Article ID: 843122 - Last Review: July 24, 2007 - Revision: 2.10

Access violation in Iexplore.exe when you use a Control Panel tool if Control Panel is set to Classic View in Windows Server 2003

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256986  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/ ) Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

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SYMPTOMS

When you use Control Panel in the Classic View setting to access a Control Panel tool, such as the Display Properties tool (Desk.cpl) in Microsoft Windows Server 2003, you may receive an access violation error message in the Iexplore.exe or Explorer.exe process.
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CAUSE

This problem may occur when one or more Control Panel tools are not correctly registered in the Windows registry.
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RESOLUTION

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)
Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You must restart your computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2003

   Date         Time   Version            Size    File name
   --------------------------------------------------------------
   25-May-2004  22:54  6.0.3790.175    8,168,960  Shell32.dll

Windows Server 2003, 64-Bit Enterprise Edition

   Date         Time   Version            Size    File name
   --------------------------------------------------------------
   25-May-2004  22:46  6.0.3790.175   12,955,136  Shell32.dll      IA-64
   25-May-2004  22:54  6.0.3790.175    8,168,960  Wshell32.dll     x86
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WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Set Control Panel to Category View

To set Control Panel to Category View, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, and then type control.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, click Show common tasks in folders, and then click OK.
  3. In the left pane, click Switch to Category View.

Method 2: Manually add the problematic Control Panel tool to the Windows registry

Alternatively, you can add each problematic Control Panel tool file (.cpl) to the Windows registry. To do this, follow these steps. Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  2. Locate the following registry subkey:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\Extended Properties
  3. Click {305CA226-D286-468e-B848-2B2E8E697B74} 2, and then in the right pane, click the name of the file that you want, such as %SystemRoot%\system32\desk.cpl. For additional information about each Control Panel tool and its purpose, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    313808  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313808/ ) Description of Control Panel Files in Windows XP
    Note You can locate all Control Panel tool files that are on your computer by searching in the SystemRoot\system32 folder for all files that have a file-name extension of .cpl. In this scenario, SystemRoot is the folder where Windows is installed.
  4. Right-click the Name registry entry from step 4, and then click Modify.
  5. In the Value data box, type the value that you want to associate with the .cpl file.

    Note You can use the following category ID values:
     
0x00000000: Other Control Panel options. This can be any tool that does not specify a category ID is placed in this category.
0x00000001: Appearance and themes.
0x00000002: Printers and other hardware.
0x00000003: Network and Internet connections.
0x00000004: Sounds, speech, and audio devices.
0x00000005: Performance and maintenance.
0x00000006: Date, time, language, and regional options.
0x00000007: Accessibility options.
0xFFFFFFFF: Special tools, such as Add/Remove Programs, that only start directly.
  6. Click OK, and then quit Registry Editor.
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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.
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MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
824684  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824684/ ) Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

If you apply the Security update MS04-037, you may experience the problem that is described in the Symptoms section. For additional information about the Security update MS04-037, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
841356  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/841356/ ) MS04-037: Vulnerability in Windows Shell Could Allow Remote Code Execution
For additional information about how to resolve this issue if you have applied the Security update MS04-037, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
885843  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885843/ ) No results are returned when you search for files or for folders over a slow network link in Windows Server 2003 or in Windows XP
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition
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Keywords: 
kbautohotfix kbqfe kbhotfixserver kbbug kbfix kbwinserv2003presp1fix KB843122
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