DOCUMENT:Q280068 06-AUG-2002 [homegame] TITLE :Games: How to Troubleshoot Invalid Page Faults (Part 1) PRODUCT :Microsoft Home Games PROD/VER::1.0,2.0,3.0 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kberrmsg ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion: The Rise of Rome, version 1.0 - Microsoft Age of Empires II Expansion: The Conquerors - Microsoft Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, version 2.0 - Microsoft Age of Empires, Gold Edition - Microsoft Age of Empires, version 1.0 - Microsoft Allegiance, version 1.0 - Microsoft Asheron's Call, version 1.0 - Microsoft Baseball 2000 - Microsoft Baseball 2001 - Microsoft Best of Windows Entertainment Pack, version 1.0 - Microsoft Casino - Microsoft Classic Board Games - Microsoft Close Combat for Windows 1.0 - Microsoft Close Combat III: The Russian Front, version 3.0 - Microsoft Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far, version 2.0 - Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater, version 1.0 - Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series, version 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, version 1.0 - Microsoft Links 2001 - Microsoft Links LS 2000 - Microsoft MechWarrior 4: Vengeance - Microsoft Metal Gear Solid - Microsoft Midtown Madness 2, version 2.0 - Microsoft Midtown Madness, version 1.0 - Microsoft Monster Truck Madness 2, version 2.0 - Microsoft Monster Truck Madness, version 1.0 - Microsoft Motocross Madness 2, version 2.0 - Microsoft Motocross Madness, version 1.0 - Microsoft NBA Full Court Press for Windows, version 1.0 - Microsoft NBA Inside Drive 2000, version 1.0 - Microsoft NFL Fever 2000, version 1.0 - Microsoft Outwars, version 1.0 - Microsoft Pandora's Box, version 1.0 - Microsoft Pinball Arcade, version 1.0 - Microsoft Plus! Game Pack: Cards and Puzzles - Microsoft Return of Arcade for Windows, version 1.0 - Microsoft Return of Arcade, Anniversary Edition - Microsoft Revenge of Arcade, version 1.0 - Microsoft Soccer, version 1.0 - Microsoft StarLancer, version 1.0 - Microsoft Train Simulator, version 1.0 - Microsoft Urban Assault, version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 at the beginning of this article. For additional information about how to troubleshoot "invalid page fault" and "fatal exception" error messages, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q280069 Games: How to Troubleshoot Invalid Page Faults and Exception Errors (Part 2) MORE INFORMATION ================ The following topics are covered in part 1 of this article: - Types of Error Messages That You May Receive - How to Gather Clues About an Error Message Types of Error Messages that You May Receive -------------------------------------------- When you run any of the Microsoft games listed at the beginning of this article, you may receive one of the following three types of error message: - Fatal exception - Illegal Operation 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 where <0X> is a hexadecimal number from 00 to 0F that indicates the processor exception, and 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 attempts to call an illegal instruction. - A program attempts to access invalid data or instructions. - The privilege level of an operation is invalid. For additional information about "fatal exception" error messages, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q150314 Information About Fatal Exception Errors 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 similar to the following: caused an invalid page fault in module at . 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 attempts to read or 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 additional information about possible causes of "illegal operation" error messages, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q82710 Causes of General Protection Faults 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 additional information about how to troubleshoot "invalid page fault in module kernel32.dll" error messages, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q218853 OFF2000: Troubleshooting Office Kernel32.dll Errors Under Win 98 Q218873 OFF2000: Troubleshooting Office Kernel32.dll Errors Under Win 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 : 1. In the "Search (KB)" box, click the name of the game in which you receive the error message. 2. In the "For Solutions containing" box, type "invalid page fault in module unknown". 3. In the "Using" box, select The exact phrase entered, and then click Search Now. NOTE: If you do not see the Using box, click Show Options. For additional information about how to search for information in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q129725 Obtaining Knowledge Base Articles on the World Wide Web For additional information about how to contact Microsoft Technical Support, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q280069 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? 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 (which are components of Microsoft Windows), and then click End Task. If you receive a message stating 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://search.support.microsoft.com/kb/c.asp For example, if you received an invalid page fault in module : 1. In the "My search is about" box, click the name of the game in which you receive the error message. 2. Under "I want to search by", click "Keyword Search using" 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 additional information about how to find articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q129725 Obtaining Knowledge Base Articles on the World Wide Web If none of the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base describes your problem, please continue troubleshooting your problem 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 attempt to install the game, your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive may be unable to read the CD-ROM for the game. For additional information about how to troubleshoot CD-ROM read errors, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q218617 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 additional 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 article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q280069 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: Q280069 Games: How to Troubleshoot Invalid Page Faults and Exception Errors (Part 2) For additional information about other troubleshooting strategies, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q275481 How to Troubleshoot Program Faults with Dr. Watson Additional query words: msgame trainsim ====================================================================== Keywords : kberrmsg Technology : kbHomeProdSearch _IKkbbogus kbHomeMMsearch kbLinkGolfSearch kbAOE kbGamesSearch kbFlightSimSearch kbArcadeRet kbArcadeRev kbZNotKeyword kbGolf2001 kbGolf99 kbGolfSearch kbNFLFever2000 kbNFLSearch kbPinballArc kbArcadeSearch kbMSNSearch _IK kbAllegianceSearch kbMetalGearSearch kbPandoraSearch kbPlusSearch kbMotocrossSearch kbStarlancerSearch kbOutwarsSearch kbOutwars kbCrimsonSkiesSearch kbAsheronSearch kbCloseCombatSearch kbBaseballSearch kbMidtownMadSearch kbMonsterTMSearch kbAOESearch kbMidtownMadness kbWinEntPkSearch kbMonsterTM kbZNotKeyword3 kbAllegiance kbAsheron100 kbStarlancer kbWinEntPkBest kbUrbanAssault kbMonsterTM2 kbAOEExpRome kbAOE2ExpConquerors kbAOE2Kings kbBaseBall2001 kbCloseCombat2 kbCloseCombat3 kbCloseCombat kbCombatFlightSim2 kbCombatFlightSim kbCombatFlightSimSearch kbFlightSim2000 kbFlightSim98 kbSoccer kbMotocrossM kbClassicBoardGames kbMetalGearSolid kbMidtownMadness2 kbPandorasBox kbMotocrossM2 kbCasino kbCrimsonSkies kbLinks2001 kbLinksLS2000 kbNBAFullCourtPress kbNBAInsideDrive2000 kbBaseBall2000 kbIntlSoccer2000 kbPlusGamePk kbTrainSim kbSimSearch Version : :1.0,2.0,3.0 Issue type : kbinfo ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2002.