Advanced troubleshooting
Use the following methods in the order in which they are presented.
Method 1: Make sure that you have sufficient hard disk space
First, make sure that you have sufficient hard disk space. The Stop error can be caused by insufficient hard disk space.
If you can use safe mode or the Recovery Console to start the computer, delete any unnecessary temporary files, Internet cache files, program backup files, and files that contain saved file fragments from disk scans (.chk files). You can also install Windows XP on another hard disk that has more free space.
If you cannot start the computer, go to the next method to update the computer BIOS.
For more information about safe mode or the Recovery Console, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
315222 (
A description of the Safe Mode Boot options in Windows XP ) A description of the Safe Boot Mode options in Windows XP
314058 (
Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console for advanced users ) Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console
Method 2: Update the computer BIOS
If freeing space on your hard disk did not resolve the problem, the BIOS might have to be updated. Use the hardware and software vendor contact information articles that are listed in the "References" section to contact the computer manufacturer to obtain the most recent BIOS update.
Note When you update the BIOS, you might have to disable BIOS memory options, such as caching or shadowing, temporarily.
Method 3: Disable or update device drivers
If you have updated the BIOS successfully and the problem persists, the video adapter drivers on the computer might have to be updated or disabled. Follow these steps to troubleshoot the video adapter drivers:
- If a driver is listed by name in the Stop error message, disable or remove that driver.
- If the error occurs during the startup sequence and the system partition uses the NTFS file system, you might be able to use safe mode to rename or to delete the faulty driver.
- If the driver is used as part of the system startup process in safe mode, you must use the Recovery Console to start the computer.
- If the Stop error message does not indicate a specific driver, update the video adapter drivers to the latest versions.
- Disable or remove any drivers or services that you recently added.
- Check the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) to determine whether the PCI devices in the computer are compatible with Windows XP. For information about the HCL, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx (Products Designed for Microsoft Windows – Windows Catalog, Windows Vista Compatibility Center, and Windows Logo’d Product List)
Method 4: Remove unsigned drivers
If you have updated the video adapter drivers and the problem persists, or if you cannot start Windows in safe mode, the problem might be caused by a different, unsigned driver. Remove all drivers that are not digitally signed by Microsoft. For more information about how to do this, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
316434 (
How to perform advanced clean-boot troubleshooting in Windows XP ) How to perform advanced clean-boot troubleshooting in Windows XP
Method 5: Remove all third-party drivers
You might be unable to determine which third-party driver causes the error. If removing unsigned drivers does not resolve the issue, try moving all third-party driver files from the
%Windir%\System32\Drivers folder to a different location. Follow these steps to move the third-party driver files:
- Use the Recovery Console to start the computer, or start the computer from a different installation of Windows if you have performed a parallel Windows installation.
- Create a temporary folder to hold the driver files. For example, you could create c:\DriverTemp.
- Move all files that do not have a creation date for Windows XP of 8/13/2001 from the %Windir%\System32\Drivers folder into the temporary folder that you created in step 2.
Caution If the computer relies on third-party IDE or SCSI controller drivers for correct operation, you must identify those driver files and then leave them in the %Windir%\System32\Drivers folder. - Restart the computer.
- Continue the Windows Setup program. You can add the driver files back to the computer one at a time to identify the faulty driver.
Method 6: Remove third-party remote control services
If you still have the problem after you use the previous methods and the Stop error message contains the Win32k.sys file name instead of a driver file name, the problem might be caused by a third-party remote control program. To remove the service, use the Recovery Console to start the computer and then delete the third-party remote control service file.
Quote