Microsoft KB Archive/817768

= Windows Explorer Stops Responding When It Tries to Sort More Than 1 Million Objects on a RAID Controller =

Article ID: 817768

Article Last Modified on 2/19/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 1
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 1

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IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry



SYMPTOMS
When you access any type of redundant array of independent disks (RAID) controller that contains more than 1 million objects, files, images, or folders, your computer may stop responding (hang).



Service Pack Information
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

Hotfix Information
A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to computers that are experiencing this specific problem. This fix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends 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 fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone 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 typical 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 --  31-Mar-2003  16:26  5.0.3700.6697   2,356,496  Shell32.dll After you have installed the hotfix, you must modify the registry to set a value for the maximum number of files to be sorted. After this limit is reached, the rest of the files remain unsorted in Windows Explorer.WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Follow these steps, and then quit Registry Editor:  Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:

 

 On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD. Type SortMaxItemCount, and then press ENTER. On the Edit menu, click Modify. Type Maximum_#, and then click OK.</li></ol>

Note  is the value for the maximum number of items that Windows Explorer sorts in any one folder.

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STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4.

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MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about how to obtain a hotfix for Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

265173 The Datacenter Program and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Product

Additional query words: freeze crash

Keywords: kbbug kbfix kbshell kbwin2000presp4fix kbqfe kbwin2ksp4fix kbhotfixserver KB817768

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