Windows Error Messages Explained

If there is a problem with any part of your PC, you will be alerted by a Windows error message. There are more than 30 of these error codes associated with the devices connected to your computer.

To find out if your system has created a Windows error code, open up your Control Panel folder. From here choose the System folder and finally the Device Manager. You will be now be shown a list of all the devices connected to your PC, divided into categories and sub-categories.

To test to see if any Windows error codes have been generated, click on any of the devices displayed and then choose the Properties icon. Error codes will be listed in the General tab under Device Status.

The more devices you have installed on your computer the more time it will take to find the source of the error message. You will need to go through each device individually and check the status to locate where the error has originated from.

Below are listed some of the most common Windows generated error codes. There are also details of what they mean and how they can be resolved.

Code 1

This error code means that the device is configured incorrectly. It is perhaps the most frequently encountered Windows error code and simply means the device hasn’t been set up properly. The problem could also be that the wrong driver is being accessed or possibly an out of date driver. Click on the tab entitled Driver and press the Update Driver icon. If that fails, using the Device Manager, remove the device and reinstall it by choosing the Add New Hardware tab found in the Control Panel.

Code 3

This error code will be generated when the device driver has become corrupt or when the systems RAM (memory) is running low. To check on your PCs memory, go to my computer and right click the icon. Select properties followed by performance. You should always allow for more than 20% of free RAM. For optimal performance this should increase to at least 40% of the memory free. If the RAM is not causing the problem, try updating your drivers using the guidelines listed under Code 1.

Code 4

This code means a corrupt driver has caused a device to become faulty or perhaps a registry error. The device could have developed a corrupt .INF file, one example being if instead of binary it has text in a particular field. If this is the reason, you need to visit the device manufacturer’s website and download a new .INF file. You can also follow the guidelines for updating a driver listed above under Code 1 errors. If neither of remedies solve the problem, it’s possible that the Windows registry has become damaged. Go to the Start button on the left of your screen and navigate to Run. In the message box that appears type in ‘Scanregw.exe’. This will perform a scan of your registry.

Windows Registry Errors

There are various Windows error codes which are associated with a corrupt registry including:

Code 9. Indicates invalid data on the device registry.

Code 19. States ‘Your registry may be corrupt.

Code 27. The section of the registry which holds information on likely resources does not have the valid values.

If you visit the Microsoft Technical Support website you will find a complete listing of all the Windows error codes.

How To Fix Windows Errors

A Windows error code can mean a device on your PC is faulty, although many error codes can be rectified by using a registry cleaner such as RegCure.

Your registry can become cluttered with out of date or invalid entries, for example old drivers or redundant files and these can cause the system to experience all sorts of errors. Using a registry cleaner is a safe and efficient way of resolving these problems.

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