The xxxx.exe encountered a problem and needs to close Windows error.

Question

The xxxx.exe encountered a problem and needs to close Windows error.

Where xxxx.exe is the name of your application.

Additional information

When attempting to open a program, or while running a program, you may get an Windows error window similar to the example below that shows FahCore_7c.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

has encountered a problem and needs to close

These errors can be caused by a several different reasons. In the section below, we have a general list of reasons and suggestions to help you resolve this issue. If you're actually encountering an error with "FahCore_7c.exe", this is caused by corrupt work data and can be resolved by removing all the files within the Work folder under Documents and Settings/Application Data.

Answer

Update / Patch program

If happening when opening a program that is not part of Microsoft Windows, make sure you're running the latest version of the program and that any patches for the program have been downloaded. The latest software updates can be found either through the developers website.

Revert Windows back to an earlier copy

If this is a problem that recently started occurring, try restoring an earlier copy of Windows. In some situations a changed setting or other installation may have caused the computer to generate this error.

If you're unable to get into Windows to revert back to an earlier copy, try booting the computer into Safe Mode.

Uninstall and re-install program

In some situations a program, or the data associated with the program can become corrupt. In these situations it's almost always easier to uninstall the program and then re-install it.

Note: When uninstalling some programs, we also recommend the application data associated with the program be deleted as well. In some situations this data is saved because it's personal information, and not associated with the program. To delete application data follow the steps below.

Windows Vista and 7 users

  1. Open Windows Explorer.
  2. Open the ProgramData folder. If you do not see this folder, it's likely because it's a hidden folder and you'll need to enable the option show hidden folders.
  3. Delete the folder associated with your program. If you do not see a folder with the same name of the program you're uninstalling, this step can be skipped.

Windows XP users

  1. Open Windows Explorer.
  2. Open the Documents and Settings folder.
  3. Open the folder for the username you're logged into Windows as.
  4. Open the Application Data folder. If you do not see this folder, it's likely because it's a hidden folder and you'll need to enable the option show hidden folders.
  5. Delete the folder associated with your program. If you do not see a folder with the same name of the program you're uninstalling, this step can be skipped.

Install Windows updates

Make sure your computer has all the latest Windows updates.

Update associated drivers

Make sure you've got the latest driver updates for hardware in your computer. We suggest first starting with updating the video drivers in your computer. See the computer drivers page for additional help and related driver pages.