Games: How to Troubleshoot Invalid Page Faults and Exception Errors (Part 2) (280069)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion: The Rise of Rome 1.0
- Microsoft Age of Empires II Expansion: The Conquerors
- Microsoft Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings 2.0
- Microsoft Age of Empires, Gold Edition
- Microsoft Age of Empires II Gold Edition
- Microsoft Age of Empires
- Microsoft Allegiance 1.0
- Microsoft Baseball 2000
- Microsoft Baseball 2001
- Microsoft Best of Windows Entertainment Pack 1.0
- Microsoft Casino
- Microsoft Classic Board Games
- Microsoft Close Combat for Windows 1.0
- Microsoft Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far
- Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater
- Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series 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 1.0
- Microsoft Links 2001
- Microsoft Links LS 2000
- Microsoft MechWarrior 4: Vengeance
- Microsoft Metal Gear Solid
- Microsoft Midtown Madness 2 2.0
- Microsoft Midtown Madness
- Microsoft Monster Truck Madness 2 2.0
- Microsoft Monster Truck Madness
- Microsoft Motocross Madness 2 2.0
- Microsoft Motocross Madness 1.0
- Microsoft NBA Full Court Press for Windows 1.0
- Microsoft NBA Inside Drive 2000 1.0
- Microsoft NFL Fever 2000 1.0
- Microsoft Outwars 1.0
- Microsoft Pandora's Box 1.0
- Microsoft Pinball Arcade 1.0
- Microsoft Plus! Game Pack: Cards and Puzzles
- Microsoft Return of Arcade for Windows
- Microsoft Return of Arcade, Anniversary Edition
- Microsoft Revenge of Arcade 1.0
- Microsoft Soccer 1.0
- Microsoft StarLancer 1.0
- Microsoft Urban Assault 1.0
This article was previously published under Q280069 SUMMARY This article is the second of two articles that describe
how to troubleshoot "invalid page fault" and "fatal exception" error messages
in the Microsoft games listed in the "Applies to" section of this article. This
article contains troubleshooting questions and possible resolutions.
For more information about how to troubleshoot 'invalid page fault' and 'fatal exception'
error messages, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
280068
Games: How to troubleshoot invalid
page faults and exception errors (Part 1)
For more information about other troubleshooting
strategies, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
275481
How to troubleshoot program faults
with Dr. Watson
MORE INFORMATIONDoes your computer meet the system requirements for the game? Query the Microsoft Knowledge Base for information about the
system requirements for the game at the following Microsoft Web site: Use the following parameters to query for the system
requirements:
- In the Search (KB) box, select the name of
your game.
- In the For solutions containing box, type
System Requirements.
- In the Using box, click All the
words entered.
Note If you do not see the Using box, click
Show Options. Are you running Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or Microsoft Windows 2000 Download and install the latest Service Pack. To do so, visit the
following Microsoft Web site: Are there any programs running in the background that conflict with the game? If programs are running in the background, clean boot your
computer. To clean boot your computer, use the appropriate method
for your version of Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me)- Click Start, and then click
Run, type msconfig, and then click
OK.
- On the General tab, click
Selective Startup.
- Click to clear all the check boxes under Selective
Startup except System.ini and Static
Vxd.
- On the Startup tab, click to select the
*StateMgr check box.
- Click OK, and then when you are prompted
to restart the computer, click Yes.
- After the computer restarts, verify that your computer has
clean booted. To do so, follow these steps:
- Click Start, click
Run, type msconfig in the
Open box, and then click OK.
- Examine the General tab to make sure
that the check boxes you cleared are still cleared. If the check boxes are
still cleared, continue to step 6. If you see an unavailable (shaded) check
box, your computer is not properly clean-booted and you may require assistance
from the manufacturer of the program that places a check mark back into
Msconfig.
- After you verify that your computer is clean-booted in step
5, you can isolate the issue. If the original issue does not reoccur after the
clean boot, select one item at a time under Selective startup,
and then restart the computer to see if the additional entry causes the
original issue.
Microsoft Windows 98- Click Start, and then click
Run.
- In the Open box, type
msconfig, and then click OK.
- On the General tab, click
Selective Startup, and then click to clear the following check
boxes:
- Process Config.sys File
- Process Autoexec.bat File
- Process Winstart.bat File (if
available)
- Load Startup Group Items
- On the Win.ini tab, click to clear the
following check boxes:
- Click OK. When you are prompted to restart
the computer, do so.
For more information about how to clean boot Windows
98, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
192926
How to perform clean-boot
troubleshooting for Windows 98
Note To restore your original Startup options, click Normal
Startup on the General tab in the System
Configuration Utility. Microsoft Windows 95- Restart the computer. When you see the "Starting Windows
95" message, press the F8 key, and then click Command Prompt
Only on the Startup menu.
