Windows XP May Cause Extra SMB Notify Change Traffic

Microsoft Windows NT-based and Microsoft Windows 2000-based servers continue to communicate file system changes to Windows XP-based clients even if an Explorer.exe window is not open on the client. This may cause extra traffic over a wide area network (WAN). This issue does not occur until the Explorer.exe window on the client is opened to a share on the server and then closed.

Network Monitor shows the following excessive SMB Notify Change traffic:

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:

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: 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 fix 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.

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
After you apply this hotfix, you can add a new NoRemoteRecursiveEvents value to the Windows registry to turn off Change Notify requests for file and folder changes that occur in subfolders of a mapped network share. When you set this registry key, the server still sends a Change Notify event when a file or folder is changed in the root of the mapped network share. However, the server does not send a Change Notify event when a change is made in the second sub-folder or deeper of the mapped network share. By default, the setting for the NoRemoteRecursiveEvents value is 0. You can add the NoRemoteRecursiveEvents value to either of the following registry keys: or If you add NoRemoteRecursiveEvents value to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive, the setting is applied only for the currently logged on user. If you add the NoRemoteRecursiveEvents value to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive, the setting is applied for all users who log on to the computer.

How to Turn Off Change Notify Requests for the Currently Logged On User Only

Follow these steps, and then quit Registry Editor:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click REG_DWORD.
4. Type NoRemoteRecursiveEvents, and then press ENTER.
5. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
6. Type 0x1, and then click OK.

How to Turn Off Change Notify Requests for All Users

Follow these steps, and then quit Registry Editor:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click REG_DWORD.
4. Type NoRemoteRecursiveEvents, and then press ENTER.
5. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
6. Type 0x1, and then click OK.

NOTE: When you turn on this feature on a computer that uses a network-based configuration (for example, a USERPROFILE variable that points to a network drive or UNC path), Windows Explorer does not automatically update any file or folder changes made by other users.

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