The GROWSTUB Tapes -- MSIE 4.0x Install on Win 3.x

Originally Posted: Monday, February 16, 1998

Author: Joseph V. Morris jvmorris@erols.com
Revised and Reposted: Sunday, March 15, 1998
Revised and reposted: by Hendrik Delagrange hendrik_delagrange[AT]hotmail.EDIT_ADRESS_PLEASE.com Sunday, February 21, 1999
Version 2.0

General Principle
Checking REG.DAT
Cleaning REG.DAT
Other Causes
Win32S and Pointer.dll
OLE 2
Windows for Workgroups 32-bit Functionality
Reinstalling MSIE 4. 01? Going back to 3? Waiting for 5?
The New Registration Database Editor

A number of people have tried to install Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE ) version 4.01 (using Active Setup) for 16-bit Win 3.x systems and encountered a GROWSTUB error message. In most instances of which I know any details, this has consistently occurred on systems where the REG.DAT file (which should be in the \Windows directory) was either corrupted or larger than 64 KB. However, Ed Starry and GMcKittrick (frequent contributors to these newsgroups), and first among many, also pointed out certain other factors that can cause this problem. Consequently, the original post was revised to reflect the information they provided.

Rick Anderson has encountered GROWSTUB errors when trying to runMSIE 4.0, after a successful install and using it with no problems for several days. Rick's REG.DAT, however, was greater than 64 KB at this time, so it's possible that this may still be the problem. Rick's problem subsequently disappeared when he installed MSIE 4.01.

In Version 1.02 of the Tapes, I have added a number of hyperlinks for easy reference to source documentation elsewhere on the Internet, and specifically on the Web.

General Principle

There are some general principles that you should apply before attempting to install MSIE 4.0x on Win 3.x systems: Top

Checking REG.DAT

Checking the file size on REG.DAT is simply a matter of checking it with the DOS DIR command or using the Windows File Manager. If the file size is less than 64 KB, this is not the problem. To determine if the registry has been corrupted, simply run REGEDIT.EXE /V (also in the \Windows directory). (You can accomplish this from the menu bar in either Program Manager or File Manager by selecting File | Run and then entering the command as specified above. If REG.DAT is corrupted, you will get a message to this effect. Checking the file size will, of course, do nothing to the actual contents of REG.DAT. Similarly, running REGEDIT.EXE /V, of itself, does nothing. If you do not get a message box stating that REG.DAT is corrupted, simply exit the REGEDIT application (and preferably without doing anything else). If neither of these two tests indicate a problem, the source of your GROWSTUB problem lies elsewhere.

Top

Cleaning up the Registration DataBase

The following is the (well, actually my) proposed solution for this problem. (And there may be plenty of other problems, as noted elsewhere that can cause an MSIE 4.0 install to fail.)

First, cleaning up the registry (compliments of Ed Starry, although any oversights would be mine)

  1. PRINT out a copy of WIN.INI (that should take a bit of paper); find the [Embedding] section and identify entries for applications that are no longer present on your system or that you simply no longer use. (I didn't do this, now I wish I had.) While you're at it, you might want to take a look at path references for what's left and make sure they are correct--especially if you've moved any apps on your system since they were originally installed. (Ed Starry also recommends that you start identifying file extensions that are definitely no longer used on your system so that you can eliminate these lines, also, in the next step I'd tend to be rather conservative in doing this, but there's no denying this will also further reduce the size of WIN.INI.)
  2. EDIT WIN.INI and remove these entries and then re-save the WIN.INI file. (Why play with fire? Do this using a DOS editor outside of Windows.) If you have any path references that need to be corrected, take care of that also, ditto any file associations that you may have decided to remove.

    3. Incidentally, if WIN.INI is larger than 32 KB, cleaning it up is definitely a good idea. Some (Windows-based) editors will truncate the file without warning if it's greater than 32 KB; you won't be real happy at some point in the future.
  3. Use File Manager to FIND all the *.REG (yes, *.REG, not *.DAT) files on your system. Make a list of what, where, sizes and file creation dates so that you'll have it handy. (I had 14 of these.)
  4. Use File Manager to COPY REG.DAT to REG.BAD (as a backup, just in case). Note the datetime stamp and filesize, again just in case. (Incidentally, if you have something like Delete Sentry, it's not a bad idea to make sure it's enabled about now.)
  5. EXIT Windows.
  6. >From DOS, (take a deep breath) and DELETE REG.DAT .
  7. RESTART Windows (it'll take a longer time than usual, because it's rebuilding the registry initially from entries in the [Embedding] section of WIN.INI).
  8. Just for the heck of it, use File Manager to COPY your new REG.DAT to REG.BAE (another backup). Note the datetime stamp and filesize.
  9. RUN REGEDIT.EXE /V from File | Run in Program Manager or File Manager. Again, all you're doing is confirming that the newly generated REG.DAT is clean. You should get no error message; just exit REGEDIT.
  10. MERGE the *.REG files, starting with SETUP.REG first. According to Ed Starry, you should next merge OLE2.REG, followed by any (and all) other *.REG files found in your \Windows\System directory. You can then merge any other *.REG files in whatever order is most convenient to you. [I may have done this purely coincidentally and not been aware of it.]

    11. [Depending on how inquisitive you are, you may want to drop back to File Manager and back up REG.DAT (to REG.BAF, REG.BAG, etc.) after each merge just so you can later see how REG.DAT is growing. This will, of course, definitely slow down your work.] If it chokes on any of these merges, you should get an error message, but this is rather unlikely to happen unless somehow one of the *.REG files got corrupted over the years.
  11. When all *.REG files have been merged, definitely use File Manager to COPY your latest REG.DAT to REG.BA? (hopefully, you won't have gotten to REG.BAT by this time!) Just for the heck of it, how much smaller is this file than REG.BAD?

