DECMON Can Cause Spoolss to Generate an Access Violation

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5 and 3.51
• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5 and 3.51

SYMPTOMS

The print service stops and a Dr. Watson Log is created. Upon further review of the Dr. Watson log (Drwtsn32.log) you may find:

   Application exception occurred:
           App: spoolss.DBG (pid=87)
           When: 5/9/1996 @ 16:38:2.449
           Exception number: c0000005 (access violation)

DECMON.DLL causes Spoolss to generate an Access Violation error. Spoolss uses many DLLs to communicate with printers, so any of those *.dll files can contain a problem.

To find where the error was in the case of Decmon.dll, search for the keyword FAULT in the following stack back trace:

  function: wvsprintfW
          77eb3ea2 83c602           add     esi,0x2
          77eb3ea5 85c9             test    ecx,ecx
          77eb3ea7 0f8e7b04ffff     jle     wvsprintfW+0xb2 (77ea4328)
          77eb3ead ebdf             jmp     wvsprintfW+0x1c3 (77eb3e8e)
          77eb3eaf 8345ec04         add   dword ptr [ebp-0x14],0x4
  ss:00a7e08e=????????
          77eb3eb3 8b45ec           mov     eax,[ebp-0x14]
  ss:00a7e08e=????????
          77eb3eb6 b9ffffffff       mov     ecx,0xffffffff
          77eb3ebb 8b50fc           mov     edx,[eax-0x4]
  ds:0046e922=????????
          77eb3ebe 2bc0             sub     eax,eax
          77eb3ec0 8bfa             mov     edi,edx
  FAULT ->77eb3ec2 f2ae             repne   scasb
  es:001a0000=??
          77eb3ec4 f7d1             not     ecx
          77eb3ec6 49               dec     ecx
          77eb3ec7 837df000         cmp   dword ptr [ebp-0x10],0x0
  ss:00a7e08e=????????
          77eb3ecb 894df4           mov     [ebp-0xc],ecx
  ss:00a7e08e=????????
          77eb3ece 7c0a             jl      wvsprintfW+0x20f (77eb3eda)
          77eb3ed0 8b45f0           mov     eax,[ebp-0x10]
  ss:00a7e08e=????????
          77eb3ed3 3bc1             cmp     eax,ecx
          77eb3ed5 7d03             jge     wvsprintfW+0x20f (77eb3eda)
          77eb3ed7 8945f4           mov     [ebp-0xc],eax
  ss:00a7e08e=????????
          77eb3eda 8b45f4           mov     eax,[ebp-0xc]
  ss:00a7e08e=????????
          77eb3edd 2945f8           sub     [ebp-0x8],eax
  ss:00a7e08e=????????

  *----> Stack Back Trace <----*

  FramePtr ReturnAd Param#1  Param#2  Param#3  Param#4  Function Name
  0060f76c 775871a0 0060f780 7758cb38 0060ff5c 00650067 user32!wvsprintfW
  [omap]
  0060ff50 7756d0bf 7758cb0c 00000037 0019ffc4 01a42ab4 decpsmon!trace

MORE INFORMATON

In general, to find the fault and determine which *.dll causes the problems, look in the STACK BACK TRACE under Function Name. To do that you must do the following first:

1. Load the correct debug files, called SYMBOL files, to the directory where Windows NT is installed (that is, \Winnt\Symbols). Symbol files are found on the Windows NT compact disc under \Support\Debug\<your platform, for example I386>\Symbols.

2. Copy this directory to your Windows NT directory. If you have any Service Packs installed you will need the symbols for that Service Pack also. Symbols for Service Packs are included on the compact disc or can be obtained from the FTP.MICROSOFT.COM site.

To resolve this problem, install the fix mentioned below.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.51. This problem was corrected in the latest Windows NT 3.51 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

   S E R V P A C K