ID: Q114800
2.00 2.00a 2.00a-CD 2.00b 2.00c 6.00 6.00a 6.00c WINDOWS kbusage kberrmsg kbtshoot
The information in this article applies to:
This document presents a systematic approach to eliminating general protection (GP) fault error messages in Word for Windows.
A GP fault signifies that something unexpected has happened within the Windows environment, typically an improper memory access. For example, an application or a Windows component might read or write to a memory location that has not been allocated to it (memory that it does not "own"), potentially overwriting and corrupting other program code in that area of memory.
For more specific information about troubleshooting system level General Protection Faults as well as a technical overview of the problem, refer to the Windows Application note "WW0524: Troubleshooting GP Faults (UAEs)".
For information on how to obtain this application note, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q95505
TITLE : WW0524: Troubleshooting GP Faults (UAEs)
Depending on the severity of a GP fault in Windows 3.1, you can press CTRL+ALT+DEL to display information concerning system integrity and the application that caused the fault. When you press CTRL+ALT+DEL after a less- severe fault occurs, the following message appears:
System has either become busy or has become unstable
- Press any key to return to Windows and wait
- Press CTRL+ALT+DEL again to restart your computer (all unsaved
information will be lost)
This Windows application has stopped responding to the system
- Press ESC to cancel and return to Windows
- Press ENTER to close this application (all unsaved information
will be lost)
- Press CTRL+ALT+DEL again to restart your computer (all unsaved
information will be lost)
The first clue as to the cause of the GP fault is in the General Protection Fault message that is displayed. Note the module name that is displayed after you choose the Close button.
The first message will say:
An Error Has Occurred in Your Application
...General Protection Fault in Module <module name> at <memory
address>...
There are 4 circumstances in which General Protection Faults occur:
If the error message only occurs when working with a particular document, that file may be damaged or corrupt. For information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q87856
TITLE : Troubleshooting Corrupted Documents in Word for Windows
A. Setting Word Back To The Default Settings
It is possible that the Word initialization file or the Normal template
has become damaged. To correct this, follow these steps:
For Word 6.0
------------
Note: Instructions for Word 2.x appear after the Word 6.0 instructions.
1. From the Windows Program Manager Main group, start File Manager.
2. On the left side of the window, double-click the Word for Windows
folder.
3. On the right side of the window, click the WINWORD.OPT file once to
select it.
4. From the File menu, choose Rename.
5. Rename the file to WINWORD.OLD (or some other name).
6. On the left side of the window, double-click the TEMPLATE directory.
7. On the right side of the Window, click the NORMAL.DOT file once to
select it.
8. From the File menu, choose Rename.
9. Rename the file to NORMAL.OLD (or some other name).
10.Exit the File Manager, restart Word, and test the document. If the
error still occurs, continue troubleshooting.
For Word 2.x
------------
1. From the Windows Program Manager Main group, start File Manager.
2. On the left side of the window, double-click the Word for Windows
folder.
3. On the right side of the window, click the WINWORD.INI file once to
select it.
4. From the File menu, choose Rename.
5. Rename the file to WINWORD.OLD (or some other name).
6. On the right side of the window, click the NORMAL.DOT file once to
select it.
7. From the File menu, choose Rename.
8. Rename the file to NORMAL.OLD (or some other name).
9. Exit the File Manager, restart Word, and test the document. If the
error is still occurring, continue troubleshooting.
1. From the Windows Program Manager Main Group, choose the Windows
Setup icon.
2. If the Display is set to VGA, continue with the next section of
troubleshooting.
3. From the Options menu, choose Change System Settings.
4. From the Display list, choose VGA (not VGA 3.0).
5. Choose the OK Button.
6. Choose the Current Button (or insert the requested Windows disk in
your floppy disk drive).
7. Choose the Restart Windows option.
8. Once Windows is restarted, start Word and see if the problem is
corrected. If the problem is corrected, you may need to reinstall
your video driver, or you may need to contact the manufacturer of
the video driver for an update. If the problem is not corrected,
continue on with the troubleshooting.
1. From the Windows Program Manager Main Group, choose Control Panel.
2. Choose the Printers Icon.
3. If you are using a PostScript Printer, install the HP LaserJet III
driver, or choose any non-PostScript printer and make it your
default printer.
If you are not using a PostScript printer, install a PostScript
printer driver (such as the Apple Laserwriter), or any PostScript
printer and make it your default printer.
4. Start Word and see if the problem is corrected. If the problem is
not corrected, continue with the troubleshooting. If the problem is
corrected, you will need to delete the printer driver using the File
Manager and reinstall the driver from your disks.
