Vista - "'Program' has stopped working, Windows will now close the program" Frequent Error

Greetings!

I'd like to throw some fresh sand onto this ( programs stop working in Windows Vista ) topic, which is ancient but appears to remain unresolved. I've had this same problem nefariously for many a moon now, while it isn't crippling of my computers performance it occurs frequently enough to make me question if perhaps it isn't a worm. I've consulted a series of forums about their respective programs, but after concluding that it isn't exclusively an issue with each individual program in which I encounter this application terminating error I am left to believe that it may indeed be an OS spanning bug.

Personally, I have received exactly the same suggestions for correcting the problem as have been listed here in response to this fellow's on at least half a dozen boards. Remove Norton! They say, this must be a fairly common and frustrating problem, Norton, and while i have no doubt that it's as tyrannical and computer devouring as people say it is it's never been on my system, ever! I'm running an HP Slimline, it's a great machine, with Vista Home Premium. This Error has stopped me from running my recently purchased edition of Avast! 4 Professional Edition's system scanner, a series of other nameless programs, and a handful of relatively unbeefy videogames like Phantasy Star Universe. When prompting windows to "find a solution to the problem" windows quite simply chooses not to, or can't, I can't tell because that's usually where the error prompt dissipates ne'r to return lest I attempt to run said program again.

This was once a largely frustrating problem, but at this point I'm finding it fascinating, because the more I search the more I find this exact same pattern in forums and FAQs and help files. "I get a prompt, what do I do?" "Remove norton." "Did/never had" "Uh, slap yourself until you cry and write a poem about it."

Really though, about 6 different places, one on the Avast Forum, two on other windows help forums, one clearly here, one on a general error forum and two on video game forums. Harsh. Always the same thing too. It's such a small problem that it doesn't warrant grabbing Microsoft's attention, but it's severe in those very few of us that have it and well it's just making us unfriendly to the rote responses we're getting, on behalf of the community of degenerate fools who are enjoying the " * has stopped working, windows closed the program" error I formally apologize.
Any fresh ideas that don't start with remove symantec? (I can't, it's non existent on my computer.) Uber thankee's. My HJT log file is listed below.

ogfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 2:07:55 AM, on 6/22/2009
Platform: Windows Vista SP1 (WinNT 6.00.1905)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v7.00 (7.00.6001.18248)
Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:
C:\Windows\system32\taskeng.exe
C:\Windows\Explorer.EXE
C:\hp\support\hpsysdrv.exe
C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\On-Screen OSD Indicator\OSD.exe
C:\Windows\System32\mobsync.exe
C:\WINDOWS\RtHDVCpl.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\rundll32.exe
C:\Program Files\Snapfish Media Detector\SnapfishMediaDetector.exe
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashDisp.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jusched.exe
C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\Skype.exe
C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\program\soffice.exe
C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\program\soffice.bin
C:\Windows\system32\wbem\unsecapp.exe
C:\Program Files\Skype\Plugin Manager\skypePM.exe
C:\Windows\system32\wuauclt.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant =
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,CustomizeSearch =
O2 - BHO: Java(tm) Plug-In 2 SSV Helper - {DBC80044-A445-435b-BC74-9C25C1C588A9} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jp2ssv.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [hpsysdrv] c:\hp\support\hpsysdrv.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [OsdMaestro] "C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\On-Screen OSD Indicator\OSD.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RtHDVCpl] RtHDVCpl.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\Windows\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\Windows\system32\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SnapfishMediaDetector] C:\Program Files\Snapfish Media Detector\SnapfishMediaDetector.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [avast!] C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jusched.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TkBellExe] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [Launcher] %WINDIR%\SMINST\launcher.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Skype] "C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\Skype.exe" /nosplash /minimized
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-20\..\Run: [WindowsWelcomeCenter] rundll32.exe oobefldr.dll,ShowWelcomeCenter (User 'NETWORK SERVICE')
O4 - Startup: OpenOffice.org 3.1.lnk = C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\program\quickstart.exe
O18 - Protocol: skype4com - {FFC8B962-9B40-4DFF-9458-1830C7DD7F5D} - C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\Skype\SKYPE4~1.DLL
O23 - Service: avast! iAVS4 Control Service (aswUpdSv) - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe
O23 - Service: avast! Antivirus - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe
O23 - Service: avast! Mail Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe
O23 - Service: avast! Web Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe
O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - c:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\1050\Intel 32\IDriverT.exe
O23 - Service: LightScribeService Direct Disc Labeling Service (LightScribeService) - Hewlett-Packard Company - c:\Program Files\Common Files\LightScribe\LSSrvc.exe
O23 - Service: NVIDIA Display Driver Service (nvsvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\Windows\system32\nvvsvc.exe
O23 - Service: XAudioService - Conexant Systems, Inc. - C:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS\xaudio.exe


