Games: How to troubleshoot invalid page faults and exception errors (Part 1) (280068)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion: The Rise of Rome 1.0
  • Microsoft Age of Empires II Expansion: The Conquerors
  • Microsoft Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings 2.0
  • Microsoft Age of Empires, Gold Edition
  • Microsoft Age of Empires
  • Microsoft Age of Empires II Gold Edition
  • Microsoft Allegiance 1.0
  • Microsoft Baseball 2000
  • Microsoft Baseball 2001
  • Microsoft Best of Windows Entertainment Pack 1.0
  • Microsoft Casino
  • Microsoft Classic Board Games
  • Microsoft Close Combat for Windows 1.0
  • Microsoft Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far
  • Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater
  • Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series 1.0
  • Microsoft Crimson Skies
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Professional Edition
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 98
  • Microsoft Golf 1999 Edition
  • Microsoft Golf 2001 Edition
  • Microsoft International Soccer 2000 1.0
  • Microsoft Links 2001
  • Microsoft Links LS 2000
  • Microsoft MechWarrior 4: Vengeance
  • Microsoft Metal Gear Solid
  • Microsoft Midtown Madness 2 2.0
  • Microsoft Midtown Madness
  • Microsoft Monster Truck Madness 2 2.0
  • Microsoft Monster Truck Madness
  • Microsoft Motocross Madness 2 2.0
  • Microsoft Motocross Madness 1.0
  • Microsoft NBA Full Court Press for Windows 1.0
  • Microsoft NBA Inside Drive 2000 1.0
  • Microsoft NFL Fever 2000 1.0
  • Microsoft Outwars 1.0
  • Microsoft Pandora's Box 1.0
  • Microsoft Pinball Arcade 1.0
  • Microsoft Plus! Game Pack: Cards and Puzzles
  • Microsoft Return of Arcade for Windows
  • Microsoft Return of Arcade, Anniversary Edition
  • Microsoft Revenge of Arcade 1.0
  • Microsoft Soccer 1.0
  • Microsoft StarLancer 1.0
  • Microsoft Urban Assault 1.0
This article was previously published under Q280068

SUMMARY

This article is the first of two articles that describe how to troubleshoot "invalid page fault" and "fatal exception" error messages in the Microsoft games listed in the "Applies to" section of this article.

For more information about how to troubleshoot "invalid page fault" and "fatal exception" error messages, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

280069 Games: How to troubleshoot invalid page faults and exception errors (Part 2)

MORE INFORMATION


Fatal Exception

A "fatal exception" error message is typically displayed on a blue screen, and appears similar to the following
A fatal exception 0X has occurred at xxxx:xxxxxxxx
where 0X is a hexadecimal number from 00 to 0F that indicates the processor exception, and xxxx:xxxxxxxx is the code segment pointer and memory address at which the exception error occurred.

A fatal exception error can occur if any of the following conditions is true:
  • A program tries to call an illegal instruction.
  • A program tries to access invalid data or instructions.
  • The privilege level of an operation is invalid.
For more information about "fatal exception" error messages, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

150314 What are fatal exception errors

Access Violation

An access Violation appears in a typical Microsoft Windows dialog box and you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:
EXCEPTION: Access violation in D3Dim700! (+0xE386)
If you click More Details, information that is similar to the following appears:
EXCEPTION: Access violation in WinMM! (+0x5633) Address: 0x56675386 Location: WinMM! (+0x5633)
An Access Violation can occur when a driver or a piece of software tries to access memory or resources that are already in use by another driver or piece of software.

Illegal Operation

An "illegal operation" error message appears similar to the following:
This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.
When you click Details, you receive a detailed error message that is similar to the following:
Program caused an invalid page fault in module filename at xxxx:xxxxxxxx.
When you click OK, the program quits.

You typically receive an "invalid page fault" or "general protection fault" error message when a program or a component tries to read or to write to a memory address that is not allocated to the program. When this occurs, the program may overwrite or damage data or instructions for another program that is using that memory address. You may also receive a different type of "illegal operation" error message, such as a "divide error," "invalid instruction," or "stack fault" error message.

For more information about possible causes of "illegal operation" error messages, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

82710 Causes of general protection faults and troubleshooting tips

Note If you receive an "invalid page fault in module kernel32.dll" error message, a conflict may exist between the program and the Microsoft Windows operating system.

For more information about how to troubleshoot "invalid page fault in module kernel32.dll" error messages, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

218853 OFF2000: Troubleshooting Office Kernel32.dll errors under Win 98

218873 Troubleshooting Office 2000 Kernel32.dll errors under Windows 95

How to get clues from an error message

To use the error message to diagnose your problem, note the module name that is listed in the "Details" section of the "invalid page fault" error message.

If the module name is a printer driver, a video driver, a sound card driver, an antivirus tool, or a component that is not part of the game, you can remove or update that module.

If you do not recognize the module name, query the Microsoft Knowledge Base for the module name at the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=kbinfo

For example, if you received an invalid page fault in module <unknown>:
  1. In the Search (KB) box, click the name of the game where you received the error message.
  2. In the For Solutions containing box, type invalid page fault in module unknown.
  3. In the Using box, click The exact phrase entered, and then click Search Now.
Note If you do not see the Using box, click Show Options.

For more information about how to search for information in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

129725 Obtaining Knowledge Base Articles on the World Wide Web

For more information about how to contact Microsoft Technical Support, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

280069 Games: How to troubleshoot invalid page faults and exception errors (Part 2)

How to get clues from events that precede an error message

Sometimes, you can determine the cause of the problem by noting what occurred just before you received the error message, whether the problem also occurs in other programs, or if the problem occurs every time you attempt to perform a particular action.

To determine the cause of the problem, answer the following questions:

  • Are other programs running on your computer when you receive the error message?


  • Is this a known issue with your game?


  • Does the problem only occur at a particular time, such as when you start the game or when you use a joystick?


  • Does the problem occur in other programs or games?


  • Can you reproduce the problem, or does it occur randomly?


    • Back to Top The following sections discuss each question and possible resolutions.

    Are other programs running on your computer when you receive the error message?

    You can prevent or resolve many error messages by quitting all programs that are running on your computer before you start a game.

    To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE.
    2. In the Close Program dialog box, click any program except Explorer or Systray (components of Microsoft Windows), and then click End Task.

      If you receive a message that states that the program is busy or not responding, click End Task again.
    3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to quit all programs except Explorer and Systray.

    Is this a known issue with your game?

    Certain "invalid page fault" or "fatal exception" error messages only occur when specific conditions are true. For more information about how to resolve specific error messages in the games listed at the beginning of this article, query the Microsoft Knowledge Base for the exact text of the error message at the following Microsoft Web site:

    http://support.microsoft.com/search

    For example, if you received an invalid page fault in module <unknown>:
    1. In the My search is about box, click the name of the game where you received the error message.
    2. Under I want to search by, click Keyword Search using, and then click Exact Phrase in the Keyword Search using box.
    3. In the My question is about box, type invalid page fault in module unknown, and then click Go.
    For more information about how to find articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    129725 Obtaining Knowledge Base Articles on the World Wide Web

    If none of the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base describes your problem, continue to troubleshoot your problem by using the information in this article.

    Does the problem only occur at a particular time?

    If you receive the error message only when you perform a specific action or set of actions in the game, the actions that trigger the error message may provide clues about which solutions you should try first.

    For example if you only receive the error message when you press a programmed button on your joystick, you may want to disable programmed buttons, updated the joystick software, or even update the sound driver for your sound card if the joystick is connected to the game port on your sound card.

    If you receive an error message when you try to install the game, your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive may be unable to read the CD-ROM for the game.

    For more information about how to troubleshoot CD-ROM read errors, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    218617 How to troubleshoot CD-ROM read errors

    Does the problem occur in other programs or games?

    If the problem occurs in other programs or games, the problem most likely is caused by an outdated device driver, a damaged or missing component of Windows, or another program that is running in the background.

    Note Although some of the troubleshooting tips and possible solutions in this article may help with these issue, the focus of this article is to resolve error messages that are specific to the game listed at the beginning of this article.

    Can you reproduce the problem, or does it occur randomly?

    If you always receive the error message each time you perform a specific action or set of actions, use one of the suggested resolutions for the problem, and then perform that action or set of actions again. If you no longer receive the error message, you can assume that the problem is resolved. If you continue to receive the error message, you need to continue troubleshooting the problem.

    If you cannot easily reproduce the problem, use one of the suggested resolutions for the problem, and then play the game until you feel comfortable that the problem is resolved. If you continue to receive the error message, try another possible resolution.

    Note Be sure to keep track of the resolutions that you have tried, along with the results for each one.


    For more information about how to troubleshoot "invalid page fault" and "fatal exception" error messages in the games listed at the beginning of this article, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    280069 Games: How to troubleshoot invalid page faults and exception errors (Part 2)



    For more information about how to troubleshoot "invalid page fault" and "fatal exception" error messages in the games listed at the beginning of this article, click the article number below to view the second part of this article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    280069 Games: How to troubleshoot invalid page faults and exception errors (Part 2)



    For more information about other troubleshooting strategies, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    275481 How to troubleshoot program faults with Dr. Watson

    Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:11/15/2005
    Keywords:kbui kberrmsg kbinfo KB280068
    ©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.