Microsoft KB Archive/838283

= Desktop application menus are improperly displayed if a process exceeds its GDI object quota in Windows XP or in Windows 2000 =

Article ID: 838283

Article Last Modified on 8/29/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)

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SYMPTOMS
Application menus and context menus are improperly displayed for other applications when a process exceeds its graphics device interface (GDI) object quota. (The default object quota is 10,000.) The problem persists even after the process exits and is especially noticeable with three-dimensional (3-D) menus and with shadowing.

Note After the process exceeds its GDI object quota, the process may display more than just menus incorrectly. The process may also inadvertently write over the Windows desktop. You must exit the process before you try to address these problems.



CAUSE
When an application exceeds its GDI object quota, the application can no longer allocate GDI objects. However, in this scenario, the application continues to operate as if it can allocate objects and starts painting objects on the screen incorrectly. An additional effect of this behavior is that the operating system menus do not handle the situation correctly. Menus for other applications are also affected.



RESOLUTION
To regain the correct Windows desktop display, use one of the following methods:

Method 1

 * 1) Exit the application that exceeded the GDI object quota.
 * 2) Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE or press Windows logo key+L to switch to the logon window.
 * 3) Click Cancel if you are logged on to a domain, or click your user name to return your desktop.

Method 2

 * 1) Exit the application that exceeded the GDI object quota.
 * 2) Right-click the task bar, and then click Show the Desktop.
 * 3) Start an application, such as Internet Explorer, and then switch to the full-screen display by pressing F11.

Service pack information
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows XP. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322389 How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack

Hotfix information
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:

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451

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:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to install this hotfix.

Restart requirement
You do not have to restart your computer after you apply this 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 --  02-Apr-2004  14:05  5.1.2600.1502  1,797,120  Win32k.sys 09-Jan-2004 21:11  5.4.1.0          140,800  Spuninst.exe 09-Jan-2004 14:46  5.4.1.0            6,656  Spmsg.dll

Hotfix information
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Windows 2000 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Prerequisites
You must be running Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3) or later to install this hotfix. For more information about how to obtain the latest Windows 2000 service pack, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to obtain the latest Windows 2000 service pack

Restart requirement
You do not have to restart your computer after you apply this 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 --  23-Mar-2004  15:17  5.0.2195.6892     90,264  Rdpwd.sys 05-Apr-2004 23:25  5.0.2195.6922  1,630,640  Win32k.sys 23-Mar-2004 18:17  5.0.2195.6897    742,160  Kernel32.dll 23-Mar-2004 18:17  5.0.2195.6898    242,448  Gdi32.dll 05-Apr-2004 09:26  5.4.15.0           6,656  Spmsg.dll 05-Aug-2003 14:14  5.0.2195.6794    385,808  Userenv.dll 10-Mar-2004 18:37  5.0.2195.6898    181,520  Winlogon.exe 23-Mar-2004 18:17  5.0.2195.6824     42,256  Basesrv.dll 05-Feb-2004 12:18  5.0.2195.6896  5,869,056  Sp3res.dll 23-Mar-2004 18:17  5.0.2195.6897    403,216  User32.dll 23-Mar-2004 18:17  5.0.2195.6895    335,120  Msgina.dll 15-Nov-2001 15:27                     5,149  Empty.cat 05-Apr-2004 09:27  5.4.15.0         158,208  Spuninst.exe 23-Mar-2004 18:17  5.0.2195.6824     54,544  Mpr.dll 20-Sep-2003 16:45  5.0.2195.6824    236,304  Cmd.exe 25-Sep-2003 10:08  5.0.2195.6826    243,984  Winsrv.dll



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the &quot;Applies to&quot; section.

Windows XP This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.



MORE INFORMATION
You can use Windows Task Manager to monitor the GDI objects of a process. To do this:
 * 1) Start Windows Task Manager.
 * 2) Click View, click Select Columns, and then click the GDI Objects button.

You can also monitor the GDI objects with the Gdiobj.exe tool. To obtain this tool, visit the following Web site:

http://www.fengyuan.com/download.html

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

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

Note This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1). The information in this article also applies to Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86) and Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86).

Keywords: kbwinxpsp2fix kbwinxppresp2fix kbfix kbbug kbqfe kbhotfixserver KB838283

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