Summary: That's not enough information for an answer, so we'll look at the other types of information that should accompany a general question such as this.
I keep getting an error which says:
The instruction at 0x7c901010 referenced memory at 0x0000001c The memory could not be read.
I was wondering if you could help me please.
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Probably not.
That error message, by itself, is kind of like taking your car to your auto mechanic and saying "something's broken". It's nowhere near enough information to even begin to have a clue as to what's going on.
That mechanic is going to respond by asking you a bunch of questions.
So will I.
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The single most important question that I would ask first is this:
What were you doing or trying to do when this happened?
Your auto mechanic's probably going to ask a similar question. How's it broken? What were you doing when it broke?
For your computer: Were you just sitting there and it popped up on its own? Does it happen only when you do certain things like browse the web or run a specific program? Can you reproduce it reliably, and if so what are the steps to doing so?
All of that information is attempting to identify if perhaps a specific piece of software is causing the problem. Then, presumably, we might be able to repair that software.
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My next question is equally important:
What your computer's configuration?
That auto mechanic has the luxury of seeing the car you brought in for service. When you ask someone a question on the internet, they can't see your computer, so you'll need to indicate just what it is your using.
Windows XP? SP2 installed? Windows Vista? How much memory is in your computer? Disk space? Free disk space? Anything that might be related to the answer to the first question? (for example if it only happens when you access a particular piece of hardware, what are the specifications for that hardware?)
If the problem seems to be internet or mail related, what browser are you using? What extensions do you have installed? Who's your email provider? What email program do you use? If it only happens when you use a specific program - what program? What version? Is it up to date?
All of that information is critical to understanding what we're dealing with. As only one example, there are problems with Windows XP SP1 that SP2 doesn't have - knowing where you're at could indicate a quick solution. Or not. Similarly different hardware and different software all plays into figuring our what might be at fault.
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Now we start with maintenance:
Is your anti-malware software running and up to date? Is Windows up to date?
This is very much like your mechanic asking when your last oil change was, or when you had your care tuned up last.
I'm going to ask what anti-virus program you're running, and whether or not you're keeping the database of virus definition up to date every day. Same for your anti-spyware program: is it running, and are you keeping it up to date?
Similarly I'm going to ask if Windows itself has been kept up to date. Many problems appear after vulnerabilities are discovered and made public; keeping Windows up to date is how you avoid these problems.
Many, many, many problems like this are virus or particularly spyware related. Certainly not all, and it's not a conclusion you can just jump to, but making sure you're running the latest and greatest is an important step in resolving potential issues.
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Next we look at recent history:
Did you make any changes to your system recently?
The car mechanic will ask "had any work done lately?"
I'll be asking if you've installed any new hardware or software recently and whether the problem began happening then? That's a pretty strong clue that there's a relationship. Perhaps uninstalling or system restore would resolve the issue.
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That's all just a start. Depending on the additional information you provide there might be more questions. Occasionally with enough information and a little research answers might well pop up quickly.
But with zero information, your chances of a solution are about the same: zero.
As a side note, sometimes you can get lucky and search for the specific memory address on the internet and get a specific answer. Sometimes. Not so in this case. In researching this specific error there appears to be no clear solution, though many mentions of possible spyware. Without more information it's just not something that'll get tracked down.
Related:
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Ask Leo! - Why didn't you answer my question?
Article C3025 - May 15, 2007
why during i open many application sometime messange like that
Posted by: Kong at July 9, 2009 10:05 AMThe intruction at "0x1001cd0b"referenced memory at "0x00000000".The memory could not be "read"
How to fix ?
Hi y'oll I'm getting a msg.
the instruction at 0x7475060a referenced memory at 0x00000000 the memory could not be read
my whole vista just crashed, had re-install the whole thing.last 4 things i was doing
1' trying to install windows seven beta, no intallation had been processed anyway
2.therefore i was doing small clean up,used uniblue booster,then regcure.
3.to finish it ,I wanted to clead up temporart files left from the instalation, so I used windows' it's own disk clean up and after that all my programs everyting disappeared.
I restarted my laptop and windows wouldn't load anymore I was getting this error.
Couldn't even restore for some strange reason.
then I managed to restore to an even earlier point, nothing worked anymore.
so format and re-install
Thanks
Posted by: Hajjid at July 24, 2009 4:41 AMplease help me sir....
i having problem with my sounds system i thing
after the pop up error accured,i can use winamp,windows media player and all stuff with voice(except listening at internet)
the error say:
'winamp.exe-application error'
'the instruction at "0x0156869d" referenced memory at "0x00000028".the memory could not be "read".'
my pc;
-windows xp
-sp2
-version 2002
-intel(R)core2 duo
-2 GB Ram DDR2
thanx before
Posted by: juliani at August 22, 2009 12:14 AMI'm getting this error on a Dell dimension 9100 running XP SP3 every time the machine boots and comes to the login screen. It began several months ago, concurrent with difficulties in updating McAfee Security Center following a subscription renewal. The McAfee problem has been solved, but the svchost error persists. The Task Manager (Processes) shows other instances of the program running: (PID)2460 SYSTEM, 2312 LOCAL SERVICE, 1616 SYSTEM, 1600 LOCAL SERVICE,
1424 SYSTEM, 1400 NETWORK SERVICE, 1308 SYSTEM, 1104 SYSTEM, 576 SYSTEM, and 268 LOCAL SERVICE. But since the error message gives no process ID, I don't know what the failed instance of svchost is related to.
