How to fix an invalid page fault

Remove all TSRs

Disable or unload any TSRs or background programs currently running before running the program causing the GPF.

• How to remove TSRs and startup programs.

Delete all program temporary files

Delete all temporary files that may still be residing on the hard drive from currently or previously running programs.

• How to remove temporary program files.

Run ScanDisk and Defrag

Run ScanDisk and run Defrag on the hard drive as it could be possible your hard drive may have an issue causing the swap file or data files to become corrupt or invalid

Update software or check for software patches

If you are experiencing invalid page faults in only one program, verify that the software program is compatible with the operating system you are running the program within. Also, verify with the manufacturer or vendor of the software program that there are no available patches or updates for the program that may help or resolve your issue.

Recently installed software or hardware

If you have recently installed new software or hardware, uninstall or reinstall that software or hardware to verify it is not causing your issue.

Bad Memory, invalid bits, or physically damaged memory

Bad memory can cause Illegal Operations. If you have recently added memory to the computer it is recommended that it first be removed to verify that you are not experiencing conflictions with the recently installed memory.

If no memory has been recently added to the computer it is recommended you follow all other steps found on this page before replacing the memory within the computer.

How to erase my hard drive and start over

Notice: Remember that following the steps below will erase all of the information on your hard drive and make it like new. Once the steps below have been completed, you will not be able to reverse the steps if you want to recover possible lost data.

• Making sure all private information is erased.
• Unable to restore computer using restore disc.

Erasing the hard drive

Click on a link below for instructions on how to erase the hard drive and re-install Windows.

Windows 8
Windows 7 and Vista
Windows XP and 2000
MS-DOS 5.0+, Windows 3.x, 9x/ME, and NT 4.0

Tip: If you have an OEM computer (Acer, ASUS, Dell, Hewlett Packard, etc.), it's likely that you have a hidden System Recovery partition and don't need to use any CD or DVD to restore your computer.

Windows 8

1. Press the Windows key plus the "C" key to open the Charms menu.
2. Select the Search option and type reinstall in the Search text field (do not press Enter).
3. Select the Settings option.
4. On the left side of the screen, select Remove everything and reinstall Windows.
5. On the "Reset your PC" screen, click Next.
6. On the "Do you want to fully clean your drive" screen, select Just remove my files to do a quick deletion of your personal files on the computer or select Fully clean the drive to have all files erased and overwritten several times with random data.
7. On the "Ready to reset your PC" screen, click Reset.

The hard drive will be erased and Windows 8 will be re-installed.

Windows 7 and Vista

1. Insert the Windows 7/Vista installation CD in the CD-ROM drive and restart the computer.
2. When you see the message "Press any key to boot from CD", press a key on the keyboard.
3. Press the Enter key at the Windows Setup welcome screen.
4. When prompted, press any key on your keyboard.
5. On the "Install Windows" page, select your preferred language and other preferences, then click Next.
6. On the License Agreement page, accept the terms and agreements and click Next.
7. On the Installation Type screen, choose the Custom option.
8. Select the Drive Options (advanced) option.
9. For Disk 0, delete all partitions. When all partitions have been deleted, you should see a single entry named "Unallocated space".
10. Click on Disk 0 and select Next.

The Windows installation process will proceed with creating a new partition, formatting the partition, and installing Windows on the hard drive.

Windows XP and 2000

1. Insert the Windows XP/2000 installation CD in the CD-ROM drive and restart the computer.
2. When you see the message "Press any key to boot from CD", press a key on the keyboard.
3. Press the Enter key at the Windows XP Setup welcome screen, then press F8 to accept the Terms and Agreements.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to select a hard drive partition to format and install Windows XP on.
5. After formatting the hard drive, erasing all data, click on one of the links below for steps on how to install Windows XP or Windows 2000.

• How do I install Microsoft Windows XP.
• How to install Microsoft Windows 2000.

MS-DOS 5.0+, Windows 3.x, 95, 98, ME, and NT 4.0.

1. Place the bootable diskette or disc inside the computer and reboot to get to the DOS prompt. In some cases, you may need to boot the computer with CD-ROM support or press a key to boot from the disk.
2. At the MS-DOS prompt type, format c: /s

Note: If the "format c: /s" command does not work, you may need to download the format.com file to your boot disk.

3. The computer will ask you "Are you sure you want to erase everything on drive c:". If you are ok with doing this, press "Y" for yes and press Enter.
4. After doing this, the computer will begin the formatting process. While the computer is formatting, make sure no errors are encountered.
5. Once the format process is completed successfully, at the MS-DOS prompt, type fdisk /mbr and press Enter. This should return you back to the MS-DOS prompt with no message. This step is not required but recommended.
6. Once back at the MS-DOS prompt, reboot the computer with the boot disk still in the computer.
7. Once back at the MS-DOS prompt, insert either the diskettes for MS-DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, or the CD for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME or Windows NT and click the appropriate link below for install instructions.

