Troubleshooting Office Kernel32.dll errors under Windows 95

This article contains information about troubleshooting and eliminating invalid page faults that occur in module Kernel32.dll when you work with a Microsoft Office program under Microsoft Windows 95. When a Kernel32.dll error message appears, a message similar to the following appears where <Program name> is the name of the program you are using.

When an invalid page fault occurs, an unexpected event occurs in the Microsoft Windows operating system. An invalid page fault typically indicates that a program improperly attempted to use random access memory, for example, when a program or a Windows component reads or writes to a memory location that is not allocated to it. When this occurs, the program can potentially overwrite and corrupt other program code in that area of memory.

An invalid page fault may occur when parameters are passed between programs and the Windows 95 operating system. An invalid parameter may cause a program to execute invalid instructions, which results in an invalid page fault. This behavior usually occurs because a program incorrectly passes data that Windows or a Windows-based program cannot interpret.

It is important that you follow the steps in each of the sections in this article in the order in which they are presented. Because invalid page faults are typically caused when two or more programs interact, skipping steps may prolong identifying the problem.

Determine Whether the Problem Is Documented

Many Kernel32.dll errors are already documented in the Microsoft Knowledge Base and have solutions. For more information, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: NOTE: It may be helpful to add the program name in which the problem occurs at the end of the query to narrow your search.


For additional information on related kernel32.dll error messages, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Do Not Install Clipart, Binder and Find Fast

It has been reported that on some systems, when you encounter this error message during setup of Microsoft Office 97, bypassing installation of Clipart, Binder and Find Fast bypasses the Kernel32.dll error message. These components are installed by default with a Typical or Custom installation. You must perform a Custom installation and choose to not install these components. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Quit all programs.
2. On the Windows Start menu, click Run.
3. Type in the following syntax to start Setup
   <Drive>:\Setup
   
   where <Drive> is the drive letter you are installing from. So if you install from a CD-ROM drive (usually drive D), the syntax would look like this:
   D:\Setup
4. Proceed through Setup as you normally would, but select Custom as the installation type.
5. Click Office Tools, and then click Change Option.
6. Click to clear the Clipart Gallery, Popular Clipart and Find Fast check boxes, and then click OK.
7. Click to clear the Microsoft Binder check box. Click Continue. Proceed through the rest of Microsoft Office 97 Setup as you normally would. If the Setup program completes without error, you can install Clipart, Binder and Find Fast by running Setup in maintenance mode.

Start Windows in Safe Mode

Windows 95 has a built-in troubleshooting mode called Safe mode. It bypasses startup files and uses only basic system drivers, including basic networking. When you start Windows in Safe mode, Windows uses only the mouse, keyboard, and standard video graphics adapter (VGA) device drivers. This makes Safe mode useful for isolating and resolving error conditions that are caused by both real-mode and Windows-based drivers. Windows 95 also has troubleshooting features that may help you identify the problem. To start Windows 95 in Safe mode and make the additional troubleshooting features available, follow these steps:

1. In the Control Panel, double-click the System icon, and then click the Performance tab.
2. Click File System, and then click the Troubleshooting tab.
3. Click the following check boxes to select them:
   Disable protect-mode hard disk interrupt handling
   Disable synchronous buffer commits
   Disable all 32-bit protect-mode disk drivers
   Disable write-behind caching for all drive
4. Click OK, click Close, and then click Yes.
5. Press F8 when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message.
6. On the Windows Startup menu, select option 3 (Safe Mode).
7. After Windows 95 is running again, perform the same operation that caused the error.

When you use Safe mode or when you disable 32-bit protected-mode disk drivers, Windows 95 does not process protected-mode drivers, the Autoexec.bat file, and the Config.sys file. Therefore, the CD-ROM drive is not available. To use Safe mode with CD-ROM drive support, determine whether Windows 95 uses protected-mode drivers for the CD-ROM drive. If Windows 95 is using protected mode drivers, install the real-mode (MS-DOS) drivers for the CD-ROM drive on the computer. The real-mode drivers are usually located on a disk that is shipped with the CD-ROM drive or with the computer. The drivers are installed in the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files.

For additional information on determining if Windows 95 is using protected- mode drivers, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For additional information on installing real-mode drivers for the CD-ROM, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Disable the CD-ROM Drive Cache

If the error message appears while you are reading from a CD-ROM drive, try disabling the CD-ROM drive cache. This may make the drive more reliable but reduce performance. To disable the CD-ROM drive cache, follow these steps:

1. In Control Panel, double-click System.
2. Click the Performance tab and click File System.
3. Click the CD-ROM tab, click No Read-Ahead in the "Optimize access pattern for" list.
4. Verify that the Supplemental Cache Size slider is positioned in the far left position (the Small setting), and then click OK.

If you are using real-mode CD-ROM drive drivers, the drive may be cached by the Smartdrv.exe program. If this is the case, remark the line from the Autoexec.bat by typing "REM" (without the quotation marks) at the beginning of the line.

