The exception that is thrown when there is an attempt to read or write protected memory.
<SerializableAttribute> _ <ComVisibleAttribute(True)> _ Public Class AccessViolationException _ Inherits SystemException
Dim instance As AccessViolationException
[SerializableAttribute] [ComVisibleAttribute(true)] public class AccessViolationException : SystemException
[SerializableAttribute] [ComVisibleAttribute(true)] public ref class AccessViolationException : public SystemException
public class AccessViolationException extends SystemException
An access violation occurs in unmanaged or unsafe code when the code attempts to read or write to memory that has not been allocated, or to which it does not have access. This usually occurs because a pointer has a bad value. Not all reads or writes through bad pointers lead to access violations, so an access violation usually indicates that several reads or writes have occurred through bad pointers, and that memory might be corrupted. Thus, access violations almost always indicate serious programming errors. In the .NET Framework version 2.0, an AccessViolationException clearly identifies these serious errors.
In programs consisting entirely of verifiable managed code, all references are either valid or null, and access violations are impossible. An AccessViolationException occurs only when verifiable managed code interacts with unmanaged code or with unsafe managed code.
This exception is new in the .NET Framework version 2.0. In earlier versions of the .NET Framework, an access violation in unmanaged code or unsafe managed code is represented by a NullReferenceException in managed code. A NullReferenceException is also thrown when a null reference is dereferenced in verifiable managed code, an occurrence that does not involve data corruption, and there is no way to distinguish between the two situations in versions 1.0 or 1.1.
Administrators can allow selected applications to revert to the behavior of the .NET Framework version 1.1. Place the following line in the <runtime> Element section of the configuration file for the application:
<legacyNullReferenceExceptionPolicy enabled = "1"/>
Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98