Repeated Regsavekey/Regrestorekey Actions Corrupt Registry Hive

• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you repeatedly save and restore a registry key in Windows NT, the registry hive may eventually become corrupted.

CAUSE

If you save a registry key to disk, and then later restore it over another key where the key name length is different (that is, longer than the original key name), it causes the actual allocated storage for the key to grow. If you repeat this process enough times, eventually the storage assigned to this key becomes so large that the registry check code declares the hive corrupted.

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.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.1, 3.5, and 3.51. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

Additional query words: multiple saving saves restores restoring import export reg

Keywords : NT4SP4Fix kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00.sp4
Version : WinNT:3.1,3.5,3.51,4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug