Access violation reading location 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Ievoli Vincenzo 0 Reputation points
2025-10-21T12:47:07.4433333+00:00

Exception thrown at 0x00007FFEF47CF2D9 (clr.dll) in MasterInterfaceWpf.exe: 0xC0000005: Access violation reading location 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.

The Common Language Runtime cannot stop at this exception. Common causes include: incorrect COM interop marshalling and memory corruption. To investigate further use native-only debugging.

Managed Debugging Assistant 'FatalExecutionEngineError'

The runtime has encountered a fatal error. The address of the error was at 0xf47cf2d9, on thread 0x355c. The error code is 0xc0000005. This error may be a bug in the CLR or in the unsafe or non-verifiable portions of user code. Common sources of this bug include user marshaling errors for COM-interop or PInvoke, which may corrupt the stack.

Developer technologies | C#
Developer technologies | C#
An object-oriented and type-safe programming language that has its roots in the C family of languages and includes support for component-oriented programming.
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Answer accepted by question author
  1. Gade Harika (INFOSYS LIMITED) 1,185 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff
    2025-10-22T09:22:16.7733333+00:00

    Thanks for reaching out.

    The error 0xC0000005 Access violation reading location 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF combined with FatalExecutionEngineError usually indicates memory corruption or invalid pointer access in unmanaged code. This often occurs when:

    • Incorrect COM Interop or P/Invoke marshalling (mismatched data types or structures between C# and C++)
    • Unsafe code or stack corruption in the native DLL
    • Race conditions when multiple threads access shared memory without proper synchronization Why it happens intermittently

    Memory corruption doesn’t always trigger immediately—it depends on timing, heap layout, and thread scheduling. That’s why the same procedure can succeed multiple times before failing.

    How to troubleshoot and fix

    1. Enable Native + Managed Debugging In Visual Studio: Project Properties → Debug → Enable native code debugging This lets you step into the C++ DLL and inspect the crash point.
    2. Verify P/Invoke Signatures Ensure all parameters match exactly between C# and C++ (types, calling conventions). Use [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)] for structs.
    3. Check Memory Handling in C++ Avoid returning pointers to freed memory. Use smart pointers or RAII patterns.
    4. Run with PageHeap or Application Verifier These tools detect heap corruption early.
    5. Ensure Thread Safety If WCF calls are multi-threaded, confirm the native DLL is thread-safe.

     Helpful References

    Could you share:

    • The P/Invoke signature in C# and the corresponding C++ function declaration?
    • Whether the DLL uses callbacks or unmanaged memory allocation?

    This will help pinpoint the exact marshalling issue.

    Let me know if the issue persists after following these steps. I’ll be happy to assist further if needed. If the issue has been resolved, please click "Accept Answer".


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  1. Bruce (SqlWork.com) 81,206 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-10-21T19:25:34.9966667+00:00

    you don't give enough info to answer. The most likely cause is your .net code calls a native library, and that library has a bug or your code passed bad data to it.


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