Explorer.exe Error 2

[hsokc]

Hello all. I have a problem that I cannot seem to fix.

Everyday I log off our network and when I come back into the office in the morning, I have a explorer.exe error that states the following:

The Instruction at "0x77f8c1bb" referenced memory at "0x00010630". The memory could not be read.
Click on OK to terminate the program.

This machine is a windows2000 pro dell optiplex gx270 p4 with service pack 4.

For some reason, this only happens in the mornings at log-on time.

Please HELP?

 

[kippy13]

Hi,
So you log of the machine in the evening and leave the machine with a log on screen on it, then when you come in in the morning that error is also on the screen as well as the logon prompt?
Is anyone else getting this error?
This looks like some sort of automates push down which is going wrong...
What type of network are you on...is there any scheduled pushdowns that take place nightly? Have you tried shutting the PC down instead of just logging off?
Sorry bout the questions.

"Sometimes I do not know but I try hard"- R.F. Haughty 1923

 

[hsokc]

It is only happening on this particular machine on the network. I am running Microsoft tcp/ip network. No, I do not have any pushdowns running at night.

The error occurs once I log into the machine, not before I log in. So what I see in the morning is a netware client logon in the morning. Once I put in my credentials and the pc is booting up, this is when it occurs.

Thanks

 

[kippy13]

When did it start occuring and did has anything changed on that particuliar PC before it started happening?
What antivirus have you running?
This could be related to a Novell or antivirus corrupt setting somewhere and may be extremely hard to trouble shoot.
Also can you down load an MSCONFIG utility for W2K and see if anything strange is configured to startup?

"Sometimes I do not know but I try hard"- R.F. Haughty 1923

 

[Larena]

Do you use NAL, & if so do you have any copies of NAL icons (with the red shortcut arrow in the corner) that you have created yourself? We have found that if our users drag NAL icons onto their Office Toolbar this will occur, possibly because the Office Toolbar loads before NAL. Once the icons are removed from the toolbar the problem disappears.

 

[finalscore4to1]

To troubleshoot this issue You can use the handy program, MSConfig, on Windows 2000 by getting a copy of the file from a Windows XP box and placing it in %windir%\system32 folder. Used the same way as the XP version, from the start menu, click run and type in msconfig and hit enter to launch. No rebooting required. I would first troubleshoot power management issues, if you are on a corporate office I would find out if there is any virus updates pushed by your admin. but my very first move would be to try to analyze my event logs to try to find out when it happends and those it follow any other particular event. Your Admin shoul be able to fix it by running setup over the top. Using the event viewer you could also pinpoint when this problem start it and try to remember what changes either software or hardware where made to this pc.

 

[hsokc]

Thanks for all your help. I will take these and see if any will work.

 

[bcastner]

Windows NT, 2000 and XP rely on a GINA DLL for Graphical Identification and Authentication. The Microsoft GINA DLL is called MSGINA.DLL. There are also many third party GINA DLLs including NWGINA.DLL (Novell NetWare Client) and AWGINA.DLL (pcAnywhere). The Password Policy Client for Windows NT, 2000 and XP is also a GINA DLL (PPEc32.DLL).

Some applications (such as those listed above) require their own GINA DLL, but Windows can only load one GINA DLL. The solution to this problem is to have GINA DLLs loading and calling one another in a "chain". For example, a base install of Windows NT/2000/XP is configured to load the Microsoft GINA DLL:

MSGINA.DLL

When the Password Policy Client is installed, the PPC setup program installs its own GINA DLL (PPEc32.DLL) and instructs PPEc32.DLL to load and pass calls to the original GINA DLL (MSGINA.DLL). The GINA DLL chain is now:

PPEc32.DLL
MSGINA.DLL

If pcAnywhere is also installed, the pcAnywhere setup program will install its GINA DLL (AWGINA.DLL) and instruct AWGINA.DLL to load and pass calls to the previous GINA DLL (PPEc32.DLL). The GINA DLL chain is now:

AWGINA.DLL
PPEc32.DLL
MSGINA.DLL

In this configuration, Windows will load AWGINA.DLL. AWGINA.DLL will load PPEc32.DLL and PPEc32.DLL will load MSGINA.DLL. Function calls also travel down the chain of GINA.DLLs.

A GINA DLL chain "breaks" when one of the GINA DLLs in the middle of the chain is uninstalled. A broken GINA DLL chain will most likely cause the computer to BSOD before the logon prompt is displayed. To avoid a broken GINA DLL chain, always ensure that programs that implement a replacement GINA DLL are uninstalled in the reverse order of installation.

Another problem with GINA DLL chains occurs when the chain forms a loop. This can happen when a program is reinstalled or repaired. For example, if the PPC was reinstalled onto this computer, the PPC setup program would detect that PPEc32.DLL is not at the top of the GINA DLL chain, and would make the necessary registry changes so that PPEc32.DLL was at the top of the chain. The GINA DLL chain would now look like this:

PPEc32.DLL
AWGINA.DLL
PPEc32.DLL
MSGINA.DLL

The result is a recursive GINA DLL load that causes the computer to crash (BSOD). Windows will load PPEc32.DLL. PPEc32.DLL will load AWGINA.DLL. AWGINA.DLL will load PPEc32.DLL. PPEc32.DLL will load AWGINA.DLL. AWGINA.DLL will load PPEc32.DLL and so on until the computer crashes. MSGINA.DLL is never loaded because the configuration setting instructing PPEc32.DLL to load MSGINA.DLL is overwritten when PPEc32.DLL is installed the second time.

The PPC V3.0 setup program cannot predict that this will happen because there is no standard location for storing the GINA DLL chain. Each GINA DLL is only responsible for calling the next GINA DLL in the chain. The correct procedure in this case would have been to uninstall the program at the top of the chain (pcAnywhere) and then reinstall the PPC. pcAnywhere could be reinstalled after the PPC, thereby maintaining the integrity of the chain (uninstall in reverse order of installation).

Repairing a computer that is loading GINA DLLs recursively is a two-step process.

Step 1: Work around chaining problem

This step requires access to the computer's file system (without starting Windows). If the computer is using the NTFS file system, you may need to ue the Windows 2000/XP recovery console.

GINA DLLs are normally installed into the %SystemRoot%\system32 folder.

Copy MSGINA.DLL over the next chained GINA application. (MSGINA.DLL is also in the %SystemRoot%\system32 folder.)
Restart the computer to proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Fix GINA DLL chain

To fix the GINA DLL chain, you will need to step through the chain until the problem is identified. The name of the GINA DLL at the top of the chain is stored in this registry value:

HKLM \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ GinaDLL

This application stores the filename of the next GINA DLL in this registry value:

HKLM \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ REM_GinaDLL

Continue stepping through the chain until you find the problem (a GINA DLL that loads another GINA again). You may need to contact the developers of the other GINA DLLs in order to identify the registry value that they use to store the next DLL in the chain.

When the problem is found, modify the registry so that each GINA DLL is only loaded once. Double-check the complete GINA DLL chain and restart the computer.

 

[kippy13]

A super post bcastner.
Thats all very good to know.

"Sometimes I do not know but I try hard"- R.F. Haughty 1923

 

[helliphikneau]

bcastner,
thanx for the post, this answers a multitude of questions