- At the command prompt, type win, and
then press ENTER. Press and hold down the SHIFT key until the Windows startup
sequence is complete.
- Turn off any anti-virus or disk tool programs installed on
the computer.
For information about how to turn off these programs,
see the printed or online documentation for the program. - Quit all running programs except Explorer and Systray. To
do this, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, click the program that you want to quit, and
then click End Task. If you receive a message that the program
is busy or not responding, click End Task again. Repeat this
step to quit all programs except Explorer and Systray.
For more information about how to clean boot Windows
95, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
177604
Multimedia: Troubleshooting using
clean boot of Windows 95
Note To restore your original Startup options, restart the computer
normally, and then turn on any anti-virus or disk tool programs installed on
the computer. For information about how to turn on these programs,
see the printed or online documentation for the program. Is it DirectX? DirectX is a Windows component that improves access to hardware.
Games use DirectX to communicate with your hardware. For more information about
DirectX, visit the following Microsoft Web site: To download and install the latest version of DirectX, visit the
following Microsoft Web site: To install DirectX in Safe Mode, follow these steps:
- Restart Windows in Safe mode. To do this, use the
appropriate method for your version of Microsoft Windows:
Restart Windows 95 Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95"
message, press the F8 key, and then click Safe Mode on the
Startup menu. Restart Windows 98 or Windows Me Restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key after the
computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then click Safe Mode on the
Startup menu.
When Windows starts in Safe mode, click
OK. Restart Windows 2000 Restart your computer, and when the Boot menu appears, press F8.
When the "Windows 2000 Advanced Options" menu appears, select an option, and
then press ENTER. When the Boot menu appears again, with the words "Safe Mode"
displayed in red at the bottom, select the installation you want to start, and
then press ENTER.
Warning Do not select a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 installation.
For more information about how to obtain and install the latest
version of DirectX, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
179113
How to download and install
DirectX
Is there an issue with the video driver? Games require plenty of information from your video adapter when
you run or start a game. A damaged or outdated video driver can cause an
invalid page fault or exception error to occur. Contact your
computer or video adapter manufacturer to inquire about how to obtain and
install the latest version of the video driver for your video adapter.
Drivers are small programs that allow your operating system to
communicate with the hardware in your computer. A driver acts as a translator
between your hardware and operating system. The driver helps Microsoft Windows
understand requests from your hardware. Beyond acting as a translator, a driver
can also enhance the operation of a particular piece of hardware, such as a
video adapter or a sound card. A new video driver for your video
adapter might allow your video adapter to use video features more efficiently
or improve performance. For information about how to contact your hardware manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 65416 Hardware and software vendor contact information, A-K
60781 Hardware and software vendor contact information, L-P
60782 Hardware and software vendor contact information, Q-Z To determine the manufacturer and model of your
video adapter, follow these steps:
- Click Start, point to
Settings, and then click Control
Panel.
- Double-click System.
- Click Device Manager.
- Double-click Display adapters.
Note In the branch under Display adapters, the
manufacturer and model of your video adapter should be displayed. - Close System Properties, and then close Control
Panel.
If the issue continues to occur, go to the next method. Change the Windows Color Palette setting to "High Color (16 Bit)" To change the Windows Color Palette setting to High Color
(16 bit), follow these steps:
- Click Start, point to
Settings, and then click Control
Panel.
- Double-click Display.
- Click the Settings tab.
- In the Color Palette or the
Colors box, click High Color (16 bit).
- Click OK, and then click
OK again. If you are prompted to restart the computer, do
so.
- Close Control Panel.
If the issue continues to occur, go to the next method. Reduce the graphics hardware acceleration To reduce the graphics hardware acceleration, follow these steps:
- Click Start, point to
Settings, and then click Control
Panel.
- Double-click System.
In Windows
2000, double-click Display. - Click the Performance tab, and then click
Graphics.
In Windows 2000, click
Settings, click Advanced, and then click the
Troubleshooting tab. - Move the Hardware Acceleration slider
until it is one notch to the right of None (the
Basic acceleration setting).
- Click OK, and then click
Close.
- When you are prompted to restart the computer, click
Yes.
Note Do not reduce hardware acceleration for Motocross Madness 1.
Note If you experience any problems after you reduce the hardware
acceleration setting, follow these steps to restore the original setting:
- Restart Windows in Safe mode. To do this, use the
appropriate method for your version of Microsoft Windows:
Restart Windows 95 Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95"
message, press the F8 key, and then click Safe Mode on the
Startup menu. Restart Windows 98, Windows Me Restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key after the
computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then click Safe Mode on the
Startup menu.
When Windows starts in Safe mode,
click OK. Windows 2000 Restart your computer, and when the Boot menu appears, press F8.
When the "Windows 2000 Advanced Options" menu appears, select an option, and
then press ENTER. When the Boot menu appears again, with the words "Safe Mode"
displayed in red at the bottom, select the installation you want to start, and
then press ENTER.
Warning Do not select a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 installation. - Repeat steps 1-6, but in step 4 move the
Hardware Acceleration slider back to its original
setting.
If the issue continues to occur, go to the next method. Is there an issue with the sound driver? To determine if the sound driver is causing the issue, turn off
the sound card in Windows. To do so, follow these steps:
- Click Start, point to
Settings, and then click Control
Panel.
- Double-click Multimedia or Sounds
and Multimedia.
- Click the Devices or the
Hardware tab.
- Expand Audio Devices.
- Double-click your sound card.
- Click to select the following check boxes:
- Do not use this audio features on this
device
- Do not map through this
device
In Windows 2000, click to select the Do not use
this device (disable) check box. - Click OK.
- Restart your computer.
Note If you are running Motocross Madness 2, Crimson Skies, or
StarLancer, do not turn off the sound card in Windows. Instead, update your
sound card drivers. To determine the manufacturer and model of your
sound card, follow these steps:
- Click Start, point to
Settings, and then click Control
Panel.
- Double-click System.
- Click the Device Manager tab.
- Expand Sound, video and game
controllers.
- Note the manufacturer and model of the sound card that is
listed in the Sound, video and game controllers
branch.
- Click OK, and then close Control
Panel.
If you do not receive an invalid page fault error message after
you turn off your sound card, update your sound card drivers. Please
contact your hardware manufacture to obtain and install the latest drivers for
your sound card. For information about how to contact your hardware manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 65416 Hardware and software vendor contact information, A-K
60781 Hardware and software vendor contact information, L-P
60782 Hardware and software vendor contact information, Q-Z If you update your sound card drivers and
you still receive an invalid page fault error message, reduce Sound
Acceleration in Windows. To do this: Reduce hardware sound acceleration in Dxdiag If you run the game on a computer that is running
Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), or Windows 2000,
reduce the Hardware Sound Acceleration setting. To do so, follow these steps:
- Click Start, click
Run, type
dxdiag in the Open box, and then click OK.
- Click the Sound tab.
- Under DirectX Features, move the
Hardware Sound Acceleration Level slider all the way to the
left (the No acceleration setting).
- Click Exit.
If the issue continues to occur, go to the next method. Change the preferred playback device to the game-compatible deviceNote These steps are only for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows
Millennium Edition (Me). To change the preferred playback device to the game-compatible device, follow these steps:
- Click Start, point to
Settings, and then click Control
Panel.
- Double-click Multimedia.
- On the Audio tab, click Game
Compatible Device in the Preferred device box under
Playback.
- Click to select the Use only preferred
devices check box, and then click OK.
- Close Control Panel.
- Restart the computer.
If the Game Compatible Device is not listed, add the device by
following the steps in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
178637 Using game compatible device to
troubleshoot sound problems
For more information about the game compatible
device, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
177614
What is the game compatible audio
device?
Are there duplicate devices in Safe Mode? If the computer initializes multiple versions of a single CD-ROM
drive, display adapter, or sound, video, or game controller when you start
Microsoft Windows, the game may generate an error message.
For more information
about how to check for and turn off multiple devices, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
187916
Game stops responding or quits unexpectedly with multiple devices on Microsoft Windows
Was the game installed correctly?Remove the game, clean boot your computer (see the "Are any
programs running in the background conflicting with the game?" section), delete
the game folder, and then reinstall the game. To remove, and then delete the
game folder, follow these steps:
- Insert the game CD into the CD drive. Press and hold
down SHIFT when you insert the CD-ROM to prevent the program from starting
automatically.
- Click Start, point to
Settings, and then click Control
Panel.
- Double-click Add/Remove
Programs.
- On the Install/Uninstall tab, click the
game, and then click Add/Remove (Windows 2000 users, click
Remove).
- Follow the directions that appear on the screen to remove the
game.
- Delete the game folder. By default, most Microsoft games
are installed in the following default folder:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\ - Reinstall the game.
Gather information in DirectX- Click Start, click
Run, type
dxdiag in the Open box, and then click OK.
- First, note the version number.
- Write down anything in the Notes section, except for the
following: No problems found. Write down uncertified drivers.
- Run tests for the following items:
- On the Display tab, click the
Test DirectDraw button to test DirectDraw
functionality.
- On the Display tab, click the
Test Direct3D button to test Direct3D functionality
- On the Sound tab, click the
Test DirectSound button to test DirectSound
functionality.
- On the Music tab, click the
Test DirectMusic button to test DirectMusic
functionality.
- Repeat step 4 until all tabs have been
examined.
For more information
about DirectX tabs, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
190900
DirectX: Description of the
DirectX Diagnostic Tool
Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 2/16/2006 |
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Keywords: | kbtshoot kbinfo KB280069 |
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