Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a security feature included in Microsoft Windows XP, Vista and 7 which acts to prevent an application or service from executing code from a non-executable memory region. This can be a great tool to prevent infection by a webpage based malware. But this can cause some programs to crash. You can choose to disable DEP for such programs in Windows Vista. This is how :
- Press the key combination Windows logo key + R to open the Run dialog.
- In the Run dialog, type SystemProtectionAdvanced.exe and press Enter. This would open the System Properties window with Advanced tab selected.
- Click on the button labeled Settings under the Performance category as shown.
- Select the Data Execution Prevention tab in the window that opens.
- Select the option Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select. a shown
- Now you can click on the Add button to browse for the program for which you want to turn off the DEP. In the above picture, we have added Notepad++.
- Click on OK button when you have added the program to the list.