SOLVED ntvdm.exe has stopped working error message

Joined
May 11, 2016
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
I run dos programming for 34 years that I spend 99% of my time working in. Program (s) were working fine for the 1st month of windows 10 than suddenly without any special things happening except some kind of windows update the ntvdm.exe error message happens when I try to run my program. Any help would be much appreciated. 32 bit system.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
45
Reaction score
2
you must enable 16 bit application support to make it work ntvdm.exe i thing, but i dont raccomented above windows 8
 
Last edited:

Regedit32

Moderator
Joined
Mar 4, 2016
Messages
3,617
Reaction score
1,139
Hi Robert,

There is a couple of things you can do that ought to resolve the issue you are experiencing:
  1. In your Search/Cortana box type: Programs and Features then press Enter
  2. In the Programs and Features window, on the left pane click the hyperlink: Turn Windows features on or off
  3. In the Windows Features window that pops up expand the Legacy Components folder and checkmark Enable NTVDM
  4. Close the windows, then right-click on Start and left-click on Command Prompt
  5. In the Command Prompt window that opens right-click the top left corner of command window and select properties
  6. In the Command Prompt "Properties" window select Options tab and down the bottom place a checkmark next to Use legacy console (requires relaunch) then click OK

That ought to do it.

Report back whether this resolves the issue for you.

Regards,

Regedit32
 
Joined
May 11, 2016
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Thank you for your input. It did not work, unfortunately. Enable Ntvdm was already check marked in legacy components and I then did check the box in dos prompt for legacy console. I restarted but get the same message when I try to start my program and I also tried it in dos prompt and got the same error message. If you have any other ideas I am all ears. The weird thing is that everything was working great for a month since I got Win 10. I had all my programming working great just as in 7 and all systems before that back to win 3. So something has become corrupted or changed but I did nothing that I know to change anything?
 

Regedit32

Moderator
Joined
Mar 4, 2016
Messages
3,617
Reaction score
1,139
Hi Robert,

It may be worth returning to that Windows Feature window and removing the check mark next to enable NTVDM, then restarting computer and going back and putting the check mark back.

Windows occasionally responds to the opposite action first followed by the action wanted.

Other than that you may need to go down the Virtual Drive options:


  • VirtualBox in my opinion is more versatile as you can install and run all sorts of OS here from Windows 3.1 onwards, however, if its only the DOS you want to run, then you're probably better off with vDos or DosBox rather than install an OS into VirtualBox then run Dos via that.

    https://www.virtualbox.org/

By the way, do you recall which update you got that led to things going awry for you? Or if not which particular update, the approximate date of update? I may be able to work out from that information what is causing the issue you currently are experiencing.

The only other thing that came to mind was whether or not you had changed your Account status from Local to Administrator or vice-versa recently? The only reason that through came to mind was because as you probably will recall some of the early DOS applications were codes on the assumption the user was on Windows XP that seemed to make user Administrator by default. Have you tried the Run as administrator option on any of the DOS apps?

Regards,

Regedit2
 
Joined
May 11, 2016
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
thank you again for help. I tried un-checking NTVDM and restarting, good idea but it didn't work. I also tried un-checking and re checking use Legacy console in cmd prompt options screen. Didn't work. The update was yesterday, May 10 at about 4:45pm. Everything was working great for about a month before yesterday but then I started getting the error message. The dos program I am running is called Rbase for dos. It is a database program. It should run in dos prompt by going to directory and typing in the .exe file that starts it as an alternative. This generates the same error message and I replaced the .exe file with a copy of original in case that was corrupted. So I believe the problem does lie in the Ntvdm.exe file. any more ideas? I really don't want to use a virtual machine if I don't have to. It was running fine and I've run it in every version of windows they have had out including 10 , for this last month. RB
 
Joined
May 11, 2016
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
I also double checked all the administration options and run as administrator is checked and all the permissions are allowed in the dos program.
 
Joined
May 11, 2016
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Thank you Regedit2 for your help. I kept changing things and went to work on some other programming stuff on other computers and came back and I must have changed the right thing and it started working. It still wouldn't work in the dos prompt mode which I can not understand if one works and the other doesn't so I un checked the legacy option in the dos prompt options area, restarted, and then the program runs as it should in dos prompt. I thought I'd pass this along since you gave me so much good help. I uninstalled an old roxio music recording program I had installed over the weekend but it did nothing. I went and checked the path cmd and the roxio paths where still there so I deleted them and reestablished the path to my programming that I had checked previously. I think this is what did it. Path can be accessed by going to settings, apps and features and then entering "path" into the search box at upper right. Then choose environmental variables and then highlight path and make sure you have a path established directly to where your programming is housed, ie c:\directory\filename.exe I'm sure you probably know this but I list it here in case someone like me is at wits end trying to find something to try. hit ok when you're finished editing the path command. Remember to preface your path cmd with a ; So a path cmd stuck on to the end of existing paths would be ;c:\directory where .exe file exists\filename.exe Hope this helps someone else. RB
 

Regedit32

Moderator
Joined
Mar 4, 2016
Messages
3,617
Reaction score
1,139
I went and checked the path cmd and the roxio paths where still there so I deleted them and reestablished the path to my programming that I had checked previously. I think this is what did it. Path can be accessed by going to settings, apps and features and then entering "path" into the search box at upper right. Then choose environmental variables and then highlight path and make sure you have a path established directly to where your programming is housed, ie c:\directory\filename.exe

Hi Robert,

Thanks for the update and given you mention some obsolete environment variables stuck around its more than likely that was the issue on this occasion. Something I've noticed is that In-place upgrading of Windows, can reset a few Registry entries also, meaning if you set paths, its possible the Registry record of these could be corrupted during an upgrade.

Resetting Paths as you stated ought to reset the registry entries also. The odd thing though is this does not always happen; more of a random event. This is why occasionally doing the exact opposite of what you want first, then doing the action you want occasionally resolves a Windows issue.


Glad you are back up and running though.

Happy DOSing :)

Regards,

Regedit32
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Top