Hi ! Here is my problem : I have Win98 SE at my home PC. In 2004, I installed windows security updates (through the Microsoft free CD’s of windows update) in it. The PC had been working fine for the last two years except for the fact that Internet Explorer stopped opening secured website (having https:// before them). I managed this problem by using Firefox for visiting secured websites. Of late my PC had become very slow. So yesterday I decided to clean it. I deleted all temporary files, remove some programs from startup menus (by using MSconfig) and uninstalled some of the unnecessary programs from it. However, in a rush of cleaning my PC, I also uninstalled some security updates (which I installed two years ago as mentioned in Para 1 above.) As far as I remember these updates were - a patch for Internet Explorer and one for the Outlook. I also uninstalled Microsoft text to speech Engine (which I installed some where in 2004 to run an audio program). Now the problem is that my computer had stopped working. It’s not getting started. When I start it, it boots normally and performs all preliminary checks. However, just before the desktop (along with all icons) appears, it displayed an error message box which says : Explorer This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persist, contact your program vendor. When I click on Debug nothing happens. When I click on OK the message box closes and I am left with a blank screen (which displayed a paint image – the one which normally comes before the actual desktop appears). When I click on ‘Details’ the message come “explorer caused an invalid page fault in module explorer.exe at 017f:00401f31” and an array of strange codes follows.. The solutions I have tried : (1) I tried to start the PC in safe mode but it did not work. The same error of explorer doing an illegal operation came. However, before this error message box come, another message box appears which says “System file error The following system file has been replaced with older version by a program you recently run. These files are currently in use and cannot be automatically repaired. Windows may not run correctly until you exit and restart windows so that these files can be automatically repaired. C:/windows/system/joy.cpl ” (2) I start the PC in command mode. Tried to install the win98 afresh by using the one of it’s copy dumped in a folder. The installation went smoothly for the first time. However after copying all the requisite files when it restarted, it displayed the message that Windows has restored some corrupt (I am not sure of the exact language) files with original one and prompted me to restart the PC. However, on restarting the PC the same problem appears. The same ‘illegal operation error by explorer’ came. My opinion on the problem When I installed the security updates for Win98 on my PC, they must have become the part of it’s internal programming. Yesterday when I uninstalled these updates it may have resulted in a distortion in the entire inner programming of windows. Probably Windows needs those updates files for it’s running which are no longer available. The dump version of win98 can only restore the original system files of Win98. It cannot restore the files related to security updates. So in my opinion I need to install those security updates again in order to run windows on my PC . I still have that CD of Windows security updates with me. But the problem is how to install these updates in a situation when I can’t run my PC . It’s seems to be a catch 22 situation. I need to install security updates to run windows properly and for that to happen I need to have my window running properly. And the windows will run only when it has the requisite updates. Can I installed those updates by using DOS (in command mode) ? I tried to access ‘d’ drive using DOS but didn’t succeed. In DOS I am getting access to oly C drive and A (floppy) drive. Well that’s my opinion on the problem . I request all of you to please advise is there anything I can do. Suggest me your opinion on the problem

Take a look at following http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win98/t1020027465 Problem seems very much like your own. Also seems related to Internet Explorer. Some suggestions ... may be of some use? good luck

Thanks for your quick reply Stanley ! I shall look into it and soon report here.

Check this too: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q188106 It indicates problems with joy.cpl may be related to a missing or damaged dinput.dll file. It links to a page describing how to extract the file using Dos.

Well I suppose the problem is solved thanks to the thread suggested by Stanley above. In short: My problem was : I uninstalled some important Windows updates by mistake. As a result the windows refused to boot in normal/safe mode and explorer.exe started performing illegal operation at the startup, which left me with blank desktop. What I did after reading that thread: I edit the system.ini file in command mode as: edit C:\windows\system.ini Once there I change the shell=explorer.exe to shell=progman.exe [progman.exe used to be the default shell for all windows OS upto Win 3.x.. From Win 95, the explorer.exe replaced progman.exe as the default shell. However in order to maintain a continuity (upgrade compatibility) for older version, Microsoft retained progman.exe in all subsequent version upto WinXP. From Winxp it has been replaced by a dummy shell ] Then I again restarted my PC. The PC booted in normal mode and came up with a program by the name “program manager”. In program manager, I click file>run>browse >... (insert the update CD and installed all the updates again.) Once done I rebooted in command mode, changed the shell again to explorer.exe and restart the computer. It started normally without any error. It’s working now normally. Thanks Stanley for your wonderful suggestion and thanks to DAVEINCAPS too :) Regards

You're welcome. We're glad you got it fixed. And thanks for posting back with the results.