You receive a "The file or directory is corrupt and unreadable" error message when you move and rename files in Windows Server 2003 (867525)

CAUSE

This problem may occur if you are running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 on a computer that has multiple central processing units (CPUs). A race condition may occur where two separate threads rename and move a particular file in the NTFS file sytem at the same time. This problem occurs because NTFS incorrectly determines that the name of a parent folder does not change when NTFS opens a file. For example, one thread might rename a file at the same time that the other thread moves the same file. NTFS then tries to remove a link that no longer exists to the file. Therefore, NTFS generates the error message that is listed earlier in this article.

RESOLUTION

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 to install this hotfix.

Restart requirement

You must restart your computer to apply the changes after you install this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix 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. Windows Server 2003, 32-bit editions

   Date         Time   Version       Size     File name
   ----------------------------------------------------
   07-Jun-2004  15:57  5.2.3790.181  619,008  Ntfs.sys

Windows Server 2003, 64-bit editions

   Date         Time   Version       Size       File name
   ------------------------------------------------------
   07-Jun-2004  16:02  5.2.3790.181  1,694,208  Ntfs.sys