The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Constant WmiPrvSE.exe errors in WinXP SP3

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by nemt, Dec 27, 2010.

  1. nemt

    nemt Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    73
    Messages:
    968
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    I'm constantly getting this error message on an old PC i'm trying to set up for my parents:
    Wmiprvse.exe - application Error

    The instruction at [a memory address] referenced memory at "0x00000000". The memory could not be "written"

    Click on OK to terminate this program

    Click on CANCEL to debug this program

    Neither OK nor Cancel do anything and it always reappears later. I've checked Google and find a lot of listings of similar problems, but not a single solution anywhere.

    EDIT: I'm 100% positive the machine is malware/virus free.
     
    nemt, Dec 27, 2010
    #1
  2. nemt

    nemt Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    73
    Messages:
    968
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    anyone? ]:
     
    nemt, Dec 29, 2010
    #2
  3. 1ceBlu3

    1ceBlu3 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    1,050
    Messages:
    829
    Likes Received:
    17
    Trophy Points:
    31
    1ceBlu3, Dec 29, 2010
    #3
  4. nemt

    nemt Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    73
    Messages:
    968
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Yeah I came across most of those, nothing particularly helpful. It's definitely a problem with the legitimate windows service, not any kind of worm or other malware.
     
    nemt, Dec 29, 2010
    #4
  5. nemt

    nemt Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    73
    Messages:
    968
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Does anyone have any ideas? Every help link I can find on google is just an advertisement for various specious anti-malware applications.
     
    nemt, Jan 2, 2011
    #5
  6. 1ceBlu3

    1ceBlu3 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    1,050
    Messages:
    829
    Likes Received:
    17
    Trophy Points:
    31
    mmm..have you tried running a RAM test?
    or finding out what program is running the WMI service, which is resulting in error?
     
    1ceBlu3, Jan 2, 2011
    #6
  7. nemt

    nemt Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    73
    Messages:
    968
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    The memory is fine, I just tested it in MemTest86+ for 11 passes.

    How can I figure out which program is running the WMI service? I imagine several programs use it, how will I know which one is causing the error?
     
    nemt, Jan 2, 2011
    #7
  8. newsposter

    newsposter Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    801
    Messages:
    3,881
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    boot into safe mode, what happens?

    force update all drivers?

    deinstall everything you don't absolutely need.
     
    newsposter, Jan 2, 2011
    #8
  9. nemt

    nemt Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    73
    Messages:
    968
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    All drivers are up to date, the error doesn't occur in safe mode.
     
    nemt, Jan 2, 2011
    #9
  10. 1ceBlu3

    1ceBlu3 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    1,050
    Messages:
    829
    Likes Received:
    17
    Trophy Points:
    31
    1ceBlu3, Jan 2, 2011
    #10