A program that throws many exceptions may run significantly more slowly on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (923162)

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 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.

After you apply this hotfix, the exception-handling security checks are disabled when DEP is disabled.

Prerequisites

You must have Windows Server 2003 SP1 installed to apply this hotfix.

Restart requirement

You must restart your 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	5.2.3790.2751	769,024	20-Jul-2006	19:56	x86

MORE INFORMATION

Generally, exception handling takes less than 10 milliseconds. Therefore, a program that throws few exceptions does not run significantly more slowly. However, a large program that throws thousands of exceptions in a short time may run much more slowly.

To determine whether a program throws enough exceptions to affect performance, you can use a profiling utility or a debugging utility. Such utilities include the following:

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 a similar problem in Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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

For more information about the terms that are used in this article, 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.