Win16 subsystem was unable to enter protected mode, dosx.exe must be present in your path

Error Message

Running the setup.exe file for ArcView 3.x on a Windows machine returns the error:"Win16 subsystem was unable to enter protected mode, dosx.exe must be present in your path."

Cause

The DOS environment is not properly configured to run 16-bit applications such as ArcView's setup file.

Solution or Workaround

1. Open a text editor such as Notepad or Wordpad.
2. Through the text editor, open the file CONFIG.NT, found in C:\WINNT\System32.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the file and look for the following syntax:
   

   Code:
   device=%SystemRoot%\system32\himem.sys

   
   If it is absent then add it to the file.
   
   

   Note:
   This line may exist but be proceeded by a "REM", which prevents it from being read. Remove the "REM" if this is the case.

   
   
   

   Note:
   If there are other "devices" specified, add "REM" to the line to prevent it from being used in the DOS settings during the ArcView install. It is possible to remove the "REM" once setup is complete.

   
   
4. Save the file and exit the text editor.
5. Try the ArcView setup again.