Fatal exception question...from Doug

Doug sent me this email questions whilst; this blog (and others at Microsoft) are not intended as replacements for the normal support channels I have made some suggestions below:

Can you please help me understand an error message I keep on getting? Whenever I try to use my CD-ROM / DVD drive, I get the following message . . . "An exception 0E has occurred at 0028:6DB140C1 in VxD - - -. This was called from 0028:C1833FF8 in VxD scsi1hlp(03) + 00000508" - I tried installing a new drive, but got the same message . . . and when I get the message, I have to turn off the power and reboot the system that way . . . can you tell me if I have a software problem, or a hardware problem? ... any help would be appreciated - thanks, Doug

Doug doesn’t mention what hardware and Operating System he is using, but the error is IMO likely to be in software (he suggests that a new drive is tried which would rule out a hardware issue - in most cases), this fatal exception error normally refers to a VxD (virtual device driver) that’s used to control devices.  I would confirm that all drivers are the most up to date or are the ones supported on your system.  You may also need to manually prevent Windows from attempting to automatically load the software. Assuming this is a modern Windows system, click Start - then Run, and type: msconfig. Click OK, choose the Startup tab, and then look for entries related to your device.
Take a look at the Microsoft article “What Are Fatal Exception Errors” and also this page which lists similar errors to yours, perform a FIND on the text scsi1hlp there are a few instances that may be your error and links to Microsoft KB articles describing the fix (but as I don’t know your OS or hardware…I cant be sure!)

I hope this helps you Doug – it may not be the answer you need but I hope it gives you some ideas and places to look and also data to gather before you raise a support call?