You receive a "Generic Host Process" error message

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. For Windows XP SP2, the Generic Host Process error can potentially occur on any system at any time. Although you receive the error message shortly after system startup, the actual error occurred during the previous system shutdown. Because of the broad nature of this issue, this hotfix was made available through Windows Update and distributed to users who have Automatic Updates enabled to eliminate this problem on Windows XP SP2 systems. For Windows XP SP2, you may experience one last Generic Host Process error upon restart after you install this hotfix. This is from the previous system shutdown before the new version installation was completed.

For Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000, this hotfix is only intended to correct the problems that are described in this article. Only apply this hotfix to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Windows service pack that contains this hotfix. To resolve this problem immediately, download the hotfix from the following locations.

Windows Server 2003, 32-bit versions

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Collapse this imageExpand this image

Download the WindowsServer2003-KB894391-x86-enu.exe package now. (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C4B0D34C-2796-4BE1-B509-C7AFF9D593B0&displaylang=en)

Windows Server 2003, Itanium-based Editions

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Collapse this imageExpand this image

Download the WindowsServer2003-KB894391-ia64-enu.exe package now. (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=383B2763-6C82-4070-A1B1-1D00FE7C1622&displaylang=en)

Windows XP, 32-bit versions

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Collapse this imageExpand this image

Download the WindowsXP-KB894391-x86-ENU.exe package now. (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=A87B44B9-7A6A-49B6-BD89-AFAD4E049C48&displaylang=en)

Note This hotfix was made available through Windows Update and distributed to users who have Automatic Updates enabled.

Windows XP, 64-bit version (Itanium)

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Collapse this imageExpand this image

Download the WindowsXP-KB894391-ia64-ENU.exe package now. (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=6D111D8D-5649-4BAD-BEA8-3BDB92F3732B&displaylang=en)

Windows 2000

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Collapse this imageExpand this image

Download the Windows2000-KB894391-x86-ENU.exe package now. ( http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=5872F7D3-086E-41C0-A08C-437BACC3002F&displaylang=en)

For more information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

119591  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/119591/ ) How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services

Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.