Some third-party programs do not run after you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). When this symptom occurs, you may receive an error message that is similar to one of the following:

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This problem occurs if the third-party program has to reserve lots of contiguous memory. For example, the problem occurs if the third-party program has to reserve several hundred megabytes of contiguous memory. The new Xpsp2res.dll file that is added in Windows XP SP2 loads into memory at location 0x20000000. This causes the virtual memory that is available to the third-party program to be fragmented.

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Hotfix information

Important This hotfix includes a new Xpsp2res.dll file that dynamically finds a memory location to reduce virtual memory fragmentation. Before you apply this hotfix, we recommend that you ask the vendor of your programs to verify that this solution is acceptable.

This hotfix enables the new Xpsp2res.dll file to find a memory location dynamically and reduce virtual memory fragmentation.

A supported hotfix is now 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 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem, submit a request to Microsoft Online Customer Services to obtain the hotfix. To submit an online request to obtain the hotfix, visit the following Microsoft Web site:Note If additional issues occur or 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. To create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Prerequisites

Windows XP Service Pack 2 must be installed before you install the hotfix.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply the 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.

   Date         Time   Version            Size    File name
   --------------------------------------------------------------
   13-Apr-2005  00:17  5.1.2600.2653   2,897,920  Xpsp2res.dll

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

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This problem does not occur with all programs that reserve lots of contiguous memory.

The Xpsp2res.dll file is also included with some hotfixes that were released for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and after the release of Windows XP SP2 . However, this problem does not occur with the version of the Xpsp2res.dll file that is included with these hotfixes.

For more information about the terms that are used to describe software updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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