Microsoft KB Archive/314405

= Explorer May Hang During the Detection of Audio Devices =

Article ID: 314405

Article Last Modified on 10/27/2006

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

-



This article was previously published under Q314405



SYMPTOMS
When Windows XP is detecting Plug and Play audio hardware, Explorer may become unresponsive or appear to stop responding (hang). This condition can also occur when physical removal or manual driver uninstallation is initiated.



CAUSE
This problem may be caused by an extremely rare timing condition that exists in the WinMM subsystem and is dependent upon several variables including response time of the new device, the bus to which it is being attached, and automatic installation of child drivers if this is a multiple-function device.



RESOLUTION
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 XP 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. The English version of this fix has the file attributes (or later) 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 tool in Control Panel.   Date         Time   Version        Size     File name -  21-Jul-2003  18:29  5.1.2600.1250  162,816  Winmm.dll



WORKAROUND
To immediately work around the problem, you can use Task Manager to end the Explorer.exe process, at which point Explorer will automatically restart. After Explorer restarts, restart your computer normally.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Keywords: kbhotfixserver kbqfe kbenv kbfix kbprb KB314405

-

[mailto:TECHNET@MICROSOFT.COM Send feedback to Microsoft]

© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.