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"Stop 0x0000008E" error message in Win32k.sys when you use the keyboard to access a program menu in Windows XP

Article ID: 834450 - View products that this article applies to.

Hotfix Download Available

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SYMPTOMS

On your Microsoft Windows XP-based computer, you receive a Stop error message that is similar to the following:

STOP 0x0000008E

The Stop error occurs in the Win32k.sys driver. You may receive the Stop error when you use the keyboard to activate and control the menu items of some programs.

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This problem may occur when you run a program that dynamically creates and deletes menu items within a loop. If you use the keyboard to control the program menu, you may trigger a race condition in the menu handler of the Win32k.sys driver during the MNOpenHierarchy function call.

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RESOLUTION

Service pack information

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

322389

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322389/EN-US/ )

How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

(http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)

Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language. 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.

   Date         Time   Version            Size    File name    Platform
   --------------------------------------------------------------------
   08-Jan-2004  19:06  5.1.2600.1330   1,678,080  Win32k.sys   x86

   08-Jan-2004  19:07  5.1.2600.1330   5,623,552  Win32k.sys   IA-64

Note Because of file dependencies, this hotfix requires Windows XP Service Pack 1.

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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section of this article. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.

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