Blue Screen Error

[James Beale]

Ive been having a serious problem with my home PC
recently, and wondered if anyone could shed any light.

Im using Windows XP and I keep getting a blue screen
error with the following message:

---

A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut
down to prevent damage to your computer.

Technical Information -

*** STOP: 0X0000008E (0X80000004, 0XF8951D36, 0XF8951CC0,
0X00000000)

Beginning Dump Of Physical Memory.
Physical Memory Dump Complete.

---

It seems to happen when running certain programs at the
same time (Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player,
for instance). It also seems to happen a lot while
playing games.

Any help would be great as its driving me up the wall!
(Please contact via email address below).

Thanks,

James
(e-mail address removed)

 

[K. Graham Clarke [MSFT]]

Hi, James.

The stop error is a good start, but ideally you'd want to look at the file
that was listed at the top of the stack. That's what was dumped from memory
(and generally the cause of the issue).
1. Visit http://windowsupdate.com to make sure you have the latest service
pack and hot-fixes installed, as they may have addressed the issue you're
experiencing.
2. Beyond that you may want to go to the START:RUN box and type:
"drwtsn32 -i" (with no quotation marks) to install Dr Watson as your default
debugger. Then, when you experience this again, search for DRWTSN32.LOG and
find within that file FAULT or ERROR. At thte top of that stack you may
find the file or driver that's the culprit. This is easier than attempting
to load symbols and read USER.DMP's.
3. Additionally, look in your SYSTEM log in the Event Viewer for something
that may be tripping your system up. (To do this, START:RUN: "eventvwr")

There are several reasons that may be the root cause, but you'll need to do
the aforementioned. If after having updated your system, ask yourself
whether this behavior occurred after having just installed new memory or a
new device driver. If it's memory, take the memory stick(s) out back to the
same as you'd had it before to test. If it's a driver, go to the START:RUN:
"devmgmt.msc" then properties of the device and attempt to roll it back.
For that matter, you could try using a System Restore point, basically a
snap-shot of your computer context prior to the behavior being exhibited.

HOW TO: Use the Roll Back Driver Feature in Windows XP--
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;283657

HOW TO: Restore the Operating System to a Previous State in Windows XP--
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;306084

--
Good luck!

Graham, MCSE²+I, MCSA
Microsoft Corporation Exchange Enterprise Messaging

* Please do not send email directly to this alias. This alias is for
newsgroup purposes only.
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[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi James,

You may have failing ram. If you want to check the memory, there are free
programs here:

http://www.simmtester.com/page/products/doc/download.asp
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

But keep in kind that a thorough test can only be done with test equipment
at a computer shop. Software tests are not perfect in diagnosing these
issues. At the price of memory today, you may find that the test costs more
than a replacement stick.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone