Consider the following scenario. On a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, you successfully install an earlier (legacy) version of a particular wave driver. In Device Manager, this driver is shown as being installed correctly. However, under certain conditions, an application that has to load this wave driver cannot find it.

If you use a debug tool, such as WinDBG, to troubleshoot the issue, you will notice that the user-mode wave driver does not load as expected.

This issue is caused by an error in the Winmm component. This error occurs when the computer tries to initialize the user-mode wave driver.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Important Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 hotfixes are included in the same packages. However, only one of these products may be listed on the “Hotfix Request” page. To request the hotfix package that applies to both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, just select the product that is listed on the page.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix, the computer must run one of the following:

• Windows Vista
• Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)
• Windows Server 2008

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other previously released hotfixes.

Registry information

To use this hotfix, you do not have to make any changes to the registry.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Vista, x86-based versions

Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008, x86-based versions

Windows Vista, x64-based versions

Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008, x64-based versions

Windows Server 2008, Itanium-based versions

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

The Winmm component supports multimedia services. This component is used to initialize .wave, .midi, and .aux files.

For information about the Wave and DirectSound components, visit the following Microsoft Web site:For information about the KSPROPERTY_AUDIO_LOUDNESS property, visit the following Microsoft Web site:For more information about Windows debugging tools, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: