cmd.exe - Application Error The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000142). Click on OK to terminate....

Shawn

Lifer
Apr 20, 2003
32,237
53
91
I keep getting the message "cmd.exe - Application Error The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000142). Click on OK to terminate the application" popping up on my screen every 10 seconds then disappears. I can run all other programs fine and my system seems to run normally with the exception of that message constantly popping up. Here is a screenshot of what the message looks like. It was hard to get since it disappears almost instantly. I ran Norton Antivirus but it didnt' come up with anything. I looked in the Task Manager and CMD.EXE is open 75 times. I tried restarting my computer but they quickly kept opening until it reached 75 processes then that error message started comming up again.

I'm currently using this workaround I have found but it only hides the errors. I'm still getting all those processes open and my log file is probably growing in size very fast.
 

PurpleHat

Junior Member
Jul 30, 2001
4
0
0
I have seen this several times in the past, and my experience is that it has always been the result of a virus. I would recommend checking your services for anything that should not be their (2 of the services that I have seen cause this are NTService and FireDaemon). These are legitimate services but have been used by hackers to deploy viruses. If that comes up short l would check out the run keys in the registry make nothing is starting automatically that you do not want.

Good Luck