Invalid page fault opening Control Panel (171753)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 98
  • Microsoft Windows 95
This article was previously published under Q171753
If this article does not describe the error message that you are receiving, view the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to view more articles that describe error messages:

315854 Windows 98 and Windows Me error message resource center

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to open Control Panel, an invalid page fault may occur in Kernel32.dll. You may receive one of the following error message:
Explorer caused an invalid page fault in module KERNEL32.dll at <xxxx:xxxxxxxx>

-or-

Explorer caused an invalid page fault in module unknown.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if a Control Panel extension (.cpl) file is damaged.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, determine which .cpl file is damaged, remove the file, and then reinstall it. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders.
  2. In the Named box, type *.cpl.
  3. In the Look In box, type c:\<windows>\system, where <windows> is the name of your Windows folder.
  4. Click Find Now.
  5. Double-click one of the .cpl files. If the file is damaged, an invalid page fault occurs in Kernel32.dll. If an invalid page fault does not occur, repeat this step with each .cpl file until an invalid page fault occurs. The file that causes the error message to be displayed is the file that is damaged.
  6. On the File menu in the Find window, click Close.
  7. Delete or rename the damaged .cpl file in the Windows\System folder.
  8. Open Control Panel to verify that it is functioning properly.
  9. Extract a new copy of the .cpl file you removed in step 7 from your original Windows disks or CD-ROM. For information about the location of all the .cpl files included with Windows 95 and Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95, see the table below. For information about using the Extract tool, type extract at a command prompt, or see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    129605 How to extract original compressed Windows files

If the resolution in this article does not resolve the issue, try the resolution listed in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

170476 Illegal operation error message when emptying Recycle Bin

MORE INFORMATION

The following table lists the location of all the .cpl files included with Windows 95 and Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95: 
   File name      Cabinet file    Location
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Access.cpl     Win95_02.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 2
   Appwiz.cpl     Win95_10.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 11
   Desk.cpl       Win95_04.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 4
   Inetcpl.cpl    Cabplus_7.cab   Plus! CD-ROM only
   Intl.cpl       Win95_04.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 4
   Jetadmin.cpl   Win95_16.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM only
   Joy.cpl        Win95_08.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 8
   Main.cpl       Win95_04.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 4
   Mlcfg.cpl      Win95_06.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 7
   Mmsys.cpl      Win95_08.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 8
   Modem.cpl      Win95_07.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 8
   Netcpl.cpl     Win95_11.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 12
   Password.cpl   Win95_11.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 12
   Sysdm.cpl      Win95_04.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 4
   Telephon.cpl   Win95_11.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 11
   Timedate.cpl   Win95_04.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 4
   Wgpocpl.cpl    Win95_06.cab    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disk 7
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:6/28/2006
Keywords:kbenv kberrmsg kbInvalidPageFault kbkern32dll kbprb KB171753
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