4 Bombs — Privilege Violation
Atari Atari ST
Severity: CriticalWhat Does This Error Mean?
Four bombs on an Atari ST indicate a privilege violation — a program tried to execute a supervisor-only instruction while in user mode. This usually means the software is incompatible with your TOS version or a bug in the program's low-level code. Reset the computer and try different software or a TOS-compatible version.
Affected Models
- Atari 520ST
- Atari 1040ST
- Atari STe
- Atari TT030
- Atari Falcon030
- Hatari emulator
- STeem emulator
Common Causes
- Program attempts to execute a privileged 68000 instruction in user mode
- Software written for an older TOS version running on a newer TOS
- Game or demo using hardware tricks that bypass the operating system
- Corrupt program file on disk
- Hardware fault — bad RAM or CPU overheating (rare)
How to Fix It
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Reset the Atari ST and try the software again.
A one-off crash may not recur. If the same software crashes every time, the problem is with the software, not a random glitch.
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Check if a different version of the software exists for your TOS version.
Many Atari ST games had separate versions for TOS 1.0, 1.04, and 2.06. Running a TOS 1.0 game on TOS 2.06 can cause privilege violations because the OS memory map changed.
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On Hatari emulator: try selecting a different TOS ROM version.
Hatari lets you switch TOS versions in System settings. If software crashes on TOS 2.06, try TOS 1.04 or TOS 1.02 — most games were written for these earlier versions.
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If the crash happens with all software, test the RAM.
Bad RAM can cause random privilege violations. On an emulator this is not an issue, but on real hardware, try reseating the RAM chips or testing with a diagnostic disk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does each number of bombs mean on the Atari ST?
1 bomb = bus error (bad memory access). 2 bombs = address error (odd address). 3 bombs = illegal instruction. 4 bombs = privilege violation. 5 bombs = divide by zero. The number of bomb icons corresponds directly to the 68000 CPU exception number minus one.
Why do some Atari ST games crash on the STe but work on the ST?
The STe has enhanced hardware (blitter, DMA sound, extra joystick ports) and a newer TOS. Some games that directly access hardware registers at fixed addresses break because the STe's memory map differs slightly from the original ST.