Answered by:
Error 0xC004D401 keeps appearing
Question
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Alright, so I've look on multiple threads about this and done the things they said to do for those people, but so far nothing has worked. My parents bought this Vista for me just in the Christmas of 2008, so I didn't expect it to be showing me errors in any way. Not to mention it keeps telling me there was an unauthorized change! I have already uninstalled everything I thought might have been giving me this error, but to no avail.
Answers
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Hello Narni,
Vista is in, what we call a 'Mod-Auth' Tamper state. There are 2 types of Mod-Auth tampers.1) A critical system file was modified On Disk - What this means is that the file, located on the hard drive, was modified in some way. This can be caused by a malicious program (spyware, malware, virus) or by manual file modification (by a user of the system). There is also a very small chance that an Update may fail in mid-update and cause this type of issue. As a safety mechanism, Updates are made so that if they fail, they roll back any updating that was done before the failure, but there is an off-chance that the roll back did not occur.
2) A critical system file was modified In Memory - What this means is the file itself (on the hard drive) is un-modified, but the code, from that file, running in the system, was modified in some way and is caused by a running program that is incompatible with Vista.
Because there is No Mismatched files listed under the "File Scan Data-->" line of your Diagnostic Report, we know that your issue is an In Memory Mod-Auth and therefore caused by an incompatible program. This means there is a program install and Running that is trying to access parts of the OS that Vista does not allow, which by definition, means it is incompatible with Vista.
NOTE: We have seen an increase in this type of issue and we believe it is unlikely that software writers are still making programs that are incompatible with Vista. Instead, we believe that a majority of the issues are being caused by Malware that are doing the same things (on purpose) as incompatible programs do (by accident).
In addition to why a Mod-Auth occurs, it's also important to understand how Vista detects a Mod-Auth event. There is a Service that runs in Vista that detects a Tamper to a Critical System file. But this Service runs randomly, so if you were to install an incompatible program and run it, Vista (most likely) would not immediately enter a Mod-Auth State and it could take some time for the Mod-Auth to be detected. The important point to note is that the moment Vista detects the Mod-Auth, you know that the program that is causing the Mod-Auth, is currently running.
Below I have provided a number of steps to help you identify the program that is causing the tamper:
First, go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931699/ and confirm that you do not have any of the programs known to cause this type of issue.
Second, in your Diagnostic report above, you can see the line that starts with 'TTS Error:' followed by a bunch numbers: M:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- This is the Tamper Time Stamp and it breaks down like this:(year) (month) (day) (time in 24format) (millisecond)
M:2009 08 30 2151 30710-Note: I also see a "K" type Tamper Time Stamp. The “K“ stands for Kernel Mode tamper. Once you remove the program that is causing the In Memory Mod-Auth tamper, the Kernel Mode tamper may be resolved as well. But a Kernel Mode Tamper can sometime indicate a Malware infection. To be on the safe side, we strongly suggest scanning your system with the Anti-Virus program of your choice as well as with the OneCare Safety Scanner for Vista (http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm)
Now that you know the time of the tamper, you can now try to connect that time with a program.1) Login to Vista and select the option that launches an Internet Browser
2) Type into the browser address bar: %windir%\system32\perfmon.msc and hit Enter
3) When asked if you want to Open or Save this file, select Open
4) In the left hand panel, click Reliability Monitor
5) Click on the “System Stability Chart” above the date 08/30
6) Below the chart, in the “System Stability Report” section look at the report titled "Software (Un)Installs for 08/30/2009"
7) Look for any program that shows "Application Install" in the 'Activity' column.
8) Since the process that detects Tampers runs randomly, it can take up to 3 days for the process to detect the tamper and set Vista to a Tamper State. Because of this, please repeat steps 5) thru 7) for the dates 08/29/2009, 08/27/2009 and 08/26/2009 (or around the date the issue first occurred)
This could tell you what programs were installed on or around the Tamper date and should help you narrow down the possible programs that could be causing the issue. Unfortunately, if you installed the program at some time in the past, but didn’t run it till now, this process may not be helpful. The removal of any application you may have installed recently could go a long way to troubleshooting this issues.
Note: Since everyone has different programs installed on their computer, it is extremely hard for support to figure out what program is causing the problem, but if you still need assistance in identifying the Incompatible Program, please create a no cost support request at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52029
Also Note: it has been found that Malware, such as Viruses and Trojans, can also be incompatible with Vista and can cause an In Memory Mod-Auth. A number of users (that were experiencing your same issue) have confirmed that a Malware infection was the cause. If you follow the above steps and cannot find a program that is causing the Mod-Auth, you may want to investigate if a Virus, Worm or Trojan may be to blame. You can contact PC Safety, which is a Microsoft group, which provides free assistance with Malware infections. I encourage you to use the ‘Windows Live Safety Scan for Windows Vista’ (http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm) before contacting PC Safety.
PC Safety:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/support/default.mspx
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm
Thank you,
Darin MS- Marked as answer by Darin Smith MS Monday, August 31, 2009 10:39 PM
All replies
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To help us troubleshoot the issue you are experiencing, please download and run the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Diagnostics Tool. Once you run the tool, click on the Continue button, then click on the Copy button and paste the report into your post. Thank you!
Carey Frisch -
Thank you, I was wondering how to do that...
Here is what I got:
Diagnostic Report (1.9.0011.0):
-----------------------------------------
WGA Data-->
Validation Status: Invalid License
Validation Code: 50
Cached Validation Code: N/A, hr = 0xc004d401
Windows Product Key: *****-*****-KHMXT-PCJW2-QP4W4
Windows Product Key Hash: ZqwR4PyWwqtX84IaZQiUnBVzjSQ=
Windows Product ID: 89578-OEM-7354925-04851
Windows Product ID Type: 3
Windows License Type: OEM System Builder
Windows OS version: 6.0.6001.2.00010300.1.0.003
ID: {5826A728-C7CC-4B24-9ED9-23D44AFF112F}(3)
Is Admin: Yes
TestCab: 0x0
WGA Version: Registered, 1.9.9.1
Signed By: Microsoft
Product Name: Windows Vista (TM) Home Premium
Architecture: 0x00000000
Build lab: 6001.vistasp1_gdr.090302-1506
TTS Error: K:20090831070606114-M:20090830215130710-
Validation Diagnostic:
Resolution Status: N/A
WgaER Data-->
ThreatID(s): N/A, hr = 0x80070002
Version: 6.0.6002.16398
WGA Notifications Data-->
Cached Result: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
File Exists: No
Version: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
WgaTray.exe Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
WgaLogon.dll Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
OGA Notifications Data-->
Cached Result: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
Version: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
OGAExec.exe Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
OGAAddin.dll Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
OGA Data-->
Office Status: 109 N/A
OGA Version: N/A, 0x80070002
Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
Office Diagnostics: 77F760FE-153-80070002_7E90FEE8-175-80070002_B4D0AA8B-604-645_025D1FF3-364-80041010_025D1FF3-229-80041010_025D1FF3-230-1_025D1FF3-517-80040154_025D1FF3-237-80040154_025D1FF3-238-2_025D1FF3-244-80070002_025D1FF3-258-3
Browser Data-->
Proxy settings: N/A
User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Win32)
Default Browser: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
Download signed ActiveX controls: Prompt
Download unsigned ActiveX controls: Disabled
Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins: Allowed
Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe: Disabled
Allow scripting of Internet Explorer Webbrowser control: Disabled
Active scripting: Allowed
Script ActiveX controls marked as safe for scripting: Allowed
File Scan Data-->
Other data-->
Office Details: <GenuineResults><MachineData><UGUID>{5826A728-C7CC-4B24-9ED9-23D44AFF112F}</UGUID><Version>1.9.0011.0</Version><OS>6.0.6001.2.00010300.1.0.003</OS><Architecture>x32</Architecture><PKey>*****-*****-*****-*****-QP4W4</PKey><PID>89578-OEM-7354925-04851</PID><PIDType>3</PIDType><SID>S-1-5-21-2814613673-25182963-3296542707</SID><SYSTEM><Manufacturer>Compaq-Presario</Manufacturer><Model>FK583AA-ABA SR5633WM</Model></SYSTEM><BIOS><Manufacturer>Phoenix Technologies, LTD</Manufacturer><Version>5.14</Version><SMBIOSVersion major="2" minor="5"/><Date>20080910000000.000000+000</Date></BIOS><HWID>B8333507018400FA</HWID><UserLCID>0409</UserLCID><SystemLCID>0409</SystemLCID><TimeZone>Mountain Standard Time(GMT-07:00)</TimeZone><iJoin>0</iJoin><SBID><stat>3</stat><msppid></msppid><name></name><model></model></SBID><OEM><OEMID>_ASUS_</OEMID><OEMTableID>Notebook</OEMTableID></OEM><GANotification/></MachineData><Software><Office><Result>109</Result><Products/><Applications/></Office></Software></GenuineResults>
Spsys.log Content: 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
Licensing Data-->
C:\Windows\system32\slmgr.vbs(1634, 5) (null): 0xC004D401
HWID Data-->
HWID Hash Current: NAAAAAEAAgABAAEAAgABAAAAAwABAAEAJJRihbz8wBKqdhheOrCN7/L0Vr7SM6xWnXIqhQ==
OEM Activation 1.0 Data-->
N/A
OEM Activation 2.0 Data-->
BIOS valid for OA 2.0: yes
Windows marker version: 0x20000
OEMID and OEMTableID Consistent: yes
BIOS Information:
ACPI Table Name OEMID Value OEMTableID Value
APIC HPQOEM SLIC-CPC
FACP HPQOEM SLIC-CPC
HPET HPQOEM SLIC-CPC
MCFG HPQOEM SLIC-CPC
SLIC _ASUS_ Notebook
SSDT HPQOEM SLIC-CPC
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Hello Narni,
Vista is in, what we call a 'Mod-Auth' Tamper state. There are 2 types of Mod-Auth tampers.1) A critical system file was modified On Disk - What this means is that the file, located on the hard drive, was modified in some way. This can be caused by a malicious program (spyware, malware, virus) or by manual file modification (by a user of the system). There is also a very small chance that an Update may fail in mid-update and cause this type of issue. As a safety mechanism, Updates are made so that if they fail, they roll back any updating that was done before the failure, but there is an off-chance that the roll back did not occur.
