Hang at Startup or Shutdown with Ndis.vxd Enabled

Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) may stop responding (hang) during startup or shutdown.

This issue can occur if the Ndis.vxd file is enabled and any of the following conditions exist:

• You have AtGuard by WRQ, Inc., installed on your computer.
• You use a Netgear 310TX (or other) network adapter.
• There is a hardware conflict on the computer.

To determine if the Ndis.vxd file is enabled on your computer, see the "More Information" section of this article.

To determine the possible cause of the issue, start your computer in a "clean" configuration, perform a logged boot, and then look at the last entry in the Bootlog.txt file. The last entry should be the device or virtual device driver that is not being loaded or unloaded correctly.

Performing a Clean Boot

For additional information about how to perform a clean boot, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Performing a Logged Boot

To perform a logged boot:

1. Restart your computer and then press and hold down the CTRL key while the computer starts.
2. When the Startup menu appears, choose Logged (\Bootlog.txt).
3. Restart your computer.

This completes a full cycle for the log.

To review the log file, start Windows Explorer, and then double-click the C:\Bootlog.txt file. Look at the last entry in the file.

Resolving the Issue

Third-Party Virtual Device Driver

If the cause is a third-party virtual device driver, remove the virtual device driver by uninstalling the software it belongs to.

Network Adapter Driver

If the cause is a network adapter driver, contact the adapter's manufacturer to inquire about obtaining an updated driver that works correctly with Windows Me.

Netgear 310TX Network Adapter

If you use a Netgear 310TX network adapter with a driver earlier than version 4.02, install the newer driver that is located on the Windows Me CD-ROM in the Drivers folder. To install the Netgear FA310TX 4.02 driver:

1. Click Start, click Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
2. On the Device Manager tab, double-click the Network Adapters branch to expand it.
3. Double-click the Netgear FA310TX device.
4. On the Driver tab, click Update Driver.
5. Click Specify the location of the driver, and then click Next.
6. Click Display a list of all the drivers in a specific location..., and then click Next.
7. Click Have Disk, and then click Browse.
8. Browse to the CD-ROM:\Drivers\Net\Netgear folder (where CD-ROM is your CD-ROM drive letter).
9. Click OK, and then click OK.
10. Follow the instructions that remain on the screen to finish the installation.

Hardware Conflict

If the cause is a hardware conflict, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base for information about how to troubleshoot hardware conflicts:

To determine if the Ndis.vxd file is enabled on your computer:

1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. Click the Static VxDs tab.
3. Look for the Ndis.vxd entry. If the check box for this entry is selected, the Ndis.vxd file is enabled.
4. To disable the Ndix.vxd file as a test, click to clear the NDIS check box, and then click OK. If the computer hangs during shutdown, the change will not take effect until you restart the computer. If disabling the Ndis.vxd file resolves the hanging issue during startup or shutdown, the information in this article may apply.

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.
For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: