Win32k.sys Causes STOP 0x0000001e and 0x0000000a on SMP

ID: Q175687

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition
Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

Programs runing on multiprocessor computers that start and close GUIs frequently may cause either of the following STOP blue screen error messages to be displayed:

STOP 0x0000001e (0xc0000005, 0xa00f7538, 0x00000000, 0x00000008)
KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

-or-

STOP 0x0000000a(0x00000004, 0x0000001c, 0x00000000, 0x801175db)
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

On some multiprocessor computers, programs with multiple threads that use the CreateProcess() or CreateProcessAsUser() API calls to start processes do not start because of desktop heap leaks. This inability to start results in a User32.dll or Kernel32.dll file initialization error when the desktop heap is exhausted.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because the thread object reference count brakes. The thread object reference count brakes because of a threadlockobject instruction within Win32k.sys that was not multiprocessor safe. This causes programs to quit abnormally. Because of the abnormal way in which the program quits, the desktop heap leaked until new processes could not be started. In some other instances, when a program quits abnormally, a blue screen error message may be displayed.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 4.

Additional query words: wts tse terminalsvr

Keywords : NT4SP4Fix ntstop kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00.sp4 ntmp NTSrvWkst
Version : winnt:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug