Invalid Page Fault - Illegal Operation

[KingPacino]

I posted a message earlier about my Dads PC throwing up these errors and the Blue screen showed up, well I was on his PC just trying to sort things out by repairing Microsoft Outlook, which seems to have gone smoothly, but whilst doing something else completely aside from Outlook(it wasn't even open) it gave me

This program has performed an illegal operation etc and the details button gave me this as the fault -

RUNDLL32 caused an invalid page fault in
module at 0000:7f1a4480.
Registers:
EAX=81d829d4 CS=017f EIP=7f1a4480 EFLGS=00010246
EBX=81d82974 SS=0187 ESP=01caff9c EBP=01caffcc
ECX=ee70d770 DS=0187 ESI=00000008 FS=5867
EDX=81d829d4 ES=0187 EDI=81da2494 GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:


Any ideas anyone?

cheers

BTW when I pressed Ctrl Alt Del for something else it showed 2 Rundll32's running?

[Dan]

here's something about run32.dll from the site:
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Taskl...tasklist_r.htm

"Microsoft’s "Run a DLL as an App". A DLL is a Dynamic Link Library. In layman and [very] simplistic terms a DLL is a portion of a software program which is only used by the main program as and when specific features of the software are used by the end user (for instance the PRINT function in your wordprocessor). The main advantage is that, using this technique, programmers can develop software which does not end up gobbling up memory through the whole program loading in one go, but which instead only uses enough memory for the core functions of the program, with specific features, implemented in separate DLL files, only loaded as and when the end-user decides to use them (ie. the Print DLL will only be loaded into memory when the end-user clicks on PRINT). Another advantage is that the software developers can also have common features which they have implemented across a range of their programs, implemented just the one time as a shared DLL which is used by all that developer’s programs. RUNDLL and RUNDLL32 are the Microsoft Windows programs that need to be used to load DLLs into memory so that they can be used by specific programs or by Windows.

Recommendation :
RUNDLL and RUNDLL32 do not normally appear in the Task List in Windows. In our experience they tend to appear only when you are already having problems of some sort with your PC. This is not to say, however, that if you see RUNDLL or RUNDLL32 in your Task List, you should be worried. If you see either in your Task List, simply leave it alone. We are not sure as to why RUNDLL or RUNDLL32 can sometimes suddenly appear in the Task List, but we believe you should leave them alone."

you could try disabling (uncheck) the file in start\run\msconfig\startup....this might help your problem...if not you can always return and select it again....

[GaryRouth]

Hi again KingPacino & Hi Dan -

Here's a webpage with all sorts of info on Invalid Page Fault errors. They can be caused by many things, one of which can simply be bad RAM (your main system memory = Random Access Memory). Did the system in trouble have any hardware changes lately (like adding more memory?)

At any rate, the webpage in the link does a very nice job explaining things [Dan explained nicely also ]

In the error message, after the word "module" it should say which program is having the trouble. Rundll has caused an invalid page fault in module XXXXXXX (should say something like kernel32.dll, explorer.exe, msoe.dll, etc --> this will help you try for a repair if it turns out that the memory it OK. The repairs are all sorts, from virus-removal, to simple registry fixes, to reinstalling a program or two. If you are getting the errors in different modules all the time: it very likely is either a bad virus infection, or a physical problem with the RAM.

"Windows TroubleShooting Support Center"
http://aumha.org/win4/kbeipf.php

If you want to & catch the module name - post it here & we'll see what might be the best strategy.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[Ooops - I should give you a link to a memory testing site. You can download a "personal use" or "evaluation" edition of DocMemory from http://www.simmtester.com ]

[. . . and one last P.S. before I'm off to sleep for the night: the article that Dan quotes above mentions seeing Rundll in the Task List. Truth is, it's perfectly normal for it to be there: it can be nothing more than the "QuickRes" utility that Microsoft added in Win98 to quickly change the resolution and color depth of the monitor display --> this shows up in your System Tray as an icon of a Monitor, and gets there when you've selected the "show settings icon on task bar" box in Control Panel's Display/Settings/Advanced tab . . . just so you know... I'll stop typing now & start snoozing. . . ]

[KingPacino]

I'm gonna give it a try now

[KingPacino]

First of all thanks for all the info its excellent.

I have just tested the memory and it says its fine, there is 512Mb should I maybe try using a little less memory?

Here is another fault it brought up -

STIMON caused an invalid page fault in
module RPCRT4.DLL at 017f:7fb9a83b.
Registers:
EAX=81d4e488 CS=017f EIP=7fb9a83b EFLGS=00010286
EBX=82c6481c SS=0187 ESP=0064fc28 EBP=0064fc70
ECX=82c64858 DS=0187 ESI=a000007d FS=32df
EDX=00520770 ES=0187 EDI=82c64834 GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:
81 7e 08 44 44 b2 b2 75 07 8b ce e8 12 6f 01 00
Stack dump:
82c64858 7fb97efa 00000000 82c6481c 81d4dd5c 7fb9162a 00000000 7fb90000 81d4dd5c 00000000 77ed3637 bff741f7 0064fc40 0064fa58 0064fe28 7fb953e8

Any more ideas?

If it is a bad virus, how would I get rid of it? I have norton anti virus 2003 pro (trial edition), will it not find certain virus' if it is a trial version?

thanks


BTW I still have two RUNDLL32 's in the task list when I Ctrl Alt Del is it normal to have 2 of them??

[GaryRouth]

Hi again

Windows 98 can have trouble with systems that have more than 512mb of memory, but if you've had that memory in there a long time & never had any trouble before, it's probably not the problem (if it was, there is a "vcache" setting that can be tweaked - but I don't think that you need to worry about that).

Is your trial version of Norton fully up-to-date with the virus definitions? Make sure to do a full system scan, because sometimes a virus can masquerade as a Run32dll in Task Manager [though a fair number of legitimate background tasks also list as Run32dll). . . Oh, and the main difference between the trial version and the retail is that most trial versions only feature the Live Update virus definitions updates for 30 or 90 days [retail gives you a full year]. So the trial version should "catch" just as much if the definitions are up to date.

You can check the pacs-portal startup list for "R" (which has the Run32dll, Rundll32, and Rundll entries) from the following webpage: http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup.../startup_r.php See if you have any of those background services running or not [and whether you want them to run]

That's a nice site, by the way: lots of good information about background jobs and system resources. Check out the home page for all sorts of Windows information.

"STIMON", by the way, is the background job "Still Image Monitor" - it runs for scanners and digital cameras. It probably isn't the problem, but is a good clue that something isn't right.

Still lots of possiblilities to check for (you can even check your system/cpu temperatures to make sure there's no overheating, but usually that would lead to freezes rather than memory errors) --> I'd start with the full virus scan. Then try to identify the background Rundll32s parent programs - perhaps uninstall them & check for updated versions, or just reinstall them one at a time & watch for symptoms. An "over-the-top" reinstall of Windows can help with hard-to-identify situations like this one, if the troubleshooting starts to wear on your patience.

Never a dull moment, good luck
. . . Gary

[KingPacino]

Phew I have got my work cut out for the next few days!! Thats brilliant thanks for all the info, I've been using the windows troubleshooting centre, its quite good! better than any version of windows!!! lol

I will give all your suggestions a try and hopefully one will work!

Thanks again Gary!!!!! Top Info

[KingPacino]

One last post on this(i hope) my Dad has just called me down to look at his PC, about 5 faults came up!!

First - Blue screen fatal exception pressed any key to continue this brought up a black background with a white message box saying - photed caused an invalid page fault in module user.exe

Second - Same thing black background white box saying outlook caused an invalid page fault in module user.exe

Third - Again same thing after blue screen white box appears saying Explorer caused an invalid page fault in module user.exe

Fourth - Same as others, this time different fault saying Kernel32 caused a general protection fault in module KRNL386.exe

Fifth - Same at start white box etc, CCAPP caused a general protection fault in module KRNL386.exe

Something is seriously wrong!! Can you help!!!??? I have tried looking on Microsoft support centre for help but can't find exact error? Does this sound like a virus? Norton says there isn't one?

Any suggestions? Anything would be gratefully taken

thanks

[KingPacino]

These faults literally followed one after the other after presing 'any' key on the blue screen

[GaryRouth]

Sure sounds like data corruption. . . Normally I would still suspect the RAM, but you said it tested out OK.

Has the system ran fine for a long time with the 512mb in it? Or did the amount change recently? You could try running with just 256 for a while & see if it's just trouble with the virtual paging - though I still doubt that this is the problem.

Something else to look at would be the memory timings in the computer's Bios Setup screens. If they were changed by accident to timings that are too aggressive for the modules, that could bring up memory problems like the ones you are seeing. If a computer is shutdown suddenly from a power out, I've seen it a few times (though fairly rare) where the Bios Settings got out of whack [one was a computer of my sister's - not only did the power go it, the box was dropped - ouch] A safe setting for the memory is usually "by SPD" if that option is available = It's called "Serial Presence Detect", and the correct speed is detected from the Bios querying the memory module - a very accurate method. If you aren't certain what values are safe, there is usually an option listed called "Use Default Settings", which you can select for that screen.

And you can try another memory module if you have others available.
______________
If none of the hardware angles yields any relief, it might be worth it to try an "over the top" Windows reinstall. To do this, you'd use a bootdisk (either floppy or CD) to boot to DOS. [if you don't have one, you can download one from bootdisk.com]. From DOS, rename the file C:\Windows\win.com to C:\Windows\win.old Like this

cd \Windows
rename win.com win.old

Then run setup from your Windows installation CD. When prompted for the Directory, do NOT use the suggested C:/Windows.000 , but use just C:\Windows (without the .000) - otherwise you will end up with two copies of Windows.

It's not as hard as it sounds, nor does it take very long. The only question after that is = whether it solves the system instablility or not.

Best of luck - I'll keep checking back, and Dan and kt and others are around sometimes more often than I am (I've had a lot of projects coming due lately) - so you won't be left without help!
. . . Gary

[andyms18a]

with the number of errors you are geting it may be best to back up your data and format the drive and do a fresh install of windows all so download you hdd manufactures disk test softwair and check the drive for bad sectors may be time to do a low leval format as well

[KingPacino]

Thanks again for all the info, it really is truly appreciated.

I think I may try removing some memory to start off with as this is the easiest thing to try at the moment while I'm snowed under with work, I remember on my old PC I bought a stick of 256Mb SDRAM and it didn't work properly, the supplier said that it was my own fault for not checking system compatibility,but other sticks of memory worked, so I shoved it into my Dads PC to give it a boost and it showed up fine but whether there is something wrong with it somewhere, who knows. Anyway enough of the stories I'll give it a shot when I'm next free and see where we stand from then.

And yes if that doesn't work I think I will resort to re-installing in some form!!

Thanks again, top top top info!!!!!!