    12. My 14 *.REG files were merged in less than ten minutes.
    Afterwards, your system may occasionally seem somewhat slow as you open some applications for the first time after recreating the registry, as they may be adding additional entries.
    If, by some chance, this yields an unmitigated disaster, you still can restore from REG.BAD or one of the intermediate new REG.BA? files.
At this point, I'd take a little breather if I were you and play around with my system until I was comfortable that everything (well, with the obvious exception of MSIE 4.0) was functioning properly. (Of course, your registry may grow a little at this point also.) It wouldn't be a bad idea to run CHKDSK, SCANDISK, DISKFIX or whatever and maybe defrag your hard drives again at this point--always good for a few hours of boredom. I personally am a little skittish of the DOS defragger, but if that's all you've got, well . . . .

Top

Other Possible Causes of the GROWSTUB GPFs

There are, however, other problems that can cause a GROWSTUB GPF, or--perhaps more importantly--simply lead to an inability to install, setup, or even run MSIE 4.0 or Outlook Express in the Win3.x environment.

Top

WIN32S and pointer.dll

IE4 is one of the rare programmes that actually use the Win32s-extensions for Windows 3.x. Win32s adds some 32-bit functionality to the 16-bit operating system in order to run some of the newer applications. Win 32s does not make your system compatible with Win 9.x; the programmers have to create a special version of their software to work with Win32s. It may slow down your computer a little, but generally does not cause major problems. IE4 includes the latest version of Win32s.

However, there is a problem related to Win32s with pointer.dll. Ascertain that you have the latest version of POINTER.DLL available for your mouse. If not, download it from the (appropriate) vendor's site. This is not in the \Windows or \Windows\System directory. Where it is located (if it is present at all) is dependent on where your mouse software is installed. Actually, this problem is likely to be experienced only by those individuals still using a MS mouse circa 1993 or 1994 (of whom I would be inordinately jealous, as I typically kill 'em in about 9 to 12 months).

    This is the only GROWSTUB GPF identified in the Microsoft KnowledgeBase. (link points to the most recent place on the support site, if it has moved once more, search for "pointer.dll") It applies specifically to POINTER.DLL (and POINTER.EXE) version 9.01. Only use the associated patch if your current version of POINTER is 9.01--this upgrades it to 9.01b.


Top

OLE2

Another problem that may be related. Check your installed copy of OLE2.DLL to ascertain if it is version 2.03 or later. My copy is dated 5/1/97 (but I think it was downloaded as part of the MSIE 4.0 install). Interestingly, if your last successful install was MSIE 3.03, you may find this self-same file with an Aug 97 date--so much for version control at Microsoft. MSIE 4.0 is heavily dependent on OLE2 functionality. Old versions of this DLL may cause problems. Again, an updated version is available from Microsoft.

Top

Windows for Workgroups 32-bit Disk- and File access

Another interesting problem with installing MSIE 4.0, especially on WfW 3.11-based PCs, was first verified by Rick Anderson. This is associated with 32-bit Disk Access (32BDA) and 32-bit File Access (32BFA). It's not clear that this problem is related to the GROWSTUB GPF, but it is an important consideration. You can ascertain your current configuration from Control Panel | Enhanced | Virtual Memory | Change. If your hardware will not support 32-bit Disk Access, this option should be grayed out. (And if you try to enable it, but your system won't support it, you should find out Real Soon Now under any circumstances.) I believe the real culprit, on at least some systems, is related to having 32-bit File Access enabled when attempting to install MSIE 4.0. This presents something of a quandary. 32-bit File Access is generally acknowledged to markedly improve the performance of those WfW systems that support it, but--on the other hand--as far as we have been able to ascertain, it almost guarantees a failed install of MSIE 4.0.

Top

The MSIE Decision

NOW, we come to the point of deciding what to do about MSIE (whatever version). (I can already foresee getting a lot of responses from Netscape users telling me what to do with MSIE.)

First, if you have (or had) MSIE 4.0 PR1 or MSIE 4.0 PR2 installed, it's got to go. If you've still got the UNINSTALL program, for God's sake use it! Don't think you're going to get a cheap fix by simply deleting the directory, there are files scattered all over your system.

Second, if your attempt to install MSIE 4.0 FR got to the point of creating a program group for MSIE 4.0, you're going to need to run UNINSTALL for it, also.

Third, decision time: Are you going to

The second option is considerably faster than the third -- if it works (and if it doesn't, you have to do the third option anyway) -- I'd say at least by a couple of hours.

If you choose the second or third option, I'd recommend doing the install in chunks:

Top

One Final Note

(And a tip of the hat to GMcKittrick) If you actually manage a successful install of MSIE 4.0, you should find a REGEDT16.EXE in your \Windows\System directory. This is a replacement (or alternative, if you will) for REGEDIT.EXE which, in my opinion, is a nice advance over REGEDIT.EXE. It is also very similar to the REGEDIT.EXE that you will (eventually) find in Win95 and WinNT 4.0, so you might as well get used to it. It also contains some options to fine-tune your IE4 or even get it to work as it should. If you have continuing problems with IE4 of any kind, and you have some spare time, it sure is worthwhile to browse trough it and try some alterations. Always write down what you've changed.

However, this new Registration Editor only applies to the IE4 programmes.

Eventually, you're going to need to know how to browse and maintain your registry, so this is a good tool to become familiar with. Unfortunately, it's a tool with no documentation. I believe there is a MS Press book on the registry, but I've always ignored it. This, rather obviously, is something we can do no longer.

Top