You receive a "WIN32 exception: Access violation" error message when you close the Collection Properties dialog box in the Systems Management Server 2003 Administrator console

Assume that you use the Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 Administrator console to create a new collection. While the Collection Properties dialog box is open, you right-click Software Updates, and then you click Distribute Software Updates.

If you close the Collection Properties dialog box, and then you click Next on the Specify a Software Update Type page of the Distribute Software Updates Wizard, a Win32 Exception dialog box may appear that contains the following error message: When you click OK in the Win32 Exception dialog box, an access violation occurs, and the SMS Administrator console closes.

This problem may also occur if the Collection Properties dialog box is open, and you right-click the Packages node in the SMS Administrator Console and then click Distribute Software. In this case, if you close the Collection Properties dialog box, and then you click Next on the Distribution points page in the Distribute Package wizard, you receive the error message.

This problem occurs because the Distribute Software Wizard uses a structure that uses a global static variable to store metadata. This data structure is deleted when you close the Collection Properties dialog box. Therefore, when the Distribute Software Wizard tries to access the metadata information, an access violation occurs.

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