Re: Application Errors - Tried EVERYTHING - PLEASE HELP!!!!

From: Nathan McNulty (nospam_at_msn.com)
Date: 09/27/04 

Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 11:53:27 -0700

First, you aren't going to get much help especially since your CAPS
LOCKS button is stuck on. Reinstall all drivers and all software. If
that doesn't work, reinstall Windows. 

----
Nathan McNulty
ROBERTO - IN DESPERATE NEED OF HELP wrote:
> HELP ME PLEASE!!!
> 
> 
> 
> I DESPERATELY NEED HELP WITH THESE CONSTANT CRASHES I HAVE 
> BEEN HAVING.  I HAVE DONE SO MUCH TO TRY AND TROUBLESHOOT 
> IT ALREADY AND HAVENT MADE A BIT OF PROGRESS.  IF ANYONE 
> COULD HELP ME, I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT.
> 
> I WILL OUTLINE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CRASHES AND EVERYTHING 
> THAT I HAVE DONE SO FAR...SO THIS WILL BE KINDA LONG, BUT 
> PLEASE TRY TO READ THE WHOLE THING SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT I 
> HAVE ALREADY TRIED AND RULED OUT AS BEING THE CULPRIT.
> 
> I WILL TRY TO MAKE THE DESCRIPTION AS CLEAR AND DETAILED 
> AS POSSIBLE BROKEN DOWN INTO SEGMENTS.  I WILL TRY TO 
> INCLUDE EVERY PIECE OF INFO THAT ANYONE COULD NEED IN 
> TRYING TO HELP ME.
> 
> IT WILL BE A LONG POST BUT IT WILL AVOID US HAVING TO GO 
> BACK & FORTH WITH QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT MY SYSTEM 
> AND WHAT I HAVE TRIED SO FAR...WHICH IS INFO YOU NEED 
> ANYWAY IN ORDER TO HELP ME....SO I MIGHT AS WELL PUT IT 
> ALL DOWN RIGHT NOW AT THE START.
> 
> I APPRECIATE ANY SUGGESTIONS.
> 
> THANKS,
> ROB
> 
> __________________________________
> 
> 
> *PROBLEM*
> ----------
> 
> Any Multimedia program used for ENCODING or RENDERING 
> audio & video files crashes EVERY time that it is encoding 
> or rendering.  I was able to encode multimedia on this 
> machine several months ago, but at some point (since i 
> went months without even trying to encode anything) the 
> crashes started happening 100% of the time.
> 
> __________________________________
> 
> 
> *DETAILS*
> ----------
> 
> -I USED TO BE ABLE TO ENCODE VIDEO AND AUDIO ON THIS SAME 
> HARDWARE until a few months back...I couldnt answer the 
> all-important troubleshooting question "Well, what changed 
> right before the failures started?" since I am re-imaging 
> my operating system every month or so and constantly 
> downloading & installing new applications...but my 
> hardware has not changed exept for MAYBE one new Hard 
> Drive which I cannot recal whether it was installed before 
> the crashes started or after...but I eliminated this as 
> the culprit in my troubleshooting steps (Described in 
> detail far below)
> 
> -My system is COMPLETELY free of any virus', adware, 
> spyware, worms, trojans, or otehr malware...aside from 
> being completely obsessive about this and running an array 
> of redundant protection & avoiding exposure in many many 
> effective ways, my troubleshooting liminated any kind of 
> malware as being a possible culprit in my troubleshooting 
> steps (Described in detail far below)
> 
> -These crashes go for ANY Multimedia program and ONLY 
> Multimedia programs (non-audio/video programs seem to work 
> fine).
> 
> -The crash happens at some point DURING the encoding 
> process, not upon starting the encoding...it will complete 
> anywhere between 10% to 90% of the process and then crash, 
> sometimes even further in.
> 
> -Occasionally, the same application errors happen during 
> simply playing of multimedia files, but this is much more 
> seldom and not something i can replicate at will like when 
> encoding, which crashes 100% of the time faithfully.
> 
> -The crashes happen no matter the format, source, codec, 
> speed, quality, process priority level nor application 
> used.
> 
> -As for DVD RIPPING, these crashes DO NOT occur when 
> ripping a DVD to ISO/BIN,CUE/NRG/MDS,MDF/ or FOLDER or 
> similar....(I GUESS SINCE THOSE DO NOT INVOLVE ENCODING OF 
> THE VIDEO/AUDIO)....they DO happen if I rip a DVD to 
> another format (re-encode the video)...even if its Mpeg2 
> with DVD standards....the key is whether or not i am 
> encoding
> 
> ____________________________________
> 
> 
> *ERROR DESCRIPTIONS* (divided by "@@@@", my footnotes are 
> surrounded by "****")
> --------------------
> 
> @@@@
> 
> Program Name.exe - Application Error
> 
> The instruction at "0x044a0e06" referenced memory 
> at "0x03fc5000". The memory could not be "read".
