Windows Expand Utility Doesn't Correctly Expand MS-DOS Files (98106)

SYMPTOMS

If you expand an MS-DOS program file with the Windows Expand utility, and then execute the file from within Windows, one of the following error messages may be displayed:

This application has violated system integrity due to execution of an invalid instruction and will be terminated. Quit all applications, quit Windows, and then restart your computer.

-or-

Insufficient memory to run the application. Quit one or more Windows applications to increase available memory, and try again.

In addition, the icon for a Windows-based MS-DOS 6.0 utility may appear as a generic MS-DOS icon.

CAUSE

The Expand utility included with Microsoft Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.1 does not correctly expand MS-DOS 6.0 files. The Windows Expand utility only copies the files from the MS-DOS 6.0 disk to the target directory; it does not expand them.

NOTE: You may accidentally use the Windows Expand utility if the Windows directory is in the path before the MS-DOS directory.

If a Windows-based MS-DOS utility is still compressed, its icon appears as a generic MS-DOS icon, instead of its usual icon.

WORKAROUND

To properly expand files from the MS-DOS disks, you must use the MS-DOS Expand utility (EXPAND.EXE), which correctly expands MS-DOS files, as well as Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.1 files.

The MS-DOS 6 Expand utility (EXPAND.EXE) is located on Disk 1 of the 720-kilobyte (K), 1.2-megabyte (MB), and 1.44-MB disk sets and on Disk 3 of the 360K disk set. It can also be found in the MS-DOS directory if you have already installed MS-DOS 6.0 or 6.2.