VxD problems in Windows ME - it will not install!

[Admiral Falcon]

All I wanted to do was install a new soundcard and clean out Windows...

I've been meaning to re-install a clean copy of Windows for a few days now, and picking up my new soundcard (Audigy2 ZS) gave me an excuse to do so. Unfortunately, nothing ever works right the first time around.

I'm re-converting my 10GB HDD back from Linux to Windows (because I realized I never used Linux for anything). I successfully deleted the Linux partitions and created a new DOS partition with FDISK, then formatted the said partition. I even went onto my 75GB HDD and used DELTREE to erase the remnants of Windows that were left on that drive as well. (Worst waste of a half hour, ever)

I install Windows ME, the install process completes, and it reboots. Upon rebooting, immediately after the POST, I get the following:

Windows could not combine VxDs into a monolithic file before starting.
Windows may not start or run properly.

If Windows fails to start, run SETUP again.

Press Any Key to Continue

Pressing ENTER results in an immediate power-off.

Naturally, I *would* get an error that is relatively undocumented (as always!) and is only supposed to occur with Windows 95. What can I say, Microsoft even makes their bugs forward-compatible!

Google returns a whopping seven results for this error.

So, until Windows decides to work, I have absolutely no way of installing Windows ME. A friggin' sound card should not cause this many problems for Windows! All I know about the problem is that it's VMM32.VXD-related, and that's it.

Do I have to put Stone Age-era equipment in my machine just so WinME will recognize it on startup and create a real VMM32.VXD?

[Admiral Falcon]

Anybody?

I tried copying the VMM32.VXD file from my old install of WinME and pasting it into a clean install of WinME, but it still doesn't work : it immediately shuts down after booting to the loading screen.

I ought to be able to clean-install WinME without having to resort to randomly unplugging cards and such. They're the richest company in the world, so you'd think they could afford to hire a few competent programmers to supplement the wild, untrained monkeys that wrote the WinME installer.

[Faustus]

Sorry, I'm not gonna be much help. When ME came out a MS rep himself said it was a "rushed os release" so I never really bothered with it. Have you tried safe mode and the restore utility?

[Admiral Falcon]

I would, except I can't get to Safe Mode. I can't get to any form of Windows at all: it boots to the loading screen and then the system spontaneously powers off.

[Faustus]

Sounds like you might be screwed man. If you cannot enter safe mode thats bad stuff.

[Admiral Falcon]

Curiouser and curiouser...

I tried installing after clearing my BIOS via the mobo jumpers. Didn't work, but this time I caught a glimpse of another error message that flashes *very* briefly before the system shuts down during boot. It was on the screen for a split second, so I don't know what it said word for word, but it did mention GDI.EXE.

This introduces some peculiar causes. Some report GDI.EXE corruption (highly unlikely, as it's failing from a clean install) to missing fonts. I don't think it's either.

It may be a problem with my vidcard, seeing as how it's failing at the Graphics Display Interface (GDI) load. It makes more sense than some NIC or sound card causing the error, as the "monolithic file" (VMM32.VXD) only contains basic, generic drivers right after install, correct?

If that were the case, however, I'm surprised why I don't see a lot of other people with Ti4200s unable to install WinME.

[Admiral Falcon]

Problem solved!

Turns out it was a quirky CD. Copying the SETUP.EXE and the entire WIN9X folder to the hard drive and installing from there fixed the issue.