Checking the System Event log, there is also a recurring Windows Driver Foundation problem (Event ID 7023) The Windows Driver Foundation - User-mode Driver Framework service terminated with the following error: A device attached to the system is not functioning.
This error does not specify WHAT device isn't functioning, though it may relate to two other event errors saying the UPS is not configured properly(?) Device Manager shows everything working properly with all the correct drivers.
Have scanned with updated McAfee and with Avira Antivir (I initially removed the hard drive and attached it to another machine as a slave so it could be scanned); also with Malwarebytes, Spybot, IOBits Security 360 and the Eusig and Glary registry utilities. No malware was found, a few nominal registry errors (references to deleted user-generated files) were repaired.
Posted by: Bob Moulton at October 6, 2009 5:44 AMPLZ HLP,
Posted by: RISHAV JAIN at October 14, 2009 6:37 PMSIR,
WHEN EVER I CLOSE A WEB BROWSER AND SPECIFICALLY INTERNET EXPLORER 6.0 ON MY DESKTOP I GET AN ERROR,
"THE INSTRUCTION AT "0X788099C3" REFERENCED MEMORY AT "OX000000000". THE MEMORY COULD NOT BE "READ".
CLICK ON OK TO TERMINATE THE PROGRAM."
I'M USING WINDOWS XP SP3, AND HAVE 1 GB RAM AND 160 GB HDD WITH AN AVAILABLE SPACE 40 GB. HAVE ASUS MOTHER BOARD M2N MX SE PLUS SERIES, AND I HAVE AN REGISTERED ANTIVIRUS INSTALLED IN THE PC, THE NAME OF ANTIVIRUS IS K7 TOTAL SECURITY 9.8 DESKTOP EDITION ITS UP TO DATE AND GETS UPDATED EVERY DAY.
SIR COULD YOU PLEASE HELP ME IN SOLVING THE PROBLEM THAT IM FACING.
WILL BE WAITING FOR A REPLY SOON,
THANKING YOU,
RISHAV JAIN.
I have the same problem, "THE INSTRUCTION AT "0X788099C3" REFERENCED MEMORY AT "OX000000000". THE MEMORY COULD NOT BE "READ". The best solution so far that I've done is restore my system in the most stable restore point possible, the program(s) work. Even the bootstrapper doesn't work when you uninstall or repair a particular program.
Posted by: Melvin A. Almario at October 16, 2009 6:09 PMHi,
Whenever i used to exit internet explorer i used to get a "memory could not be read" error.
A few days back i reinstalled my entire windows xp professional and upgraded the system and its running on IE 8. But IE has been crashing constantly and the same error, as shown below, has started showing up every time.
"the instruction at "0x2c0e7132" referenced memory at "0x2c0e7132". the memory could not be read".
I have installed TuneUp utlities and did a registry clean, etc. But no use. The same error keeps showing up. I even did the SFC check but it said everything is fine.
As you have said in your article above i have reinstalled my system but still same error. There are no viruses or spyware either. and IE has no addons.
can you please help me with this?
Thanks a ton
IN Brief:
Posted by: Eapen at October 19, 2009 11:56 PMlaptop - ibm r60-1.66ghz,2.5gb ram, 60gb hard disc
- windows xp professional, ie8
- error mentioned above showing up only when exiting IE 8 or when IE8 crashes
- entire system reformatted and reinstalled.
- error used to show up before reinstall also
- antivirus upto date with kaspersky internet security 2010
- windows completely updated after reinstalled with sp3 and all other windows updates till date
- no addons in IE8 besides java and flash
Leo, Many thanks for this very good explanation on the problem. I knew there was no easy solution out there to this problem. The error message also always says: "press cancel to DEBUG". What does the debugging do? can it eventually solve the problem?
28-Oct-2009
Posted by: denis at October 28, 2009 12:07 AM
Ah yes, this is a problem indeed. The message itself is a bit short to hold any value information, or does it? This is not all just a windows-related matter, on LINUX, the program just shuts of, while in windoes you get the message. After working out what the problem was, I came to that the motherboard needed a new BIOS. Now everyone ask the question: "How will that help me?" Download the latest BIOS to your motherboard and install it. Just a short answer to what was my problem.
This is how i came up with the solution: I was in an 3D-program when i tried to do a simple task, but everytime the message came up in Windows several times, so i tried the program in LUNIX, and the same problem persisted in the exakt same place. I tried to re-install... but no use, same problem. Then it was of to hardware. Switcehd motherboard with exakt same CPU, graphics etc, and problem fixed. But wanted to have the old motherboard back, so i switcehd back, and problem appeared again. Downloaded a brand new BIOS, compatible with the motherboard and problem solved.
Good luck yall!
Posted by: Pierre at November 4, 2009 6:56 AMThe instruction at 0x5ff3d322 referenced memory at 0x8d3cd7ap The memory could not be read pops up 2x's every time i close a tap or internet explorer. i have XP on my acer please help
Posted by: Bryan Schultz at November 7, 2009 7:32 PM