16bit MS-DOS Subsystem failure on Windows XP

WindowsMillennial 145 Reputation points
2026-07-02T18:20:34.4333333+00:00

I am trying to play, install and uninstall some old 16bit games on my Windows XP and on occasion when either starting the game's installation or uninstallation process, I get this error message:

16 bit MS-DOS Subsystem

C:\WINDOWS\untA4.pdf

C:\PROGRA~1\Symantec\S32EVNT1.DLL. An installable Virtual Device Driver failed Dll initialization.

Choose 'Close' to terminate the application.

[Close] [Ignore]

Sometimes this error shows up on games that have played before or have installed just fine. Is this due to a corrupted or missing DLL file that needs to be replaced? if so, where can I get a replacement?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Install and upgrade
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Answer accepted by question author
Carl-L 22,335 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-07-03T07:12:27.21+00:00

Hello WindowsMillennial,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

As I checked, this doesn't seem to be an DLL issue. Also, I'd suggest you to be careful before download any DLL, Windows XP has been out of support for a long time and DLL that was made for it most likely has been delisted and discontinued, old DLL posting on the internet should be treated with care.

C:\PROGRA~1\Symantec\S32EVNT1.DLL. An installable Virtual Device Driver failed Dll initialization this seems to be the main issue here. S32EVNT1.DLL is from Norton/Symantec, I've seen reports that damaged installations or leftover remnants after removal can cause this issue.

So first, can you please check if any Norton/Symantec application is on the computer? If they exist, please try to repair, reinstall or completely uninstall them.

I'm waiting for your reply.

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