Q128254: Stop Msg: C0000218 "Unknown Hard Error" When Registry is Overrun

Article: Q128254
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): 
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 08-AUG-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 3.5 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 3.5 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYMPTOMS
========

When you add users and groups to an Windows NT version 3.5 computer using User
Manager you have the ability to overrun the registry with user and group
information. When you reboot your computer, the following stop screen appears:

  Stop 0xc0000218 (0xe11a30e8, 0x00000000, 0x000000000, 0x00000000)
  Unknown Hard Error

CAUSE
=====

User accounts and group information are stored in a secure location in the
registry. By default, RSL (registry size limit) is 25% of the size of paged
pool. The registry charges registry quota for its memory allocations. This is to
prevent the registry from becoming too large for the available system resources.
If a piece of registry is freed up, it is deallocated from the pool and the
registry quota is returned. Although the space is still allocated in the file,
there is no memory allocated, so no quota is charged.

If the registry becomes very fragmented, its file size may become much larger
than the charged registry quota, potentially causing the registry to become
larger than the system can accommodate at boot time. That is, the registry file
cannot fit in memory in the available paged pool.

RESOLUTION
==========

To address fragmentation, the Windows NT registry now continues to charge quota
for portions of the registry that have been deallocated from pool, but are still
allocated in the file. This prevents the size of the registry's files from
exceeding the allowable registry quota, ensuring the file will fit in memory on
the next reboot.

Additionally, a change was made that provides better coalescing of small portions
of free registry memory into larger pieces when very large registry allocations
are required.

With this change, instead of overrunning the registry with user and group
information, when the registry reaches it's maximum allocation the following
error message appears:

  Not enough server storage to process this command

For additional information, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

  Q126401: Err Msg: Not Enough Server Storage is Available to Process..

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.5. This
problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for Windows NT
version 3.5. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the
following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

  S E R V P A C K

Additional query words: prodnt Comparison of Windows NT Network Protocols

======================================================================
Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNT350search kbWinNTW350 kbWinNTW350search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS350 kbWinNTS350search

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1986-2002.