The USB audio driver may cause the computer to crash on a Windows Server 2008-based or Windows Vista-based computer that has a USB driver installed

On a Windows Server 2008-based or Windows Vista-based computer that has a USB driver installed, you may encounter one or more of the following symptoms:

Symptom 1

The USB audio driver causes the computer to crash. Then, you receive following error message:

Symptom 2

During system startup, you experience a delay of 10 seconds or longer while the computer starts the USB devices.

Symptom 3

When the computer comes out of hibernation (system power state S4), you cannot find the USB devices in Windows Explorer.

These symptoms occur because of an overuse of work items. Work items are system-wide limited resources. The USBHUB.sys driver uses work items for many operations. Occasionally, many work items are queued up. Therefore, these work items become overused, and delays occur in the system. If the delays are lengthy, you may experience these symptoms.

Hotfix information for Windows Server 2008 and for Windows Vista

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.

Important Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 hotfixes are included in the same packages. However, only one of these products may be listed on the “Hotfix Request” page. To request the hotfix package that applies to both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, just select the product that is listed on the page.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix, you must have Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) installed.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other previously released hotfixes.

Registry information

You do not have to make any changes to the registry.

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.

Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista file information note

The MANIFEST (.manifest) files and MUM (.mum) files that are installed for each environment are listed separately. MUM and MANIFEST files and their associated security catalog (.cat) files are critical to maintaining the state of the updated component. The security catalog files are signed with a Microsoft digital signature. The attributes of these files are not listed.

All supported x86-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

All supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

All supported Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2008

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

For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 and for Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported x86-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2008