Frequently Asked Questions

A Device Attached To The System Is Malfunctioning or Lead45.dll Is Corrupt

Description:

You get an error message saying "A device attached to the system is malfunctioning" when you try to start Picture Publisher or you get an error message saying "Lead45.dll has been corrupted."

Cause:

When installing Micrografx Picture Publisher, the installation needs to copy a file called Lead45.dll into your Windows directory. Lead45.dll is a generic file that comes bundled with many programs. The Picture Publisher CD tries to install an updated version of Lead45.dll, but Windows will not let your existing Lead45.dll file be overwritten because it was activated by a program you ran since the last time you booted your computer. One program that is known to use an outdated version of Lead45.dll is America Online. There may be others also.

Solution:

#1. Reboot your computer and re-install the Picture Publisher CD. In most cases this will fix the problem, but       not always.

#2. Since it is impossible to know which program uses the outdated Lead45.dll file, re-booting and re- installing Picture Publisher may not solve the problem. It is possible that you have a program which loads automatically every time you boot your computer that activates the outdated Lead45.dll file. If solution #1 didn't solve the problem try these steps:

         1. Reboot Windows 95 in Safe Mode. Here's how:
             a. Click START and select SHUTDOWN.
             b. Highlight "Restart the computer?" then Click YES.
             c. When the computer begins to reboot watch for a message on the screen that says "Starting
                 Windows 95..."
             d. When you see the message, press the F8 key on your keyboard. This causes a startup menu
                 to appear.
                          (This doesn't work on Compaq Presarios. If you have a Compaq Presario,
                           press F8 after you hear two beeps during reboot. Sometimes this doesn't
                           work either. If unable to boot your Presario in Safe Mode, do not call
                           Mustek. Call Compaq for help getting booted up in Safe Mode.)
             e. Choose #3. Safe Mode and press the enter key on your keyboard.
             f. The computer will now boot in Safe Mode. Be patient, it takes longer than normal.

        2. Click the Windows 95 START button and select Find Files Or Folders.

        3. Type in lead45.dll and press the Find Now button.

        4. Delete or rename all Lead45.dll files that the search locates. We have never
            experienced difficulty after deleting the old version of Lead45.dll, however, if you are
            nervous about deleting them, simply right click each file and choose rename from the
            pop-up menu. Change their name to Lead45.old

        5. Your CD-ROM drive will not work in Safe Mode, so you must now reboot before you can
            install Picture Publisher.

        6. If any program which starts automatically during bootup uses the Lead45.dll file, it
            will not work correctly during this reboot. You may get error messages from such a
            program since you have deleted the Lead45.dll. Ignore the errors and re-install
            Picture Publisher which will put the updated Lead45.dll file in your Windows
            directory. The next time you reboot after installing Picture Publisher, any program
            that gave error messages should work fine.

If these steps did not solve the problem, call our Technical Support Department for assistance.