Delayed Worker Threads Causes a STOP 7A

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

Delayed worker threads may cause a STOP 7A - KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR message to be displayed.

CAUSE

When the browser receives a server announcement, the transport notifies the browser at the interrupt level. This announcement is queued to a worker thread by allocating a block of non-paged pool for the workitem and queuing that workitem for later processing.

If the announcements arrive very quickly or if the computer running the browser is very busy, the workitems are not processed as quickly as they are received. In that case, all of the non-paged pool memory is consumed by these queue entries.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the hotfix referenced below, or wait for the next service pack.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 4.0. A supported fix is now available, but has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. Unless you are severely impacted by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Service Pack that contains this fix. Contact Microsoft Technical Support for more information.