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A general protection fault (GPF) is a computer microprocessor failure caused by software trying to access memory used by other software. Hardware failures can also cause GPFs, such as incompatible RAM or high temperatures. Older computers were more susceptible to GPFs due to inconsistent software programming and limited RAM. Newer computers with more memory and hardware-compatible software are less likely to experience GPFs.
A general protection fault (GPF) is a failure that occurs in a computer microprocessor, typically when a software program tries to access memory that is currently being used by other software. Some general security error conditions can be caused by a hardware failure, but like most computer errors, the cause is most likely software. Processors that detect general protection fault conditions stop executing the code that caused the fault and attempt to recover from the fault. If a GPF condition is not detected in time by the processor and further GPF errors occur, a third error will usually cause the computer system to stop responding to input and require a system reset or restart.
Earlier computer models often suffered from general protection failure conditions more frequently than current systems. This is partly because software programming was more inconsistent at the time and the greater restrictions on available random access memory (RAM) the systems had. Terminate and remain resident programs (TSRs) that were loaded into system memory when a computer started up so that certain programs were quickly accessible could often contribute to GPF errors when other programs loaded by a user tried to use storage locations. memory in which TSR were stored.
Hardware conditions that can cause a computer’s general protection fault include different types of random access memory (RAM) installed on the same system and somehow incompatible with each other. Examples include extended data output (EDO) RAM and fast page dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Because EDO RAM must be installed in pairs of chips on a motherboard, but fast page DRAM can be installed as single units, they were often mixed up on older computer systems without users noticing the difference.
Another common reason for general protection failures in hardware is when a system begins operating at a temperature beyond its design specifications, usually above 100° Fahrenheit (38° Celsius). Excessive temperatures can be caused by inadequate interior ventilation, as well as installing additional hardware such as additional hard drives or compact disk (CD) drives and digital video discs (DVD) that generate more heat in the console. Computer enthusiasts who overclock their microprocessor to improve performance or add another power supply to run their graphics cards for gaming can often neglect to design even better heat dissipation for the system.
Computer errors fall into a variety of different classes, and segmentation faults or general protection fault errors are specifically memory access errors that operating system technology has trouble fixing. When such a failure occurs, the operating system kernel, which is the protected memory on the processor where the operating system is loaded, sends a message to the software process of the General Protection Fault error. This usually involves halting the process to correct the condition and the software shuts down or crashes, but the system continues to function. On earlier computer systems, recovery from GPF errors was rare and the system often had to be restarted. Newer computers with more memory, faster processors, and more hardware-compatible software, have a greater likelihood of recovering from GPF conditions without requiring a reboot, and are rarely seen on standard personal computers anymore.
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