Article ID: 873158 - Last Review: July 8, 2005 - Revision: 2.5

The Help and Support Center does not run when the Data Execution Protection feature is turned on in Windows XP Service Pack 2

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SYMPTOMS

When you try to view a Help topic in the Help and Support Center for Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, you receive the following message:
Data Execution Protections - Microsoft Windows
To help protect your computer, Windows has closed this program.
Name: Microsoft Help and Support Center
Data Execution Protection helps protect against damage from viruses or other threats. Some programs may not run correctly when it is turned on. For an updated version of this program, contact the publisher.
If you click Close Message, the Help and Support Center quits.
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CAUSE

This problem occurs when an incompatible version of the common language runtime is installed on a computer that uses an AMD64 processor. When you try to view a Help topic, the Help and Support Center loads the Urlmon.dll file. Next, the Urlmon.dll file accesses the common language runtime. When the Urlmon.dll file accesses the incompatible version of the common language runtime, the Data Execution Protection feature starts and then prevents the Help and Support Center from running.
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RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, add the Help and Support Center (Helpctr.exe) to the Data Execution Protection exception list. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Performance.
  3. Click the Data Execution Prevention tab.
  4. Click Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select.
  5. Click Add, and then locate the Helpctr.exe file in the following folder:
    C:\WINDOWS\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\Binaries
  6. Click Open.
  7. If the Help and Support Center check box is not selected, click to select the check box.
  8. Click OK, and then restart your computer.
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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

Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a processor feature that is included in Windows XP Service Pack 2. This feature helps prevent code from running in a memory region that is used for data storage. Currently, the only AMD processors that support data execution prevention are the 32-bit and 64-bit Opteron processors and the Athlon 64 processor. In the IA-64 architecture, the Intel Itanium 64-bit processors also support data execution prevention.

Other names that are used to describe this functionality are no-execute and execution prevention.
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (SP2)
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Keywords: 
kbtshoot kbconfig kbconsumer kbadmin kbsecurity kbbug kberrmsg kbsettings kbhelp kbprb KB873158
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