> 
> Click on OK to terminate the program
> Click on CANCEL to debug the program
> 
> ****BY THE WAY--The memory address change each time, the 
> above addresses are one example of a million.  Also, 
> several times the 1st or 2nd address is 0x00000000)****
> 
> ****Also, some times, the error appears as "...memory 
> could not be "written"." as opposed to "could not 
> be "read"."....it really depends on what the application 
> is doing at the moment....I have found that usually 
> the "could not be "read"." happen during ENCODING while 
> the "could not be "written"." happen more during scanning 
> or preperation of multimedia files....but there are so 
> many exceptions to this rule that its barely worth 
> noting.****
> 
> ****Here is the above error's entry in the Event Log.****
> 
> 
> Event Type:	Information
> Event Source:	Application Popup
> Event Category:	None
> Event ID:	26
> Date:		8/20/2004
> Time:		6:10:52 PM
> User:		N/A
> Computer:	020MAIN
> Description:
> Application popup: Media Player Classic.exe - Application 
> Error : The instruction at "0x044a0e06" referenced memory 
> at "0x03fc5000". The memory could not be "read".
> 
> Click on OK to terminate the program
> Click on CANCEL to debug the program
> 
> For more information, see Help and Support Center at 
> http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
> 
> 
> @@@@
> 
> Program Name.exe - Application Error
> 
> The exception Breakpoint
> A breakpoint has been reached.
> (0x80000003) occurred in the application at location 
> 0x07be078e
> 
> Click on OK to terminate the program
> Click on CANCEL to debug the program
> 
> 
> ****This error only happened once or twice in place of the 
> first error...I havent been able to reproduce this error 
> ever again, but it must be somehow related since it 
> occured in the same situation that otherwise brought upon 
> the other error. I figured it was worth mentioning since 
> someone might recognize it and not the other error thereby 
> giving me the answer to both.****
> 
> @@@@
> 
> Program Name.exe - Application Error			
> 					
> 
> The exception unknown software exception (0xc000001e) 
> occurred in the application at location 0x053307a0
> 
> Click on OK to terminate the program
> Click on CANCEL to debug the program
> 
> 
> ****This is another one that only happened once or twice 
> and never again since.****
> 
> 
> @@@@
> 
> Event Type:	Information
> Event Source:	Application Popup
> Event Category:	None
> Event ID:	26
> Date:		8/20/2004
> Time:		6:08:04 PM
> User:		N/A
> Computer:	020MAIN
> Description:
> Application popup: Recode.exe - Application Error : The 
> exception Privileged instruction.
>  (0xc0000096) occurred in the application at location 
> 0x042e0780.
> 
> Click on OK to terminate the program
> Click on CANCEL to debug the program
> 
> For more information, see Help and Support Center at 
> http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
> 
> 
> ****Here is another error which only happened once or 
> twice.  As you can see, I didnt get a chance to copy the 
> exact dialog box, but this was the Event Log entry for it.
> 
> 
> ______________________________________
> -------------END OF ERRORS---------------
> ______________________________________
> 
> 
> *HARDWARE DESCRIPTION*
> -----------------------
> 
> MOBO	Gigabyte GA-7VAXP (ATA 133, AGP 8, more...)
> CPU	Athlon XP 2000 (1674 mhz, Socket A, MMX, EMMX, 
> SSE, 3DNOW, Extended 3DNOW)
> BIOS	Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG, OEM version F14 
> 09/03/2003
> CHIPSET	VIA Apollo KT400
> RAM	256MB DDR PC3200 400MHz (1 Stick)
> VGA	ATI Radeon 7000 32MB AGP 1,2,4 (currently set to 
> AGP 4)
> SOUND	Hercules GameTheaterXP 6.1 External (Onboard sound 
> disabled)
> RAID	Onboard Promise 20276 ATA133 or IDE RAID
> PRINT	Lexmark All-In-One x5150 USB
> OPTICAL	NEC DVD +/- R/RW ND-2500a - IDE 2, Device 0 (alone 
> on IDE channel 2)
> WEBCAM	Concord Eye-Q Duo LCD (Web cam / Digital Camera + 
> Storage driver)
> NIC	Onboard Realtek 10-100 Fast Ethernet PCI
> NET	Cable modem, over 3.5 megabit per second
> 
> ---
> 
> DRIVES:
> 
> *20gb Maxtor - 1 20gb NTFS Partition (C:\, Windows Drive) -
>  IDE 1, Device 0
> *250gb Western Digital - 1 250gb Partition (D:\, Storage + 
> my only Pagefile) - IDE 1, Device 1
> 
> *80gb Maxtor - 1 80gb NTFS Partition (E:\, Storage)  - IDE 
> 3, Device 0 (Promise Controller)
> *30gb Seagate - 1 30gb NTFS Partition (F:\, Storage)  - 
> IDE 3, Device 1 (Promise Controller)
> 
> *10gb Western Digital - 1 10gb NTFS Partition (G:\, 
> Storage)  - IDE4, Device 0 (Promise Controller)
> *8gb Western Digital - 1 10gb NTFS Partition (H:\, 
> Storage) - IDE4, Device 1 (Promise Controller)
> 
> ______________________________________
> 
> 
> *SYSTEM DESCRIPTION* (Changed many times during 
> troubleshooting)
> ---------------------
> 
> Windows XP Pro (no Service pack, then SP1, Now 
> SP2...crashed with all)
> 500 mb Pagefile on D:\ (crashed with pagefile in various 
> sizes and locations)
> 
> ______________________________________
> 
> 
> *SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION*
> ----------------------
> 
> Norton Internet Security 2004, updated daily (crashed with 
> or without)
> Norton Antivirus 2004, updated daily (crashed with or 
> without)
> Many applications of various types. (crashed with all or 
> without any)
> Many applications for multimedia editing, encoding, and 
> playing (crashed with all or without any)
> ACE Mega Codec pack full install (crashed with or without)
> K-Lite Codec Pack Full Install (crashed with or without)
> 
> _______________________________________
> _______________________________________
> _______________________________________
> 
> *TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS TAKEN SO FAR*
> ------------------------------------
> 
> (I duplicated the crashes under all of the following 
> conditions and after performing all of the following steps)
> 
> -Changed settings for pagefile size and locations in every 
> possible way
> -Disabled all non-critical background services one at a 
> time
> -Disabled all non-critical hardware one at a time (both in 
> Windows and in BIOS) like IDE controller 2, Promise IDE 
> RAID controller, on board hardware, etc etc
> -Disabled all non-critical drivers one at a time
> -Uninstalled all non-critical hardware & drivers one at a 
> time (both in Windows and by physically removing)
> -Uninstalled (physically) all hard drives one at a time
> -Uninstalled all codecs and software one at a time
> -Uninstalled Anti-Virus & Firewall one at a time, tried 
> different brands (Avast, Black Ice,  Panda, McAfee, etc)
> -RE-IMAGED PC WITH FRESH WINDOWS XP PRO INSTALLATION, NO 
> SOFTWARE (other than test program), NO UPDATES (at first), 
> NO NON-CRITICAL DRIVERS
> -RE-IMAGED PC WITH FRESH WINDOWS 2000 INSTALLATION, NO 
> SOFTWARE (other than test program), NO UPDATES (at first), 
> NO NON-CRITICAL DRIVERS
> -Incrementally installed different services, programs, 
> security apps, drivers, codecs, and windows updates to 
> both FRESH Windows (XP & 2000) Installations...testing 
> after each change
> -Tested each system configuration with every multimedia 
> encoding application at my disposal (over 30 programs from 
> different vendors)
> -Reverted back to old versions of all hardware drivers one 
> at a time
> -Updated to newest versions of all hardware drivers one at 
> a time
> -Re-seated my only 256MB RAM stick into each of the 3 
> slots one at a time
> -Ran 2 different RAM testers OUTSIDE of windows (Microsoft 
> and MemTest86) for over 24 hours each...passed all tests 
> (both set to thorough testing)
> -Ran MEMTEST (Windows memory testing app) from within 
> windows for 8 hours....passed all thorough tests
> -Ran Performance Test (from Norton System Works) using 
> various tests for Memory, Bus, hard drives, page files, 
> AGP, and CPU (multimedia & math)...passed all
> -Ran burn-in tests using SiSoft Sandra 2004 on Memory, 
> drives, CPU Multimedia, CPU math, page file, AGP, SCSI, 
> and File system....passed all intense benchmarking tests 
> with expected results for each model hardware
> -verified all IRQ, IO, and DMA for conflicts
> -Tuned write caching off and on
> -installed windows (XP & Pro) on different hard drives, 
> using only that hard drive on the system
> -Defragged all hard drives using O&O Defrag will they were 
> down to less than 1%-3% fragmented
> -Reverted BIOS to safe settings, high-performance 
> settings, default settings, custom sensible settings and 
> every other possible config...making changes one at a time
> -Flashed BIOS to newer version (F14 up from F4)...despite 
> encoding had worked in the passed on the old version
> 
> etc etc etc.....whew!
> 
> ______________________________
> 
> 
> *CONCLUSION*
> ------------
> 
> I seriously have done more than even what I listed above, 
> but that is all that comes to my mind right now as I type 
> this....and this post is already long enough for you guys 
> to not wanna bother reading
> 
> 
> From looking at all the troubleshooting that I have done, 
> you can imagine how frustated I am already...I have run 
> out of things to try...
> 
> the most confusing things are the fact that I USED TO BE 
> ABLE TO ENCODE VIDEO AND AUDIO on this machine....so when 
> you consider all of my different troubleshooting, it leads 
> you to blame some piece of hardware having gone bad at 
> some point after my last successfull video/audio encoding 
> several months ago (since the hardware is the only thing 
> that I couldnt swap for testing in my troubleshooting 
> steps)....but then all of the hardware passes all of the 
> stress tests and benchmarking that i throw at it...
> 
> 
> ANY SUGGESTIONS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED....
> 
> THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
>