What this means is your hardware is telling windows that the hardware is faulty.
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"David Candy" <.> wrote in message Bug Check 0x9C: MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION
The MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION bug check has a value of 0x0000009C. This indicates that a fatal machine check exception has occurred.
Parameters
The four parameters listed in the message have different meanings, depending on the processor type.
If the processor is based on x86 architecture, and has the MCE feature but not the MCA feature — for example, the Intel Pentium processor— the parameters have the following meaning.
Parameter Description
1 The low 32 bits of P5_MC_TYPE MSR
2 Reserved
3 The high 32 bits of P5_MC_ADDR MSR
4 The low 32 bits of P5_MC_ADDR MSR
If the processor is based on x86 architecture, and has the MCA feature in addition to the MCE feature — for example, the Intel Pentium Pro processor— the parameters have the following meaning.
Parameter Description
1 The bank number
2 The address field of MCi_ADDR MSR for the MCA bank that had the error
3 The high 32 bits of MCi_STATUS MSR for the MCA bank that had the error
4 The low 32 bits of MCi_STATUS MSR for the MCA bank that had the error
On an Itanium processor the parameters have the following meaning. Parameter 1 indicates the type of violation.
Parameter 1 Parameter 2 Parameter 3 Parameter 4 Cause of Error
0x1 Address of the log Size of the log 0
0x2 Address of the log Size of the log Error code SAL returned an error for SAL_GET_STATEINFO while processing MCA.
0x3 Address of the log Size of the log Error code SAL returned an error for SAL_CLEAR_STATEINFO while processing MCA.
0x4 Address of the log Size of the log 0 FW reported a fatal MCA.
0x5 Address of the log Size of the log 0 Two possible causes:
SAL reported a recoverable MCA, but this recovery is not currently supported;
SAL generated an MCA but was unable to produce an error record.
0xB Address of the log Size of the log 0
0xC Address of the log Size of the log Error code SAL returned an error for SAL_GET_STATEINFO while processing an INIT event.
0xD Address of the log Size of the log Error code SAL returned an error for SAL_CLEAR_STATEINFO while processing an INIT event.
0xE Address of the log Size of the log 0
PSS ID Number: 329284
Article Last Modified on 9/19/2002
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The information in this article applies to:
a.. Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
b.. Microsoft Windows XP Professional
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This article was previously published under Q329284
For a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Microsoft Windows 2000 version of this article, see 162363.
SYMPTOMS
Your computer may generate the following Stop error message on a blue screen:
STOP: 0x0000009C (0x00000004, 0x00000000, 0xb2000000, 0x00020151)
"MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION"
Note that the four parameters that are inside the parentheses may vary.
CAUSE
This behavior occurs because your computer processor detected an unrecoverable hardware error and reported it to Windows XP. To do so, it used the Machine Check Exception (MCE) feature of Pentium processors or the Machine Check Architecture (MCA) feature of some Pentium Pro processors. The error may be a result of any of the following:
a.. System bus errors.
b.. Memory errors that may include parity or Error Correction Code (ECC) problems.
c.. Cache errors in the processor or hardware.
d.. Translation Lookaside Buffers (TLB) errors in the processor.
e.. Other CPU-vendor specific detected hardware problems.
f.. Vendor-specific detected hardware problems.
STATUS
This behavior is by design.
MORE INFORMATION
A machine check exception occurs when Windows XP and your hardware platform cannot recover from some type of hardware error so that the system can continue to run successfully and reliably. More specific diagnosis of machine check exceptions is difficult and there is no general solution. Contact your hardware manufacturer or a computer hardware technician for help with troubleshooting this issue.
Machine check exceptions are frequently caused by one of the following conditions:
a.. Running the processor or mainboard beyond its specifications. For example, overclocking the processor or bus. Microsoft recommends that you run your hardware at the manufacturer-rated speeds.
b.. Noisy power, overstressed power strips, outmatched power supplies and failing power supplies can destabilize your computer. Make sure that you have a stable, reliable power supply to your computer.
c.. Extreme thermal conditions caused by the failure of cooling devices such as fans. Make sure your cooling devices are all working.
d.. Damaged memory, or memory that is not the correct type for your computer. If you recently changed the memory configuration, revert to the previous configuration to determine what is wrong. Make sure that you are using the correct memory for your computer.
NOTE: Your hardware may support additional error logging features that capture the machine check exception and suggest a more specific solution.
The Pentium and Pentium Pro processors provide a mechanism to detect and to report hardware-related problems such as memory parity errors and cache errors. To signal a hardware error, the processor signals the detection of a machine check error by generating a machine check exception (Interrupt 18). Windows XP reports that the error occurred and displays parameters that you can use to decode the exception. Contact your hardware vendor or processor manufacturer for information about the Machine Check Architecture or see the Intel Pentium Pro Family Developer's Manual - Volume 3: Operating System Writer's Manual.
Keywords: kberrmsg kbprb kbProd2Web KB329284
Technology: kbWinXPHome kbWinXPHomeSearch kbWinXPPro kbWinXPProSearch kbWinXPSearch
PSS ID Number: 162363
Article Last Modified on 10/14/2002
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The information in this article applies to:
a.. Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition
b.. Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
c.. Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
d.. Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
e.. Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
f.. Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0
g.. Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
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This article was previously published under Q162363
SYMPTOMS
A computer running Windows NT Server or Workstation shows the following Stop error code:
STOP: 0x0000009C (0x00000030, 0x00000002, 0x00000001, 0x80003CBA)
NOTE: The parameters for the Stop message may vary from the parameters shown.
CAUSE
The computer processor detected a hardware error and reported it to Windows NT using the Machine Check Exception (MCE) feature of Pentium processors or the Machine Check Architecture (MCA) feature of some Pentium Pro processors.
MORE INFORMATION
Windows NT Server and Workstation version 4.0 now have the ability to report exceptions generated by the MCE or MCA features.
The Pentium and Pentium Pro processors provide a mechanism to detect and to report hardware-related problems such as memory parity errors and cache errors. To signal a hardware error, the processor signals the detection of a machine check error by generating a machine check exception (Interrupt 18). Windows NT simply reports the fact that the error occurred and displays parameters that you can use to decode the exception. Contact your hardware vendor or processor manufacturer for information regarding the Machine Check Architecture or consult the Intel Pentium Pro Family Developer's Manual - Volume 3: Operating System Writer's Manual.
Additional query words: 0x9c
Keywords: kbenv kbprb KB162363
Technology: kbNTTermServ400 kbNTTermServSearch kbwin2000AdvServ kbwin2000AdvServSearch kbwin2000DataServ kbwin2000DataServSearch kbwin2000Pro kbwin2000ProSearch kbwin2000Search kbwin2000Serv kbwin2000ServSearch kbWinAdvServSearch kbWinDataServSearch kbWinNT400search kbWinNTS400 kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNTWsearch
Memory tester
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp