Desktop application menus are improperly displayed if a process exceeds its GDI object quota in Windows XP or in Windows 2000

Application menus and context menus are improperly displayed for other applications when a process exceeds its graphics device interface (GDI) object quota. (The default object quota is 10,000.) The problem persists even after the process exits and is especially noticeable with three-dimensional (3-D) menus and with shadowing.

Note After the process exceeds its GDI object quota, the process may display more than just menus incorrectly. The process may also inadvertently write over the Windows desktop. You must exit the process before you try to address these problems.

When an application exceeds its GDI object quota, the application can no longer allocate GDI objects. However, in this scenario, the application continues to operate as if it can allocate objects and starts painting objects on the screen incorrectly. An additional effect of this behavior is that the operating system menus do not handle the situation correctly. Menus for other applications are also affected.

To regain the correct Windows desktop display, use one of the following methods:

Method 1

1. Exit the application that exceeded the GDI object quota.
2. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE or press Windows logo key+L to switch to the logon window.
3. Click Cancel if you are logged on to a domain, or click your user name to return your desktop.

Method 2

1. Exit the application that exceeded the GDI object quota.
2. Right-click the task bar, and then click Show the Desktop.
3. Start an application, such as Internet Explorer, and then switch to the full-screen display by pressing F11.

Microsoft Windows XP

Service pack information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows XP. For more 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.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites to install this hotfix.

Restart requirement

You do not have to 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.

Microsoft Windows 2000

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.

Prerequisites

You must be running Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3) or later to install this hotfix. For more information about how to obtain the latest Windows 2000 service pack, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Restart requirement

You do not have to 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.

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

Windows XP This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.

You can use Windows Task Manager to monitor the GDI objects of a process. To do this:

1. Start Windows Task Manager.
2. Click View, click Select Columns, and then click the GDI Objects button.

You can also monitor the GDI objects with the Gdiobj.exe tool. To obtain this tool, visit the following Web site:
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Note This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1). The information in this article also applies to Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86) and Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86).