Microsoft KB Archive/152995

= Works: Troubleshooting System Errors in Windows 95 =

Article ID: 152995

Article Last Modified on 11/15/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Works 2.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Works 2.0a
 * Microsoft Works 3.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Works 3.0a
 * Microsoft Works 3.0b
 * Microsoft Works 4.5 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Works 4.5a
 * Microsoft Works 4.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Works 4.0a
 * Microsoft Works 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q152995



SUMMARY
This article describes troubleshooting steps for Windows 95 system errors including Illegal Instructions, Invalid Page Faults, Stack Faults, and General Protection Faults in Works for Windows.



MORE INFORMATION
If you receive one of the errors mentioned above, try the steps in each of the following sections, testing to see if the problem is solved before moving to the next section.

Examine the Error Message
The first clue to the cause of the error is in the error message. Note the module name displayed when you click Details. For example:

Msworks caused an invalid page fault in module at

If the module name is a printer driver or a video driver, removing and reinstalling the file may correct the problem. If this does not correct the problem, or if you are unsure about the file, continue to the next section.

Examine When the Error Occurs
If the error occurs when you are starting or exiting the program, skip to next section.

If the error occurs when you are working on a document, open a new document. If working in the new document solves the problem the error may be caused by corruption in the original file. In this case it is safest to work in a new document. Copy and paste data from the original file to a new file and save with a new name. If the error still occurs in a new document, continue to the next section.

Start In Safe Mode
Run Windows in Safe Mode to eliminate possible conflicts with video drivers, terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs, and items that load automatically. To start Windows 95 in Safe mode, restart the computer, press F8 when you see, Starting Windows 95, and choose Safe Mode from the Startup menu.

If this solves the problem, you have a hardware or software conflict. For more information on troubleshooting problems when running Windows in safe mode, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

136337 Troubleshooting Windows 95 Startup Problems and Error Messages

Examine Startup Files
If you have a hardware or software conflict, to locate the conflict, examine the following:

Startup Folder:


 * 1) Click Start, point to Settings and then click Taskbar.
 * 2) On the Start Menu Programs tab, click Advanced.
 * 3) Click the plus (+) sign next to Programs.
 * 4) Click the Startup Folder.
 * 5) Move or remove the shortcuts in the right pane.

NOTE: Shortcuts in the Startup group are used to start programs automatically when Windows starts. Move the shortcuts into another folder so that they can be replaced in the startup folder if they are not causing the problem.

Initialization Files:

 Click Start, and then click Run. Type, sysedit, and click OK or press ENTER.  Examine the following files and remark out anything other than the minimum settings mentioned below:

Autoexec.bat & Config.sys
Type REM, in front of each line in both these files.

NOTE: The Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files are not necessary for running Windows 95. Some sound cards or CD-ROM drives require a real mode driver mentioned in either of these files to function properly. If after remarking the lines in these files, you no longer have access to your CD-ROM drive or have no sounds in Windows, run Sysedit again and remove the REM from the appropriate line(s).

Win.ini
Place a semi-colon at the beginning of the load= and run= lines.

System.ini
Check the [386 Enh] section for any virtual device drivers (*.VxD) that load. To troubleshoot VxD problems, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

140441 Creating a New System.ini File Without Third-Party Drivers



Check Video Driver:

Change the video driver to Standard VGA to check for video driver problems.

To change the video driver to VGA, do the following:


 * 1) Click the right mouse button on the Windows 95 desktop, then click Properties on the menu that appears.
 * 2) On the Settings tab, click Change Display Type.
 * 3) Note the Adapter Type setting and click Change.
 * 4) Click Show All Devices and from the Manufacturers list click Standard Display Types, it should be at the top of the list. From the Models list, click Standard Display Adapter (VGA) and click OK.
 * 5) Click Close, and then click Restart.

If this corrects the problem, contact the video card manufacturer for updated drivers or information on an emulation mode.

Check Hard Disk for Physical Damage
Run Scandisk and choose the Thorough option. For more information on how to run Scandisk, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

150532 Hard Disk Errors Caused by Damaged Data or Physical Damage

Check For Corrupt Program Files
Remove Works, rename any system files that Works installs, and reinstall Works. To remove and reinstall Works do the following:

 Close all open programs. Run Works Setup and click Remove All.

NOTE: Works 2.0 Setup does not have a Remove All option. Move any Works documents you want to retain, to another folder, then delete the Msworks folder and reinstall Works 2.0. Rename the system files that the Remove All option does not remove. For a list of these files, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

147685 Works 95: Files Not Removed During Remove All

124521 Works: Files Not Removed by Remove All Option in Setup (Works 3.0)

</li> Run Works Setup again and reinstall Works.</li></ol>

Check For Corrupt Windows, or System Files, or System Registry
If none of the previous steps correct the problem, the System Registry may be incorrect, or have corrupted or missing system files. Works depends on files that are installed by Windows so re-installing Windows is the next step.

To run Windows Setup from the original disks, do the following:

 Close all open programs.</li> Click Start, and then click Run.</li> Type the following:

<drive Letter>:\Win95\Setup

(where is the drive containing your installation disk.) press ENTER or click OK.</li> Follow the Setup dialogs to reinstall Windows 95. You may be prompted during Setup that a file being replaced is newer than the one being installed by Windows setup; keep the newer file(s).</li></ol>

Hardware Problems
If the above steps do not correct the problem, contact your computer manufacturer for help with troubleshooting your hardware. For help troubleshooting device conflicts, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

133240 Troubleshooting Device Conflicts with Device Manager

Error Descriptions
Illegal Instruction:

You receive this error when the computer is unable to process an instruction. Normally, a Details button appears with this error message. Clicking the Details button provides more information on what caused the error.

For example:

<pre class="fixed_text">  This program has performed an illegal instruction and will be shut down.

<<Details>> Msworks caused an invalid page fault in module User32.exe Stack Fault:

A Stack Fault occurs when a program instruction refers to memory beyond the limit of the stack segment. Loading the stack segment with invalid descriptors will result in a general protection fault.

Invalid Page Fault:

A page fault occurs when a paging protection rule is violated, when the retrieve fails, the data retrieved is invalid, or the code that issued the fault broke a protection rule for the processor.

General Protection Fault:

Any condition which is not covered by any of the other processor exceptions will result in a general protection fault. The exception indicates the program has been corrupted in memory and usually results in immediate termination of the program.

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Keywords: kberrmsg kbinfo kbtshoot KB152995

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