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Exception Decoder

Background

When a program causes a problem, in many cases an exception code is build by Windows to identify the nature of the fault. Use the Exception Solutions index to find information on a specific exception.

Faults occur when programs perform an action that is not recommended (a warning) or one that is not allowed (an error that is usually fatal). For example, if a program attempts to access protected memory, Windows will stop the program from running to protect the rest of the system and ensure a higher level of security.

This decoder helps split apart the the 32-bit NT status exception code into its functional parts and describes what each part of the code means. The code structure also allows for application vendors to create their own exception codes, which are not documented.

Exception Decoder

What the Bits Mean

Bits

Size

Function

31-30

Severity Bits - 2 bit values:

0		Success (you would not see these)
1		Informational (you would not normally see these)
2		Warning (you may not see these)
3		Error

Vendor

0		Microsoft
1		non-Microsoft (all other bits are then defined by vendor)

Status type

Normal Status

27-16

Category (also referred to as the Facility code).
These values are only valid when the Vendor is Microsoft in bit 29.

1		Debugger
2		Remote Procedure Call Runtime
3		Remote Procedure Call Stubs
4		Input-Output Error Code
7		NTWIN32
9		Windows Authentication (called NTSPI)
0xA		Terminal Server
0xB		Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Error Code
0x10		USB Error Code
0x11		Human Interface Device (HID) Error Code
0x12		FireWire Error Code
0x13		Cluster Error Code
0x14		Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) Error Code
0x15		Side-By-Side Assembly (SxS) Error Code
0x19		Transaction
0x1A		Common Log
0x1B		Video
0x1C		Filter Manager
0x1D		Monitor
0x1E		Graphics Kernel
0x20		Driver Framework
0x21		Full Volume Encryption (FVE) Error Code
0x22		Firewall Windows Platform (FWP) Error Code
0x23		Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) Error Code
0x35		Hypervisor
0x36		Internet Protocol Security (IPSec)
0x37		Maximum Value

15-0

Code field

Source Details

Microsoft documents some of these details for programmers at MSDN NTSTATUS. Note that this MSDN document has the bits defined backwards 0 to 31 where they are really in the order of 31 to 0.
(Last checked April-2010)