"Access Violation in MSHTML" Error Message in Internet Explorer 5

ID: Q245096

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows 98

SYMPTOMS

When you are using Internet Explorer 5 and you move between HTML "submit" buttons, you may receive a general protection (GP) fault error message similar to:

The instruction at "0x70c56780" referenced memory at "0x00000000. The memory could not be "read".

Click on OK to terminate the application
Click on CANCEL to debug the application

When you view the Dr. Watson log after this error occurs, the logged access violation may be similar to:

Application exception occurred:
App: exe\explorer.dbg (pid=134)
When: 12/12/1997 @ 23:19:42.27
Exception number: c0000005 (access violation)

CAUSE

Three conditions must exist for this behavior to occur:

The FORM tags overlap the TABLE tag.

The HTML FORM submit buttons are very close together.

You move the mouse pointer rapidly between the two buttons.

The following sample HTML code demonstrates the general improper tag format:

<FORM>
<TABLE><TR><TD>
<SUBMI></FORM><TD>
<TD>
<FORM><SUBMIT></FORM>
<TD><TR>
</TABLE>

This sample code snippet reproduces the problem:

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE></TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
Problem:
<FORM>
<TABLE><TR><TD>
<INPUT TYPE="SUBMIT" NAME=Button1"></FORM></TD>
<TD>
<FORM>
<INPUT TYPE="SUBMIT" NAME=Button2">
</FORM>
</TD></TR>
</TABLE>
</BODY>
</HTML>

WORKAROUND

You can avoid this condition by moving the two buttons farther apart, or by placing the begin and end FORM tag outside of the begin TABLE and end TABLE tags or inside the TABLE tags.

Sample workaround:

<TABLE><TR><TD>
<FORM><SUBMIT></FORM>
</TD>
<TD>
<FORM><SUBMIT></FORM>
</TD></TR>
</TABLE>

This sample code snippet demonstrates the workaround in HTML:

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE></TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
Work around:
<TABLE><TR><TD>
<FORM><INPUT TYPE="SUBMIT" NAME=Button1"></FORM>
</TD>
<TD>
<FORM><INPUT TYPE="SUBMIT" NAME=Button2"></FORM>
</TD></TR>
</TABLE>
</BODY>
</HTML>

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

This problem has been resolved in Internet Explorer 5.01.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem does not occur in Internet Explorer version 4.01.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbprg msient msiew98
Version : WINDOWS:5
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb