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Article ID: 293078 - Last Review : Feb ru ar y 3, 2011 - Revisio n : 5.3

Error message in Windows XP: "STOP 0x000000EA THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER"

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View p ro du cts th at th is article ap p lies to .

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relevant to you. Visit the Windows 7 Solution C enter
Th is article w as p revio u sly p u b lish ed u n der Q 293078

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more information, refer to this Microsoft web page: Support is ending for some versions of Windows
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Article Translations
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SYMPTO MS
Yo u receive o n e o f th e fo llo w in g Sto p erro r messages in W in do w s XP:

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STO P 0x000000EA THREAD_STU CK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER

STO P: 0x100000EA THREAD_STU CK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER_M

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"Sto p : 0x0000000A
(00000063, 0000001c,
00000000, p arameter4 ...
"Sto p 0x000000EA" Erro r
Message W h en Yo u Ru n
Video -In ten sive Pro grams
Sto p 0x000000ED Erro r
Message W h en Vo lu me o n
IDE Drive w ith ...

CAU SE
Th is issu e o ccu rs if th e grap h ics adap ter is cau gh t in an in fin ite lo o p w h ile it w aits fo r th e video h ardw are to
b eco me idle. Th is can in dicate th at th ere is a p ro b lem w ith th e video h ardw are, o r th at th e grap h ics adap ter
can n o t p ro gram th e h ardw are co rrectly.
Th e Sto p erro r message may also o ccu r in video adap ter drivers th at do n o t rep resen t a p h ysical device. Fo r
examp le, th is Sto p erro r message may o ccu r in th e virtu al video adap ter driver th at is u sed b y Syman tec
PCAn yw h ere. If PCAn yw h ere is in stalled o n a co mp u ter w h ere th is erro r message o ccu rs, visit th e Syman tec
W eb site to determin e w h eth er th ere are an y availab le fixes fo r yo u r versio n o f PCAn yw h ere.
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Search related topics

Sto p erro r 0xea
0xea
THREAD STU CK IN DEVICE
DRIVER M
Erro r sto p 0x000000EA
Vista
Erro r message in co n tro l
p an el W in do w s ...

RESO LU TIO N
To co rrect th is issu e, fo llo w th e meth o ds th at are describ ed in th is sectio n in th e o rder in w h ich th ey are
p resen ted u n til th e issu e is reso lved.

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W in do w s XP
W in do w s XP Pro fessio n al
x64 Editio n

Th e first fo u r meth o ds describ ed in th is article are fo r b egin n in g to in termediate u sers. Th e fin al tw o meth o ds
deal w ith advan ced tro u b lesh o o tin g an d are design ed fo r advan ced u sers.
Yo u may fin d it easier to fo llo w th e step s if yo u p rin t th is article first.

Method 1: Use the Windows Error Reporting tool

U se th e W in do w s Erro r Rep o rtin g To o l to sen d th e erro r to Micro so ft an d determin e o f a fix o r w o rkaro u n d is
availab le. To do th is, fo llo w th ese step s:
1. Click Send Error Report w h en yo u are p ro mp ted to sen d th e erro r rep o rt to Micro so ft.
2. If a fix o r a w o rkaro u n d is availab le, click M ore Information. Th is h elp s yo u o b tain th e fix o r
in fo rmatio n ab o u t h o w to w o rk aro u n d th e issu e.
If th is meth o d w o rked, yo u are fin ish ed. If yo u co n tin u e to receive th e sto p erro r message, go to meth o d 2.

Method 2: Install the latest driver for your video adapter

To detect an d to in stall th e latest driver fo r yo u r video adap ter in W in do w s XP, visit th e fo llo w in g Micro so ft
W eb site:
h ttp ://u p date.micro so ft.co m
If th is meth o d w o rked, yo u are fin ish ed. If yo u co n tin u e to receive th e sto p erro r message, go to meth o d 3.

Method 3: Contact the video card manufacturer to obtain and install the latest driver
Th e driver is so ftw are th at en ab les video s to b e view ed o n yo u r co mp u ter. See th e do cu men tatio n th at w as
in clu ded w ith yo u r co mp u ter to determin e th e man u factu rer fo r yo u r video card. Th en , u se th e lin ks in th e

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fo llo w in g list to fin d th e co n tact in fo rmatio n fo r yo u r video card man u factu rer in o rder to o b tain an d in stall
th e latest driver. Fo r mo re in fo rmatio n ab o u t h ardw are an d so ftw are ven do r co n tact in fo rmatio n , visit th e
fo llo w in g Micro so ft W eb site:
h ttp ://su p p o rt.micro so ft.co m/gp /ven do rs
Micro so ft p ro vides th ird-p arty co n tact in fo rmatio n to h elp yo u fin d tech n ical su p p o rt. Th is co n tact
in fo rmatio n may ch an ge w ith o u t n o tice. Micro so ft do es n o t gu aran tee th e accu racy o f th is th ird-p arty co n tact
in fo rmatio n .
If th is meth o d w o rked, yo u are fin ish ed. If yo u co n tin u e to receive th e sto p erro r message, go to meth o d 4.