"[program] hsa stopped working"
"Program" Stopped Working
"Program has stopped working"

all those too. Might I add that I've 'repaired' the programs, uninstalled an reinstalled them, and so on and so forth as well. Other common suggestions.

Salutations.

A) Don't bother trying to let Windows find a solution. 99% of the time it won't.

B) I assume 'many a moon' is not 'since new'. It's most likely a driver or app that has been installed and is conflicting with something.

C) Apart from Avast and Phantasy Star Universe, exactly what apps are crashing?

D) Your log doesn't show anything untoward. A few unnecessary start up items though.

E) Are all drivers, Windows Updates etc, up to date?


Check in Event viewer > Custom Views > Administrative events for the application crashes and see if there are any common 'faulting modules' that point to a particular file or files.

I too have received this "error message" numerous times -- however in the explanation notes, it explains that it is not really an "error" per se -- it is IE's way of protecting your system from potentially harmful elements found in certain web sites. (For example, in my case, the message always comes on the screen when I am exiting my Yahoo Mailbox.) And, what is more interesting, is that, although the message says that it is closing the program, it doesn't actually close anything (or if it does, it might just be the particular tab) because the other IE windows that I have running, remain open and running. So, if whatever action that prompts this message is actually helping your system, or at the very least, not hurting anything, I would suggest you leave it alone to do its job.

A) Sadly agreed.

B) Peculiarly this is only partially true, it began long after the birth of my HP but only became serious immediately after I restored the computer to it's factory default conditions. About three weeks ago it was in "like new" condition, and seems to have been encountering this issue with far more consistency since then.

C) I really wish I could recall, it wasn't too many programs, those are the ones I actively attempted to resolve. I'll list them as they recur. Initially I thought it was a Trojan because the vista seemed to have been modified to close Avast whenever I tried to start it, then I heard someone say it may similarly be a security issue, that vista's built in protection agents are allergic; this seemed fairly likely to me but I have no further evidence to proceed with this conclusion.

E) It seems here under event viewer that though I was under the impression windows was entirely up to date, almost all of the packages and updates have failed to be implemented in some way or another. Lots of "Windows has determined that this update does not apply to this system" and "windows has failed to update package ####" I'm beginning to imagine this might be part of the problem, but what could be stopping it? None of my antivirus programs, scanners or defense agents have even caught wind of a malicious virus which would probably benefit from the refusal of security updates. How unsettling.

Strangely there seems to be no common ground between the errors under Event Viewer except in their unreasonably large quantity.

Thanks for taking a crack at it, I am grateful for your attempt to help me with this even if it is a fruitless endeavor.

Hello Mjolnir07, welcome to Vista Forums!


Install this and run a full scan and post back with the results, at the link below; it's free.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.38















Later Ted

Not a mal one, this is disconcerting because I'm almost certain I have at least one instance of weak spyware, which may entail that far bigger guns are firing.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.37
Database version: 2218
Windows 6.0.6001 Service Pack 1

6/24/2009 3:33:45 AM
mbam-log-2009-06-24 (03-33-45).txt

Scan type: Full Scan (C:\|D:\|)
Objects scanned: 197124
Time elapsed: 1 hour(s), 4 minute(s), 39 second(s)

Memory Processes Infected: 0
Memory Modules Infected: 0
Registry Keys Infected: 0
Registry Values Infected: 0
Registry Data Items Infected: 0
Folders Infected: 0
Files Infected: 0

Memory Processes Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Memory Modules Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Keys Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Values Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Data Items Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Folders Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Files Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Aww my thread on this is going to die for the fiftieth time without a solution.
Thanks to all who tried.

Hello Mjolnir07.


Before it dies a horrible death; have a go at this tutorial, at the link below; you've nothing to lose.

System Files - SFC Command


Keep us informed!












Later Ted

Well shucks, no integrity violations. This issue might be an HP versus Vista thing. Curse you HP, curse you.

*bump* *cry*