Based on PCI 3.0 specification, the MSI enable bit is the bit 0 of “Message Control” register (MSI capability + offset 0×2). This “MSI Enable” bit is always being set to 0 on the failed systems.

Consider the following scenario:

1. An application or service runs in Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) or another system that has Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXML) 6.0 installed.
2. The application or service uses MSXML 6.0 to handle XML requests.

In heavy stress situations, the CPU usage of an application or service reaches 100%. If this problem occurs on a uniprocessor computer, the whole system crashes. If this problem occurs on a multiprocessor computer, the whole system encounters high CPU usage. In Task Manager, you may see that the CPU usage of one processor is 100%.

For example, the MonitoringHost.exe process in the System Center Operations Manager 2007 encounters high CPU usage because of this problem.

On a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, an application uses the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) driver to communicate with the baseboard management controller (BMC). However, even when the system is almost idle, you experience high CPU utilization in this situation. Sometimes, CPU utilization may grow to 50 percent of system resources.

You are running an application that is based on Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications (SUA) on a Windows Vista-based or a Windows Server 2008-based computer. However, the application becomes unresponsive. Additionally, Task Manager shows that the Psxss.exe process consumes 100 percent of CPU time. This problem typically occurs when you start or stop the application.

You connect a high-speed USB 2.0 audio device to a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista. When you operate the USB audio device, you notice that the CPU usage is greater than the CPU usage of the same device when the device is connected to a Windows XP-based computer. You also notice that the CPU usage is greater than the CPU usage of a similar USB audio device that connects as a full-speed USB device. Additionally, you may experience skipping in audio playback from the high-speed USB 2.0 audio device.

Note: The increase in the CPU usage may be especially high in a low-performance system.

Use multiple processors at boot time to speed the boot process! Keep reading →

• Core Temp 0.97 released, Vista x64 finally supported
  A CPU temperature monitoring software package that is now Vista 64-bit compatible.
  (tags: Utility CPU )
• The Microsoft IPsec Diagnostic Tool is available for Windows Server 2008, for Windows Vista, for Windows Server 2003, and for Windows XP
  You can use the Microsoft IPsec Diagnostic Tool to check for common network problems on the host computer. When problems are found, the tool suggests appropriate repair commands.
  (tags: IPsec )

Keep reading →

A CPU temperature monitoring software package that is now Vista 64-bit compatible. Keep reading →

Consider the following scenario. In an application, you try to open an XML document by using Windows Internet Explorer. However, the XML document is not valid. In this scenario, error code 404 is returned as expected. However, Internet Explorer may use a high percentage of the CPU resources.

You change the processor, or CPU, on a Windows Vista-based computer. However, Device Manager still shows information for the previous processor. Device Manager is not updated to show information for the new processor. For example, the brand string may not be correct. For information about how to contact your hard drive manufacturers, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
65416 Hardware and software vendor contact information, A-K

60781 Hardware and software vendor contact information, L-P

60782 Hardware and software vendor contact information, Q-Z
The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.