How to disable the corrected machine check on a Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computer

In Microsoft Windows Server 2003, a periodic timer polls the system for corrected hardware error conditions. This process may interfere with the system firmware. This article describes how to disable the corrected machine check to work around this problem.

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

By default, Windows Server 2003 runs a periodic timer. Every 60 seconds, the periodic timer polls the system for corrected hardware error conditions. However, when both the firmware and the operating system operate on the same corrected error information, the firmware and the operating system may conflict.

The corrected machine check process reports these error conditions. Sometimes, you may want to disable this process. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager
3. If the EnableCMC registry value exists, go to step 4. If the EnableCMC registry value does not exist, follow these steps:
   1. Right-click Session Manager, click New, and then click DWORD Value.
   2. Type EnableCMC as the name of the new entry in the Name column.
4. Double-click EnableCMC.
5. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, type 0 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
6. Quit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.