Windows Server 2025 Crashes Caused by Memory Management Changes

Microsoft has issued a warning to customers about potential application crashes on Windows Server 2025 due to recent memory management changes. The issue affects applications that use Address Windowing Extensions (AWE), which allows an app to use more than 4GB of physical memory within a 32-bit virtual address space.

The affected apps include SQL Server, particularly when running with the Lock Pages in Memory (LPIM) Windows policy enabled to boost performance. On impacted systems, users may experience memory corruption errors, access violations, and unexpected terminations.

A temporary workaround is available, which requires admins to disable the LPIM policy for the SQL Server service account. However, Microsoft notes that this can affect SQL Server performance and memory-management behavior.

The company is working on a permanent fix, which will be included in a future Windows update. In the meantime, users are advised to evaluate the workaround in their environment.