What Is A Buffer Overrun??

stressedoutmum

Not having a good day - the telly blew up, my washing machine has gone and my computer keeps closing down. I've had the computer problem for about 2 weeks now and have tried previous suggestions from this site to no avail. I've downloaded all the latest updates for Win98, I've got CCleaner and used it and run Hijack this but nothing has come up. Have been using it for about 3 hours and its crashed about 4 times and now I keep getting a message - Buffer Overrun detected - what's this

quoia

BUFFER OVERRUN - in layman's terms

Your bathtub is your buffer.
The taps are turned on and the plug is in.
Water is filling the bathtub.
Every now and then you either turn the taps off for a few moments or remove the plug for a short while before replacing it.
You are in control of what flows in and out.
the phone rings and you leave the bathroom to answer it.
The taps are on and the plug is in.
you fail to return before water is all over the bathroom floor.

BUFFER OVERRUN !!!

in the case of a computer the bathtub is/are a series of memory locations and the water is data.

stressedoutmum

So in real laymen's terms - is it too many windows/programs open at one time? and does this layman know why it keeps crashing:p

Toxteth_OGrady

Buffer overruns are generally application specific as opposed to system memory. They can be associated with a security vulnerability that can be exploited. Which program is giving you the error message. Suggest you follow the advice in this sticky.

:cool:

TOG

Chippy_Minton

No, it means one program is behaving badly - possibly a virus or other malware.

Which programs are you using when this happens? Windows Explorer? Internet Explorer? Try using a different browser (e.g. Firefox) and see if it still happens.

Update your anti-virus app and run a full system scan. Also, try following the tips in the spyware/malware sticky - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=133269

Vaughany_2

As Chippy_Minton says, figure out which program is crapping out and then either 1) don't use it any more, 2) uninstall it / reinstall it, or 3) uninstall it and reinstall a similar program which does the same thing, but different. Either way, let us know the prog and your computer's specifications (layman: how many mega-thingumies it has!).

I used to have random computer crashes and programs die on me, but that turned out to be crappy RAM (layman: short-term memory) which I ditched.

Did you use Hijack This? it's good software but only useful if you know what you're looking for / know what to remove and are comfortable doing that.

Good luck!

albertross_2

Did you install anything just before this started? Do you have any new toolbars in IE? Does it say Visual c++ buffer overrun, or any further info? Is it a plain blue screen?

stressedoutmum

Thanks for the referral in Post 4 to a previous sticky on malware but Im not sure if it applies to me Ive got Windows 98 and its Internet Explorer I use. I also keep getting Rundll 32 messages saying the system has performed an illegal operation and is closing down. I don't get it on any particular site it can appear at any site I'm using. Ive not had the buffer message so far tonight but only been on here half an hour. Am a bit worried about downloading all these programmes and running in safe mode - or use back up etc because basically I havent a clue what to do and dont understand the techi side.

Browntoa

I don't think it's malware either

might be a registry problem, here are some registry cleaners you can use

www.ccleaner.com

has one, they call it issues

http://www.ccleaner.com/showscreen.asp?id=3

run that and let it fix all it finds

stressedoutmum

Browntoa: I use IE and have Win 98. I have ccleaner installed already and use it. I have 3 ongoing problems - the first one is found using ccleaner. It always finds this issue then I fix and scan again until it says no issues but the next time I switch computer on its got the issue again:

Open with application issue
Applications/office.exe/shell
HKCR/Applications/office.exe

The 2nd problem I keep getting is microsoft internet explorer message error report (if it means anything to you is)
Appname iexplore.exe
Appver 6.0.2800.11.06
Modname gdibho12.ocx
Modver ./0.0.0.
Offset 00001b7d

And the 3rd one is the Rundll32 - performed illegal operation and is closing.

thx
SOM

Browntoa

try this for the 2nd one :-

Uncheck Enable third-party browser extensions in the advanced tab of internet options.