Check for Registry Corruption

When you start Windows 95 in Safe mode, Windows does not read the entire registry. Therefore, damage to the registry may not be evident when you run Windows in this mode. It may be necessary to replace the existing registry (System.dat) with a backup to determine whether the problem is caused by a damaged registry. To troubleshoot a damaged registry, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer. When the "Starting Windows 95" message appears, press F8.
2. On the Windows Startup menu, select option 6 (Command Prompt Only).
3. To remove the file attributes from the backup of the registry, type the following command, and then press ENTER.:
   c:\windows\command\attrib -h -s -r c:\system.1st
4. To remove the file attributes from the current registry, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   c:\windows\command\attrib -h -s -r c:\windows\system.dat
5. To rename the registry, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   ren c:\windows\system.dat *.dax
6. To copy the backup file to the current registry, type the following command, and then press ENTER: copy c:\system.1st c:\windows\system.dat
7. Restart the computer. If the Windows 95 Startup Menu displays, choose Safe Mode, or Safe Mode With Network Support if you need network connectivity.

NOTE: The System.1st file is a backup of the registry that is created during the final stage of a Microsoft Windows 95 installation. Therefore, the "Running Windows 95 for the first time" banner appears, and Windows 95 finalizes settings as if you reinstalled it.

If replacing the System.dat file with the System.1st file resolves the issue, the problem may be related to registry damage. Note that you may have to reinstall programs and device drivers that you installed after you installed Windows 95 to update the new registry.

If the issue is not resolved, restore the original registry. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer. When the "Starting Windows 95" message appears, press F8.
2. On the Windows Startup menu, select option 6 (Command Prompt Only).
3. Type the following commands:
   c:\windows\command\attrib -s -h -r c:\windows\system.dat
   
   copy c:\windows\system.dax c:\windows\system.dat
4. Restart the computer.

For additional information on resolving registry errors, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
The steps listed in this section are also known to resolve the following error message:

Check for a Valid Temporary Folder and Excess Temporary Files

There should be at least 3 megabytes (MB) of free space on the hard disk that contains the temporary folder. To check for a temporary folder and delete excess files from that folder, follow these steps:

1. Close any running programs and restart your computer by clicking Shutdown on the Start menu and clicking Restart Your Computer (Microsoft Windows 95) or Restart (Under Windows NT). Press F8 when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, and then choose "Safe mode command prompt only."
2. Type set and press ENTER. Note the location of the TEMP variable.
3. Change to the folder you noted in step 2. For example, if TEMP is set to C:\WINDOWS\TEMP, type the following line and then press ENTER:
   cd\windows\temp
   
   If the folder you noted in step 2 does not exist, create the folder. For example, you can create a temporary folder called win95tmp on drive C by typing the following line at the command prompt:
   md c:\win95tmp
4. Delete any temporary files in this folder. Temporary files typically have a .tmp file name extension. To delete these files, type the following line, and then press ENTER:
   del *.tmp
   
   NOTE: Do not delete these files from within the Windows 95 graphical user interface (that is, when you are running Windows 95) because Windows 95 or a Windows program may be using one of these files.

Check the Hard Disk for Disk Errors and Fragmentation

Use the ScanDisk program to check the hard disk for lost clusters and other file allocation table (FAT) errors and to test the hard disk integrity. You can also use the ScanDisk program to repair any of these problems. To run ScanDisk, follow these steps:

1. On the Start menu, point to Programs.
2. Point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click ScanDisk.

Hard disks that are very fragmented can affect the performance and reliability of Microsoft Office programs and other tasks in Windows 95. To resolve this problem, run Disk Defragmenter to defragment the hard disk. To run Disk Defragmenter, follow these steps:

1. On the Start menu, point to Programs.
2. Point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.

Verify That the Compact Disc Is Clean and Unscratched

If the error message appears while you are installing from a compact disc, verify that the compact disc you are using is clean. You can wipe the compact disc with a soft, lint-free cloth. Also ensure that there are no large scratches on the compact disc. If the compact disc is damaged and unreadable, error messages may appear during installation.

Check for a Corrupted Swap File

The Kernel32.dll error may also appear if your Windows swap file is corrupted. To create a new swap file, restart the computer in MS-DOS mode, delete the Win386.swp file in the Windows folder, and then restart the computer. To create a new swap file, follow these steps:

1. On the Start menu, click Shut Down.
2. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click "Restart the Computer in MS-DOS Mode," and then click Yes.
3. At the MS-DOS prompt, switch to the Windows folder by typing the following command:
   cd <drive>:\Windows
   
   where <drive> is the drive letter that contains the Windows folder.
   
   Typically, <drive> is C.
   
   NOTE: The swap file exists in the Windows folder if Windows manages virtual memory settings on your computer. If you chose to manage virtual memory settings on the computer, the swap file exists at the root level of the hard disk. To determine whether Windows manages virtual memory settings, right-click My Computer, click Properties, click Performance, and then click Virtual Memory.
   
   
4. To delete the swap file, type the following:
   del Win386.swp
5. After you delete the swap file, restart the computer.

Corrupted Custom Profile

Corrupted custom profiles have also been known to cause Kernel32.dll errors. Deleting and recreating the profile can possibly resolve this problem.

If you are using the Microsoft Office 97 system policy templates that are included in the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit, you must use the version of the System Policy Editor that is included in the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit or the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit.

NOTE: You can download Policy.exe, a self-extracting executable file containing Poledit.exe, from online services. Download this file from the following Web site: NOTE: Because the Microsoft Web site is regularly updated, the site address may change without notice. If this occurs, link to the Microsoft home page at the following address:

Disable Enhanced BIOS Features

Most computers have several enhanced settings that allow the computer to fully use the computer hardware. These high-speed settings can cause the system to become unstable; disabling these features may make the computer more stable. Contact your computer manufacturer for information about entering the basic input/output system (BIOS) and changing the BIOS settings. You can enter the BIOS on most systems immediately after turning on the power. Usually a keystroke (such as DEL) is required to enter the BIOS. Below are the common features that can interfere with Microsoft Office programs: Newer chipsets may have more advanced features (such as memory wait states) that may cause errors. Most BIOS installation programs have an option to load the BIOS default settings. This option usually disables all advanced features.

WARNING: Incorrectly altering hardware BIOS settings can cause serious problems that may cause your computer to fail to start or function properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems that result from the incorrect setting of hardware BIOS options can be solved. Alter the hardware BIOS settings at your own risk.

Customers have reported that the Dell A02 BIOS does not work with Windows 95. This BIOS version is used on the Dell Dimension models. Dell technical support can be contacted at (800) 624-9896.

Disabling the External Cache feature on Tyan Titan III VX and Tyan Tomcat III motherboards has been known to resolve Kernel32.dll error messages. Similar problems have also been reported when using Gigabyte motherboards.

Remove and Reinstall the Program

If the problem occurs after you run the Setup program, some of the dynamic link library (DLL) files may be damaged or corrupted. To troubleshoot this problem, first completely remove the program. For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: After you completely remove the program, reinstall the program.

Check for Software Updates

Outdated and incompatible software may also cause error messages to appear. Check with the manufacturer of the computer for various software updates, such as BIOS updates, OEM Windows updates, and hardware driver updates (such as CD-ROM drive drivers). If you are using third-party partitioning software (for example, EZDrive, or Ontrack Disk Manager), verify that you have the most recent versions of these products.

The third-party products discussed here are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.

Microsoft released three updated files that may affect whether you receive error messages when you run Setup or when you use a Microsoft Office program. Download the Windows 95 Service Pack 1, the Kernel32.dll update, and the Ole32.dll updates from the Microsoft Web Site. Also, determine whether other updates that may pertain to your system configuration are available. To check for updated files on the Microsoft Web site, use the following address: NOTE: Because the Microsoft Web site is regularly updated, the site address may change without notice. If this occurs, link to the Microsoft home page at the following address: For more information about hardware and software vendor contact information, visit the following Microsoft Web site: -

Scan the Computer for Viruses

If a virus is present on your computer and has damaged some files, Kernel32.dll error messages may appear when you use a program. Scan the hard disk and floppy disks with a virus detector. If the virus detector finds a virus on your computer, remove the virus before you run the Office program again. If a virus is found on your Setup disk, you must obtain a new set of disks.

NOTE: Do not run a virus detector terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) program while you run any of the Microsoft Office programs, including the Setup program. Run a virus detector before you run the Setup program, and then disable it.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: If you determine that you have a Setup disk that was damaged by a virus, you can order a new set of disks. To obtain replacement disks, call the Microsoft Order Desk at (800) 360-7561 and request a replacement set of disks. If you are outside the United States, contact the Microsoft subsidiary for your area. To locate your subsidiary, see the Microsoft World Wide Offices Web page at: IMPORTANT: Microsoft Office 97 Service Release CD-ROMs and replacement CD-ROMs are no longer available from Microsoft. For more information about obtaining the Microsoft Office 97 Service Release 1 (SR-1) and Microsoft Office 97 Service Release 2 (SR-2), click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Reinstall Windows in a New Folder

Use this method only after you try all of the troubleshooting steps in this article. If you reinstall Windows in a new folder, you must reinstall all Windows-based programs under the new Windows 95 installation.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Check Hardware

If you exhaust all other troubleshooting steps and you are still receiving error messages, it is possible that one or more pieces of your hardware are incompatible with Windows 95 or are damaged. To identify a problem with your computer hardware, contact your computer vendor.

Badly seated memory or bad memory has been reported to cause Kernel32.dll error messages. Switching memory around in the motherboard memory banks has been known to correct some of these issues.

It has also been reported that running the Atron 380 Bus Mastering Ethernet Card can cause Kernel32.dll errors. Removing this card from the computer may resolve these error messages.