Method 4: Replace your video card

Fo r in fo rmatio n ab o u t h o w to rep lace yo u r video card, p lease see th e do cu men tatio n th at w as in clu ded w ith
yo u r co mp u ter.
If th is meth o d w o rked, yo u are fin ish ed. If yo u co n tin u e to receive th e sto p erro r message, an d yo u are
co mfo rtab le tr yin g advan ced tro u b lesh o o tin g step s, go to th e "Advan ced tro u b lesh o o tin g" sectio n .
If yo u are n o t co mfo rtab le w ith advan ced tro u b lesh o o tin g, yo u migh t w an t to go to th e Next Step s sectio n
fo r additio n al reso u rces th at may b e ab le to h elp .
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Advanced troubleshooting
Th ese meth o ds are in ten ded fo r advan ced co mp u ter u sers. If yo u are n o t co mfo rtab le w ith advan ced
tro u b lesh o o tin g, yo u migh t w an t to ask so meo n e fo r h elp o r co n tact Su p p o rt. Fo r in fo rmatio n ab o u t h o w to
co n tact Su p p o rt, visit th e fo llo w in g Micro so ft W eb site:
h ttp ://su p p o rt.micro so ft.co m/co n tactu s/

Method 1: Disable or update device drivers

1. View th e Micro so ft Hardw are Co mp atib ility List (HCL) to determin e w h eth er th e PCI devices in th e
co mp u ter are co mp atib le w ith W in do w s XP. Fo r in fo rmatio n ab o u t th e h ardw are co mp atib ility list, visit
th e fo llo w in g Micro so ft W eb site:
h ttp ://w w w.micro so ft.co m/w h dc/h cl/defau lt.msp x
2. U p date th e video adap ter drivers to th e latest versio n s.
3. If a driver is listed b y n ame in th e Sto p erro r message, disab le o r remo ve th at driver.
4. Disab le o r remo ve an y drivers o r ser vices th at yo u recen tly added.
N ote If th e erro r o ccu rs du rin g th e startu p sequ en ce, an d th e system p artitio n is u sin g th e NTFS file system,
yo u may b e ab le to u se safe mo de to ren ame o r to delete th e fau lty driver. If th e driver is u sed as p art o f th e
system startu p p ro cess in safe mo de, yo u mu st start th e co mp u ter b y u sin g th e Reco ver y Co n so le to u se th e
file. Fo r mo re in fo rmatio n ab o u t video adap ter drivers in safe mo de, click th e fo llo w in g article n u mb er to view
th e article in th e Micro so ft Kn o w ledge B ase:
292460 Ho w to tro u b lesh o o t th e video adap ter driver in safe mo de in W in do w s XP
N ote If th e p ro b lem is asso ciated w ith th e W in 32k .sys file, th e p ro b lem may b e cau sed b y a th ird-p arty remo te
co n tro l p ro gram. To remo ve th e ser vice, u se th e Reco ver y Co n so le to start th e co mp u ter, an d th en delete th e
sp ecified system ser vice file.
If th is meth o d w o rked, yo u are fin ish ed. If yo u co n tin u e to receive th e sto p erro r message, go to meth o d 2.

Method 2: Adjust the Hardware Acceleration

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, an d th en do u b le-click Display.
2. O n th e Settings tab , click Advanced, an d th en click th e Troubleshoot tab .
3. Mo ve th e Hardware Acceleration slider to N one, an d th en click to clear th e Enable write combining
ch eck b o x.
4. Click OK, an d th en click OK.
N ote Th is p ro cedu re p reven ts th e grap h ics adap ter fro m p ro grammin g th e h ardw are in co rrectly, b u t yo u may
lo se so me disp lay fu n ctio n ality an d p erfo rman ce. Alth o u gh yo u can in crease th e h ardw are acceleratio n
settin gs h igh er th an N one to regain fu n ctio n ality an d p erfo rman ce, th ese settin gs in crease th e p o ssib ility th at
th e issu e w ill o ccu r again . Fo r maximu m stab ility, leave h ardw are acceleratio n o ff.
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NEXT STEPS
If th ese meth o ds did n o t h elp yo u , yo u migh t w an t to u se th e Micro so ft Cu sto mer Su p p o rt Ser vices W eb site
to fin d o th er so lu tio n s. So me ser vices th at th e Micro so ft Cu sto mer Su p p o rt Ser vices W eb site p ro vides in clu de
th e fo llo w in g:
Search ab le Kn o w ledge B ase : Search tech n ical su p p o rt in fo rmatio n an d self-h elp to o ls fo r Micro so ft
p ro du cts.
So lu tio n Cen ters : View p ro du ct-sp ecific frequ en tly asked qu estio n s an d su p p o rt h igh ligh ts.
Micro so ft Cu sto mer Su p p o rt New sgro u p s : Co n tact co u n terp arts, p eers, an d Micro so ft Mo st Valu ab le
Pro fessio n als (MVPs).
O th er Su p p o rt O p tio n s : U se th e W eb to ask a qu estio n , co n tact Micro so ft Cu sto mer Su p p o rt Ser vices,
o r p ro vide feedb ack .
If yo u co n tin u e to h ave qu estio n s after yo u u se th ese Micro so ft W eb sites o r if yo u can n o t fin d a so lu tio n o n
th e Micro so ft Su p p o rt Ser vices W eb site, click th e fo llo w in g lin k to co n tact Su p p o rt:
h ttp ://su p p o rt.micro so ft.co m/co n tactu s
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Th e th ird-p arty p ro du cts th at th is article discu sses are man u factu red b y co mp an ies th at are in dep en den t o f
Micro so ft. Micro so ft makes n o w arran ty, imp lied o r o th er w ise, ab o u t th e p erfo rman ce o r reliab ility o f th ese
p ro du cts.

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Keywords: kb reso lve kb tsh o o t kb en v kb errmsg kb h ardw are kb p rb KB 293078

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