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To find which module crashed with Windows error 0xC0000005, open the user-mode crash dump in WinDbg and run !analyze -v, then .exr -1, .ecxr, and k. The module containing the faulting instruction is where the access violation occurred—not necessarily the component that caused it. Windows modules such as ntdll.dll may expose memory corruption caused earlier by another module.
What 0xC0000005 tells you
0xC0000005 is an access violation: a program attempted to read, write, or execute an invalid memory address. The exception record gives you the type of access and the address involved. It does not, on its own, identify who supplied or corrupted the pointer.
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Microsoft’s Access Violation C0000005 explains that exception parameter 0 indicates the operation: 0 for a read, 1 for a write, and 8 for an execute attempt. Parameter 1 is the address involved. These details help explain what failed, while the instruction and stack show where execution was when it happened.
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In WinDbg, select File > Open crash dump, or start WinDbg with a dump path, for example:
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windbg -z <DumpFileName>Microsoft documents additional symbol and image path options in Open a Dump File with WinDbg. A user-mode dump can be opened on a different processor or Windows version from the one that created it, but matching symbols and application files make the results easier to interpret.
If you have only an Event Viewer or Windows Error Reporting entry, note the exception code, fault offset, faulting application and module paths, and module version. Treat those fields as a starting point: the dump provides the thread context and stack needed to check the report.
At the WinDbg prompt, run:
!analyze -vThe !analyze extension summarizes the current exception or bug check; -v requests verbose output. Record the exception code, process and thread, exception address, and any reported module and offset. A “Probably caused by” label is a clue, not a final diagnosis.
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Find the faulting instruction and module
Run these commands in order:
.exr -1
.ecxr
k.exr -1displays the most recent exception record, including the access type and address..ecxrrestores the register state from the exception context, so the debugger is examining the crash-time state.kdisplays the call stack at that context.
Microsoft demonstrates this sequence in its access-violation explanation; the Defrag Tools crash-dump episode also demonstrates commands for user-mode dump analysis.
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At the restored context, inspect the instruction pointer and the instruction at that address. For a read violation, determine what memory expression the instruction reads; for a write, identify its destination; for an execute violation, inspect the attempted target address. Use the instruction address and WinDbg’s module information to identify the loaded module that contains it. That is the faulting module at the crash site. Then review the surrounding stack frames and resolve symbols where available to understand how execution reached that instruction.
Read the module name without assigning blame too quickly
A faulting-module name answers where the exception surfaced, not necessarily which component caused the underlying problem. Microsoft’s application and service crash troubleshooting guidance notes that heavily used modules such as ntdll.dll, kernel32.dll, and kernelbase.dll may appear as the faulting module even when a misbehaving component corrupted memory earlier.
For a useful diagnosis, keep these separate:
- Faulting module: the loaded module containing the instruction that raised the exception.
- Faulting operation and address: the attempted read, write, or execute and the address shown by the exception record.
- Likely cause: a hypothesis supported by the stack, code and symbols, evidence of earlier corruption, or a repeatable failure—not just the module name.
Invalid or null pointers, memory corruption, and use-after-free are possible explanations, but the exception code alone does not establish which one occurred. If a third-party component is implicated by the surrounding evidence, preserve the dump and relevant version details for its vendor. For a first-party process, Microsoft advises contacting Microsoft Support after collecting relevant diagnostic data where appropriate.
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Use symbols for the Windows version represented in the dump and, where possible, matching symbols for the application or service. Public Windows symbols can improve system-stack resolution; private application symbols may be needed for function names tied to source code. Without suitable symbols, module names may still be visible while function names, source lines, and stack interpretation remain incomplete.
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A user-mode minidump can be analyzed much like a full dump, but it contains far less memory. Commands that depend on memory omitted from the dump may fail, and missing memory can leave the cause unresolved. Microsoft’s guidance on analyzing a user-mode dump describes symbol and dump considerations. For small dumps, see Read small memory dump files. If the dump lacks the evidence needed, collect a fuller dump or reproduce the failure under a debugger rather than drawing conclusions from unavailable data.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Collect a dump if Windows did not save one
Microsoft’s crash troubleshooting guidance explains how to configure Windows Error Reporting LocalDumps for a specific executable, including a dump folder, dump count, and dump type. Its example uses a full dump (DumpType 2) and a maximum of ten dumps; those are example settings, not universal requirements. Follow the guidance to remove the per-process LocalDumps registry key after collection.
For investigating heap corruption, the same guidance describes enabling page heap with GFlags. Restart the affected process for the setting to take effect, and turn page heap off when investigation is complete. Page heap changes how the process uses memory, so use it as a diagnostic measure rather than a permanent setting. Microsoft’s Defrag Tools episode also shows ProcDump as a crash-dump collection option.
What to include in a crash report
When sharing the result with a software vendor or support team, include the dump and enough context to make the module attribution verifiable:
Quick Recap
- Exception code, access type, and address from
.exr -1. - Faulting instruction address and module name, plus the module version and offset when available.
- Relevant stack frames from
k, and whether symbols resolved successfully. - Dump type and any limitations caused by missing memory.
- Whether the crash reproduces, and the application or service version involved.
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