Stop Error Messages

Stop 0x0000000A or IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL - The Stop 0xA message indicates that a kernel-mode process or driver attempted to access a memory location to which it did not have permission, or at a kernel interrupt request level (IRQL) that was too high. A kernel-mode process can access only other processes that have an IRQL lower than, or equal to, its own. This Stop message is typically due to faulty or incompatible hardware or software.

Stop 0x0000001E or KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED - The Stop 0x1E message indicates that the Windows XP Professional kernel detected an illegal or unknown processor instruction. The problems that cause Stop 0x1E messages share similarities with those that generate Stop 0xA errors in that they can be due to invalid memory and access violations. This default Windows XP Professional error handler typically intercepts these problems if error-handling routines are not present in the code itself.

Stop 0x00000024 or NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM - The Stop 0x24 message indicates that a problem occurred within Ntfs.sys, the driver file that allows the system to read and write to NTFS file system drives. A similar Stop message, 0x23, exists for the file allocation table (FAT16 or FAT32) file systems.

Stop 0x0000002E or DATA_BUS_ERROR - The Stop 0x2E message indicates a system memory parity error. The cause is typically failed or defective RAM (including motherboard, Level 2 cache, or video memory), incompatible or mismatched memory hardware, or when a device driver attempts to access an address in the 0x8xxxxxxx range that does not exist (does not map to a physical address). A Stop 0x2E message can also indicate hard disk damage caused by viruses or other problems.

Stop 0x0000003F or NO_MORE_SYSTEM_PTES - The Stop 0x3F message indicates one or more of the following problems:

• The system Page Table Entries (PTEs) are depleted or fragmented due to the system performing a large number of input/output (I/O) actions.
• A faulty device driver is not managing memory properly.
• An application, such as a backup program, is improperly allocating large amounts of kernel memory.

Stop 0x00000050 or PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA - The Stop 0x50 message indicates that requested data was not in memory. The system generates an exception error when using a reference to an invalid system memory address. Defective memory (including main memory, L2 RAM cache, video RAM) or incompatible software (including remote control and antivirus software) might cause Stop 0x50 messages.

Stop 0x00000077 or KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR - The Stop 0x77 message indicates that a page of kernel data requested from the paging (virtual memory) file could not be found or read into memory. This Stop message can also indicate disk hardware failure, disk data corruption, or possible virus infection.

Stop 0x00000079 or MISMATCHED_HAL - The Stop 0x79 message indicates that the hardware abstraction layer (HAL) and the kernel type for the computer do not match. This error most often occurs when ACPI firmware settings are changed. For example, you might install Windows XP Professional on an x86-based computer with the firmware ACPI enable option enabled and later decide to disable it. This error can also result when mismatched single and multi-processor configuration files are copied to the system.

Stop 0x0000007A or KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR - The Stop 0x7A message indicates that a page of kernel data was not found in the paging (virtual memory) file and could not be read into memory. This might be due to incompatible disk or controller drivers, firmware, or hardware.

Stop 0x0000007B or INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE - The Stop 0x7B message indicates that Windows XP Professional has lost access to the system partition or boot volume during the startup process. Installing incorrect device drivers when installing or upgrading storage adapter hardware typically causes stop 0x7B errors. Stop 0x7B errors could also indicate possible virus infection.

Stop 0x0000007F or UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP - The Stop 0x7F message indicates that one of three types of problems occurred in kernel-mode:

• A condition that the kernel is not allowed to have or intercept (also known as a bound trap).
• Software problems.
• Hardware failures.

Stop 0x0000009F or DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE - The Stop 0x9F message indicates that a driver is in an inconsistent or invalid power state.

Stop 0xBE or ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY - The Stop 0xBE message indicates that a driver attempted to write to read-only memory.

Stop 0xC2 or BAD_POOL_CALLER - The Stop 0xC2 message indicates that a kernel-mode process or driver incorrectly attempted to perform memory operations in the following ways:

• By allocating a memory pool size of zero bytes.
• By allocating a memory pool that does not exist.
• By attempting to free a memory pool that is already free.
• By allocating or freeing a memory pool at an IRQL that was too high.

This Stop message is typically due to a faulty driver or software.

Stop 0x000000CE or DRIVER_UNLOADED_WITHOUT_CANCELLING_PENDING_OPERATIONS - This Stop message indicates that a driver failed to cancel pending operations before exiting.

Stop 0x000000D1 or DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL - The Stop 0xD1 message indicates that the system attempted to access pageable memory using a kernel process IRQL that was too high. Drivers that have used improper addresses typically cause this error.

Stop 0x000000D8 or DRIVER_USED_EXCESSIVE_PTES - The Stop 0xD8 message typically occurs if your computer runs out of page table entries (PTEs) due to a driver that requests large amounts of kernel memory.

Stop 0x000000EA or THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER - A device driver problem is causing the system to pause indefinitely. Typically, this problem is caused by a display driver waiting for the video hardware to enter an idle state. This might indicate a hardware problem with the video adapter or a faulty video driver.

Stop 0x000000ED or UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME - The kernel mode I/O subsystem attempted to mount the boot volume and it failed. This error might also occur during an upgrade to Windows XP Professional on systems that use higher throughput ATA disks or controllers with incorrect cabling. In some cases, your system might appear to work normally after you restart.

Stop 0x000000F2 or HARDWARE_INTERRUPT_STORM - The Stop 0xF2 message occurs if the kernel detects an interrupt storm. An interrupt storm occurs when a level-interrupt-triggered device fails to release an interrupt request (IRQ). This can result from the following causes:

• A device fails to respond to an interrupt release signal sent from a driver.
• An incorrectly written device driver fails to send an interrupt release request to a device. The driver fails to determine that the interrupt was hardware initiated.
• An incorrectly written device driver claims an interrupt request meant for a different device. This occurs only for multiple devices sharing an IRQ.
• The edge level control register is set incorrectly by system firmware.
• Edge level and level-interrupt-triggered devices are incorrectly assigned the same IRQ (for example, a serial port and a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) SCSI controller).

Stop 0xC000021A or STATUS_SYSTEM_PROCESS_TERMINATED - The Stop 0xC000021A message occurs when Windows XP Professional switches into kernel mode and a user-mode subsystem, such as Winlogon or the Client Server Runtime Subsystem (CSRSS), is compromised and security can no longer be guaranteed. Because Windows XP Professional cannot run without Winlogon or CSRSS, this is one of the few situations where the failure of a user-mode service can cause the system to stop responding. You cannot use the kernel debugger in this situation because the error occurred in a user-mode process.

A Stop 0xC000021A message can also occur when the computer is restarted after a system administrator has modified permissions in such a way that the SYSTEM account no longer has adequate permissions to access system files and folders.

Stop 0xC0000221 or STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MISMATCH - This Stop message indicates driver, system file, or disk corruption problems (such as a damaged paging file). Faulty memory hardware can also cause this Stop message to appear.