XADM: Store Stops Responding with High CPU Usage for a Thread

The Microsoft Exchange Server Information Store service stops responding with 90 to 100 percent CPU time. Client computers may also stop responding. If this problem occurs, the information store may also stop running when the service tries to quit.

Performance Monitor shows a single thread of the information store that appears to be continuously running near 100 percent CPU usage.

This problem occurs because the information store tried to decode a corrupt message from its compressed RTF form into an Exchange Server message body form. The current decode logic does not handle compressed RTF corruption of this form and entered into a tight loop.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server versions 5.0.

A supported fix is now available, but has not been fully regression-tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. Unless you are severely impacted by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Service Pack that contains this fix. Contact Microsoft Technical Support for more information.

This fix has been posted to the following Internet location:
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

To view this in the Windows NT Performance Monitor (Perfmon.exe), follow these steps:

1. Start Perfmon.exe.
2. On the Edit menu, click Add To Chart.
3. In the Object list, click Thread.
4. In the Counter list, click %Processor Time.
5. In the Instance list, click all values that contain "store."

You can now use Perfmon.exe to view the thread running at high CPU usage.