SPOOLSS Hangs When Printing a File With a Corrupted EMF Record

ID: Q185203

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

SYMPTOMS

The print spooler may stop responding (hang), using all available CPU time for a single CPU.

CAUSE

A corrupted enhanced meta file (EMF) record embedded within the print stream can cause the spooler to enter an infinite loop. This uses all the available CPU time for a single processor and prevents the print job from completing.

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: block printing format metafile

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