Member Avatar for Frank Wallis

Hello Guys,

I am having serious problem with my Laptop,following is the configuration:

CPU : 1.60Ghz,
RAM : 512MB
OS: WinXP with SP2
Brand: Dell,

I bought this used laptop couple of days back and just yesterday,I started to have
problem with it, When I boot this laptop,few minutes after, I get a blue death screen,
giving the following error messege:

A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.The problem seems to be caused by the following file :Win32K.sys.

PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA.

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed.Use Windows update
to update the hardware or software installed.

Technical Information:

*** STOP:0x00000050 (0xD88F6B20,0x00000001,0XBFBAEc57,0X0000000)

***Win32k.sys-Address BF8AEC57 base at BF800000,DataStamp 41107f7a

Its an eleborate messege but I just quoted what I think was important.

I have booted my computer in safe mode to check if it is a hardware issue or not,and
I have checked the hardware driver status in device manager of system properties but couldnot
find any driver problem their. Please note that after I bought this laptop, I updated
IE(Internet Explorer),installed adobe acrobate,flash player and winrar applications on it.
I reinstalled the RAM in my laptop but this problem persists,

After updating my IE,I didnot use windows update to update the Malacious software removal tool
and other features of IE 8, so am I geting this error because of this problem?

Or is this a paging file issue?

Please can anyone help me,this is urgent.

Edited by Frank Wallis because: correcting
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  • Latest Post Latest Post by khakilang

Dani AI

Generated

The STOP 0x50 crash referring to win32k.sys is a kernel‑mode memory access fault. That often comes from bad RAM, but win32k.sys is the Windows GUI/windowing kernel component, so buggy display/print drivers, third‑party shell extensions or corrupted system files can produce the same symptom. and are correct to point at memory first; if memory checks clear, the troubleshooting should move to dump analysis and driver/system integrity checks.

Suggested checklist (ordered to narrow the cause):

  • Capture and inspect any minidump files in C:\Windows\Minidump (use BlueScreenView or WinDbg to see the module that called into win32k.sys). Check Event Viewer for related errors logged before the crash.
  • Repair system files and check disk integrity:
sfc /scannow
chkdsk C: /r

(Note: SFC on XP can prompt for the original CD.)

  • Isolate driver/software problems: if Safe Mode avoids the crash then a non‑Microsoft driver/service is likely. Perform a clean boot (msconfig selective startup), uninstall recently added software (the most recent installs/IE updates, Adobe components, or any new print/display drivers), and reinstall the display driver from the vendor. To stress-test drivers (advanced step), use Driver Verifier:
verifier /standard /all
verifier /reset

Caution: Driver Verifier intentionally forces crashes for faulty drivers; use only with dumps handy and know how to reset it.

  • Hardware checks if software steps are inconclusive: run a reputable memory tester and the hard drive manufacturer’s diagnostics; test single RAM modules one at a time if multiple sticks exist. HDD problems or corrupt system files can mimic memory faults.

If all checks fail, back up data and consider a repair install or clean OS reinstall. The combination of minidump analysis + SFC/chkdsk + focused driver testing normally reveals whether this is RAM, a third‑party driver, or corrupt system files.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for gerbil

Assuming that you have a system32\dllcache [you have to unhide protected opsys files to see it..]...oh.. instead check for it by doing this: search for win32k.sys using the search tool. If win32k.sys shows in system32 AND in system32\dllcache [plus other places] then go into system32 and rename win32k.sys to win32k.sys.old. Refresh explorer [View tab > Refresh], check that a new win32k.sys file has popped. If it has you may safely delete win32k.sys.old after a restart [windows is still using it until then].
Still fails with a BSOD? Two things, then... your replacement file is bad [unlikely] or you RAM is bad -PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA .Non-paged stuff is data that is not to be ever moved to the page file. So you check RAM with memtest86+. Gurgle that, at the host site you will see options for creating a bootable cd, floppy or USB flashdrive. Do it, boot with it, run it for an hour or more. ONE error is bad RAM.

Edited by gerbil because: n/a
Member Avatar for khakilang

I have encounter numerous BSOD and most of them are due to RAM problem. Only a few that are cause by the dust that have accumulated on the RAM slot. If you can unplug the RAM module and wipe the RAM and its slot with dry cloth soak with a bit of alcohol that might help. If the same problem still occur than you may have to change the RAM module.

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