kostis

Hello. My name is Constantin. I'm dealing with a problem on my pc and cannot solve it.
My OS is windows 98 se.
This is the history of the problem.

-To begin with, i was trying to open the notepad and windows claimed it cannot find the exe file. I searched into c:/windows/system32 and found nothing at all.-->So, I took the notepad.exe file from my dad's pc (windows xp)and placed it there, but it didnt work. Then I tried taking the same file from my mum's pc (windows 2000), but it didnt work too.

the main idea is that in both cases, after replacing the exe file i get these two messages:

-first: " C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\notepad.exe
A device connected to the system doesn't work"

-second: "The file NOTEPAD.EXE is connected with the exportable function of library (export) COMDLG32.DLL:PrintDlExW"

note: the words i used to describe the errors may not be so precise, as my OS is in greek and i had to traslate a little..

I would appreciate any kind of help.. thanks in advance.. I hope somebody can deal with this....

pickefoo

The Notepad application as far as I'm aware has dependencies based on different operating systems. Your best bet maybe to take a version of Notepad from at least 98.

TheOutcaste

On Win98 Notepad should be in the Windows folder, not Windows\system32.

You can extract Notepad and it's help files from the Win98 CD. If the cabinet files are installed on the system, you can use those instead of the CD.
Typical location is Windows\Options\Cabs, or search the drive for win98*.cab, there should be 55 of them numbered 21-74 plus one named Win98_ol.cab for Win98SE

Open a DOS Prompt and type the following, using the correct drive letter for your CD-ROM, or the drive letter and path to the cab files on the hard drive:
extract /A /L C:\Windows E:\ Win98\Win98_21.cab notepad.*

If you don't want the help files, use notepad.exe.

HTH

Jerry

kostis

hello guys..
I tried to find the cab files you said n my pc but i couldn't. However I found a file named win98_21 but it was merely a compressed file that opens with winzip. (I opened it and found nothing relative to notepad). I tried using the command you suggested on DOS and the pc claimed that it cannot open the specified file. (it's path was c:\win98\win98_21 notepad.*) Anyways, I haven't tried the win98 cdrom yet, so I'll let you know when I do.

p.s.: thanks very much for answering..:]

blah789

Which cabinet it's in depends on your version of Windows 98 (original, or second edition).

TheOutcaste

Here's where they are for each version of Win98:

TinaGeek

You might want to try an alternative like
http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm

kostis

Hey guys..:]

Thanks for all that information.. I searched for my Windows98se cdrom on my library but found nothing.. Though, i stiil can search for it on the basement, it must be somewhere there.

So,

-TheOutcaste: I finally realised that the compressed "win98_**"-type files on my pc are cab files indeed. I searched on both WIN98_46.CAB and WIN98_41.CAB
(although I use 98se) and found nothing like notepad.exe. Anyway, I'm going to find the cdrom and then I'll try the command you suggested before, on msDos;)

-TinaGeek: thanks for the link but.. you see, it's kinda like a game... between me and the computer... I've already thought of using another notepad but that won't make me complete:P I really need to fix this.xD


I really appreciate your help guys:)

kev1952

In the .CAB files on the CD you won't find "notepad.exe" listed - you will find "notepad.ex_" which is the unexpanded executable. Use the command(s) given earlier in the thread to extract the file(s) you need.

TheOutcaste

On Win98SE WIN98_46.CAB should have notepad.exe inside, listed alphabetically (They are not compressed, the extensions will not have the _ on the end)
Unless the Win98 CabViewer is broken, you should be able to double click the cab file and drag and drop the file where you want, or use the command prompt command.
If you have WinZip/WinRar/7Zip they can also open cab files.
Cabinet46.JPG

kev1952

I stand corrected - long time since I've gone anywhere near 98! :)

kostis

Problem solved.

the only thing I found on the cab #46 was a notepad.hlp file. But, after searching in more cabs, I found the notepad.exe file in the cab #44. (win98_44.cab). I extracted it on the desktop and then copy-pasted it into c:/windows/system32

the path to the cab was: c:/win98/win98_44.cab

everything is working properly now. Thanks for your time and your help.
Constantin.

TheOutcaste

Glad you got it working.
Sounds like the cabinet files in your C:\Win98 folder are from Win98 First Edition, not second. And may be laid out differently since you found the .hlp file in #46.

The extract command would search all of them and find them regardless, but if you don't have #21, that would explain why the extract command failed, it couldn't find the first file.
You might want to check the dates on those files. If they are from Win98 First Edition and you have Second Edition, you may want to replace them with the ones from the CD (or create a new folder if you have the space) so you'll have the correct version on the hard drive.

First Edition has cabinet files dated May 11, 1998. They run from Win98_22.cab to Win98_69.cab
Second Edition has cabinet files dated April 23, 1999. They run from Win98_21.cab to Win98_74.cab

kostis

TheOutcaste, my friend look what I've found:





It's a little weird..

Anyways, I don't know the history of this Pc, since it used to be on my dad's office for years... I don't know if there had been any updates, upgrades (e.g. from win98 to win98se) or something like this.. That would probably explain the order of the files..

edit: My OS is in greek, that's why I use the red letters to explain..

TheOutcaste

A different language version could certainly have the files organized differently. Might also have a different number of .cab files. Best way to check on the cab files is by the date. Switch the View to Details and you can check the dates on all of them.