Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 5:13 pm

So what are my options since I can't run out and buy a 64 bit machine or start buying Cisco equipment.
Are you saying that I can't run GNS3. Is there no other resource available to help me get this thing going.

I never said you CAN'T run GNS3. Just sort out that cygwin stuff, and it'll probably work fine. That error I quoted in your post mentioned an environmental option in cygwin to set to avoid that error. Like I said, PM the folks on the board like rednectar, brezular, or the GNS3 creators, and they could either help you, or point you to the right resource.
If I knew how, I'd help you out, but I'm swamped studying for a cert exam tomorrow, or I'd spend the time researching how to fix your issue. If you can wait until friday or saturday (super busy wednesday and thursday, too), I'll have spare time then.
And you don't need to buy a 64-bit machine. Almost all CPUs for the last 5 years or so already support 64bit. You'd just have to upgrade the OS.
HERE is the Cygwin homepage (Red Hat owns them now). HERE is the wiki for Cygwin. And try googling 'cygwin and GNS3'. Maybe others have had the same problem that you are.
*EDIT*
Full disclosure, the only time I've ever dealt with anything approaching UNIX or POSIX is using Linux Mint 17 and Haiku in a Virtualbox VM for tacacs+, atftpd, and Radius in GNS3, and a long time ago, I built an image of slackware from the kernel up to create a commodity 'captive portal' wifi system back when bluesockets and colubrises (colubrii?) cost a thousand dollars or more. My cost of goods was like $300 (mostly for the SBC, NEMA4 enclosure, and antennas), and I managed to fit that custom slackware image onto a 64MB compact flash (48MB for slackware, the remainder as a R/W partition). But that was back in '99-'00, so that knowledge has long since been forgotten.

A heads up for you re: Cygwin - Cygwin is used to compile Dynamips to allow it to be run on Windows, so that is where the references are from.

_________________
Daniel
Forum Moderator & Debian Package Maintainer for GNS3, Dynamips & VPCS.
Standalone DEB Packages are available from http://gns3.serverb.co.uk - To be updated!

Any idea what would stop his IOS image from loading/running? I'm at a loss on how to help shoer.

As Daniel says, don't get caught up about cygwin - you will find that there are a couple of cyg*.dll files in your GNS3 install directory - that's all the cygwin you need to run GNS3.
@shoer - you should be able to get GNS3 working. However, I'd start by taking things slowly and doing things using the system defaults - ie - let GNS3 create the GNS3 directory off your %HOME% directory and the Images directory off that.
If that works, then you can experiment with E:/ drive etc for storing images. You might also try reading the free chapter from the GNS3 Network Simulation Guide, either here or (possibly better format) here
Disclaimer: I am the author of the GNS3 Network Simulation Guide

_________________
RedNectar
http://rednectar.net
@rednectarchris
GNS3 WorkBench-a VMware image of Ubuntu with GNS3 and VPCS installed and a collection of exercises/labs

I have removed GNS3 and done a reinstall of GNS3-0.8.7-all-in-one.
I have used all the defaults and put my uncompressed image in to the
default image folder. Dynamips starts when I test it but when I use
Test Settings I still get 'Unable to initialize router instance.'
The only thing I can think it is at this point is my image, and I have 3
different ones, is bad.
Since I don't know anyone with Cisco equipment I'm searching the Internet
to try and find an IOS.
It's possible all 3 are bad but the variables are still image and GNS3.

Post subject: Re: cisco ios

OK I think what I'm doing is correct.
I can get a c3600 and a c7200 router to work. I am not able to get
a c2600 router to work, and at this point I have used several versions
of 2600 IOS, including the one I used on my old XP Pro OS.
If I drag a router c2600 on to the screen I get the following error.
R1: error from server 127.0.0.1:7200: 209-unable to start VM instance 'ghost-
c2600-adventerpriske9-mz.123-14.T2.image-127.0.0.1.ghost'
I have used defaults for everything and the version of GNS3 is GNS3 0.8.7
Why doesn't the 2600 router work??

From my personal experience your mileage will vary with some routers. The 3 most stable seem to be 3600, 3725/45, 7200

_________________
Daniel
Forum Moderator & Debian Package Maintainer for GNS3, Dynamips & VPCS.
Standalone DEB Packages are available from http://gns3.serverb.co.uk - To be updated!

I can second that. I always go with these and rarely get any issues.

_________________
Jeremy, GNS3 Programmer & Benevolent Dictator for Life.