Fix a general protection fault

Issue:

How to fix a general protection fault.
Cause:

There are several possibilities and reasons a computer receives a General Protection Fault error, below is a listing of some of the more common reasons.

1. The program being used is calling a section of memory that is already being used by another program or TSR.
2. The program has not been programmed properly or is still in testing and is calling an invalid portion of memory.

Solution:

The following are recommendations into finding the cause of a GPF and or resolving a GPF. It is important to know that GPFs are always likely to occur on the computer and if you are experiencing a GPF rarely such as once every few weeks to not worry about attempting to locate the root cause of that GPF. However, if you are experiencing GPF error messages often it is recommended you follow the following recommendations to help resolve your issues.

Remove all TSRs

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

Additional information on how to end task a TSR can be found on document CHTSR.

Delete all program temporary files

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

Additional information on how to remove temporary file can found on document CH000225.

Run Scandisk / Defrag

Attempt to run scandisk / defrag on the hard disk drive as it could be possible your hard disk drive may have an issue causing the swap file or data files to become corrupt or invalid.

Additional information on scandisk can be found on our scandisk page.

Additional information on defrag can be found on our defrag page.

Verify your computer has more than 200 MB available

If your computer is running low on hard disk space, your Windows swap file will be unable to increase in size when needed, causing programs to be swapped between memory and the hard disk drive more frequently. When this occurs it is more likely that a GPF can occur.

Recently installed software / hardware

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

Disable external cache

If your CPU utilizes external cache attempt to disable it temporarily to verify if it is causing your GPF error messages. If available, you will be able to disable your external cache through CMOS.

Additional information on CMOS can be found on our CMOS page.

If this resolves your issue it is recommended that you contact your manufacturer or motherboard / CPU manufacturer for additional recommendations and/or BIOS updates that may resolve your issue.

Disable Power Management / Screen savers

If you are receiving GPFs when away from the computer or during durations when your computer is inactive, attempt to disable power management and screen savers to ensure that they are not causing your issue.

Additional information on power management can be found on our power management page.

Operating System issue

It is possible for Windows or an overwritten Windows related file to cause a General Protection fault. Most commonly the General Protection Fault with Explorer and KRNL386.EXE. Attempt to reinstall your operating system to resolve the issue.

Bad memory or other bad hardware

If you have followed all of the above recommendations and continue to experience GPFs it's possible hardware inside your computer may also be bad. Often bad memory is the primary cause for random GPFs. Additional information about testing your computer memory can be found on document CH000708.