Blue Screen When Closing Kernel Mode Handles from User Mode

 Last reviewed: August 13, 1997
Article ID: Q160650
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

User mode programs that close a handle that was opened up by a kernel mode component may cause a blue screen error message.

CAUSE

In Windows NT 3.51, if this happened, the handle became invalid. In Windows NT 4.0, if a kernel mode component closed an already closed handle, a blue screen error would occur. A user mode application has no way of knowing who closed the handle. A user mode application should never close a handle opened by that application in kernel mode.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0. This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces): 

   S E R V P A C K

Additional query words:
Keywords : kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00.sp2 nt32ap NTSrvWkst ntstop
Version : 4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kberrmsg

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Last reviewed: August 13, 1997
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