What is a svchost.exe Application Error?

When launching Windows XP the Desktop appears, and the apps start to load. An error message pops up.

"svchost.exe Application Error"

"The Instruction at "0x77d1b1fa" referenced memory at "0x00000000". The memory could not be "read".

Options are click "OK" terminate program

or click "Cancel" to debug program

Clicking either button closes the dialog box.

When I close the dialog box another one pops up.

"svchost.exe Application Error"

"The Instruction at "0x77d1b9c9" referenced memory at "0x230aa33a". The memory could not be "read"

Options are click "OK" terminate program

or click "Cancel" to debug program

After that I have no control over the audio properties.

If I go to control panel and click on "Sounds and Audio Devices" The "Volume Tab says "No Audio Device" and the controls are greyed out. On the "Sounds" Tab the controls are greyed out. On the "Audio" Tab It says "No Playback Devices" the controls are greyed out.

Winamp will not work.

iTunes will not work.

Real Player will not work.

But the System sounds work and I can play a music CD using Windows Media Player

I have run "CHKDSK". Done a system restore, done a virus/trojan/worm scan. Uninstalled and reinstalled the SoundMax software and drivers. I have verified that there is no problem with the RAM (Changed it out).

HELP!

Roy Martin

This question was answered on May 10, 2006. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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The error sounds like a memory reference error, and to start off I would run a detailed checkdisk upon startup not while windows is actually running, since scvhost is a windows system file.

Right click your C drive go to properties, go to the Tools tab and under error-checking click check now Put a checkmark in both boxes It should tell you it cant run checkdisk now and would you like to schedule check disk to run the next time you restart windows Click yes Restart your computer and then let the scan run It could take anywhere from 15mins to an hour depending on the number of errors it does or does not run into.

If that does not workthe only other option that I could find is as follows, be VERY CAREFUL as editing your registry is something that can really mess up a computer:

USE REGEDIT AND GO TO THE FOLLOWING KEY

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\EXPLORER.

with the explorer key highlighted, create another key (a subkey) by clicking Edit, New, and Key Type Always UnloadDLL to name the key, press ENTER double-click its default value, type 1 in the value field, and click OK Close REGEDIT then reboot the computer

XP should now empty the DLLs from the cache memory.

About the author

Posted by Darren of Chandler-Gilbert Community College on May 10, 2006

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