Reference number: CH000715

The system is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft applications error.

Question:

The system is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft applications error.

Additional information:

This document relates to users who are getting errors similar to the above message. Below is an example of the full error message you will likely see when encountering this issue.

C:\Windows\System32\Autoexec.nt The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications. Choose 'Close' to terminate the application.

Cause:

This issue is often caused when an your "config.nt", "autoexec.nt", or "command.com" files are missing or damaged.

Answer:

To restore these files back to their original format, you can expand the files from your Microsoft Windows XP or 2000 restore CD, or if you do not have the Windows restore CD, you can repair the autoexec.nt and config.nt manually from the repair directory. 

Restore the autoexec.nt and config.nt files from the repair folder

For users who do not have their Windows XP or 2000 CD or want to try restoring their backup files from their hard drive first, follow the below steps.

1. Click Start, Run, type cmd and press enter to open the MS-DOS window.
2. In the MS-DOS Window, type the below commands.
   
   cd\windows\repair
   copy autoexec.nt c:\windows\system32
   copy config.nt c:\windows\system32
   
   Note: In the above example we use the "windows" directory. If you're using Microsoft Windows 2000 you will likely need to substitute this directory for the "winnt" directory. If you're running Windows XP and get an error when attempting to go into the windows\repair directory it's likely this directory does not exist and you will need to skep to the next section.
   
   
3. Once the above two files have been copied, type "exit" to exit the MS-DOS window.

After following the above instructions this should resolve your issue. If the issue continues to occur, you will need to try the other below suggestions.

Expand the files from the Windows XP or 2000 CD

The below steps will restore the autoexec.nt, config.nt and command.com files from the Windows XP CD. In order to do this you must have the Microsoft Windows XP CD.

1. Insert the Microsoft Windows XP CD into the computer.
2. Click Start, Run, type cmd and press enter to open the MS-DOS window.
3. At the MS-DOS prompt, type the below lines. If completed successfully, you should see a message indicating the file was copied and not an error.
   
   expand D:\i386\autoexec.nt_ c:\windows\system32\autoexec.nt
   expand D:\i386\config.nt_ c:\windows\system32\config.nt
   expand D:\i386\command.co_ c:\windows\system32\command.com
   
   Note: In the above examples we are pointing to the "D:" drive for the CD-ROM, some computers with other drive letters may have the CD-ROM drive as a different letter. If this is the case, substitute "D:" with the letter of your CD drive.
   
   Note: In the above example we use the "windows" directory. If you're using Microsoft Windows 2000 you will likely need to substitute this directory for the "winnt" directory.
   
   See our expand command page for additional help and information about the expand command.
   
   
4. Once the above files have been successfully copied, type "exit" to close the MS-DOS window.