Entries Tagged as 'EXE Files'

win32 Generic Process

One of the most frustrating and nerve wracking problems that you will ever face on your PC is the win32 process error. The error is prevalent in Windows based computers and is one of the most dreadful bugs out there. The win32 process error is quite capable of causing the connection to other PC’s on a network to close and the damage can ever be permanent in nature.

The message that you will see every time there is a win32 process error is:

“Generic Host Process for Win32 services has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience”

You will three options:

  • Debug
  • Send Error report
  • Don’t send

Normally most people would send a error report but it never really helps. Here are some solutions that will help you to fight the win32 process error.

First Solution

  • Go to Run and then open Regedit
  • Locate the following key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Services > Browser > Parameters
  • Once you are here, try and find the following key:
    Name: IsDomainMaster and set Data: False
  • Now restart your computer

Hopefully the win32 process error would have been taken care of but if it is not then try the second solution.

Second Solution

  • Click to open Run and then type cmd
  • This will open MS-DOS. Once the screen is there, type netsh in the command console and press enter
  • Now type ‘winsock’ and press enter again
  • Now type reset
  • Finally, restart your computer
  • This should ideally take care of your win32 process error.

    Third Solution

    This is a solution that will require you to download a Microsoft Update Patch. Once you have downloaded the patch, you can apply it and it will rectify the win32 process error.

    Fourth Solution

    When the “Generic Host Process for Win32 services has encountered …..” screen appears, what you can really do is turn off all the automatic Windows updates using the control panel. Then reboot your computer. If this process of eliminating the win32 process error doesn’t work then you can download the supported hotfix that is available at the Microsoft website.

    If you are using Windows XP SP2, then the Generic Host Process or the win32 process error can be potentially dangerous and you might start receiving error messages immediately after the system startup. Most of the win32 process errors occur during the last shut down of the system. The hotfix provided by Windows can remove or effectively treat the win32 process error. It can be downloaded through the automatic update available on most Windows based computers or you can even manually download it from the Microsoft Windows website.

    How to fix a slow PC

    Slowing of the PC is probably the most common problem of all and it can be quite frustrating at times. There are several ways to fix slow PC and it depends on what is actually slowing the PC down. Some of the reasons of PC slowdown include:

    • Windows Registry problems
    • Temporary files
    • Virus or spyware
    • Computer Games

    Cleaning your PC

    Let’s take a look at each of the areas and understand how best you can fix slow PC. The most common reasons for a slowdown are the accumulation of temporary files and we often tend to overlook this aspect.

    Temporary Internet files: Temporary internet files get downloaded automatically when you visit the internet and cookies also get downloaded. Not all cookies are bad but some can be quite harmful. Most of the temporary internet files are stored in the temp folder in Windows. Deleting the files from the temp folder will automatically fix slow PC problems and even make your PC work faster and better. You can even delete them directly from Internet Explorer by doing to tools>Internet options>Delete Cookies and Delete Files. In Mozilla Firefox you need to go to tools>options>privacy>clear now>clear private data>ok. You have to clean up temporary internet folder and remove the temp files as well as cookies to fix slow PC problems and make your computer perform better. If you are using Windows XP then follow this path: Start>programs>accessories>system tools>disk cleanup to clean temp files and fix slow PC problems.

    Windows Registry problems: Windows registry is one of the most important folders on your computer because it stores vital information and data regarding all the programs or files being used on your PC. Sometimes, due to registry errors, your PC may slow down and the only option is to clean it. If you are technically qualified to handle Windows Registry repair then it is fine. Alternatively to fix slow PC problems, you can download a Windows registry cleaner like RegCure or RegClean. There are plenty of good softwares available over the internet that can clean your Windows Registry, delete obsolete files and fix slow PC problems.

    Virus and Spyware: Virus attacks or spyware attacks can also make your PC slow. It is always advisable to have a spyware and an anti-virus running on your PC in the background. There are plenty of good anti-spyware and anti-virus available like Norton, AVG etc and you can use them to fix slow PC problems.

    Computer Games: Computer games are a craze but they can damage the overall performance of your PC as well if it is not installed correctly. Always make sure that the games are installed with all their components to avoid or fix slow PC problems.

    Windows Errors

    The computer is probably one of the biggest technological innovations as it has immensely helped in creating, what we know today as, paperless offices. With the help of a computer, you can keep your financial accounts, store and work on image files, play games, watch movies, listen to music, create animation, and also, browse over the internet. It is a multi-function, multi-purpose unit but it is not bereft of problems. There are plenty of problems that make it frustrating to work on the PC and one of them is the windows errors. There are hundreds and thousands of windows errors but the most prominent of them are:

    • Windows fatal errors
    • DUN/RAS Error Codes That Have a Number
    • Outlook Express Error
    • Winsock Error
    • Windows Protection Errors
    • Windows Explorer Errors
    • Windows Installer Errors
    • And many more

    Understanding the Windows Errors

    It is quite difficult to understand why these errors really occur. Some of the windows errors might reflect occasionally while others might reflect after two years or 5 years of using your PC. The most common windows errors are the fatal errors. Normally you will get a message like:

    A fatal exception XY has occurred at xxxx:xxxxxxxx

    The Windows fatal exception errors have different codes, which are normally returned by the program only when the following situation occurs:

    • If the program has encountered any specific type of illegal instruction
    • If the program has accidently accessed invalid code or data
    • If the privilege level of any particular operation is invalid

    In any of the above 3 cases, you will get a message stating the occurrence of windows errors. In a fatal exception error, the exception is normally non-recoverable and hence you will probably have to shut down your PC or re-boot. In certain cases, the solution might even call for formatting of the entire hard drive or the primary partition.

    The second most common windows error is the installer error. Some examples of installer errors are as follows:

    • 1603: A fatal error occurred during installation.
    • 1706: No valid source could be found for product
    • 1316: A network error occurred while attempting to read from the file
    • 1321: The Installer has insufficient privileges to modify this file
    • 1613: This installation package cannot be installed by the Windows Installer service. You must install a Windows
    • service pack that contains a newer version of the Windows Installer service.

    The best way to deal with this windows error is to un-install and then re-install. The install error is fairly common and in case you are unable to rectify it, you should contact the company from where you have taken the program.

    Windows Fatal Error

    The windows fatal error is probably one of the most common errors that we face while working on our computer. Most often than not, you might see these errors on re-starting your computer or when you are trying to shut it down or even when you are trying to start a program in Windows. The fatal error message will look somewhat like this:
    “A fatal exception 0E has occurred at 0028 :< XXXXXXXX>”

    The Windows fatal error is basically a code, which has been returned by a particular program. This can happen only when:

    • Your computer accesses invalid code or data
    • Your computer has accessed an illegal instruction
    • The privilege level of a particular operation is termed invalid

    In any of the above three cases, the processor will return an exception to your computers operating system, which will be seen as a fatal error. In most of the cases, the fatal exception error cannot be recovered and you will have to restart your system or shut it down.

    Let us take a deeper look into a fatal error.
    An example: “A fatal exception XY has occurred at 0028 :< XXXXXXXX>”

    When you see the above fatal error, certain components of the error like XY represents an actual processor exception, which could be anything from 00 to 0F. The <xxxxxxxx> is a value that represents an enhanced instruction pointer to its code segment.

    Types of Windows fatal errors

    There are several such errors but here are a few of them:

    08: Double Fault

    This fatal error occurs when during the processing of a particular exception a second exception gets triggered. When this happens, the processor will issue an error message stating that a double fault has taken place.

    09: Coprocessor Segment Overrun

    This fatal error takes place when a floating point instruction accesses the memory, which runs far beyond the point where the segment ends. Now if the starting point of this floating point is outside the memory segment, then you will see a general protection fault also called interrupt 0D.

    00: Divide Fault

    The divide fault is a fatal error where the processor will return an exception after encountering the divide fault. This fault will take place if division by zero is attempted.

    13 (0Dh): General Protection Fault
    This is a common fatal error and it is caused when a particular condition, which is not covered by any processor exception, takes place. When the exception takes place, it means that the memory of the program has become corrupt and will lead to an immediate termination of that particular program.

    Troubleshooting a fatal error

    The best solution for handling a fatal error is booting your computer and make sure that it is a clean boot.

    Buffer Overrun

    A buffer overrun calls for a lot of concern because it is considered as one of primary sources that cause security risk. A buffer overrun can occur on any computer and is normally caused when you treat any unchecked data or external input as reliable data. Normally, when you visit the internet and try to open a web page, there are some pages that will show a message stating unreliable data. Most of the times you may click on ok and proceed with the opening of the page because you feel what harm can the data do. This is exactly similar to how a buffer overrun really happens.

    When you copy unreliable data using different operations like strcat, CopyMemory, wcscpy or strcpythen it leads to the creation of unanticipated results that further leads to system corruption and you get the buffer overrun error. In some of the cases, an application will automatically abort with a segmentation fault, core dump, or access violation. But when we are talking of the worse case scenario in buffer overrun then it means that an attacker will be able to take advantage of the buffer overrun error and execute their malicious codes into your system process. The most common cause of various exploitable errors or faults is copying of various unchecked input data into the stack-based buffer.

    Buffer Overrun Situations

    A buffer overrun can take place in different situations and here are some of the situations:

    Static buffer overruns

    A static buffer overrun takes place when a buffer declared on a stack is introduced to more data than its actual capacity. It can also occur when an unverified user input data gets copied directly to the static variable, which can further lead to a stack corruption.

    Heap overruns

    Heap overruns is a type of buffer overrun and are quite similar to the static buffer overruns. When a heap overrun occurs, it might cause stack corruption and memory corruption. Heap overruns always take place in heap memory and not on stack memory. Although it might not cause as serious a problem as stack buffer overruns can cause yet it is recommended that they need real programming care, which might mitigate the potential risks.

    Array indexing errors

    The array indexing errors cause memory overruns. They cause a different type of buffer overrun as compared to the static and heap overrun errors. The only way to prevent this error is through careful index management.

    The only way to prevent a buffer overrun is by writing a good code. Whenever it comes to the code, ensure that you have validated all your inputs. It is important to always maintain a high degree of correct programming for the safety of the memory and stack on your PC.