A new System log entry is not generated if the desktop heap is exhausted in Microsoft Windows 2000

Consider the following scenario. If the desktop heap cannot be allocated, new System log reports about the current exhaustion of the desktop heap in Microsoft Windows 2000 are not created. Therefore, you cannot detect the shortage of the desktop heap on a Windows 2000-based computer.

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

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.

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, submit a request to 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.

Prerequisites

You must install Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3) before you apply this hotfix.

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 tool in Control Panel.

To resolve this problem, you must modify the following registry keys after you apply this hotfix:

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

After you apply this hotfix, the following event is written to the System log in Event Viewer if the desktop heap becomes full:

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: Win32k
Event Category: None
Event ID: 243
Date: date
Time: time
User: N/A
Computer: server name
Description:
A desktop heap allocation failed.

Note The event log is written only one time during a session.

For more information about how hotfix packages are named, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: