Error Message: <Game> Caused An Invalid Page Fault In Module Winmm.dll (271753)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings 2.0
  • Microsoft Age of Empires II Expansion: The Conquerors
  • Microsoft Age of Empires II Gold Edition
  • Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series 1.0
  • Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Professional Edition
This article was previously published under Q271753

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to start one of the Microsoft games listed at the beginning of this article, you may receive one of the following error messages:
Combatfs caused an invalid page fault in module Winmm.dll.
Fltsim98 caused an invalid page fault in module Winmm.dll.
Fs2000 caused an invalid page fault in module Winmm.dll.
Empires2 caused an invalid page fault in module Winmm.dll.
Game caused an invalid page fault in module Winmm.dll.
where game is the program file of the game that you are attempting to start.

In addition, when you play Age of Empires II, one of the following may occur.

When you launch the game you may get a brief black screen and then the game will close and drop to the desktop,

-or-

When you try to view the properties of an .avi file by right-clicking the file and then clicking Properties, you may receive the following error message:
EXPLORER caused an Invalid Page Fault in module Winmm.dll.

CAUSE

This issue may occur if either of the following conditions are true:
  • The Winmm.dll file is missing or damaged.
  • You have a tsr installed on your computer that is conflicting with the Microsoft program listed at the beginning of this article that you are trying to run.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use the methods listed below in the order presented. After each method test the game before proceeding to the next method.

Method 1: Extract a New Winmm.dll File

Extract a new copy of the Winmm.dll file from the original Microsoft Windows installation CD-ROM or floppy disk to the following location:

drive:\Windows\System

where drive is the drive letter of the hard disk on which Microsoft Windows is installed.

For additional information about how to extract files from the Windows CD-ROM or Windows floppy disk, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

129605 How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files

Restart Your Computer By Using a Clean Boot Procedure

When you start Microsoft Windows, typically there are a number of programs that start automatically and run in the background that may interfere with the game. These programs may include antivirus and system utility programs. When you perform a clean boot, you prevent these programs from starting automatically. You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.

To restart your computer by using a clean boot procedure, follow these steps when you are using Windows XP.

Note You may experience a temporary loss of some services functionality when you follow these steps. Restoring the settings restores the functionality, but may result in the return of the original error message or behavior.
  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
  3. On the General tab, click Selective Startup.
  4. Under Selective Startup, click to clear the following check boxes:
    • Process SYSTEM.INI File
    • Process WIN.INI File
    • Load Startup Items
  5. On the Services tab, click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.
  6. Click OK, and then click Restart.
Click the Play button to view this streaming media demonstration.

For additional information or to view steps for other operating systems, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

331796 Games: How to Perform a Clean Boot to Prevent Background Programs from Interfering with Game Play

REFERENCES

If the information in the "Resolution" section of this article does not resolve this issue, see the following Knowledge Base article:

141801 Troubleshooting Audio and Video Codecs in Windows 95/98

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:8/2/2006
Keywords:kbConfig kbhowto kbArtTypeSHOWME kbenv kberrmsg kbimu kbprb KB271753
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