Fatal Exception Error Message in Openhci.sys When Devices Connected to USB Controller (250523)

If this article does not describe the error message that you are receiving, view the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to view more articles that describe error messages:

315854 Windows 98 and Windows Me Error Message Resource Center

SYMPTOMS

If your computer has devices connected to the Universal Serial Bus (USB), an error message on a blue screen with a fatal exception in Openhci.sys may be displayed on your computer after you perform one of the following actions:

Insert a portable computer into the dock without shutting down or suspending the computer (hot dock).
Insert a PC Card after the computer is started and is running Windows.
Disable and re-enable a device in Device Manager.

CAUSE

All of these actions can cause hardware resources (IRQs, I/O port addresses, and so on) to be rebalanced. When hardware resources are rebalanced, the Windows Driver Model (WDM) USB controller (Openhci.sys) does not correctly reinitialize itself to allow proper functionality with the new hardware configuration.

RESOLUTION

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that this article describes. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The English-language version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

   Date       Time     Version      Size     File name   
   -----------------------------------------------------
   01/13/00   06:12p   4.10.2227    24,480   Openhci.sys

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition hotfixes, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

206071 General Information About Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition Hotfixes