Fatal error explainations

Help! from a new guy on the block,
I am just setting up learning Visual Basic, my problem is I can not get it to load on my laptop. I get a BSOD message, ...k mode exception error... something like that as it goes by too fast to get it! I can not find a thorough explanation of these error messages and how to correct them.
HP notebook
850 AMD
256 ram
20 gig
and all those goofy HP combo/cards.
I did replace the ME to W2K some time ago, and I have seen this error message before a time or two on trying to install applications.
THX

 

Two suggestions -

- check your event logs. Very possible the error was recorded there with more detail

- (this one stolen from a reply by Daizy on another thread because she phrased it so well)

 

Tried that, the log , by what I can decipher has 2 different messages, 1 says 'k_mode_exception_error_handling', the other said the computer rebooted due to a bug check. When I try to look at the dump file, I can see where it says the computer could not find or the file did not exist that it was being directed to.
This is what I have tried since the problem arose,
Uninstalled all apps that may have conflict or that may have reset the register to some odd configuration, tried start up in safe mode and look for oddities, finally reformatted the entire partition and re-installed OS.
I am starting to think I have a driver issue here, does that make sense. Could some of those laptop driver quirks cause the installer to not recognize or dump a command.
I have been lookig for some reference material that delves into these error messages in more detail but have not found any. Does something like that exist?
THX for the response!

 

Microsoft has good articles about most of the errors you will see and the others can usually be found with a Google search.

The tricky part is figuring out what parts of the error message will help with your search.

For the ones you found, go to the event viewer and open one of them up. Then click on the icon below the up/down arrows which will send a text copy of the error to your clipboard. Then back here and paste the contents in a post. Do this for both.

Then we can make reasonable suggestions and give you some search hints for future issues.

A typical error (this one from my PC) when posted would look like (and I picked this one because it is all jargon and nonsense to most folks):

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: EventSystem
Event Category: (52)
Event ID: 4356
Date: 3/25/2003
Time: 6:01:10 PM
User: N/A
Computer: PMUUSWXPW9NVK3
Description:
The COM+ Event System failed to create an instance of the subscriber partition:{41E90F3E-56C1-4633-81C3-6E8BAC8BDD70}!new:{6295DF2D-35EE-11D1-8707-00C04FD93327}. CoGetObject returned HRESULT 8000401A.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

A search of Microsoft's online help XP section using EventSystem 4356 for the search turned up 5 articles and one described the meaning, cause, etc. perfectly.

 

Newt, I think I found the problem, or at least I was able to install VB.net. It turned out the registry had about 12 N/A or irregular entries in it, I ran RegClean through it, bit my lip and deleted what it said I could and viola!
Lesson learned: after so many times of being told 'don't delete anything that looks like it is important,(all that H_KEY looking stuff)..' one needs to trust these utilities and do what it says to!
It does beg the question, as to why these entries end up in conflict with other apps, more so when the same software company (MS) made them. It seems as though these 'auto-run' apps might do too much on a default basis, and that it would be better to do some things manually like the old DOS way.
Thanks for the input!

 

Glad you got it working.

Do save the event log info in your brain somewhere though. It will come in handy at some point.