Gordon wrote:
>he gets the following message on boot:
>
>"16-bit Windows Subsystem..."


Some ancient 16-bit driver is trying to start with Windows. It rather 
depends at what stage of the boot process this message appears.  If it's 
early in the process (during XP primary boot stage) it may be something 
built into Windows and thus more difficult to remove.

Download some good free startup managers such as Autoruns and Startup 
Inspector and untick whatever appears redundant. If uncertain, untick 
everything and see what happens. They won't let you disable any vital 
system files, so are quite safe to use.

Process Explorer will give you further insight into what's running and all 
the dependant background files for each application. You might spot the 
errant driver that way. Drivers are usually recognised as .ocx or .sys files.

Trying to hack the registry to solve this problem is not a safe way to go. 
The Control Set you refer to in the registry controls which types of 
drivers are forbidden--it won't help you identify them.

You should always make a registry backup using ERUNT before attempting any 
registry cleanout or alteration. You never know when it will come in useful 
for restoring the system.

Drivers usually reside in System32/Drivers folder (but not always). There 
will be hundreds of them so looking in there is unlikely to make you much 
wiser. Simply deleting a driver which is trying to run a startup will only 
lead to more complications.

Don Penlington

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