STOP 0x0000009C : MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION

STOP Errors are usually the result of a hardware malfunction or device driver issue. It is also possible to receive a Blue Screen Error due to bad system memory, malfunctioning power supply, components overheating, or hardware overclocked beyond its specification. In older versions of the Windows OS you may also receive Blue Screen Errors due to incompatible DLL files.

Since the only option when receiving a Blue Screen Error is to reboot, any unsaved data is lost. With that in mind, it is very important to eliminate these errors to protect your data.

Basic Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting STOP Errors can be a difficult and time consuming process. Try these basic steps to fix your own Blue Scree Error. We hope it will help you avoid an expensive service call and provide a rewarding experience of solving the problem on your own.

The first and simplest thing to do is recall any changes you may have just made to your computer. Did you just install a new piece of hardware or install a new application? If so, revert these changes and see if your system becomes stable again. If your becomes stable again but you really need those changes to work you could try to clean your system registry and then try to make your required changes. If your recent change was a new piece of hardware be sure it is properly installed and that you are using the correct drivers.
Perform Windows Updates and install all updates and service packs. It is possible that Microsoft has released a patch to fix the STOP Error you are receiving.

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Keep your device drivers up to date. The majority of STOP Errors are hardware and driver related. A driver update may repair a corrupt driver or fix a driver conflict between devices.
Some STOP Errors can be caused by viruses. Make sure your virus software is up to date and perform a virus scan.
Make sure that all of your cables and other components inside your computer case are properly attached and seated. If you have hardware not in securely installed you may receive STOP Errors.

Advanced Troubleshooting

The following details are for advanced users. These are provided for your convenience and may help those with advanced knowledge discover the root cause of their STOP Error.

Stop 0x9C: MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION

The MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION stop error code has a value of 0x0000009C. This stop error code indicates that a fatal machine check exception has occurred.

Parameters

The four parameters that are listed in the message have different meanings, depending on the processor type.

If the processor is based on an older x86-based architecture and has the Machine Check Exception (MCE) feature but not the Machine Check Architecture (MCA) feature (for example, the Intel Pentium processor), the parameters have the following meaning.

Parameter	Description
1	The low 32 bits of P5_MC_TYPE Machine Service Report (MSR)
2	The address of the MCA_EXCEPTION structure
3	The high 32 bits of P5_MC_ADDR MSR
4	The low 32 bits of P5_MC_ADDR MSR

If the processor is based on a newer x86-based architecture and has the MCA feature and the MCE feature (for example, any Intel Processor of family 6 or higher, such as Pentium Pro, Pentium IV, or Xeon), or if the processor is an x64-based processor, the parameters have the following meaning.

Parameter	Description
1	The bank number
2	The address of the MCA_EXCEPTION structure
3	The high 32 bits of MCi_STATUS MSR for the MCA bank that had the error
4	The low 32 bits of MCi_STATUS MSR for the MCA bank that had the error

On an Itanium-based processor, the parameters have the following meaning.

Note Parameter 1 indicates the type of violation.

Parameter 1	Parameter 2	Parameter 3	Parameter 4	Cause
0x1	The address of the log	The size of the log	0
0x2	The address of the log	The size of the log	The error code	The system abstraction layer (SAL) returned an error for SAL_GET_STATEINFO while processing MCA.
0x3	The address of the log	The size of the log	The error code	SAL returned an error for SAL_CLEAR_STATEINFO while it processed MCA.
0x4	The address of the log	The size of the log	0	Firmware (FW) reported a fatal MCA.
0x5	The address of the log	The size of the log	0	There are two possible causes: SAL reported a recoverable MCA, but this recovery is not currently supported. SAL generated an MCA but could not produce an error record.
0xB	The address of the log	The size of the log	0
0xC	The address of the log	The size of the log	The error code	SAL returned an error for SAL_GET_STATEINFO while processing an INIT event.
0xD	The address of the log	The size of the log	The error code	SAL returned an error for SAL_CLEAR_STATEINFO while it processed an INIT event.
0xE	The address of the log	The size of the log	0

Comments

For more information about Machine Check Architecture (MCA), see the Intel or AMD Web sites.

Note Starting with Windows Vista, this stop error code is no longer supported, and has been replaced with bug Check 0x124: WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR.

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