The Word for Windows AUTOSAVE feature can be used to create emergency
backup copies of documents. Word will automatically try to load any
Autosave documents when it starts. To see if this may be causing your
problems:
1. Open File Manager
2. Choose File\Search
3. In the Search For box, type "*.ASD" (without the quotes)
4. Set the Start From box to C:\ (or whichever drive Word is
installed on)
5. Check the "Search All Subdirectories" box, Click OK
6. Delete any found Autosave files
1. From the FILE menu in Program Manager, Choose Run
2. Type <path to Winword directory>\WINWORD.EXE /a
3. Click OK
If Word now runs successfully, the problem is possibly an item in the
Word Startup group. To remove these any items there open the Startup
folder (located one level below the WinWord folder) and rename any
items listed there.
In addition to the steps listed above for troubleshooting GPFs when starting Word, try the following steps.
A. Quick list of things to try
Shell=PROGMAN.EXE
CONFIG.SYS AUTOEXEC.BAT
---------- ------------
files=60 path c:\;c:\dos;c:\windows
buffers=30 prompt $p$g
device=<path>\himem.sys set temp=c:\temp
stacks=9,256 c:\dos\SHARE.EXE /L:500 /F:5100
Also, be sure to include the device drivers needed for DoubleSpace
(DBLSPACE.BIN and DBLSPACE.SYS) if you're using DoubleSpace, or the
device drivers for any other disk compression utility or special
hardware you might be using.
More troubleshooting tips are listed in the remainder of this document if the problem has not been corrected.
The procedures in the following sections provide proven ways to
troubleshoot GP faults. Many of these troubleshooting steps require
changes to system configuration files. These changes are not intended
to be permanent; they should be used as techniques for isolating the
conflict that caused the GP fault.
Before you begin making changes, you should back up your system files
and make a startup disk (also known as system disk or boot disk). This
gives you the ability to restart your computer and edit your CONFIG.SYS
or AUTOEXEC.BAT files should any changes cause the system to hang. This
also ensures that you can return to your original system configuration
by restoring your original system files after you have determined the
source of the problem.
The following procedure assumes you are using version 5.0 or later of
MS-DOS.
To create a startup disk with the necessary files:
1. Insert a formatted disk in your floppy drive, type the following,
and press ENTER:
sys c: a:
2. Copy your AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, SYSTEM.INI, and WIN.INI files to
the disk in drive A with the following commands:
copy c:\autoexec.bat a:
copy c:\config.sys a:
copy c:\windows\system.ini a:
copy c:\windows\win.ini a:
NOTE: If your Windows directory is on a drive other than C,
substitute the appropriate drive letter for "c" in the above
steps.
1. Exit Windows and restart Windows.
2. From the Program Manager, choose Run from the File Menu.
3. In the command line, type "sysedit" (without the quotation marks)
and choose the OK button.
CAUTION!! THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURE MAY CAUSE SOME SYSTEMS TO BE
UNABLE TO REBOOT!! Make sure you have followed the instructions in
the above section "Preparing to Troubleshoot GP Faults". If you have
any questions, contact Microsoft Product Support Services before
proceeding. If you are running Windows or Word from a network
server, or if you are running any type on disk compression, contact
Microsoft Product Support Services for assistance.
Temporarily disable all command lines relating to device drivers and
terminate-and-stay-resident programs (TSRs) that are not required to
start your system. These may include virus-detection programs, disk-
imaging programs, undelete utilities, caching programs, CD-ROM
drivers, multimedia drivers, terminal-emulation software, and so on.
To disable a line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file, position
your cursor at the start of the line and type "REM" (without the
quotation marks) followed by a space.
Caution: Before modifying these files, make sure you don't disable
lines pertaining to other hardware-specific device drivers, such as
disk- compression utilities, extended memory boards, third-party
disk- partitioning programs, and so on. If you don't know the
purpose of a line in your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file, do not
disable it. The following drivers may be required to start the
computer or to access your hard disk:
Device Driver Function
------------- --------
SSWAP.COM Stacker(TM) disk compression
STACKER.COM Stacker disk compression
DASDDRVR.SYS IBM BIOS fix
DMDRVR.SYS Ontrack disk partition
SSTORE.SYS SpeedStor(R) disk compression
ASPI4DOS.SYS Adaptec(TM) SCSI BIOS extensions
SCSIHA.SYS Adaptec SCSI buffering device
4. Disable command lines or type them in, so that the unREMed lines in
the AUTOEXEC.BAT look like this:
For Windows 3.1 and Word 2.0 (AUTOEXEC.BAT)
-------------------------------------------
PATH C:\;C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS
PROMPT $P$G
SET TEMP=C:\
For Windows 3.1 and Word 6.0 (AUTOEXEC.BAT)
-------------------------------------------
PATH C:\;C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS
PROMPT $P$G
SET TEMP=C:\
C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE /L:500 /F:5100
For Windows for Workgroups 3.1 or 3.11 and
Word 2.0 or 6.0 (AUTOEXEC.BAT)
------------------------------------------
PATH C:\;C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS
PROMPT $P$G
SET TEMP=C:\
5. Click on the CONFIG.SYS window to bring it to the front.
6. Disable lines or type them in, so that the unREMed lines in the
CONFIG.SYS look like this:
For Windows 3.1 and Word 2.x or 6.0
-----------------------------------
FILES=60
BUFFERS=30
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
For Windows for Workgroups 3.1 and Word 2.x or 6.0
--------------------------------------------------
FILES=60
BUFFERS=30
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
For Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and Word 2.x or 6.0
---------------------------------------------------
FILES=60
BUFFERS=30
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
7. Click on the WIN.INI window to bring it to the front.
8. Place a semicolon (;) at the beginning of the line that starts with
"Load=" (without the quotation marks). This disables any programs
that are started before Windows starts.
