BSOD 18 (TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN): causes and diagnosis

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN identifies a Windows bug check whose dump parameters and stack determine the failing component.

Could be also:
Constant	Type	OS
ERROR_NO_MORE_FILES	Win32 error	Windows
KERN_INVALID_VALUE	Kern return	Mac
ippStsSingularity	Intel Ipp Status	Any
EXDEV	errno	Any

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TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN

The TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN bug check has a value of 0x00000012. This indicates that an unknown exception has occurred.

Important

TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN Parameters

Parameter	Description
1	Type of TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN VALUES 1 - Unexpected interrupt. (Parameter 2 – Interrupt Vector) 2 - Unknown floating point exception. 3 - The enabled and asserted status bits (see processor definition).
2	Dependent on Arg1
3	Reserved
4	Reserved

Resolution for TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN

For TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN, The !analyze debug extension displays information about the bug check and can be helpful in determining the root cause.

To start, examine the stack trace using the k, kb, kc, kd, kp, kP, kv (Display Stack Backtrace) command. For TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN, you can specify the processor number to examine the stacks on all processors.

For TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN, you can also set a breakpoint in the code leading up to this stop code and attempt to single step forward into the faulting code.

The !idt extension can be used to display the interrupt service routines (ISRs) for a specified interrupt dispatch table (IDT).

Some of the techniques described in Debugging an Interrupt Storm can be used with the unexpected interrupts.

For general information about working with crash dumps, see Crash dump analysis using the Windows debuggers (WinDbg).

For TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN, if you are not equipped to use the Windows debugger to work on this problem, you can use some basic troubleshooting techniques.

For TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN, check the System Log in Event Viewer for additional error messages that might help identify the device or driver that is causing this bug check.
For TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN, if a driver is identified in the bug check message, disable the driver or check with the manufacturer for driver updates.
For TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN, confirm that any new hardware that is installed is compatible with the installed version of Windows. For example, you can get information about hardware required for a system affected by TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN at Windows 10 Specifications.
For additional general troubleshooting information relevant to TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN, see Blue Screen Data.

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