A memory leak causes Windows XP to become unresponsive (890196)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you run a program that uses the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service in Microsoft Windows XP, the memory that is used by a remote procedure call (RPC) cache may not be freed, and a memory leak may occur. The RPC cache may grow so large that it causes the program and Windows XP to become unresponsive.

CAUSE

This problem may occur if many expired and unused security contexts are generated every second. (Security contexts are generated by the program that you are running.) The RPC cache is cleaned up at a rate of nine security context entries every 10 seconds. If the security contexts are generated at a faster rate than the cache is cleaned up, the cache grows larger and eventually causes the problem.

RESOLUTION

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 XP 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 telephone 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 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
   --------------------------------------------------------------
   10-Dec-2004  18:36  5.1.2600.2575     580,096  Rpcrt4.dll

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional 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

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:6/1/2006
Keywords:kbWinXPsp2fix kbWinXPpreSP2fix kbfix kbbug kbHotfixServer kbQFE KB890196 kbAudDeveloper
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