Memory Leaks in "Drsd" Tag When Printing to Generic Text Printer

ID: Q244350

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 4.0, 4.0 SP4, 4.0 SP5, 4.0 SP6
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 4.0, 4.0 SP4, 4.0 SP5, 4.0 SP6
Microsoft SNA Server, versions 2.0, 3.0, 4.0

SYMPTOMS

Over a period of time, the Windows NT Spooler service stops responding (hangs) because of a lack of memory. Also, if you monitor Pool Paged Bytes with Performance Monitor, the counter shows an increasing amount of paged bytes until the Windows NT Spooler service stops responding.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because of a problem in the Windows NT Graphics Device Interface that causes a memory leak when printing to the Generic Text print driver. The problem is most frequently observed when printing with SNA Server, but the leak may also occur when printing with legacy programs that use the Escape API to send data directly to the Generic Text print driver.

RESOLUTION

A supported fix that corrects this problem is now available from Microsoft, but it has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. If you are not severely affected by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows NT 4.0 service pack that contains this fix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:


   Date      Time                 Size    File name     Platform
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   10/25/99  05:12 PM             73,072  RASDD.DLL     i386
   10/25/99  05:11 PM            129,456  RASDD.DLL     Alpha

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT 4.0.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbprint kbtool kbbug4.00
Version : WINDOWS:2.0,3.0,4.0; winnt:4.0,4.0 SP4,4.0 SP5,4.0 SP6
Platform : WINDOWS winnt
Issue type : kbprb