Microsoft KB Archive/875542

= The computer stops responding when you use the Hot Add Memory feature to add RAM in Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 =

Article ID: 875542

Article Last Modified on 3/22/2007

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APPLIES TO

 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, when used with:  Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)

 Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)

 Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition 

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SYMPTOMS
Consider the following scenario:
 * You use a computer that has a 64-bit chip set.
 * The computer is running a 32-bit version of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1).
 * The computer has less than 4 gigabytes (GB) of memory.
 * You use the Hot Add Memory feature to add random access memory (RAM) to the computer.
 * After you add RAM, the total amount of RAM is equal to or larger than 4 GB.

In this scenario, the computer stops responding. For example, when you use the Hot Add Memory feature to add 2 GB of RAM to a computer that already has 2 GB of RAM, the computer may stop responding. When this problem occurs, you may receive a &quot;Stop 0x0000007F&quot; error message.

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CAUSE
This problem occurs because Windows Server 2003 with SP1 cannot use double buffering for direct memory access (DMA) RAM on 32-bit devices.

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WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, make sure that you have at least 4 GB of RAM before you try to use the Hot Add Memory feature. Or, make sure that your devices are not limited to 32-bit DMA RAM.

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

Additional query words: operating system chipset double buffer bugcheck

Keywords: kbhotfixserver kbqfe kbtshoot kbpubtypekc KB875542

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