How to troubleshoot a "Stop error code 0x0000007E (SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED)" error in Windows XP

After you upgrade your computer to Windows XP, you might receive the following Stop error message when the computer starts:Note The parameters and file names in this error message might vary, depending on the cause of the Stop error. The file name in the second line of the error message, WUSB54GCx86.sys, is an example of a driver file that might be causing the error.

This article discusses seven methods for resolving the problem. The first method is designed for beginning to intermediate computer users. The other six methods are designed for advanced computer users.

Because this article contains steps that involve restarting your computer, you might find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.

This issue might occur if a system thread generates an exception that the error handler does not catch. This exception can be caused by any of the following:

• If this issue occurs after the first restart during Windows Setup or after Setup is complete, the computer might not have sufficient hard disk space to run Windows XP.
• The computer BIOS might be incompatible with Windows XP, or it might have to be updated.
• The video adapter drivers might be incompatible with Windows XP.
• A device driver or a system service might be damaged.
• If the issue is associated with the Win32k.sys file, it might be caused by a third-party remote control program.

Use the Windows Error Reporting tool

You can use the Windows Error Reporting tool to send information about the error to us and to obtain information about any available fix or workaround. Follow these steps to use the Windows Error Reporting Tool:

1. When the Windows Error Reporting window pops up on your computer, click Send Error Report to send the error report to us.
2. In the confirmation window that appears after you send the error report to us, click More Information. This helps you find any available fixes for the problem or information about how to work around the issue.
3. If a fix or a workaround is not available, you can use the "Advanced Troubleshooting" section to try to resolve this issue. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, you might want to contact Support. For information about how to contact Support, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/

Advanced troubleshooting

Use the following methods in the order in which they are presented.

Method 1: Make sure that you have sufficient hard disk space

First, make sure that you have sufficient hard disk space. The Stop error can be caused by insufficient hard disk space.

If you can use safe mode or the Recovery Console to start the computer, delete any unnecessary temporary files, Internet cache files, program backup files, and files that contain saved file fragments from disk scans (.chk files). You can also install Windows XP on another hard disk that has more free space.

If you cannot start the computer, go to the next method to update the computer BIOS.

For more information about safe mode or the Recovery Console, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Method 2: Update the computer BIOS

If freeing space on your hard disk did not resolve the problem, the BIOS might have to be updated. Use the hardware and software vendor contact information articles that are listed in the "References" section to contact the computer manufacturer to obtain the most recent BIOS update.

Note When you update the BIOS, you might have to disable BIOS memory options, such as caching or shadowing, temporarily.

Method 3: Disable or update device drivers

If you have updated the BIOS successfully and the problem persists, the video adapter drivers on the computer might have to be updated or disabled. Follow these steps to troubleshoot the video adapter drivers:

1. If a driver is listed by name in the Stop error message, disable or remove that driver.
   • If the error occurs during the startup sequence and the system partition uses the NTFS file system, you might be able to use safe mode to rename or to delete the faulty driver.
   • If the driver is used as part of the system startup process in safe mode, you must use the Recovery Console to start the computer.
2. If the Stop error message does not indicate a specific driver, update the video adapter drivers to the latest versions.
3. Disable or remove any drivers or services that you recently added.
4. Check the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) to determine whether the PCI devices in the computer are compatible with Windows XP. For information about the HCL, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx

Method 4: Remove unsigned drivers

If you have updated the video adapter drivers and the problem persists, or if you cannot start Windows in safe mode, the problem might be caused by a different, unsigned driver. Remove all drivers that are not digitally signed by Microsoft. For more information about how to do this, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Method 5: Remove all third-party drivers

You might be unable to determine which third-party driver causes the error. If removing unsigned drivers does not resolve the issue, try moving all third-party driver files from the %Windir%\System32\Drivers folder to a different location. Follow these steps to move the third-party driver files:

1. Use the Recovery Console to start the computer, or start the computer from a different installation of Windows if you have performed a parallel Windows installation.
2. Create a temporary folder to hold the driver files. For example, you could create c:\DriverTemp.
3. Move all files that do not have a creation date for Windows XP of 8/13/2001 from the %Windir%\System32\Drivers folder into the temporary folder that you created in step 2.
   
   Caution If the computer relies on third-party IDE or SCSI controller drivers for correct operation, you must identify those driver files and then leave them in the %Windir%\System32\Drivers folder.
4. Restart the computer.
5. Continue the Windows Setup program. You can add the driver files back to the computer one at a time to identify the faulty driver.

Method 6: Remove third-party remote control services

If you still have the problem after you use the previous methods and the Stop error message contains the Win32k.sys file name instead of a driver file name, the problem might be caused by a third-party remote control program. To remove the service, use the Recovery Console to start the computer and then delete the third-party remote control service file.

If you still have problems similar to the one described in this article, the problems might be caused by something not described in this article. We have included a list of articles that discuss similar problems that you can review to try to address the problem:
For additional information about other troubleshooting steps that you can use, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: If these articles do not help you resolve the problem or if you experience symptoms that differ from those that are described in this article, you can search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for more information. To search the Microsoft Knowledge Base, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Then, type the text of the error message that you receive, or type a description of the problem in the Search Support (KB) field.

If you still have problems after you use these methods and these articles, click the following link to contact Support:

If the following conditions are true, the issue might be a hardware incompatibility with Windows XP because all the installed drivers are Windows XP drivers:

• You receive the STOP 0x7E error when you first start the computer.
• You receive the STOP 0x7E error after you run the Setup program.
• You did not install any third-party drivers during the installation of Windows.

However, if you receive the STOP 0x7E error after you upgrade from Windows 2000 Professional, or if you recently added a new hardware device, this issue might be an incompatible driver or an incompatible hardware device.

For information about how to contact the computer manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about how to disable a service that prevents Windows from starting, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about video adapter drivers in safe mode , click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: