Exception 0xc0000005 is an access violation: a process attempted to read, write or execute an invalid memory address. Focus on the faulting application/module, crash signature, recent updates, drivers and hardware stability rather than treating it as a file-permission error.
Step-by-step checks
Record the faulting application, module, exception offset and process architecture from the Application event or crash report.
Determine whether the crash is reproducible with a specific document, plugin, driver or action and compare behavior after disabling only the implicated extension or integration.
Check recent application, driver and Windows changes and validate memory/storage health when crashes affect multiple unrelated processes.
If the failure persists, collect a crash dump and inspect the exception context/stack so the invalid memory access can be attributed to a module rather than guessed.
Useful verification commands
Use commands only on systems you administer and capture the read-only output before making a configuration change.
The original workload should run repeatedly without generating a new 0xc0000005 event, and any disabled component should have a documented replacement/update rather than remaining silently bypassed.
Evidence to keep
Keep Event ID 1000/1001 details, application/module versions, exception offset, reproducible trigger, crash-dump reference and recent change history.
Frequently asked question
Is 0xc0000005 the same as “Access denied”?
No. 0xc0000005 is a memory access violation inside a process. Access-denied errors such as 0x80070005 concern authorization to an operating-system resource.