9. Place a semicolon (;) at the beginning of the line that starts with
"Run=" (without the quotation marks). This disables any programs
that are started before Windows starts.
10. From the File menu for the System Configuration Editor, choose
Exit. Windows prompts you to save changes to the modified files.
Choose Yes to save the changes.
11. From the Program Manager, choose Exit from the File menu to quit
Windows.
12. Once you are at the MS-DOS command prompt, restart (reboot) your
system by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL (or choose the RESET button on your
machine).
13. After the machine reboots, enter Windows, start Word, and see if
the problem is corrected.
If the previous procedure corrects the problem, the problem is related
to one of the drivers or TSR programs that you temporarily disabled. To
identify which line is loading the TSR program or device driver that
causes the error, restore the disabled lines one by one until the
problem reoccurs. If the problem is not corrected, continue
troubleshooting.
If none of the above troubleshooting techniques are effective in eliminating the General Protection Fault, it may become necessary to reinstall Windows and Word in a new, clean directory.
A. Correcting damaged Windows files
The following procedure will allow you to update Windows files that may
have become damaged without losing your custom Windows settings. To do
this, you will install Windows to a new directory and then copy the new
files back to the old Windows installation, retaining the old Windows
customized settings:
1. Quit Windows and return to the MS-DOS command prompt.
2. Place Windows Disk 1 in drive A or B, as appropriate.
3. Type "a:\setup" or "b:\setup" (without the quotation marks) and
press ENTER.
4. Install Windows to a directory called NEWWIN31, and select the VGA
video driver. When asked to update the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS
files, choose "Do Not Update."
5. Once the new instance of Windows is installed, choose Exit Windows
from the File menu to return to the MS-DOS command prompt.
6. Type the following commands at the MS-DOS command prompt, pressing
ENTER after each line:
COPY C:\NEWWIN31\*.EXE C:\WINDOWS
COPY C:\NEWWIN31\*.DLL C:\WINDOWS
COPY C:\NEWWIN31\SYSTEM\*.* C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
CD C:\WINDOWS
WIN
This will start the original instance of Windows.
7. Start Word and see if the problem is corrected. If the problem is
corrected, delete the NEWWIN31 directory and all of its
subdirectories. If the problem is not corrected, continue
troubleshooting.
In this procedure, you will take the old instance of Windows off the
PATH statement and replace it with a new installation of Windows. You
will then install Word under the new installation of Windows.
1. Quit Windows to return to the MS-DOS command prompt.
2. Type the following line and press ENTER:
edit c:\autoexec.bat
3. Change this line
path=c:\;c:\dos;c:\windows
to this:
path=c:\;c:\dos;c:\newwin31
4. From the File menu, choose Exit and save changes.
5. Reboot the computer.
6. Start the new installation of Windows by typing "win" (without the
quotation marks).
7. From the Program Manager File menu, choose Run.
8. Insert your Word Setup disk (Disk 1) into drive A or B.
9. Type "a:\setup" or "b:\setup" (without the quotation marks).
10. Continue with the Word installation.
11. Once Word is installed, quit Windows and restart windows.
12. Start Word and see if the problem is corrected. If the problem is
corrected, you will need to reinstall your software under the new
installation of Windows.
If the problem is not corrected, you may have damaged Word disks.
Contact Microsoft Product Support Services for information on receiving
new disks.
Once the software is installed, and all of your custom changes are
made, you can delete the original installation of Windows. If the
problem reoccurs after installing all of your software, then the
problem is being caused by one of the installed programs. You will need
to repeat the installation of Windows and Word to a new directory, and
add your other software back, one program at a time. After each program
is installed, check to see if the problem with Word reoccurs. When the
problem reoccurs, you have isolated the software that is causing the
problem. Contact the manufacturer of the software or Microsoft Product
Support Services for additional instructions.
Additional reference words: winword2 troubleshooting troubleshoot guide word6 hang hung crash crashed winword locks locked frozen gpf freezes crashing quit quits stopped crashes bomb frozen tshoot
Version : 2.00 2.00a 2.00a-CD 2.00b 2.00c
Platform : WINDOWSLast Reviewed: February 5, 1998