Member Avatar for vjc88

Whenever i run this program that usses ms-dos i always get an error. The error is: (the file location then....) C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32|AUTOEXEC.NT. The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications. Choose 'Close' to terminate the application.


It then has 2 buttons, Close and Ignore, if i click on either one it closes. An ySuggestions?

cheers,
-matt

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This thread documents a classic MS‑DOS subsystem failure that was resolved with a quick repair utility — confirmed the immediate problem was fixed after ’s suggestion — but the root causes and longer‑term fixes are worth documenting for anyone who finds this thread later.

The usual cause is a missing or corrupted 16‑bit initialization pair (CONFIG.NT and AUTOEXEC.NT) in the system folder, or an environment that the NTVDM cannot initialize (bad PATH entries, antivirus quarantine, etc.). A safe manual repair sequence (run from an elevated command prompt on a 32‑bit NT/2000/XP system) is:

copy %windir%\system32\AUTOEXEC.NT %windir%\system32\AUTOEXEC.NT.bak
copy %windir%\repair\AUTOEXEC.NT %windir%\system32\
copy %windir%\system32\CONFIG.NT %windir%\system32\CONFIG.NT.bak
copy %windir%\repair\CONFIG.NT %windir%\system32\
sfc /scannow
dir %windir%\system32\AUTOEXEC.NT %windir%\system32\CONFIG.NT

If the Repair folder is empty, the Windows install media can be used to extract those files (expand the appropriate i386 package). After restoring, check the two files for any unusual PATH or device lines and remove long/UNC paths or characters that DOS won’t like.

If the host OS is 64‑bit, 16‑bit DOS programs cannot run natively (NTVDM is not available). In that case, use DOSBox or a small virtual machine (VirtualBox/VMware/older Windows in a VM) to run legacy DOS apps.

Notes and cautions: create a system restore point or image before changing system files; back up originals (as shown above); check antivirus quarantine if files disappeared; third‑party “fix” utilities often do not leave logs, so verify changes by checking timestamps and the restored file contents. For long‑term use of legacy tools, virtualization gives the most reliable environment on modern systems.

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Member Avatar for swatkat

Hi,
Download XP_Fix and run it and post back the results.

Member Avatar for vjc88

thanks man, that fixed it...appreciate it. Is it supposed to have a log file or something?
A++++ REP

Member Avatar for swatkat

Hi,
Glad it helped you. No, there's no log as such for that XP_Fix.

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