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ERROR_NOT_ENOUGH_SERVER_MEMORY
Not enough server memory resources are available to process this command.
ERROR_NOT_ENOUGH_SERVER_MEMORY has decimal value 1130 (0x46A). It is commonly returned across a client/server boundary when the server cannot allocate or retain a resource needed for the requested operation. The message does not prove that the client is low on memory, and “memory” can represent kernel pools, handles, queues, protocol state, database cache, or service-specific limits.
Common environments
- SMB file access, remote administration, DFS, RPC, or directory-service operations
- a server service with leaked request objects, handles, buffers, sessions, or threads
- kernel filter drivers consuming nonpaged resources in a file-serving path
- a heavily loaded server that cannot grow a required cache or work queue
- an application protocol that maps its own allocation failure to Win32 code 1130
The first diagnostic question is which computer generated the code. A client library may surface 1130 locally even though the exhausted resource belongs to a remote server or an intermediate service.
Evidence to gather
- server name, role, protocol, operation, object, client identity, and request size
- whether all clients fail or only one workload, share, namespace, or account
- server commit, available memory, paged and nonpaged pools, handles, threads, and protocol counters
- service-specific logs and crash or hang dumps when a leak is suspected
- the trend before failure: gradual growth, load spike, configuration change, or immediate reproducibility
A snapshot taken only after restarting the service can look healthy. Collect counters over time and correlate the first 1130 response with resource growth and server events.
Diagnostic sequence
- confirm the request reaches the intended server and identify the component returning 1130
- compare a small operation with the failing large or complex operation
- check for leaks or blocked queues in the server process and kernel path
- review recent driver, filter, security, and configuration changes
- capture a dump before restart if the condition is persistent and business impact allows
Avoid applying old registry tweaks indiscriminately. Historical advice for one SMB or filter-driver scenario may not apply to DFS, RPC, Active Directory, a third-party service, or a modern storage stack. Tune only the resource proven to be exhausted.
Recovery and prevention
Reducing load or restarting the responsible service can restore availability, but that is containment rather than root-cause correction. Permanent work may involve fixing a leak, bounding queues, reducing request fan-out, correcting cache sizing, updating a driver, or adding capacity.
Client software should use backoff and preserve server identity. Flooding an already resource-starved server with immediate retries can accelerate failure. Administrators should verify that failover does not simply move the same leaking workload to another node.
Related errors
ERROR_NOT_ENOUGH_MEMORY and ERROR_OUTOFMEMORY are broader allocation failures and may originate locally. Error 1130 emphasizes server-side processing context. ERROR_BUSY can represent temporary load without proving resource allocation failure.
Example
A file server works after every reboot but begins returning 1130 to all SMB clients after several days. Nonpaged-pool usage grows continuously with a third-party filter driver. Increasing client retries worsens the outage; updating the filter and confirming pool stability fixes the actual leak.
References
- Microsoft: System Error Codes (1000–1299)
- Microsoft: Troubleshoot an unresponsive SMB server
- Microsoft: Resource exhaustion example for error 1130
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