The memory could not be read

[APJ9]

I cannot open Control Panel, Windows Explorer, My Computer, Internet Explorer, etc. on my PC which is running on OS "Windows 2000 Professional". Whenever I click on this Icons (Shortcuts) it gives a message
"THE INSTRUCTION AT "0X-------" REFERENCED MEMORY AT "0X--------". THE MEMORY COULD NOT BE READ.
CLICK OK TO TERMINATE THE PROGRAM.
CLICK CANCEL TO DEBUG." And it says if the problem persits restart the computer, but of no use. Installing "Service Pack 3" was the solution suggested by Microsoft. Even after installing Service Pack 3, this problem still persists.
Any idea would be apprecitaed.
Thanks
APJ9

 

[comnetlimited]

I am having the same error message but in a different scenerio.

My friend is on SP3 and I am on SP4
He install 3D Home Designer and he has no problem when executing it.
I install 3d Home Designer (same version has his) successfully BUT only when I want to execute it gives me this message........

Anyone out there please help...........

 

[2ffat]

This not an uncommon problem with windows. It may not be the program's problem. If uninstalling it and reinstalling it, I would try reseating the memory chips. Other common causes for this are the virtual memory and hard drive problems (the two are related), a problem with another program, etc.

In a nut shell, the causes can be either hardware, software, or both. There used to be a long thread on the NT forum about this but it has long since disappeared.



James P. Cottingham

When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity.
[tab][tab]Albert Einstein explaining his Theory of Relativity to a group of journalists.

 

[bcastner]

2ffat has summarized the issue. The two steps I would first take in line with his comments would be to:

1. Test the RAM for an extended period:

http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/products/doc/docinfo.asp

http://public.planetmirror.com/pub/memtest86/

2. Redo your Virtual Memory pagefile

Set the pagefile(s) to zero, and OK your way out of the setting screen. Go back and set to System Managed size and okay your way out.

You might consider a defrag of your pagefile at that time. See the excellent article by Danial Petri:

http://www.petri.co.il/pagefile_optimization.htm

 

[bcastner]

I should note one addition: this issue seems to appear in waves in the Newsgroups. Right-now is one of those times. It is almost always due to malware of some kind, not a true virus but some "Helper" application that attaches to IE or Explorer. A good scan with the "Troubleshooting Trinity" usually solves the issue:

AdAware (with updated definitions)
SpyBot 1.2 (with updated definitions)
Hijack This!

Run them in the order shown, stopping for a while after each to see if the problem has gone away.

All can be found here:

http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/hijacked/#removal

While most antivirus software misses/ignores these sorts of malware, and through antivirus scan would be advisable as well.

 

[Van5]

Another cause for this error I've found is Registry corruption in Explorer's settings. Go to Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer and check for unreadable entries in the left-hand pane. I once found a bunch of garbage in the very first entry that caused constant referrenced memory errors. Deleting the entry fixed the problem.

 

[dee16]

I have had this error before with different applications. After a lengthy troubleshooting process I found that the problem was caused by an HP Laserjet 2200 PCL6 printer driver. I removed the printer driver and the errors went away.