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Get error message: "windows has caused an error in kernel32dll. windows will now close"

Posted By : Raymond of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on June 17, 2004

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cannot open programs or other applications

get error message: (

windows has caused an error in kernel32dll. windows will now close)

how can I fix this problems?

Thanks

This question was answered on June 17, 2004. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.


Since you are using Windows Millennium Edition (Me), you may receive the following error message:

Program has caused an error in module name.

Program will now close.

If you continue experiencing problems,

try restarting your computer

To view the details, press ALT D, or open the Faultlog.txt file in the Windows folder

CAUSE:

This error message can occur for any of the following reasons:

An unexpected event has occurred in Windows An "invalid page fault" error message often indicates that a program improperly attempted to use random access memory (RAM) For example, this error message can occur if a program or a Windows component reads or writes to a memory location that is not allocated to it When this behavior occurs, the program can potentially overwrite and corrupt other program code in that area of memory.

A program has requested data that is not currently in virtual memory, and Windows attempts to retrieve the data from a storage device and load it into RAM An "invalid page fault" error message can occur when Windows cannot locate the data This behavior often occurs when the virtual memory area becomes corrupted.

The virtual memory system has become unstable because of a shortage of physical memory (RAM).

The virtual memory system has become unstable because of a shortage of free disk space.

The virtual memory area is corrupted by a program.

A program is attempting to access data that is being modified by another program that is running.

RESOLUTION:

To resolve this issue, identify when the error message first occurred Also, determine if you recently made changes to the computer, for example, you installed software or changed the hardware configuration.

Use a clean boot troubleshooting procedure to help you identify the cause of the error message

How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows Me:

Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.

On the General tab, click Selective startup.

Click to clear all of the check boxes under Selective startup.

On the Startup tab, click to select the *StateMgr check box.

Click OK When you are prompted to restart your computer, click Yes After the computer restarts, Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.

IMPORTANT: Look closely at the General tab to ensure that the check boxes you cleared are still cleared Proceed to step 6 if none of the check boxes is selected If you see a disabled or gray check box, your computer is not truly "clean-booted" and you may need assistance from the manufacturer of the program that places a check mark back into Msconfig.

After you verify that your computer is clean-booted in step 5, you can isolate the issue If the original issue does not reoccur after the clean boot, select one item at a time under Selective startup, and then restart the computer to see if the additional entry reproduces the original issue.

NOTE: When you perform this procedure, Windows uses the Standard VGA driver (640 x 480 x 16) for your display This driver sets your display to a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels with 16 colors If you cannot test the original issue in this configuration (for example, you have to run a program that requires a higher resolution or color depth), you may have to change your display driver to a high-resolution generic (Super VGA) driver or select the System.ini item to add your original display adapter back to your configuration Note that if you add the System.ini item back to your configuration, you may also add components and settings with your original display driver For additional information about how to change your display driver, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

131806 Windows 95/98/Me: How to Install or Change a Video Driver

How to Return from a Clean Boot State

Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.

On the General tab, click Normal startup.

Click OK Click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.

Categories That Are Disabled in a Clean Boot

System.ini entries

Win.ini entries

Static virtual device drivers (VxDs)

Startup items

Environment variables for MS-DOS emulation

NOTE: The following VxDs should be checked in the static VxD tab of the System Configuration Utility to ensure proper functioning for internet/networking access:

VNETSUP

NDIS

VNETBIOS

VREDIR

About the author

Posted by Raymond of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on June 17, 2004

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