When shutting down or restarting Windows 10 PC, an error message pops up “the instruction at referenced memory 0x0000”. What causes the instruction at 0x0000 error? How to fix it? This post of MiniTool will explore these questions together with you.

The instruction at referenced memory is a RAM-related error that often occurs when running Windows 10 PC. This error often indicates that an application couldn’t be read by the assigned physical memory. According to an investigation, it’s concluded that the corrupted system files, malware, and conflicting third-party software can trigger the instruction at 0x0000 error.

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Solution 1. Optimize the Virtual Memory on Windows 10

The most common way to fix the memory could not be read error is to optimize the virtual memory. Virtual memory is also known as the pagefile.sys file where Windows keeps track of how your computer juggles a lot of demands for memory. By allocating virtual memory, it can help fix the error.

Here’s how to do that:

Step 1. Press Win + E keys to open the File Explorer, and then right-click This PC entry and select Properties.

Step 2. Click on the Advanced system settings on the left side of the window.

Step 3. Go to the Advanced tab and click on the Settings button under the Performance section.

Open system properties

Step 4. Go to the Advanced tab and click on the Change button in the Virtual memory box.

click on Change in the virtual memory

Step 5. Now, select the target drive and click on the Custom size. Then enter your current available physical RAM in MB values.

Note: Untick the checkbox next to Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.

Step 6. Click OK to save the changes.

select Custom size

Now, you can reboot your computer and see if the instruction at referenced memory error still persists.

Solution 2. Repair Corrupted System Files

As pointed out in the above, the corrupted system files in the C drive are responsible for the instruction at 0x0000 Windows 10. At this time, an SFC and DISM scan are often used to repair the corrupted system files.

Step 1. Type cmd in the search box on the taskbar. And then right-click the Command Prompt app and select Run as administrator.

run Command Prompt as an administrator

Step 2. Type sfc /scannow command in the command prompt. This process may take you much time to scan, please wait patiently.

run SFC scan

Step 3.  If the SFC tool fails to work, you can try using the DISM tool. Type dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth in the elevated command prompt and hit Enter.

run DISM scan

Now, you can restart the computer and see if the referenced memory error is resolved or not.

Solution 3. Scan for Malware

Some users reported that the instruction at referenced memory error could be caused by any malware infections on your PC. To exclude this reason, you can try performing a scan for any malware by using an antivirus program or Windows Defender.

Solution 4. Perform a Clean Boot and Reinstall .Net Framework

The third-party conflicting software might the reason for the instruction at referenced memory error. For that, you can perform a clean boot to determine the conflicting app and uninstall it. Then you need to reinstall a correct .Net framework version. Here’s a quick guide for you:

Step 1. Press Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box, and then type appwiz.cpl in the box and hit Enter.

open apps and features via the Run box

Step 2. Scroll down the list of installed programs to the Net.framwork, and then right-click it and select Uninstall.

Step 3. Once the uninstallation completes, restart your computer, and then click here to download the correct NET Framework version and install it on your computer.

Solution 5. Reset This PC

If all the above methods fail to work, you may have to reset this PC. This operation will remove your apps and settings on the system disk. So, we recommend you make a backup of your system disk beforehand. Then follow the steps below to reset the system.

Step 1. Press Win + I keys to open the Settings app and click on the Update & Security icon.

Step 2. Go to the Recovery tab on the left side, and then click on Get started under the Reset this PC section on the right side.

click on Get started

Step 3. Choose an option to reset this PC. Here select the Keep my files option, which will remove apps and settings, but keep your personal files. Then follow the on-screen prompts to complete this reset.

choose an option to reset this PC

Now, the memory could not be read error Windows 10 should be fixed.

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