How to Respond to "Illegal Operation" Errors in Windows

Illegal operation messages occur in Windows when the computer has been unable to do something that it was trying to do. By responding to these messages, you may be able to correct the problem. These instructions are for Windows 98.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Computers
• Microsoft Windows

1. Write down the error message. It may be something like "MSGSRV32 Caused GPF in CM8330SB.DRV". You will need this message if you use the Windows Troubleshooters or if you have to contact a technical support person.

2. Write down what you were doing at the time the error message occurred. For example, were you shutting down the computer? Installing new software? What software was running at the time the message occurred?

3. Try closing the software application you were using at the time. If it is frozen, use the keyboard command Control+Alt+Delete. Select the frozen program from the menu that appears, then click Close. Try reopening the program to see if the problem has been corrected.

4. Try rebooting your computer. If possible, close all open programs. From the Start menu, click Shut Down, then Restart. When the computer restarts, check to see if the problem has been corrected.

5. From the Start menu, click on Help. From the window that opens, select the Contents tab. Click on Troubleshooting, then on Windows 98 Troubleshooting. Select the activity that matches what you were doing when the error message occurred. Follow the Wizard's instructions.

6. If all else fails, contact your computer vendor or your technical support person for assistance. You will need the error message and the list of activities that you were doing at the time the error occurred.

Tips & Warnings

• To minimize error messages, download and install any patches or system upgrades that Micorosoft recommends.

• Scan for viruses regularly.

• Run Scandisk and Defrag regularly. This enhances your computer's performance and identifies any disk problems that may be developing.

• Error messages may occur when your system is short of resources. To free up resources, close open programs or shut down programs that are running in memory, such as screen savers and Internet message services.

• Illegal operations may cause unsaved work to be lost. Saving your work frequently will minimize losses.