Stop 0x000000F2 or HARDWARE_INTERRUPT_STORM

The Stop 0xF2 message occurs if the kernel detects an interrupt storm. An interrupt storm occurs when a level-interrupt-triggered device fails to release an interrupt request (IRQ). This can result from the following causes:

A device fails to respond to an interrupt release signal sent from a driver.
An incorrectly written device driver fails to send an interrupt release request to a device. The driver fails to determine that the interrupt was hardware initiated.
An incorrectly written device driver claims an interrupt request meant for a different device. This occurs only for multiple devices sharing an IRQ.
The edge level control register is set incorrectly by system firmware.
Edge level and level-interrupt-triggered devices are incorrectly assigned the same IRQ (for example, a serial port and a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) SCSI controller).

Interpreting the Message

This Stop message has four parameters:

Address of the first or only interrupt service routine (ISR) involved in initiating the interrupt storm.
ISR context value.
Address of the interrupt object that initiated the storm.
0x00000001 if the ISR is not chained (not part of an interrupt sequence).
0x00000002 if the ISR is chained (part of an interrupt sequence).

If the fourth parameter is 0x1, the driver module to which parameters 1 and 3 point probably indicates a driver problem or malfunctioning hardware.

If the fourth parameter is 0x2, the driver module to which parameter 1 point is the first ISR in the sequence, and might not be the source of the problem.

When a Stop 0xF2 message occurs, it indicates the driver involved in the ISR on the storming IRQ. In addition to four Stop message parameters, a message similar to the following appears:

*** STOP: 0x000000F2 (0xFCA7C55C, 0x817B9B28, 0x817D2AA0, 0x00000002)
An interrupt storm has caused the system to hang.
*** Address FCA7C55C base at FCA72000, Datestamp 3A72BDEF - ACPI.sys

Resolving the Problem

The following suggestions are specific to Stop 0xF2 errors. For additional troubleshooting suggestions that apply to all Stop errors, see "Stop Message Checklist" later in this appendix.

To resolve this problem, simplify your system's hardware configuration by following these procedures:

Try to identify the device linked to the driver module indicated in the Stop message. Remove the conflicting hardware to determine if this resolves the issue. If the problem persists, identify other devices using the same IRQ by using Device Manager or System Information. Then remove all devices using the same IRQ and reinstall them one at time until you can reproduce the problem. Check for updated drivers for the problem device on the manufacturer's Web site. For more information about Device Manager, see "Managing Devices" in this book. For more information about System Information, see "Tools for Troubleshooting" in this book.
If you cannot associate the device to the driver module indicated in the Stop message, create a list of devices that are sharing IRQs by using Device Manager or System Information. Remove all devices sharing IRQs and reinstall them one at a time until you can reproduce the problem. For example, you find that devices are sharing IRQs 9 and 11 on your computer. To determine the IRQ affected, remove all devices on IRQs 9 and 11. Reinstall devices assigned to IRQ 9 one at a time. If you cannot reproduce the problem, proceed with reinstalling devices assigned to IRQ 11. Check for updated drivers for the problem device on the manufacturer's Web site.
Check the computer or motherboard manufacturer's Web site for updated system firmware. For more information about updating firmware, see "Troubleshooting Concepts and Strategies" in this book.
Verify that all of your internal and external peripherals appear on the HCL as devices that meet Windows Logo Requirements, and use only drivers digitally signed by Microsoft. For more information about the HCL, Windows Logo Requirements, and compatible device designations, see the Hardware Compatibility List link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources. Also, see "Troubleshooting Concepts and Strategies" in this book.

Note

Although a device might be attached to a bus, a Stop 0xD8 error might occur only when you are actively using a device. For example, you might not experience problems with IEEE 1394, SCSI, or USB host controllers until you attempt to use devices attached to them.
- For more information about simplifying your system configuration as part of diagnosing and troubleshooting problems, see "Troubleshooting Startup" in this book.

For more information about PCI devices and IRQ sharing, see Microsoft Knowledge Base articles 170922, "How PCI Devices Are Detected and Why They May Fail," and 252420, "General Description of IRQ Sharing in Windows 2000," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. To find these articles, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources.

For more information about Stop 0xF2 messages, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources. Search using keywords winnt, 0x000000F2, and 0xF2.