"A fatal exception 0E has occurred at 0028:<XXXXXXXX>" error message

After you install Windows, you may receive the following error message when Windows starts:

This behavior can occur if an older version of a Symantec program (such as Norton AntiVirus) is installed.

Warning This workaround may make your computer or your network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We do not recommend this workaround but are providing this information so that you can implement this workaround at your own discretion. Use this workaround at your own risk.

Note An antivirus program is designed to help protect your computer from viruses. You must not download or open files from sources that you do not trust, visit Web sites that you do not trust, or open e-mail attachments when your antivirus program is disabled.

For additional information about computer viruses, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

To resolve this issue, disable the Symantec Symevnt.386 file. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Use Registry Editor to delete the following registry key, if it exists:
   
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\SymEvnt
2. Click Start, click Run, type sysedit, and then click OK.
3. On the Window menu, click System.ini.
4. On the Search menu, click Find.
5. In the Find box, type symevnt.386, and then press ENTER.
6. Place a semicolon (;) at the beginning of the line that contains "symevnt.386."
7. On the File menu, click Save, and then click Exit on the File menu.
8. Restart your computer.
9. After Setup has finished successfully, reinstall the Symantec program. If the problem continues to occur, contact Symantec for additional information.

The Symevnt.386 file is part of the "Symantec Event Handler," which is actually a set of files named Symevnt.386, Symevnt1.dll, and S32evnt1.dll. These Norton files monitor system information and report that information to Norton AntiVirus and other Symantec utilities.



The third-party product discussed in this article is manufactured by a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.

You can find additional information about updating Norton products at the Symantec Web site at:
Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.