error reference by pointer

[Huwbob5]

On a windows 8 laptop, i was going about the same stuff i do on a day to day basis and i was presented with a Bug Check 0x18: REFERENCE_BY_POINTER. The laptop restarted and seems to be working fine now, I know this could be caused by corruption in registry files or a memory problem.

Anyone good any more information they could give me so i get a better idea of why it happened/how to fix the problem?

sorry for the bad English.

 

[Laptop_Nerd]

Hi,

Please do try these troubleshooting steps that may help.
- First is to run Windows Update and install all the update available.
- Once done, do run SFC Scanner.
- Search for Command Prompt, right click on it and select Run as Administrator.
- Once open, type sfc/scannow then press Enter. While until it finish the scan and see if it will solve the issue or not.
- If the same problem will persist, do also run a memory test just to make sure everything is working properly.
- If all test will pass, last option would be to reinstall Windows.
- Do also try installing the latest BIOS version.

 

[johnbl]

REFERENCE_BY_POINTER bugcheck could also be a old driver/program that was designed for windows 7, or malware trying to hook into a system function.

not likely a random corruption.
I would
run malwarebytes scan
then start cmd.exe as an admin (windows key+x then type A)
then run the two commands:
sfc.exe /scannow
dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

these two command will repair modified windows core files.
if you installed some system tools they maybe hooking some function, you would want to remove the tool and find a version intended for windows 8 and above.