Windows XP - Blue screen with PFN_LIST_CORRUPT error message

While working or playing, the famous blue screen with the error message PFN_LIST_CORRUPT may appear at irregular intervals. PFN stands for "Page Frame Number" and describes the division of the individual page frames of the working memory in which the program commands run or drivers work. Each of these page frames is 4 KB in size (at least with our conventional Intel and AMD processors) and the PFN list gives access to these individual page frames. If a driver or a program tries to exceed this frame several times, such a blue screen is triggered. The following suggestions will help:

1. Uninstall all graphics card, sound card, modem, TV card, network card drivers (or other components that your computer contains) that you find on your system (Control Panel/Software and Device Manager) and visit the official site of the manufacturer of your components to get updated drivers. The PFN list can be damaged by improperly programmed drivers.

2. Follow this tip to deactivate all programs that start automatically. Virus scanners, backup applications and firewalls are particularly at risk. Switch off all applications that start automatically and, if nothing helps, uninstall such software. Test your system thoroughly after the intervention - if the problem has been solved, you can find out the culprit by gradually reinstalling and reactivating all applications. I would be delighted to receive an e-mail to webmaster@windows-tweaks.info with information on problem cases - this article will then be updated so that many other users can benefit from your involvement.

3. The alternative option is unfortunately to replace the RAM, as it is very likely to be defective. Try using RAM from a friend if the modules are compatible. If the problem has been solved, you will need to invest in new RAM.

You can also check your working memory before such an intervention with the DocMemory Tester, which you can obtain here.

4. Network cards and other components can also cause this problem (even without drivers), which is why I recommend removing all PCI cards in the worst case. Then gradually reinstall the hardware, as in the autostart and installation exclusion procedure of option 2, and reinstall the drivers, which will ensure a clean setup.

5. Immediately after switching on the computer, press ENTF or F2 to enter the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) and move the cursor to BIOS Chipset Features. After pressing Enter, you will find the entry CPU FSB Clock, which you set to the corresponding value for a system clock of 100 or 133 Mhz (Important: The terms may differ. If you are not familiar with them, you should have such an attack carried out by an experienced user). Overclocked systems can be susceptible to such blue screens, as the timing of the main memory no longer works in the conventional way and the PFN list mentioned above is damaged.

6. The error also occurs if an ATI Radeon card is installed in the system. A driver update should solve the problem: ATI driver download!

Almost all of the options are very drastic measures, but they are the only ways to counteract this blue screen.

NOTE FOR NEW PUBLICATION: This article was produced by Sandro Villinger and comes from the Windows Tweaks archive, which has been built up since the late 1990s.