You Cannot Start a Program That Uses a Manifest File That Is Stored on a Windows NT 4.0 Server

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This article was previously published under Q316625

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SYMPTOMS

If you try to start a program that uses Windows XP visual styles and is stored on a share on a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0-based server, you may receive an error message. This problem occurs with programs that use an external manifest file (that is, a file with a .manifest extension). If you try to start the program by using the graphical user interface (GUI), you receive the following error message:

The parameter is incorrect.

If you try to start the program from a command prompt, you receive the following error message:

The system cannot execute the specified program.

The problem occurs whether you try to start the program by using a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path or a mapped network drive. The problem does not occur if the files are stored on a Microsoft Windows 2000-based or Windows XP-based computer.

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CAUSE

This problem occurs because Windows XP uses a function that is not supported by Windows NT 4.0 (or earlier versions) to verify information about external manifest files.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows XP. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322389 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322389/EN-US/ ) How to Obtain the Latest Windows XP Service Pack

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

   Date         Time   Version      Size     File name
   ------------------------------------------------------
   11-Feb-2002  11:43  5.1.2600.28  898,048  Kernel32.dll

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WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, the developer can rebuild the program file to include the manifest as a resource. The problem does not occur if the manifest is included as a resource in the program file.

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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows XP Service Pack 1.

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MORE INFORMATION

To use the themed appearance in its window and the common controls, a program must use Comctl32.dll version 6. This is done by using a program manifest, as documented in the "Using Windows XP Visual Styles" topic in the Microsoft Platform SDK documentation. The manifest can be either a resource in the program file or an external file with a .manifest extension.

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