Programs that throw many exceptions run significantly slower on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based computer (919490)

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 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.

Note This hotfix will disable the exception-handling security checks when DEP is disabled.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply 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 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 item in Control Panel.

File name	File version	File size	Date	Time	Platform
Ntdll.dll	5.1.2600.2925	706,048	08-Jun-2006	10:54	x86

MORE INFORMATION

Generally, exception handling is very fast and takes less than 10 milliseconds. Therefore, a program that throws few exceptions will not demonstrate slower performance. However, a large program that throws thousands of exceptions in a short time may demonstrate significantly slower performance.

To determine whether a program throws a sufficient number of exceptions to slow performance, you can use a profiling or debugging tool such as:

Dependency Walker
Microsoft Visual Studio
Microsoft Debugging Tools for Windows

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

875352 A detailed description of the Data Execution Prevention (DEP) feature in Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, and Windows Server 2003

For more information about standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates, 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