I've been dealing with the frustrating 0xc0000005 error, also known as Access Code Violation, for over a year now, and I still can't figure out what's causing it. It seems to pop up in various scenarios, and I'd really appreciate some insights or advice on potential solutions. Here's a summary of my experience:
**Where It Occurs:**
- Random crashes in Google Chrome with the "Access_Violation" error. It even crashed while I was typing this post.
- Steam and Discord also crash and restart themselves.
- Occasionally experiencing Blue Screens of Death (BSOD), although it's rare.
- Issues with GPU driver updates; they often fail.
- Can't plug in new USB drives or external SSDs, getting a Code 31 error instead.
- A mapping program for the Source game engine corrupts my files upon saving or crashes during game compilation, giving an "Exception_Access_Violation" error related to "shaderapidx9.dll."
- Some games crash, with one pointing to an issue with DirectX9.
- Event Viewer shows an error related to Kernel-EventTracing: "Error setting traits on Provider {8444a4fb-d8d3-4f38-84f8-89960a1ef12f}. Error: 0xC0000001."
- I can't update Windows and get the 0xc05 error.
**What I've Tried:**
- Running sfc /scannow showed no errors.
- DISM didn't point out any specific problems.
- Attempted to update USB drivers without success.
- Bought new RAM a few months ago; the issue has been ongoing much longer.
- Repaired Outlook data files, unsure if related to the 0xc05 error.
- Ran chkdsk on extra drives, but I'm unsure how to find the logs without resetting my PC.
- Used CrystalDisk to check the health of my drives, which reported good conditions.
- Disabled DEP for certain programs.
- Some games avoid crashing in windowed mode.
**What I Haven't Tried:**
- Reinstalling Windows; I'm unsure of the process and the potential for data loss.
- Resetting Windows through the built-in option—concerned it might wipe my applications and files.
- Completely wiping my drive as a last resort.
- Updating my BIOS, which I've never done before. The latest available version seems to be from 10/30/2024, but I can't recognize any new flash drives needed for the update.
- Turning DEP off completely, though I know this may pose a security risk.
**Specs:**
- Windows 11 Home 64-bit
- ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
- 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-139000k, 3000 Mhz, 24 Core(s)
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
- 32 GB RAM
I'm pretty desperate for solutions or pointers on where to look next. Is this more likely a software or hardware issue? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Cheers!
3 Answers
First off, don’t panic about updating your BIOS, but it sounds like that could help. There have been issues with the 13th Gen Intel CPUs that Intel has acknowledged, and updating the BIOS could resolve some of those problems. Just make sure to back up your data before making any BIOS changes because they can be risky. If you update it, look for at least microcode revision 0x12B or the latest which should be 0x12F. This might help stabilize your system and could potentially fix that pesky 0xc0000005 error.
Before you proceed with reinstalling Windows, I would recommend performing a thorough check of your RAM using a tool like Memtest86. RAM issues can cause these Access Violations. If you see any errors during testing, it might indicate a problem with the new RAM you installed. Don’t forget that if you do decide to reinstall Windows, using the built-in reset feature might wipe your files, so back everything up first!
Have you checked if your system's dump files are generating when you hit a BSOD? These files can provide insight into what's causing the crashes. You can find them in C:WindowsMinidump. If there are any files there, zip them up and share them; I can help analyze those. It's a good way to get to the root of the problem. Also, if you're having issues with specific games, running them in windowed mode can sometimes bypass the crashes, but it sounds like you’ve already figured that part out!
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