"services and controller app encountered a problem and needed to close"

[Asp]

Booted up XP SP3.

Had a shutdown tab on the toolbar, but nothing responsive, did a power reboot.

Now I get a popup with this message

"services and controller app encountered a problem and needed to close"

as screenshot, with subsequent popups..

Am pretty nervous. Is this just Windows being cranky, this install is about 4 years old, or is it actually likely to be malware?

Googled with the error message, found nothing useful.

Currently backing up all my work and email files.

Found this: "A BEX error is a “Buffer Overflow Exception”. This error is typically raised when Microsoft Windows detects that a programs tries to put more data than possible in a region of memory." Can be used by viruses, but also just bad code. That it occurred in a core Windows app is a bit concerning. Or I guess "Services and Controller" loads other code. I have a few startups. Avast for one, which didn't throw a warning..

 

Edited July 6, 2022 by Asp

[AstroSkipper]

On 7/6/2022 at 5:48 AM, Asp said:

Booted up XP SP3.

Had a shutdown tab on the toolbar, but nothing responsive, did a power reboot.

Now I get a popup with this message

"services and controller app encountered a problem and needed to close"

as screenshot, with subsequent popups..

Am pretty nervous. Is this just Windows being cranky, this install is about 4 years old, or is it actually likely to be malware?

Googled with the error message, found nothing useful.

Currently backing up all my work and email files.

Found this: "A BEX error is a “Buffer Overflow Exception”. This error is typically raised when Microsoft Windows detects that a programs tries to put more data than possible in a region of memory." Can be used by viruses, but also just bad code. That it occurred in a core Windows app is a bit concerning. Or I guess "Services and Controller" loads other code. I have a few startups. Avast for one, which didn't throw a warning..

 

I assume you can't access your Windows XP installation in normal mode anymore.
My tips:
1. Boot into safe mode. Undo all recent changes. Clear all temporary files. Reboot into normal mode.
If that doesn't fix your problem, try to set back your system to "Last Known Good Configuration".
2. To load the last known good configuration in Windows XP, reboot the computer and upon startup, repeatedly press the F8 key. This action should bring up the "Windows Advanced Options Menu". Use your arrow keys to move to "Last Known Good Configuration" and press the Enter key.
If that doesn't help either, try a repair of your Windows XP installation.
3. Boot your Windows XP computer with your associated boot CD and perform a repair install (option R) using the Recovery Console.

Cheers, AstroSkipper

PS: And, what would I do if I had such a problem? I'd restore the most recent image of my system partition. Only minutes later, no problems anymore! 

Edited July 8, 2022 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[Asp]

18 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

I assume you can't access your Windows XP installation in normal mode anymore.

Actually, after a bit of weirdness, unresponsiveness, all was normal, and I've rebooted a few times since with no issues.

Still uneasy, not knowing what caused it.

Am overdue to install a new system on a new SSD, this a another reminder of why I should get around to it..

[AstroSkipper]

2 hours ago, Asp said:

Actually, after a bit of weirdness, unresponsiveness, all was normal, and I've rebooted a few times since with no issues.

Still uneasy, not knowing what caused it.

Am overdue to install a new system on a new SSD, this a another reminder of why I should get around to it..

To check whether all is loaded correctly at system start, you could perform a bootlog start. Evaluating this bootlog will show what's going on at system start in regards of all services and drivers to load.  And you should check your Windows Event Logs and look for errors. The corresponding Event IDs may help you solving your problems. 

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

Edited July 9, 2022 by AstroSkipper
Update of content