Err Msg: STOP: C0000221 Unknown Hard Error

 Last reviewed: March 24, 1997
Article ID: Q101096
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5, 3.51, and 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51, and 4.0

The following STOP message appears when a critical system file or other file needed to load Windows NT is corrupted: 

   STOP: C0000221 unknown hard error
   <path>\<file name>
Alternatively, the error may read as follows: 

   STOP: 0xC0000221 unknown hard error
   c:\winnt\system32\ntdll.dll  (or other specific file/driver)
This error can appear in many different formats, ranging from a blue system error screen to a dialog box. The type of format depends on how much of the operating system was loaded when the corrupted file was detected.

If you receive this error message, the file listed along with the error is corrupted. You need to either obtain a new copy of the file or reinstall Windows NT. If reinstallation fails to solve the problem, then a hardware or network problem may exist.

The files that are checked for integrity as Windows NT starts are:

  • All drivers (except those loaded by the system loader to boot the system)
  • All dynamic link libraries (DLLs), including USER, GDI, SHELL, KERNEL, NTDLL, CRTDLL, etc.
  • All DLLs loaded into the address space of the Windows NT server (video drivers, printer drivers, etc.)

This error message can be caused when you install an inappropriate driver for your hardware. For example, this error would appear if you installed a MIPS driver on an X86-based computer.

Additional query words: prodnt checksum blue trap
Keywords : kbother ntstop
Version : 3.1 3.51 3.51 4.0
Platform : WinNT
Issue type : kberrmsg

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Last reviewed: March 24, 1997
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