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ERROR_PAGED_SYSTEM_RESOURCES
The pageable kernel pool cannot satisfy the request.
ERROR_PAGED_SYSTEM_RESOURCES is Win32 error 1452 (0x5AC). Paged pool stores kernel-mode data that may be written to disk when it is not actively used. Exhaustion can result from a driver leak, excessive object creation, address-space constraints on older systems, or workload that keeps too many pageable kernel allocations outstanding.
When to suspect paged pool
- paged pool usage trends upward while application private bytes remain stable
- the problem is correlated with registry, file-system, security, or object-manager activity
- one pool tag dominates growth during the failing workload
- system operations fail broadly even though physical memory still appears available
- the issue returns predictably after a fixed number of transactions
Telemetry and diagnostics
Record paged pool bytes, system commit, page-file state, pool tags, loaded drivers, handle counts, and the operation rate that precedes the error. Preserve a baseline from a healthy boot and samples during growth. A single terminal counter value is less useful than a graph showing which resource grows with each request.
How to investigate
Confirm that paged pool, rather than user-mode heap or nonpaged pool, is the constrained resource. Use PoolMon to sort by bytes and allocation differences, then identify the owner of suspicious tags. Reproduce with controlled workload increments and verify whether allocations return after files close, sessions end, devices stop, or policies reload.
Inspect application behavior that can drive kernel allocations indirectly. Leaked registry keys, section objects, security descriptors, or file handles may manifest as pool pressure even when the application does not allocate kernel memory explicitly. Review driver failure paths for unmatched allocations and frees.
Recovery
Stop the leak source or reduce request concurrency, then restart the affected component or reboot when the pool cannot be recovered. Apply a supported driver or operating-system fix rather than relying on obsolete registry tuning copied from older Windows releases. On current 64-bit systems, correcting the growth is more important than forcing manual pool limits.
Relation to other resource errors
ERROR_NONPAGED_SYSTEM_RESOURCES concerns resident kernel allocations. ERROR_PAGEFILE_QUOTA concerns a quota applied to paging-file-backed usage. Error 1452 specifically points toward pageable kernel pool or related system structures.
Example
A file-system minifilter allocates paged metadata for each scan request and fails to release it when a file is renamed during scanning. Pool-tag growth matches rename volume, and after many hours file operations return 1452. Correcting the cancellation path stabilizes the pool.
References
- Microsoft: System Error Codes (1300–1699)
- Microsoft: Memory Pools
- Microsoft: Troubleshoot Windows performance problems
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