When you use a Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based computer or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:

Or, you may receive a Stop error after you install new hardware on a computer that supports hardware Data Execution Prevention (DEP).

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This issue may occur when one or more drivers that are installed on your computer are not compatible with the DEP feature of Windows XP SP2.

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If you can identify the incompatible driver, contact the vendor for an updated version of the driver that is compatible with the DEP feature of Windows XP SP2.

For information about how to contact the vendor of the incompatible driver, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:Note You may have to install the updated driver by using Safe Mode options.

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

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Method 1: Disable the incompatible driver

If you can identify the incompatible driver, you can disable the driver in Device Manager. To do this, follow these steps:

Note If you disable or remove a driver, unknown consequences may occur on your computer. We recommend that you contact the vendor of the incompatible driver for an updated version of the driver.

1.	Restart your computer.
2.	During the restart process, press F8. Note On a computer that is configured to start multiple operating systems, press F8 when the Startup menu appears.
3.	Use the arrow keys to select a Safe Mode option, and then press ENTER.
4.	Click Start, click Run, type devmgmt.msc, and then click OK.
5.	Locate the incompatible driver or device in Device Manager.
6.	Right-click the incompatible driver or device, and then click Disable. Notes • If Disable is not available, click Uninstall. • If the incompatible driver or device is not a Plug-and-Play driver, click Properties. On the Driver tab, click Disabled for the Startup Type, and then click OK.
7.	Restart your computer.

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Method 2: Turn off the DEP feature in Windows XP SP2

If you need the functionality of the incompatible driver, you can turn off the DEP feature. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Restart your computer.
2.	During the restart process, press F8. Note On a computer that is configured to start multiple operating systems, press F8 when the Startup menu appears.
3.	Use the arrow keys to select a Safe Mode option, and then press ENTER.
4.	Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
5.	At the command prompt, type the following, and then press ENTER: bootcfg /raw “/noexecute=alwaysoff /fastdetect” /id 1 Note If you have multiple start entries or start options, you may have to manually modify the Boot.ini file for your computer. To do this, follow these steps: a. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then click OK. b. On the Advanced tab, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings. c. In the Startup and Recovery dialog box, click Edit. d. Change the /noexecute option to the following: /noexecute=alwaysoff e. On the File menu, click Save, and then click Exit. f. Click OK two times.
6.	Restart your computer.

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For additional information about Safe Mode in Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information about the DEP feature in Windows XP SP2, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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