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System files like mup.sys are important factor in the smooth functioning of computer networks. However, errors in this crucial file can prevent a computer from booting correctly, or booting at all. WHY IS THE MUP.SYS FILE STORED ON MY COMPUTER? Mup.sys is used only by more recent operating systems in the Windows range --Windows XP, Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows Vista. The file has a role to play in a part of the operating system called a Multiple UNC Provider (MUP). It is part of a software system that helps networked computers communicate with one another to share files and peripheral components such as printers and scanners. UNC stands for Universal Naming Convention -- this phrase refers to how a network of computers using the same operating system uses a common language to describe the locations of resources used by the network, such as shared files and peripherals. But it is not half as complicated. Putting this more simply, it means that the locations of the resources stored on a computer are described in the same way for each resource. For example, when browsing through the files in your hard drive and click on a folder, the location of the folder on your hard drive is listed in an address bar. If you click on a folder or file, the location of the file may show up as something like C:\foldername\filename. This structure is used for every file and folder on a computer, as well as peripheral resources such as scanners and printers. Does this show us how the Multiple UNC Provider system works? When a program on a networked computer tries to access a shared resource, it has to use a UNC path (the path refers to the location of the resource). The access request is forwarded to the Multiple UNC Provider, which then redirects the request according to which computer on the network is making it. The Multiple UNC Provider, therefore, is part of a system that allows networked computers to communicate with one another in a uniform manner. HOW IS IT THAT MUP.SYS LEADS TO ERRORS? Errors in mup.sys are likely due to malfunctions in the file, or a bug in the Windows operating system that relates to the mup.sys file. These errors may prevent mup.sys from loading correctly on your computer. The problem with this is that Windows tries to load mup.sys whenever the computer tries to boot up, whether your computer is part of a network or not. Therefore, if the file is corrupted to the extent that it cannot be completely loaded, your computer will either crash or start rebooting every time it attempts to load the mup.sys file. In most cases, this happens even when the computer is booted in safe mode. ARE MUP.SYS ERRORS OF ONE TYPE ONLY? Aside from file corruption errors as described above, mup.sys may occasionally cause other types of errors, depending on your operating system and configuration. An outdated or corrupted mup.sys file shall naturally be the cause of a variety of non-specific network errors, most commonly in Windows 2000 and Windows NT. These may include errors in Distributed File System connections between domain controllers and client computers, as well as more general network errors in networks running any XP, 2000, NT or Vista version of Windows. In most cases, the root cause of such errors, including most of the following, lies in using an operating system version that has to be brought up to date. Stop 0x50 Error (Windows NT 4.0) This error occurs if your sound scheme is set to "No Sounds". The system faces trouble in understanding this setting -- it searches for a file called "close.wav" on the network at computer shutdown, even though sound has been set to off and the file will not be used. When this happens, a bug in the mup.sys file might be the causative factor. This may happen when the computer is shutting down. Stop: 0x0000000a Error (Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 6a) There is nothing uncommon about this error. The error is regardless of system configuration or what applications are currently running. However, only computers running the above version of Windows NT may become the victims of such error types. Event ID 2012 (Windows NT 4.0, with Service Pack 3) An outdated mup.sys file may occasionally be the cause of an Event ID 2012 Network Error in computers running this version of Windows NT. We detect such errors when running an application that uses Btrieve engine version 6.15 (Btrieve is a database that uses a method of storing data that provides fast retrieval times). Non-responsive Network (Windows 2000, SP1 or 2) An error in mup.sys may occasionally cause computers across a network to become non-responsive when a networked computer disconnects from the Distributed File System. System Error 53 (Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0) This error can occur when using a version of either operating system that may not have got updates. The error occurs due to incompatibility between mup.sys and the Distributed File System. Learn about Disk Cleanup. It is a good habit. Also learn about Disk Error-checking and QIC. Visit today.
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