2) A critical system file was modified In Memory - What this means is the file itself (on the hard drive) is un-modified, but the code, from that file, running in the system, was modified in some way and is caused by a running program that is incompatible with Vista.
Because there is No Mismatched files listed under the "File Scan Data-->" line of your Diagnostic Report, we know that your issue is an In Memory Mod-Auth and therefore caused by an incompatible program. This means there is a program install and Running that is trying to access parts of the OS that Vista does not allow, which by definition, means it is incompatible with Vista.
NOTE: We have seen an increase in this type of issue and we believe it is unlikely that software writers are still making programs that are incompatible with Vista. Instead, we believe that a majority of the issues are being caused by Malware that are doing the same things (on purpose) as incompatible programs do (by accident).
In addition to why a Mod-Auth occurs, it's also important to understand how Vista detects a Mod-Auth event. There is a Service that runs in Vista that detects a Tamper to a Critical System file. But this Service runs randomly, so if you were to install an incompatible program and run it, Vista (most likely) would not immediately enter a Mod-Auth State and it could take some time for the Mod-Auth to be detected. The important point to note is that the moment Vista detects the Mod-Auth, you know that the program that is causing the Mod-Auth, is currently running.
Below I have provided a number of steps to help you identify the program that is causing the tamper:
First, go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931699/ and confirm that you do not have any of the programs known to cause this type of issue.
Second, in your Diagnostic report above, you can see the line that starts with 'TTS Error:' followed by a bunch numbers: M:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- This is the Tamper Time Stamp and it breaks down like this:(year) (month) (day) (time in 24format) (millisecond)
M:2009 08 30 2151 30710-Note: I also see a "K" type Tamper Time Stamp. The “K“ stands for Kernel Mode tamper. Once you remove the program that is causing the In Memory Mod-Auth tamper, the Kernel Mode tamper may be resolved as well. But a Kernel Mode Tamper can sometime indicate a Malware infection. To be on the safe side, we strongly suggest scanning your system with the Anti-Virus program of your choice as well as with the OneCare Safety Scanner for Vista (http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm)
Now that you know the time of the tamper, you can now try to connect that time with a program.1) Login to Vista and select the option that launches an Internet Browser
2) Type into the browser address bar: %windir%\system32\perfmon.msc and hit Enter
3) When asked if you want to Open or Save this file, select Open
4) In the left hand panel, click Reliability Monitor
5) Click on the “System Stability Chart” above the date 08/30
6) Below the chart, in the “System Stability Report” section look at the report titled "Software (Un)Installs for 08/30/2009"
7) Look for any program that shows "Application Install" in the 'Activity' column.
8) Since the process that detects Tampers runs randomly, it can take up to 3 days for the process to detect the tamper and set Vista to a Tamper State. Because of this, please repeat steps 5) thru 7) for the dates 08/29/2009, 08/27/2009 and 08/26/2009 (or around the date the issue first occurred)
This could tell you what programs were installed on or around the Tamper date and should help you narrow down the possible programs that could be causing the issue. Unfortunately, if you installed the program at some time in the past, but didn’t run it till now, this process may not be helpful. The removal of any application you may have installed recently could go a long way to troubleshooting this issues.
Note: Since everyone has different programs installed on their computer, it is extremely hard for support to figure out what program is causing the problem, but if you still need assistance in identifying the Incompatible Program, please create a no cost support request at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52029
Also Note: it has been found that Malware, such as Viruses and Trojans, can also be incompatible with Vista and can cause an In Memory Mod-Auth. A number of users (that were experiencing your same issue) have confirmed that a Malware infection was the cause. If you follow the above steps and cannot find a program that is causing the Mod-Auth, you may want to investigate if a Virus, Worm or Trojan may be to blame. You can contact PC Safety, which is a Microsoft group, which provides free assistance with Malware infections. I encourage you to use the ‘Windows Live Safety Scan for Windows Vista’ (http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm) before contacting PC Safety.
PC Safety:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/support/default.mspx
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm
Thank you,
Darin MS- Marked as answer by Darin Smith MS Monday, August 31, 2009 10:39 PM
