Knowledge Base

Err Msg: "The Handle is Invalid" with Console Applications

Article ID: 113941

Article Last Modified on 10/31/2006

Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.1
Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1

This article was previously published under Q113941

SYMPTOMS

Some console applications that spawn processes with handle inheritance do not work correctly. For example, the Mortice and Kerns MKS Toolkit Korn Shell fails when it attempts to pipe commands together with this statement:

   ls | pg

and dislays the error message:

The handle is invalid.

CAUSE

This is a timing problem: the first process terminates before the second process can duplicate its handles.

RESOLUTION

Corrections were made to BASESRV.DLL, CSRSRV.DLL, and WINSRV.DLL to assure that console handles are duplicated properly.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

S E R V P A C K

Additional query words: prodnt

Keywords: kb3rdparty KB113941