You cannot run network related tools when an application uses serialized Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) miniport drivers

You have an application that uses serialized Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) miniport drivers. When you use the application on a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, the application may crash. Therefore, the frozen application covers a part of the screen and locks the network controls of the operating system. In this situation, you cannot run network related tools, such as the Networking tab of the Task Manager or the Ipconfig tool.

This problem occurs when a serialized NDIS miniport driver calls the NdisMSendResourcesAvailable function, and the status flag of the miniport is overwritten by another thread. NDIS miniport drivers keep flags on a per-miniport basis for the RESOURCES_AVAILABLE property, the PROCESSING_REQUEST property, and other properties.

However, when a miniport driver updates the RESOURCES_AVAILABLE property (set or cleared) by calling the NdisMSendResourcesAvailable function, the status flags for the NdisMSendResourcesAvailable function are not protected by a spinlock. In this situation, if the miniport driver calls the NdisMSendResourcesAvailable function to request an object identifier (also known as OID), the PROCESSING_REQUEST flag is lost occasionally. Therefore, all future object identifier requests stop being serviced and the network stack seems to stall.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problemP1 that P2 described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problemP1 described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Important Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 hotfixes are included in the same packages. However, only one of these products may be listed on the �Hotfix Request� page. To request the hotfix package that applies to both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, just select the product that is listed on the page.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix, the computer must run one of the following operating systems:

• Windows Server 2008
• Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2)
• Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)
• Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) 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 item in Control Panel. The MANIFEST files (.manifest) and the MUM files (.mum) that are installed for each environment are listed separately. MUM and MANIFEST files, and the associated security catalog (.cat) files, are critical to maintaining the state of the updated component. The security catalog files (attributes not listed) are signed with a Microsoft digital signature.

For all supported x86-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

For all supported Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2008

For all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information about the NdisMSendResourcesAvailable function, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms804184.aspx

For more information about serialized NDIS miniport drivers, visit the following Microsoft Web sites:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa938186.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa938198.aspx For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 and for Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported x86-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista