Windows XP May Cause Extra SMB Notify Change Traffic (330929)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional

This article was previously published under Q330929
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

Microsoft Windows NT-based and Microsoft Windows 2000-based servers continue to communicate file system changes to Windows XP-based clients even if an Explorer.exe window is not open on the client. This may cause extra traffic over a wide area network (WAN). This issue does not occur until the Explorer.exe window on the client is opened to a share on the server and then closed.

Network Monitor shows the following excessive SMB Notify Change traffic:

Client request SMB: C NT transact - Notify Change Server response SMB: R NT transact

RESOLUTION

Service pack information

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

322389 How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack

Hotfix information

A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to computers that are experiencing this specific problem. This fix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows XP 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: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 typical 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 has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.
   Date         Time   Version        Size       File name
   --------------------------------------------------------------------
   01-Nov-2002  22:46  6.0.2600.105   8,223,232  Shell32.dll (pre-SP1) 
   01-Nov-2002  17:07  6.0.2800.1137  8,239,104  Shell32.dll (with SP1)
				


WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
After you apply this hotfix, you can add a new NoRemoteRecursiveEvents value to the Windows registry to turn off Change Notify requests for file and folder changes that occur in subfolders of a mapped network share. When you set this registry key, the server still sends a Change Notify event when a file or folder is changed in the root of the mapped network share. However, the server does not send a Change Notify event when a change is made in the second sub-folder or deeper of the mapped network share. By default, the setting for the NoRemoteRecursiveEvents value is 0. You can add the NoRemoteRecursiveEvents value to either of the following registry keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

or

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

If you add NoRemoteRecursiveEvents value to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive, the setting is applied only for the currently logged on user. If you add the NoRemoteRecursiveEvents value to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive, the setting is applied for all users who log on to the computer.

How to Turn Off Change Notify Requests for the Currently Logged On User Only

Follow these steps, and then quit Registry Editor:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

  3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click REG_DWORD.
  4. Type NoRemoteRecursiveEvents, and then press ENTER.
  5. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
  6. Type 0x1, and then click OK.

How to Turn Off Change Notify Requests for All Users

Follow these steps, and then quit Registry Editor:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

  3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click REG_DWORD.
  4. Type NoRemoteRecursiveEvents, and then press ENTER.
  5. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
  6. Type 0x1, and then click OK.
NOTE: When you turn on this feature on a computer that uses a network-based configuration (for example, a USERPROFILE variable that points to a network drive or UNC path), Windows Explorer does not automatically update any file or folder changes made by other users.

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 XP Service Pack 2.

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/11/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbQFE kbWinXPsp2fix kbbug kbfix kbWinXPpreSP2fix KB330929