2 issues. Don't know if they're related directly or indirectly or not at all. Via DOS within the same week
I noticed 2 things that began to report back the following errors (unlike before).

OS: Windows, XP PRO, SP 1 !, desktop, DSL modem

when I type 'MEM' the top half return result:

CANNOT LOAD VDM IPX/SPX SUPPORT

.. the lower memory return result seems to be fine offering 4 lines of byte info,0 contiguous external..
another line of byte info and last line..MS-DOS resident in High Memory. The latter seems fine I guess.

The second issue: When I type 'ping' in DOS I get a pop windows message

C:windows\system32\ not a WIN32 APPLICATION

AND DOS error msg:

'ACCESS IS DENIED'

This latter error I know is a common error and I've not done nearly enough research on the route causes
of why this error presents itself but apparently it often does.

**for the record my ipconfig is fine across the board, as is my net connections, net stability etc.
** in case it matters I connect via a desktop and DSL modem.

"..Bueller?....anyone..anyone?.......help?"

In advance, thanx for all feedback.

When you go to a command prompt are you getting there by typeing COMMAND or CMD? Should be using CMD.

Steve, hi.

Issue 1 RESOLVED.
**BEFORE I REPLY NOTEABLE EVENT IN LAST 24 HRS on my system.

Late morning yesterday I stumbled onto something that, long story short, revealed my first ever virus/worm e.g. ALCAN.a ! the culprit (and hopefully my last for at least, well a lot of years ; ). I will be posting elsewhere some info, tips and removal reminders I didn't come across about this nasty malware.

In any event I was hoping fixing things would resolve my second issue as well as the first but unlike fixing things like my regedit and ping commands to normal again; Regedit no longer suddenly needing me to type the whole file name, and ping denying me access, it didn't. Thus, 1 issue down and 1 to go here.

I'm enter DOS via a shortcut I put on the desktop initially and rely on thereafter typically.
Right click on DOS Properties shortcut
_________

DOS shortcut path is %SystemRoot%\system32\cmd.exe so, CMD.exe
Start in: %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%
Shortcut key: None
Run: Normal Window
Comment: Performs text-based (command-line) functions.

Confusion resuming in the retelling aside, my colors tell me there is an obvious overlapping DOS story going on here. Same time multi-tasking, changing colors within newly installed alt NOTEPAD PLUS prog as well as even the visual similarity somewhat between NOTEPAD Plus and DOS added to my confused moving, configuring, jumping between windows and shortcut creating haste.

Cued to check what's what springboarding off your good question I discovered the following when clicking on DOS exe files:

via C: WINDOWS\SYSTEM32

** COMMAND.exe

black and white typical DOS default colors

**CMD.exe

black background cyan text

AND

via Desktop [CMD.exe] DOS shortcut

black background, light green, bold text
___________

DOS shortcut via START MENU

never got replaced by me apparently-mia during my icon clean up

___________

Not long ago, after a reboot and seeing some of my icons not right since I moving my icons folders a dozen or so icons on my desktop and Start Menu had to fixed bc they had reverted to shell default icons of course.

One by one I reassigned new icons but I must have got interrupted or overlooked updating the new icon corrected DOS shortcut on Start Menu ( I realize now).

This is when I believe the whole varied DOS' happened as it turns out; while bieng my typical multi-tasking self with 20+ windows open for starters. What isn't typical but hu-mahn just the same is just such glitches.

More info now: Notepad Plus post install I readily also started to change those background and text colors as well as DOS, which!....additionally looks visually similar somewhat when first opened.

More still:

I have 2 hard drives. It was a first time having 2 drives in 1 machine which I added when I upgraded my system a year or so ago.

It was only a few months after (I'm sorry to admit) before a slow groan began as I it dawned on me about
being careful (that I should have) about NOT having overlapping files with 2 drives , 2 windows folders, 2 system32 folders and so forth (especially major files and directorys at least).
Not being mindful of this is so obviously counter productive to organization of files, folders and so forth.
At this point I'm more than 50% past resolving the overlap and my short sightedness.

Question remains, can such a thing mess up what is being reported back when I type 'mem' ?
Could DOS confusingly be reporting back because there is an overlap ?

I will continue to investgate as much from what i can tell following your question and certainly now that I realize
there is a redundancy that, either way re: 'mem' issue, has to be resolved.

Lastly, whenever I start troubleshooting I begin by asking myself 'what was the last thing and/or programs I wasx running, using, installing, uninstalling, modifying (files) etc.

The last couple months, in addition to Notepad Plus (and excluding things like screensavers) I have 4 other programs I've newly installed (and various uninstalls besides the malware certainly but other than that nothing eventful that I can think of other than 2 that I had major install and uninstall issues with.

Object Desktop Suite (that includes windowblinds) is one. Long story short there they finally agreed to provide me with their " in house ripper utility" as well, to finally make good on sending me the CD. I took issue with much that started with their SD Central utility which is really a fully embedded browser-hijacker I made it known while I appreciate their 'strong reccomendation' to use it I prefer the old fashion methods to install programs or else I want a full refund.

I don't know if OD Suite could have anything to do with this DOS issue at all (or the other programs I haven't mentioned but that are also desktop related or use it and my network ) but if more info is needed here just let me know.

Speaking of info, info flood ? If so I'm sorry but my angst is in not knowing what NOT to mention in my efforts to help you guys help me.

Appreciate all continued input
~

DOS mem issue UPDATE: Toggling Resolve


Boost Speed by AusLogics is one of the half a dozen programs I indirectly mentioned in my last (answer) reply.

Boost Speed is a systems tweak utility. I'm not thrilled with it now that I've had a closer look but it does manage some basic things in lazy point and click way (as tweak utililties typically do offer). One of the settings in BSpeed is

'FORCE XP TO KEEP CORE FILES IN MEMORY'

One thing leading to another while I was trying to figure out what's going on
I recalled this setting. When I went into Boost Speed and I ENABLED it
then went into DOS and typed 'mem' VIOLA: no more error msg.

BUT....

I'm not convinced this is 'gone away' but I can't articulate why.

That is, other than to say every time I open a new DOS window I have to re apply the Boost Speed setting for this line to go away when I type 'mem'
And besides I still think even if that were not the case the issue is not solved really.
As I said I can't say why really.

Meanwhile, after I realized what I had done since (as I said in my last reply following Steve's question/comment about cmd.exe should be the source of my pulling DOS up, I did
take care of the DOS overlapping shortcuts issue. DOS shorcuts now are
(1 desktop, 1 Start Menu) and coming from the same path (and I made sure to del all others.)

Overlapping DOS prior to fixing it was coming from paths:

C:\Documents and Settings\user\
C:\Documents and settings\user\desktop,
and
C:\Windows\System32

In any event all the above did rely on CMD.exe and NOT command.exe


WHY I AM NOT SURE IF THINGS ARE FIXED: Less I try and explaining my thinking which really seems all around and speculative at this point I'll just ask here:

*now that I click on DOS shorcuts (wherever I do) and so long as I keep Boost
Speed's 'Force Core XP files to remain in memory' this error is gone and so the issue as to what that error meant is 'fixed' ?

Moreover, I want to UNINSTALL BOOST SPEED which leads me to ask:

where and what exactly is Boost Speed doing when this setting is enabled ?

Obviously I'm wondering not only if the mem partial error result will return once Boost Speed is uninstalled, but also, I still have no clue what that error means in the first place really. If I did I could investigate further and be sure my settings were actually as they should be.

MY mem result in DOS (less the error reporting first line a couple of blank spaces above mem number results, is as follows when I type 'mem':



655360 bytes total conventioanl memory
655360 bytes available to MS-DOS
598496 largest executable program size

1048576 bytes total contiguous extended memory
0 bytes available continguous extended memory
941056 bytes available XMS memory
MS-DOS resident in High Memory Area


I also do not understand where I have 1G of memory total ( I ordered double when I had my
machine built) why I have to spend so much time managing memory optimization?

For example with freeware memory managers like Rambooster. I have never understood this and sorry as I realize this question starts to get into another topic under the same memory umbrella. If I should wait and address that in a seperate post then I will later.

I also have the mother, grandaddy ? whatever of tweak utilities X-Setup. If there is something in the way of a plugin or more info you readers are aware of that can help me figure things out here please do let me know.

Thanx.

-END

RESOLVED!

RE: DOS error msg when I type 'mem' returned top part of mem results the error:

Cannot Load VDM IPX/SPX Support

locate a file AUTOEXEC.NT which typically can be found in..

C:\Windows\System32 (Win XP) named: autoexec.NT


#1 I suggest, (always good to..) back up your original file(s) [copy and rename to a location
you'll remember.]

#2 Navigate to your %SystemRoot%\system32\autoexec.nt location; the original location
AUTOEXEC.NT file typically will be located in
C:\Windows\system32\autoexec.nt (or WinNT directory)

#3 Once you've located AUTOEXEC.NT open with.. NOTEPAD and look for 3 lines:

Install network redirector

lh %SystemRoot%\system32\nw16

lh %SystemRoot%\system32\vwipxspx


DELETE these 3 lines and ONLY these 3 lines.

#4 Click FILE, and SAVE

That's it-your done.

Whatever it is that leads to this DOS error (stated above) this may very well resolve your issue.

** Aside note: In my case I only deleted the 2nd and 3rd lines as a guesstimate I didn't need to
delete the first line.
I can't articulate why here exactly other than years of hands on experience just taking notice of various things and often retaining a rather vast amount of assorted info/factoids/techy blurbs and so forth.

Kudo's n my thanx! goes out to the author of the following site who is worth a visit to check out his
assorted list of errors and resolves.

http://rumkin.com/reference/problems/csnw.php

++RESOLVED

Reminder note for those who didn't catch my RESOLVE further down in this forum re: PING not working
(yet another DOS problem that seeming arose out, suddenly, out of nowhere (but we know better).

RESOLVED: upon further research confirmed I was but one more amoung thousands tagged by
the alcon.a incideous malware worm.

** If you have one or (likely more than one) DOS commands suddenly not working
this could be your problem too.

WHILE MANY RESOLVES ONLINE WILL TELL YOU SIMPLY DELETE A DOZEN OR SO LISTED FILES
AND YOUR PROBLEM IS SOLVED......I SUGGEST YOU DON'T JUMP TO THIS CONCLUSION quite so fast.

After deleting the dozen or so files, running various malware utilites (all decent, legit, and free for dl
(as well as a very fine paid for program even!.....and rebooting after each scan, and so on and so forth
LOW AND BEHOLD YET STILL WHAT SAVED MY SYSTEM FROM ...not only remaining alcon.a files
but 1 that would have started the entire nightmare worm all over again post 1 more reboot!

That is, if not for running a DEEP SCAN (my very last confirming scanning check) using the following
malware utility tool that not only is one of thee very best but free!! for download.

A2 Squared

You can get it here: http://www.hijackfree.com/en/


Preserve your last troubleshooting nerve....years of Windowz Vista error resolving has officially kicked off.

Steve thanx again for even responding to my post. I appreciate it.

peace out