Stop 0x0000003F or NO_MORE_SYSTEM_PTES

The Stop 0x3F message indicates one or more of the following problems:

• The system Page Table Entries (PTEs) are depleted or fragmented due to the system performing a large number of input/output (I/O) actions.
• A faulty device driver is not managing memory properly.
• An application, such as a backup program, is improperly allocating large amounts of kernel memory.

Interpreting the Message

Depending on the configuration of your system, the value of the first parameter might vary. Possible values for the first parameter and the information returned are as follows:

• 0x0000000A - Page Table Entry (PTE) type: 0x00000000 = system expansion, 0x00000001 = nonpaged pool expansion
• 0x0000000B - Requested size
• 0x0000000C - Total free system PTEs
• 0x0000000D - Total system PTEs

Resolving the Problem

The following suggestions are specific to Stop 3F errors. For additional troubleshooting suggestions that apply to all Stop errors, see "Stop Message Checklist" later in this appendix.

• Stop 0x3F messages can occur after installing faulty drivers or system services. If a file name is given, you need to disable, remove, or roll back that driver. Disable the service or application and confirm that this resolves the error. If so, contact the hardware manufacturer about a possible update. Using updated software is especially important for backup programs, multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, and CD mastering tools.
• The system might not actually be out of PTEs, but a contiguous memory block of sufficient size is not available to satisfy a driver or application request. Check for the availability of updated driver or application files and consult the hardware or program documentation for minimum system requirements.
• Another cause is excessive demands for system PTE by applications. This situation is more common in server environments. Windows XP Professional provides a registry entry, SystemPages, that you can use to increase the number of PTEs allocated.

  Caution

  • Do not edit the registry unless you have no alternative. The registry editor bypasses standard safeguards, allowing settings that can damage your system, or even require you to reinstall Windows. If you must edit the registry, back it up first and see the Registry Reference in the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Server Resource Kit at http://www.microsoft.com/reskit.

  To increase the number of PTEs allocated in the registry

  1. In the Run dialog box, and in the Open box, type: regedit
  2. In the registry editor, navigate to the subkey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management.
  3. Double-click on PagedPoolSize and SystemPages to view the value for each entry.
  4. If PagedPoolSize is not zero, assign a value of 0.
  5. If SystemPages is not zero, assign a value of 40000 for systems with 128 MB (or less) of memory, or 110000 for systems with 128 MB to 256 MB of memory. For systems with more memory, do not increase the SystemPages value above 110000 without contacting Microsoft technical support.
  6. Click OK, and then close the registry editor.
  7. Restart your computer.

A related Stop message, 0x000000D8: DRIVER_USED_EXCESSIVE_PTES, is described later in this appendix.

For more information about Stop 0x3F messages, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources. Search using keywords winnt, 0x0000003F, and 0x3F.