Finally Microsoft fixes the hibernation bug in XP SP2

Running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) systems with greater than 1 gig of ram (1.5 gigs on my laptop) would lead to problems with putting the system in hibernation. My regular system RAM usage is usually over 1.1-1.2 gis of RAM with spikes much higher. My default choice of powering down my laptop has always been to hibernate the system because of the instant restoration of where I was before. However, frequently when I chose to hibernate the system, WinXP would initially start preperations and exit out of the GUI. A few seconds later, the screen would pop up the XP desktop again and a pop up would read:

"Insufficient System Resources Exist to Complete the API."

At that point, I couldn’t hibernate the system anymore as the option would disappear. This would leave me with the choice of either “Shut Down” or “Standby.” For months Microsoft had a fix for this problem for non-SP2 machines (KB330909) which could not be applied to my SP2 laptop. Luckily, Microsoft released a hotfix (KB909095) which cures the problem. The only catch is that customers must call 1-800-MICROSOFT and request it. My phone call this morning took about 10 minutes from dialing until the hotfix was in my inbox. I successfully applied it to my laptop and it has worked repeatedly. As can be seen by looking at Bryce Yehl’s site and my own experience, this problem has been going on for a very long time. Now if only Microsoft would provide a post-Sp2 override for shutting down USB ports when badly behaved USB devices request (but don’tt use) >500mA of power.

Update (3.13.2006): I found a download link for this hotfix at rapidshare from another blog via Google.

January 1, 2006 | Filed Under Tech/Gadgets 

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