MS-DOS users
Windows 3.x users
Windows 95 floppy diskette users
Windows 95 CD users
Windows 98 users
Windows NT 4.0 users

Windows NT 4.0 users

Windows NT can be installed different ways. We recommend that Windows NT be installed using the steps below as we feel that these steps by far are the easiest way to install Windows NT 4.0.

First, we recommend that all users wanting to install Windows NT use the /b switch, which allows the users to not need to create the diskettes. We do, however, recommend that the user create the Emergency recover diskettes if they have not already been created after the installation of Windows NT.

Finally, before the installation of Windows NT, it is recommended that you run SMARTDRV, which helps the installation of Windows NT run a lot faster.

1. Place the CD into the computer.
2. Type X: (where x is the CD-ROM drive, often this is D:).
3. Once at the appropriate drive, type CD WINNT and press enter to get into the Windows 95 directory.
4. Once at X:\WINNT> Type winnt /b.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Windows 98 users

• How to install Microsoft Windows 98.

Windows 95 CD users

1. Place the CD into the computer.
2. Type X: (where x is the CD-ROM drive, often this is D:).
3. Once at the appropriate drive, type CD WIN95 and press enter to get into the Windows 95 directory.
4. Once at X:\WIN95> Type setup to begin the installation
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

If you are encountering issues during the setup process, you can add additional switches to the setup command line.

Windows 95 floppy diskette users

1. Place the first diskette of Windows 95 into the computer.
2. At the A:\> Type setup and press enter to begin the installation.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Note: If you discover a bad diskette during the installation of Windows 95 it is recommended you contact Microsoft for possible replacement.

Windows 3.x users

1. Place the first diskette of Windows 3.x into the computer.
2. At the A:\> Type setup and press enter to begin the installation.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Note: If you discover a bad diskette during the installation, it is recommended that you contact Microsoft for a possible replacement.

MS-DOS users

1. Place the first MS-DOS diskette into the computer.
2. At the A:\> Type setup and press enter to being the installation.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Note: If you discover a bad diskette during the installation, it is recommended that you contact Microsoft for a possible replacement.

How can I test my memory to determine if it is bad?

Bad memory can cause an assortment of different issues on your computer. Below are just a few of the possible issues you may encounter. It is important to remember that the below issues can also be caused by more than just bad memory.

1. Computer does not boot, and you are getting a beep code. See the POST and beep code page for additional information about them.
2. Random computer crashes causing BSOD, General Protection Fault error messages, Illegal Operations, Fatal Exceptions, etc.
3. Random computer reboots.
4. Windows or other program installation failure.

Note: Before testing your memory, if you have recently added any new memory into the computer, we suggest you temporarily remove it to make sure it is not the cause of your issue.

Software

There are several software programs available that are designed to test your computer's hardware, including the computer's memory:

• Windows Vista, Windows 7 and later have a Windows Memory Diagnostics tool that can be accessed by clicking on the Start Orb and typing "memory" in the run line. Running this command opens the Memory Diagnostics tool with two options: "Restart now and check for problems" or "Check for problems the next time I start my computer." Choosing either of these options runs the computer through a memory test the next time it starts up.
• Memtest86 - Our recommendation for testing computer memory, Memtest86 is an x86 compatible, free memory tester.
• DocMemory - Another great software solution to test the status of your computer's memory.

In addition to the above solutions, there are other fantastic 100% commercial products. Below is a listing of some of these products.

• Memory testers - Companies offer different hardware solution for testing computer memory. These are the highest quality methods for testing memory, but likely only to be used at a computer service center because of their cost.
• PC-doctor - Another fantastic, but not cheap solution often used by service centers and technicians to diagnose computer hardware issues including memory issues.
• PC Diagnostics - Another company that offers both hardware and software solutions for testing the majority of computer hardware in your computer, including memory.
• Ultra-X - Another great collection of products that can help test computer hardware, including memory.

Swap and remove memory

If you have access to compatible memory from another computer, such as an extra computer in your home, office, a friend's, or co-worker's computer, you can swap that memory into your computer to see if it's the issue. Using memory known to be functional in a computer that may have a memory problem is a good method of checking.

If your memory works in another computer without issues or other memory is experiencing the same issues as your memory, you're likely encountering a motherboard, PSU, or other hardware issue.

Alternatively, if your computer has more than the minimum requirements needed by your operating system, for example if you have 2GB of RAM (4 slots of 500Mb), you may also temporarily remove a some of it to see if you encounter the same issues.

Replace memory

If you have found the memory to be bad, we suggest replacing the memory with new memory.