Article ID: 273780 - Last Review: January 29, 2007 - Revision: 2.1

Ansi.sys Device Driver Cannot be Loaded in Windows Me

This article was previously published under Q273780
If this article does not describe your hardware-related issue, please see the following Microsoft Web site to view more articles about hardware:
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SYMPTOMS

The Ansi.sys device driver that is included with Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) cannot be loaded in Windows Me. As a result, ANSI commands and programs that require ANSI commands may not work with Windows Me.

CAUSE

This issue occurs because the "Device=" entries in the Config.sys file are not processed by Windows Me. "Device=" entries in Config.sys are only accessible when you start your computer in real mode (using a Windows Me Startup disk).

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, load Ansi.sys by using the Config.sys file on a Windows Me Startup Disk. Also, to use ANSI commands (or programs that require ANSI commands), start your computer in real mode.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

The MS-DOS Ansi.sys device driver provides more detailed control of the console device (display and keyboard) than MS-DOS, and it can be loaded on your computer by using Config.sys with previous versions of MS-DOS and Windows. Because Windows Me does not support real mode device drivers, Ansi.sys cannot be loaded in Windows Me.

For additional information about the removal of real mode support in Microsoft Windows Me, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
269524  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/269524/EN-US/ ) Overview of Real Mode Removal from Windows Millennium Edition

APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
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kbenv kbprb KB273780
Retired KB ArticleRetired KB Content Disclaimer
This article was written about products for which Microsoft no longer offers support. Therefore, this article is offered "as is" and will no longer be updated.
 

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