Hi again,
Sometimes (not every time) when I shut my PC down or restart, it gets to a point and I get this error "referenced memory at "0X00000000" Memory could not be read" click OK to continue. Where would I start to trouble shoot this problem. It is more of an annoyance than a problem but, I would like to clear this up.
I have swapped memory sticks out, changed slots and no help. I am running Windows XP Pro with SP 2 and 512mhz memory.(2-256Mhz sticks of memory)
Thanks in advance for any help.

I was going to suggest your reseat your RAM as some times simply removing and replacing them cleans the contacts and clears the problem. But you did that. You might try running with one stick at a time to see if one is bad. And/or you can test your RAM.

To test your RAM, I recommend MemTest86+. Select Download - Pre-Compiled package for Floppy (DOS - Win). Unzip the file to a convenient location, insert a formatted floppy disk in the floppy drive, double-click on install.bat to install. Then, with the floppy in the drive, reboot the computer. The computer should boot to the floppy and start testing your RAM. Let it run for several passes or even overnight. You should have no reported errors. Instructions to create a bootable CD version is available too but I note this is yet another reason why the floppy is not dead - yet! An excellent how-to guide is available here.

Ran MemTest86+. for 15:31:00 had no errors. This only occurs after windows tells me it is closing down.I never get any memory errors any other time .

Last time I shut PC down got this error message Referenced memory at
0x005368e1. Does anyone have a clue as what this relates to?
Thanks for your help, any other suggestions?

Hmmm, this is an odd one. There are several reports of this error, but they do not seem related to shutdown. Does it only happen when you initiate the shutdown?

Shutdown problems most often are caused by hardware driver issues. Did you recently change/add hardware or change drivers? In Device Manager, are there any warnings (yellow exclamation mark or red X)?

Look in Event Viewer (Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer) for errors logged at the time of the event.

Have you done a complete malware scan?

Here are a couple related MS Knowledge Base articles - MSKB840114 and MSKB268610

Digerati,
Will take a look at device manager and report back.
The only time I ever see this error is after I initiate a system reboot or shutdown. But, it does not happen every time seems to be no rhyme or reason to this, and if you do not click on to "terminate" after a few seconds the pc will go ahead and shutdown or reboot anyway.
Thanks for your help
katman104

it does not happen every time seems to be no rhyme or reason to this

Intermittant problems are certainly the most difficult to troubleshoot, BUT

and if you do not click on to "terminate" after a few seconds the pc will go ahead and shutdown or reboot anyway

That should give us a clue - that terminate window should indicate which program that is hanging. So next time it appears, note which program the shutdown process wants you to terminate.

Digerati
The last three times it has said Memory at 0x005368e1 cannot be read click ok to terminate.How do you know what program it is refering to?
Katman104

How do you know what program it is refering to?

Perhaps I am confused at how this error is presented to you. I assume this is not a BSOD (blue screen of death) because when you get those, the system is locked and you are forced to do a hard reboot with the power switch.

In this case, you said you are given a prompt of some sort to terminate. Unless this is a different message than I am used to, the pop up window says what program is waiting to end. Yours does not?

Do you have Roxio installed? If so, uninstall it.

Run Process Library - this is an enhanced Task Manager. From there, you can see what is loading up at start up. If you don't recognize something, Google it. Or you can go to File > Save as and save a text file of the processes, then post the attachment here.

You should make sure this is not malware related too. Run through your arsenal of anti-malware tools or see Cleaning Out Malware.

If you enter shutdown problems XP in Google, you will get a couple million hits. The best to check out is from aumha.org - you might want to read through it.

Digerati,
This is not the BSOD this only happens when I shut or restart the PC. Gives me no more info than Referenced memory at 0x005368e1 cannot be read click ok to terminate.
Will follow your last post and repost asap.

Okay, no BSOD. Then my question is, what is giving you that error? Is a new window popping up? A DOS screen?

I certainly do not know what the problem is - I am just throwing out ideas, suggestions, thoughts in the hopes we can stumble on the problem. There are a couple references to others having the same error message - but no resolutions are provided. Anyone else reading is welcomed to contribute.

You say it happens when you "shut or restart". Has it ever happened during a "cold" boot? That is, after a successful shutdown and power off of the PC, has it ever happened during the boot up process?

I am about 99% convinced it is a hardware driver issue.

Don't forget to check Event Viewer.