Not a valid Win32 application.
If the file or program you're attempting to run is
corrupt or missing, Windows will be unable to execute the
file properly and sometimes generate this error message.
Download files
If you downloaded this file and verified it is a file
that will work with your version of Windows, delete the file and try
downloading and running it again. It's possible during the download that the file
became corrupted.
Finally, if the second download does not work, try
downloading the file from a different webpage. It is possible that
the person or company maintaining the website mistakenly uploaded a
corrupt version of the file you're attempting download.
Installing a program from a CD or other disk
If you're attempting to install a program and are
getting this error, verify that the CD is clean. If the CD is dirty
or bad, you could get this error during the install and/or get this
error after the program has been installed because it was not
copied properly onto the computer.
Additional information about cleaning a CD can
be found on our cleaning page.
Running a program from the computer
If you're running the program from a shortcut on the
computer, verify that the program is still on the computer. In some
cases if the program is no longer installed on the computer you may
get this error.
If the hard disk drive is corrupted or bad it can
also cause working programs to fail either because not all the data
can be read from the hard disk drive or because the program has
become corrupted while on the drive. Run scandisk
and defrag on the hard disk
drive to check for any potential errors.
Long file name issue
Make sure the program or file you're attempting to
run does not contain the same name as the long file name directory
it is contained in. For example, executing a file named
"program" in the "program files" directory can
cause errors in some versions of Windows.
Additionally, if you're attempting to install a
program and after the install the program does not work, you may also
want to try installing the program in a different directory.
Bad file
Any file can be changed or renamed to be a .exe
file. If you're downloading the file, make sure the file is supposed
to be a .exe file and that it's not being changed. If you're
attempting to create a .exe, file make sure you're compiling
the file for Windows and never just rename a file to a .exe file.
For example, renaming a .bat file to a .exe file will not make the
file an executable file. For a file to become an executable file it
needs to either be compiled or converted through a software program
designed to convert the file.
If you're trying to run a program that is not
designed for your version of Windows you may get this error.
Although many older programs designed to work in older versions of
Windows will work with new versions of Windows, unfortunately, not all
programs will work.
-
If the program is an older MS-DOS program or
early Windows program you may get this error.
-
If the program is designed for a 64-bit version
of Windows and you're running it in a 32-bit version of Windows,
it will not work and generate this error.
If you're attempting to run an older computer game
in a new version of Windows, see document
CH000587 for additional suggestions about getting older games to
work in Windows.
This error
can be generated by a file
that is a virus,
worm, trojan,
or other type
of malware
file. Often, this will be caused because the virus scanner
installed in the computer
will not allow the file to be installed or run. Try scanning the
file to verify it is not a virus and/or infected.
If the file has been checked and is clean, it is
still possible that the virus protection program and/or another
program installed on the computer is causing issues during the
install or execution of the program. Boot the computer into Safe Mode and try running the program; booting the computer into Safe Mode will make sure nothing is running in the background that
could be causing this issue. Additional information about Safe Mode can be found on document CHSAFE.
