No AGP + Error 216

WindowsXP - 2600 with all the latest updates.
NVidia GeForce2 MX/MX 400 (Detonator 41.09 drivers - also craps out using the latest 43.45 drivers)
Compaq 1gig with 512 RAM

Whenever I right click on either my desktop or an item in my start menu, I get "error 216@00042EEC ". When I click OK the message changes to "Error 216@0004C199 ". This lasts about 3 clicks, then the properties window pops up. Meanwhile, the icons in my system tray disappear then reappear, but only some of them. My wallpaper flashes off, then on again.

When I check on my video drivers, I've lost all reference to any AGP parameters.

This is not caused by a virus or trojan. I've checked six ways to Sunday.

I've uninstalled everything added since just before it started happening. I've rolled back the video drivers and, when that didn't work, installed the latest detonators.

Can anyone offer a suggestion?

Thanks

 

A few ideas come to mind.

1-- did you install any required Motherboard drivers before attempting the Nvidia install.

2-- When you did try to change drivers did you COMPLETELY remove the previous Nvidia drivers and all references to same ? I do not know about XP but I had to do a manual regedit to get all references to Nvidia out.

3-- Did you ( unlike my first attempt ) follow Nvidias instructions ?

I myself tried several version of drivers and wound up with the 41.09 version that shipped with the GeForce 4 MX 440. And followed their instructions to do it.

BillyBob

 

Might get some basic ideas from here

 

Hi edger

Definitely check out the post BillyBob suggested. A lot of good advice / suggestions. I've been running Geforce4 Ti 4200, on my 3rd set of drivers since September (following there install suggestions). As each new release, been able to install trouble free. Currently running 43.45 drivers. As BillyBob was making suggestions to assist that post, I checked my settings where applicable. What I found most interesting when defaulting monitor to VGA plug & play. Was how mine was configured from day one. One other observation of my own... Nvidia's "Effects" options for "Windows Drawing Enhacements "... disable all of them, a little flash for a lot of system drag.

 

Thank you both, BillyBob and Dennis L. After uninstalling the Nvidia drivers and scouring the registry for Nvidia, I've reinstalled the drivers, using Nvidia's instructions and it still screws up. I've also disabled all the Nvidia effects. I'm using the new 43.45 drivers now. It was also ******** up using the default XP Nvidia drivers. I don't think I have a video driver problem as I've been using the Nvidia detonator drivers since I installed XP.

I've since run Chkdsk with no problems and, yes, I'm desperate, used SFC.

Thanks again for your help.

Anybody have any other ideas?

 

Have you tried changing the Monitor which was the final step for Deloris

I do not know where it would be ( if it even exists in XP ) but in 98 there is a Windows\inf and a windows\inf\other folder that ALL references to Nvidia need to be removed from.

BillyBob

 

Hi edjer

per BillyBob / monitor

edjer, you and I are XP and Nvidia.

This is what is in my device manager for Monitor....
General Tab
Plug and play monitor
Device type: Monitor
Manufacturer: Standard monitor type
Location: on Nvidia Geforce4 Ti 4200

Device Tab
Driver Provider: Microsoft
Driver Date: 6/6/2001
Driver Version: 5.1.2001.0
BUT this is the strange part... When I click on "Driver Details ", this is the message I receive "No drivers are required or have been loaded for this device ". So when they refer to "location "(general tab) and it states my v-card, is it because the monitor driver is furnished via the v-card? All points of interest and maybe an explantion from someone.

 

Dennis L

Of course with slight variations of names & dates that is the way mine reads also in 98SE.

BillyBob

 

BillyBob and Dennis L: Thank you. I've tried everything you or I could think of in relation to the Nvidia drivers and monitor setup. The system has been working fine with Detonator drivers and Sony monitor for over a year. None of our suggestions made a difference. I suspect something other than a video problem.

I've since done a system repair installation of XP, and then installed all the updates again. At no point in the process did my problem go away. It is also present in safe mode. I can't find anything in my running processes that would account for it. I'm at my wit's end (a short trip.)

Thanks for the help. If I find out what it is, I'll post it in case someone else has the problem.

 

PS - The no AGP reference was due to something resetting my Nvidia Hardpage to not display the AGP settings. I changed it back and all is well with AGP. The rest is still bad.

 

Now that makes a different ballgame of it.

I have absolutely no ideas on that.

BillyBob

 

Throwing darts... But is there any settings for monitor in BIOS?

 

The above is from the original post.

Video problems are not the only thing to make the Systray Icons dissapear.

If the problem does exist in the safe mode I think we can get away from a Video problem and get to searching for some OS corruption.

But in the safe mode I do not think you should have the AGP settings available anyway. Just for the giggles of it I will toss this thing into safe mode and see.

Be back with findings.

I'm Back

98SE. No Video settings available in safe mode. Straight 640x480 16 color only.

So that leads me to now believe that the problem is Operating System corruption.

BillyBob

 

Hi edjer

Went back to Google again
With no hits on memory location, Error 216 is certainly popular problem... "Runtime error 216 is an "access violation ", trying to access an object or variable that is no longer in memory." Unfortunately it can be caused by multiple programs conflicting, hardware.. such as printer not available to trojan viruses. In causal browsing, it appears source is 3rd party software.
SECOND thought........
Since problem still persists in "Safe Mode" this wants to suggest system software (or hardware conflict?/IRQ?). Many of the 216 errors were traced to old/new versions of the same software.

 

I though it might be the operating system too, so I did a system repair installation and readded SP1 and all the rest of the changes. I kept testing for the problem at each step of the process and it still happened.

I had put in a second hard drive not too long before it started happening but it was working fine for at least two days. It is set correctly for slave and I reformatted it for NTFS, with a 5gig partition in FAT32. It's a 40 gig drive and the system recognized it immediately with all 40 gig available. My primary drive is also 40 gig. The slave is a Maxtor 6L040J2 and the primary is a Maxtor 94091U8. I guess I could try unhooking the slave to see if the problem goes away, but I think I'm grasping at straws.

Thank you both for sticking with me.

 

Hi edjer

Have you checked "Event viewer" for any hints? You might want to clear the view and then force your error condition.

 

OK, here's the latest. I discovered that if I log in as someone else, everything works fine in any mode. It's not a rights issue either, as every profile but mine works.

So, it's not hardware. I have to start messing with my registry.

I'm racking my brain trying to think of an easy way to do this.

Thanks again for the help.

 

Thanks Dennis, I'd checked the events viewer before but never thought to clear it first. Much less confusing. The System section shows 2 errors:

Application popup: explorer.exe - Application Error : The instruction at "0x77d82eec" referenced memory at "0x044bc7f2 ". The memory could not be "read ".

Application popup: explorer.exe - Application Error : The instruction at "0x0431c199" referenced memory at "0x0000000c ". The memory could not be "written ".

Microsoft has no information on this error.

I don't even know where to look in the registry. I was thinking of exporting branches, replacing them with the same branch from one of the working profiles, and seeing which replacement stopped the error from happening. At least that would narrow it down.

 

Hi edjer

Struck gold... or at least instant insanity. The primary OS is 2kPro, but this thread (insert won't accept URL) is 100 days / posters long.
http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cach...lorer.exe+-+Application+Error"&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Could not pull it from the origin site, this is a google cache. The purest explanation of the problem... (poster Karmafree)..... << After reading the above problems and solutions, it looks as though you've got to break a link and then re-link to solve this problem whether it be re-installing software or re-associating file types, etc. >>
This puppy is allusive. It is software related, but only in the sense, everything your computer does, is software related. I would REALLY recommend.. print the thread out, TIE yourself into the chair, armed with three colored highlighters. Start from the top, read it to the bottom. Only then let yourself touch your computer.