Windows error 729 (ERROR_DRIVERS_LEAKING_LOCKED

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: a driver is retaining locked I/O pages and degrading the system.

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ERROR_FIRMWARE_UPDATED	ERROR_WAKE_SYSTEM

ERROR_DRIVERS_LEAKING_LOCKED_PAGES

Windows detected a driver leaking pages that should have been unlocked after I/O

Drivers can lock user or system pages while preparing memory for I/O, often through MDLs. Those pages must be released when the operation and ownership lifetime end. Retaining locked pages consumes nonpageable physical memory and can progressively degrade the whole system even when individual requests appear to finish.

This status is a driver defect signal, not a request to increase the paging file. Windows may enable tracking to identify the culprit. In a controlled test environment, Driver Verifier Pool Tracking also enables locked-page tracking and can stop the system with DRIVER_LEFT_LOCKED_PAGES_IN_PROCESS when the responsible driver fails to release pages. Correlate the named driver with MDL allocation, page locking, cancellation, and error-completion paths; leaks often hide in exceptional paths rather than the normal successful transfer.

What to inspect

Record the driver named by the system tracking event.
Audit MDL/page-lock ownership across success, error, and cancellation paths.
Use Driver Verifier locked-page tracking on the suspected driver in testing.

References

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