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Author Topic: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?  (Read 12228 times)

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Drd

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    Hello friends at computer hope. Dr. D. here again. This time: I use Windows XP Professional, versi"on 5, service pack 3. When I open "my pictures" and then click on a picture, I get this nasty error message every time: "Data Execution Prevention Error. To help protect your computer, Windows has closed this program."  If I click on "close message", then I get another box which asks if I want to send a report or not. If I click on that, then the My Pictures shuts down, the destop appears without the usual panel below and then in a few seconds the panel is back, but My Pictures is gone. If I ignore the message, I can do whatever I want in My Pictures, but that nasty box has to be pulled to a corner of the screen.
      What can I do to get rid of this altogether?  Or, is there really a need for this, if so, why would I need to protect my computer by closing my pictures every time? 
    Thanks
    Dr. D.

    Geek-9pm


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    Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
    « Reply #1 on: October 14, 2008, 10:53:59 AM »
    Can you un install Service Pack 3? Microsoft reports many people are seeing odd things with SP3. :P

    Drd

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      Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
      « Reply #2 on: October 14, 2008, 12:33:19 PM »
      Hello Mr. Geek: Well, I'm not sure I can do that. I think I'll wait to see what the other folks here have to say. That kind of stuff is kind of huge for me to do!
      Thanks and stay tuned till we see what some of the others have to say.
      In peace
      Dr. D.

      Drd

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        Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
        « Reply #3 on: October 14, 2008, 12:54:06 PM »
        Mr. Geek and others: According to the info below DEP is also active on service Pack 2, so even if I uninstalled SP3, it probably wouldn't help. When I followed a link on the DEP error message  this is the info that Microsoft gives on this:

        "Understanding Data Execution PreventionData Execution Prevention (DEP) helps prevent damage from viruses and other security threats that attack by running (executing) malicious code from memory locations that only Windows and other programs should use. This type of threat causes damage by taking over one or more memory locations in use by a program. Then it spreads and harms other programs, files, and even your e-mail contacts.

        Unlike a firewall or antivirus program, DEP does not help prevent harmful programs from being installed on your computer. Instead, it monitors your programs to determine if they use system memory safely. To do this, DEP software works alone or with compatible microprocessors to mark some memory locations as "non-executable". If a program tries to run code—malicious or not—from a protected location, DEP closes the program and notifies you.

        DEP can take advantage of software and hardware support. To use DEP, your computer must be running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later, or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 or later. DEP software alone helps protect against certain types of malicious code attacks but to take full advantage of the protection that DEP can offer, your processor must support "execution protection". This is a hardware-based technology designed to mark memory locations as non-executable. If your processor does not support hardware-based DEP, it's a good idea to upgrade to a processor that offers execution protection features.

        Is it safe to run a program again if DEP has closed it?

        Yes, but only if you leave DEP turned on for that program. Windows can continue to detect attempts to execute code from protected memory locations and help prevent attacks. In cases where a program does not run correctly with DEP turned on, you can reduce security risks by getting a DEP-compatible version of the program from the software publisher. For more information about what to do after DEP closes a program, click Related Topics.

        How can I tell if DEP is available on my computer?

        To open System Properties, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
        Click the Advanced tab and, under Performance, click Settings.
        Click the Data Execution Prevention tab.
         Note

        By default, DEP is only turned on for essential Windows operating system programs and services. To help protect more programs with DEP, select Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select.
        Related Topics"

        I clicked through on the links for related topics but I couldn't figure out how to disable DEP for My Pictures. 
        If anyone can help, I'd appreciate it!

        In peace

        Dr. D.

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          Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
          « Reply #4 on: October 14, 2008, 03:50:21 PM »
          Have you read KB875352? It might help.

          Good luck

          Drd

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            Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
            « Reply #5 on: October 14, 2008, 11:03:25 PM »
            I guess I should ask first: Do I need the DAP program, or not? Is it a nuisance or is it useful?
            Dr. D.

            Broni


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            Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
            « Reply #6 on: October 14, 2008, 11:05:22 PM »
            You can safely turn it off, assuming, you have regular type of protection: firewall, and AV.

            Drd

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              Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
              « Reply #7 on: October 15, 2008, 04:29:18 AM »
              Mr. Broni: Thanks for telling me that. Now, can you  help me learn how to turn it off?  When I go into my Control Panel, System, Advanced, DEP, there is not an off on choice, rather there is a do you want everything, or do you want just some things? I'm on the "some things" category right now, and My Pictures is getting the repeated error message.

                So, if you could possibly help me I would appreciate it. I tried to read KB875352 as someone here suggested, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it. :-[

              Thanks again.

              In peace, Dr. D.

              Broni


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              Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
              « Reply #8 on: October 15, 2008, 10:36:51 AM »
              This is how to do it from command prompt: http://thedigitallifestyle.com/cs/forums/post/2360.aspx

              Drd

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                Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
                « Reply #9 on: October 17, 2008, 01:34:54 PM »
                Hello Mr. Broni: Thank you for following through with me on this. The link you offered was for how to disable DEP in Vista; The instructions didn't seem to work for XP.
                  Here are the instructions from                       I would really appreciate it if you would read it and then "translate" it for me.  Please just tell me if you would be so kind to, just what I need to do, step by step, one, two, three.  What I want to do is to turn off DEP for all programs. It's blocking more and more programs that I use and becoming a real nuisance. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875352

                System-wide configuration of DEP
                DEP configuration for the system is controlled through switches in the Boot.ini file. If you are logged on as an administrator, you can now easily configure DEP settings by using the System dialog box in Control Panel.

