Microsoft KB Archive/175937

= Cannot Start More Than 100 Services =

Article ID: 175937

Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition

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This article was previously published under Q175937



SYMPTOMS
The number of simultaneously running services is limited to 100 (excluding all shared services that run under the Services.exe process, such as Alerter, Browser, EventLog, LanmanServer, LanmanWorkstation, LMHOSTS, Messenger, and so on).

When you try to start an additional service, you receive the following error message:

All pipe instances are busy.

NOTE: This does not apply to Microsoft Windows 2000. The MAX_INSTANCES constraint has been removed.



CAUSE
The Service Control Manager (that is, Services.exe) creates a pipe for each of the services it starts. This pipe is used for interprocess communication between the Service Control Manager and the process of the service. The maximum number of pipe instances is hard-coded to 100.

Keywords: kberrmsg kbinfo kbhotfixserver KB175937

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