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Error message that you may receive when you save or move documents in Windows XP: "Delayed Write Failed"

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Article ID : 330174
Last Review : November 12, 2007
Revision : 3.2
This article was previously published under Q330174
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SYMPTOMS

When you save or move documents or during general file-management activities in Windows XP, you may intermittently receive "Delayed Write Failed" error messages.

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CAUSE

This issue may occur if one of the following conditions is true:
  • The "Enable write caching on the disk" feature for your disk is turned on.
  • Your Ultra Direct Memory Access (UDMA) hard disk controller is configured in either of the following ways:
    • You are using a 40-wire connector cable to connect the UDMA drive to the controller instead of the required 80-wire, 40-pin cable.
    • The BIOS settings are configured to force faster UDMA modes.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, turn off the "Enable write caching on the disk" feature. To do this, follow these steps.

Note If you turn off the "Enable write caching on the disk" feature, your disk performance may decrease. Because of this, you may want to monitor system performance after you complete the following procedure: (click the hyperlink for instructions for that step)
  1. Open Windows Explorer
  2. Right-click your hard disk
   
  1. Click Properties
   
  1. Click the Policies tab.
  2. Click to clear the Enable write caching on the disk
  3. Click OK
   
  • Click OK again
    •    
  • Repeat steps 3 through 7 for each hard disk that is installed in your computer
  • If the issue is resolved, do not continue with the steps in the "Advanced users section." If the issue is not resolved, continue with the steps in the "Advanced users section."

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    Advanced users section

    This section is intended for advanced computer users. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, you might want to ask someone for help or contact support. For information about how to do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
    http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/ (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/)
    1. Make sure that your UDMA hard disk controller is using an 80-wire, 40-pin cable. For information about how to do this, view the documentation that is included with your computer, or contact your UDMA hard disk controller manufacturer. Test to determine whether the issue is resolved. If the issue is resolved, do not continue with the remaining steps. If the issue is not resolved, go to the next step.
    2. Warning Do not change the BIOS settings unless you are very familiar with all the effects of changing BIOS settings.

      Make sure that the BIOS settings are not configured to force faster UDMA modes. For information about how to do this, view the documentation that is included with your computer, or contact your computer manufacturer. Test to determine whether the issue is resolved.

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    MORE INFORMATION

    When you start your computer, the BIOS checks the system-specific settings that are stored in the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip. You can modify these settings as your computer or your needs change.

    For more information about file lock or access denied error messages when you save files to a UNC path, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    812937 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/812937/) File lock or access denied error message when you save files over the network

    Delayed Write Failure

    Data corruption may occur if the Large System Cache feature is enabled in Windows XP. This problem does not occur on all systems. The key ingredients that lead to data corruption may include the following:
    • System memory that is more than 512 megabytes. (1 gigabyte of RAM is common.)
    • Large NTFS disk volumes and multiple large volumes. (60-100 gigabyte hard drives, possibly in RAID arrays.)
    • AGP graphics with large AGP resource requirements (More than the default AGP aperture)
    • Large file transfers. This problem occurs when the computer runs out of system page table entries. When the computer is started, Windows determines the default number of page table entries to assign, based on how much system memory available.
    The conditions listed here all contribute to increasing the number of page table entries that Windows XP must maintain, and in extreme cases the page table entries may be exhausted. To avoid this problem, make sure that the System Cache option is not selected for Memory usage.
    To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Click Start
    2. Right-click My Computer
    3. Click Properties to open the System Properties dialog box
    4. Click the Advanced tab (under Performance Options)
    5. Select Programs if it is not already selected (under Memory Usage)
    6. Click OK
       

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    WORKAROUND

    To work around this issue, increase the value for the page table entries. To do this, follow these steps.

    Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

    For a picture of the location in the registry, click the link
    1. Access REGEDIT (The page will open in a separate window)
    2. Navigate REGEDIT by
      1. Double-click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
      2. Double-click SYSTEM
      3. Double-click CurrentControlSet
      4. Double-click Control
      5. Double-click Session Manager
      6. Double-click Memory Management
      7. In details pane, right-click the SystemPages value
       
      1. Click Modify
       
    1. In the Value data box, type FFFFFFFF
    2. Click OK
       
    1. Exit Registry Editor
    Note The FFFFFFFF value is okay to use. However, a value that is more than the default value but less than the maximum value may provide better results.

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    Similar problems and solutions

    For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    818788 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/818788/) "{Delayed Write Failed}" error message when you unplug a USB 2.0 storage device
    321733 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/321733/) Error message when you write a file to a server from a Windows XP-based or a Windows 2000-based computer: "Delayed Write Failed"
    831594 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/831594/) "Delayed Write Failed" error message when you try to save a file or to exit OneNote 2007 or OneNote 2003
    870894 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/870894/) You receive a "Delayed Write Failed" error message in Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005
    842520 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/842520/) "Delayed Write Failed" error may occur after you save a file in Windows XP

     

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