                Windows supports four system-wide configurations for both hardware-enforced and software-enforced DEP.
                Configuration   Description
                OptIn   This setting is the default configuration. On systems with processors that can implement hardware-enforced DEP, DEP is enabled by default for limited system binaries and programs that "opt-in." With this option, only Windows system binaries are covered by DEP by default.
                OptOut   DEP is enabled by default for all processes. You can manually create a list of specific programs that do not have DEP applied by using the System dialog box in Control Panel. Information technology (IT) professionals can use the Application Compatibility Toolkit to "opt-out" one or more programs from DEP protection. System compatibility fixes, or shims, for DEP do take effect.
                AlwaysOn   This setting provides full DEP coverage for the whole system. All processes always run with DEP applied. The exceptions list to exempt specific programs from DEP protection is not available. System compatibility fixes for DEP do not take effect. Programs that have been opted-out by using the Application Compatibility Toolkit run with DEP applied.
                AlwaysOff   This setting does not provide any DEP coverage for any part of the system, regardless of hardware DEP support. The processor does not run in PAE mode unless the /PAE option is present in the Boot.ini file.
                Hardware-enforced and software-enforced DEP are configured in the same manner. If the system-wide DEP policy is set to OptIn, the same Windows core binaries and programs will be protected by both hardware-enforced and software-enforced DEP. If the system cannot use hardware-enforced DEP, the Windows core binaries and programs will be protected only by software-enforced DEP.

                Similarly, if the system-wide DEP policy is set to OptOut, programs that have been exempted from DEP protection will be exempted from both hardware-enforced and software-enforced DEP.

                The Boot.ini file settings are as follows:
                /noexecute=policy_level
                Note policy_level is defined as AlwaysOn, AlwaysOff, OptIn, or OptOut.

                Existing /noexecute settings in the Boot.ini file are not changed when Windows XP SP2 is installed. These settings are also not changed if a Windows operating system image is moved across computers with or without hardware-enforced DEP support.

                During installation of Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1 or later versions, the OptIn policy level is enabled by default unless a different policy level is specified in an unattended installation. If the /noexecute=policy_level setting is not present in the Boot.ini file for a version of Windows that supports DEP, the behavior is the same as if the /noexecute=OptIn setting was included.

                If you are logged on as an administrator, you can manually configure DEP to switch between the OptIn and OptOut policies by using the Data Execution Prevention tab in System Properties. The following procedure describes how to manually configure DEP on the computer:
                1.   Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
                2.   On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
                3.   On the Data Execution Prevention tab, use one of the following procedures:
                •   Click Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only to select the OptIn policy.
                •   Click Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select to select the OptOut policy, and then click Add to add the programs that you do not want to use the DEP feature.
                4.   Click OK two times.
                IT professionals can control system-wide DEP configuration by using a variety of methods. The Boot.ini file can be modified directly with scripting mechanisms or with the Bootcfg.exe tool that is included in Windows XP SP2.

                To configure DEP to switch to the AlwaysOn policy by using the Boot.ini file, follow these steps:
                1.   Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
                2.   Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under the Startup and Recovery field.
                3.   In the System startup field, click Edit. The Boot.ini file opens in Notepad.
                4.   In Notepad, click Find on the Edit menu.
                5.   In the Find what box, type /noexecute, and then click Find Next.
                6.   In the Find dialog box, click Cancel.
                7.   Replace policy_level with AlwaysOn.

                WARNING Make sure that you enter the text accurately. The Boot.ini file switch should now read:
                /noexecute=AlwaysOn
                8.   In Notepad, click Save on the File menu.
                9.   Click OK two times.
                10.   Restart the computer.
                For unattended installations of Windows XP SP2 or later versions, you can use the Unattend.txt file to pre-populate a specific DEP configuration. You can use the OSLoadOptionsVar entry in the [Data] section of the Unattend.txt file to specify a system-wide DEP configuration.

                Broni


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                Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
                « Reply #10 on: October 17, 2008, 02:29:20 PM »
                This part is crucial:
                1.   Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
                2.   Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under the Startup and Recovery field.
                3.   In the System startup field, click Edit. The Boot.ini file opens in Notepad.
                4.   In Notepad, click Find on the Edit menu.
                5.   In the Find what box, type /noexecute, and then click Find Next.
                6.   Replace policy_level with AlwaysOff, so it reads:
                /noexecute=AlwaysOff

                Drd

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                  Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
                  « Reply #11 on: October 17, 2008, 04:11:26 PM »
                  WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That worked!  I can note that I had to restart before it took effect, but it worked! Thank you so much for your patience and help.

                  In peace

                  Dr. D.

                  Broni


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                  Re: Data Execution Prevention error notice annoying! How to get rid of it?
                  « Reply #12 on: October 17, 2008, 04:22:04 PM »
                  Cool ;D