box, click OK, and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Double-click the Setup.exe file in the Photodlx\Afterdrk folder.
5. Select Uninstall After Dark in the Choose the Type of Installation dialog box, then click OK.
6. Click Yes in the Uninstall After Dark dialog box.


OR: Delete the After Dark entries in the System.ini and Win.ini files:
1. Make a backup copy of the Win.ini file, which is located in the Windows directory.
2. Open the original Win.ini file in a text editor that can save in text-only format (e.g., Windows Write, Notepad).
3. Remove "C:\Afterdrk\Adw30.exe" from the Load= line in the [Windows] section.
4. From the [Berkeley Systems] section, remove the lines that read:


After Dark=C:\Afterdrk
AD INI Files=C:\Afterdrk
AD Data Files=C:\Afterdrk


5. Save the Win.ini file in text-only format.
6. Make a backup copy of the System.ini file, which is located in the Windows directory.
7. Open the original System.ini file in a text editor that can save in text-only format (e.g., Windows Write, Notepad).
8. Remove "C:\Afterdrk\Adwrap.drv" from the Drivers= line in the [Boot] section.
9. From the [386 enh] section, remove the line that reads:


C:\Afterdrk\Adw30.386


10. From the [Drivers] section, remove the line that reads:


Adwrap=C:\Afterdrk\Adwrap.drv


11. Save the System.ini file in text-only format, then restart the computer.


Additional Information
The PhotoDeluxe installer installs After Dark in the Photodlx\Afterdrk folder, and adds After Dark references to the Win.ini and System.ini files. If you remove After Dark by deleting the Afterdrk folder instead of uninstalling it using the After Dark installer, the references in the Win.ini and the System.ini will not be removed. Windows reads the Win.ini and System.ini files as it starts and tries to start After Dark; if it cannot find After Dark, it will return an error.