You receive a "Stop 0x0000003E" error message when you try to install Windows Vista Service Pack 2 or Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 on a computer that has certain multiple processors

Article ID: 973879 - View products that this article applies to.
Note This update supersedes the update that was previously released with the same Microsoft Knowledge Base article number (973879).

An issue was found in that previous version of this update. If you applied the V1 version and are experiencing Stop error messages during startup, see the following Knowledge Base article to resolve that issue:
975070
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975070/ )
Error message after you apply update 973879: "Stop 0x0000007e" or "Stop 0x00000050"

The update currently released here, which is version 2, does not have this issue.
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Symptoms

You are running an x64-based version of Windows Vista or of Windows Server 2008 on a computer that has multiple Intel x64 processors or has an Intel x64 multi-core processor. When you try to install Windows Vista Service Pack 2 or Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 on the computer, you receive the following Stop error message:
Stop 0x0000003E (parameter1, parameter2, parameter3, parameter4)
MultiProcessor_Configuration_Not_Supported
Note When this problem occurs, parameter1 and parameter2 in this Stop error message can make the following equation valid:
((parameter1 ^ parameter2) & (0x00100000))!= 0
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Cause

This issue occurs because some processors on the computer report support for some unsupported feature sets. Therefore, when the system uses these feature sets, a Stop error occurs. This situation can occur if incorrect processor packages are used or if the BIOS incorrectly enables a processor erratum.
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Update information

Windows Vista, 64-bit versions

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

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Download
Download the Update for Windows Vista for x64-based Systems (KB973879) package now.
(http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=81f0b483-8f4d-4254-b5ae-ffc338c89e44)


For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
119591
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/119591/ )
How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services
Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Windows Server 2008, 64-bit versions

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Collapse this imageExpand this image
Download
Download the Update for Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition (KB973879) package now.
(http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=f7a8daf3-2921-4941-99f0-00705241f663)


For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
119591
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/119591/ )
How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services
Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Prerequisites

To apply this update, your computer must be running one of the following Windows operating systems:
  • Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)
  • Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2)
  • Windows Server 2008
  • Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this update.

File information

The global version of this update has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table.

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 file information notes

  • The files that apply to a specific product, SR_Level (RTM, SPn), and service branch (LDR, GDR) can be identified by examining the file version numbers as shown in the following table.
    Collapse this tableExpand this table
    VersionProductSR_LevelService branch
    6.0.600 0 . 16xxxWindows VistaRTMGDR
    6.0.600 0 . 20xxxWindows VistaRTMLDR
    6.0.600 1 . 18xxxWindows Vista and Windows Server 2008SP1GDR
    6.0.600 1 . 22xxxWindows Vista and Windows Server 2008SP1LDR
    6.0.600 2 . 18xxxWindows Vista and Windows Server 2008SP2GDR
    6.0.600 2 . 22xxxWindows Vista and Windows Server 2008SP2LDR
  • Service Pack 1 is integrated into the original release of Windows Server 2008.
  • The MANIFEST files (.manifest) and MUM files (.mum) installed for each environment are listed separately. MUM and MANIFEST files, and the associated security catalog (.cat) files, are critical to maintaining the state of the updated component. The security catalog files (attributes not listed) are signed with a Microsoft digital signature.
The English version of this update 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.
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File nameFile versionFile sizeDateTimePlatform
Ntoskrnl.exe6.0.6001.182954,691,03221-Jul-200915:52x64
Ntoskrnl.exe6.0.6001.224784,682,84023-Jul-200919:48x64
Ntoskrnl.exe6.0.6002.180754,698,69622-Jul-200919:55x64
Ntoskrnl.exe6.0.6002.221834,693,56023-Jul-200919:54x64

File information for V1 and V2 versions

Use the following information to determine which version of the update is installed on your system:
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Update versionFile details
V1%Windir%\servicing\packages\Package_for_KB973879~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum
V2 (fixed version)%Windir%\servicing\packages\Package_for_KB973879~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.2.0.mum
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Status

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

For more information about the "STOP 0x0000003E" error, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
189988
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/189988/ )
CMPXCHG8B CPUs in non-Intel/AMD x86 compatibles not supported
121043
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/121043/ )
STOP screen when installing Windows NT 3.5 on 386 SMP machine
For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
824684
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824684/LN/ )
Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates
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Properties

Article ID: 973879 - Last Review: October 2, 2012 - Revision: 5.0
Applies to
  • Windows Vista Business 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Server 2008 Standard
  • Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
  • Windows Server 2008 Datacenter
  • Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V
  • Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V
  • Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V
Keywords: 
atdownload kberrmsg kbtshoot kbexpertiseinter kbsurveynew kbbug KB973879
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