Vista SP1 Incorrectly Reports Intel Core i7 (Nehalem) Processor Errors

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 will incorrectly report Intel Core i7 (Nehalem) processor errors under the label Event 19, Microsoft reveals. This is true not only for the first service pack of Windows Vista, but also for Windows Server 2008 RTM/SP1. The Redmond company informs that only the two Windows client and server releases, along with their respective edition lineups, are affected. The problem is related to the Windows Hardware Error Architecture (WHEA) handler in Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008.

According to the software giant, the issue only affects copies of Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 that have the Windows Hardware Error Architecture (WHEA) feature enabled, and which are running on systems with Intel Core i7 (Nehalem) processors. The error reports are erroneous, as the issues are not related to the Core i7 (Nehalem) CPUs but rather to the system memory.

“In the following event in the System event log, the WHEA handler incorrectly reports that corrected memory errors are processor translation lookaside buffer (TLB) errors: Log Name: System; Source: Microsoft-Windows-WHEA-Logger; Event ID: 19; Task Category: None; Level: Warning; Error Source: Corrected Machine Check; Error Type: TLB Error; Description: A corrected hardware error occurred,” read the symptoms of the issue as described by the Redmond company.

An update designed to resolve the issue is on its way, Microsoft informs, but for the time being the software giant is offering a hotfix capable of dealing with the problem. The company explains that the processors do not have to be replaced in order to put a stop to the error reports. “Customers incorrectly assume that the system's processors have to be replaced. In fact, customers may have to replace failing memory DIMMs,” the software giant adds. “Regardless of how many times the customer replaces the processors, the errors in the event log persist.”