Data is corrupted when PAE is enabled on a Windows Server 2003-based computer (834628)

CAUSE

This problem may occur if you use the Intel Physical Addressing Extension (PAE) specification to support more than 4 gigabytes (GB) of installed memory in your computer. This problem occurs when a Page Table Entry (PTE) is in the process of having its physical address changed, and only the low-order word has been filled in when another processor begins using this page. To prevent a PTE from being used before its complete physical address has been assigned, the hotfix that is described in the "Resolution" section inserts a memory barrier instruction at the end of the PTE address update sequence.

Memory corruption is not specific to SQL Server, and it may occur when you run other memory-intensive programs on a PAE-enabled system that has more than 4 GB of memory installed.

Note This hotfix is only for the x86 platform.

RESOLUTION

Service pack information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows Server 2003. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824721 Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 list of updates

889100 How to obtain the latest service pack for Windows Server 2003

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 Server 2003 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. 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.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You must restart your computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix has been replaced by the RTMQFE version (5.2.3790.177) security update MS04-032. For more information about update MS04-032, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms04-032.mspx

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) 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
   ----------------------------------------------------------------
   09-Jan-2004  22:23  5.2.3790.118    2,064,384  Ntkrnlpa.exe
   09-Jan-2004  22:23  5.2.3790.118    2,108,416  Ntkrpamp.exe
   26-Dec-2003  19:52                        271  Branches.inf
   12-Jan-2004  18:11                     10,119  Kb834628.cat
   12-Jan-2004  18:02                        354  Updatebr.inf
   12-Jan-2004  18:02                      6,975  Update_rtmqfe.inf

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about Physical Addressing Extensions and Page Table Entry, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

268363 Intel Physical Addressing Extensions (PAE) in Windows 2000

311901 The effects of 4GT tuning on system Page Table Entries

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.