Memory Leak in Services.exe When Checking Arcname (274450)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server SP3
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server SP3
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server SP2
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server SP3
This article was previously published under Q274450

SYMPTOMS

Services.exe may leak memory at a rate of about 40 MB per day. A Perfmon.exe trace may show the Private Bytes counter rising at a 45-degree angle. If you do not restart the server, the server may display an "out of virtual memory" error message.

CAUSE

Memory is being reserved for the NEWSTRING string variable and the \Arcname constant is prepended to a driver path and then checked for validity. The problem is that NEWSTRING is not freed with theLocalFree(NEWSTRING) command.

RESOLUTION

Service Pack Information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

Hotfix Information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Windows 2000 service pack that contains this hotfix.

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 about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question. The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later: 
   Date                  Time        Size     File name 
   ----------------------------------------
   11/07/2002  10:29 a  85,776  Services.exe

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to install Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 hotfixes at the same time, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

249149 Installing Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Hotfixes

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/12/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbWin2kSP4fix kbSecurity kbbug kbfix kbQFE KB274450
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