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WINDOWS · 0x00000045 ERROR_TOO_MANY_SESS

How to fix Windows error 0x00000045

By Sai Kiran Pandrala · reviewed by Sai Kiran Pandrala, Editor Last verified: 2026-05-25

⚡ At a glance
Error code0x00000045
Decimal69
Symbolic nameERROR_TOO_MANY_SESS
PlatformWindows
Official messageThe network BIOS session limit was exceeded.
SourceMicrosoft Win32 system error codes

What is 0x00000045?

Real-world context. Budget honestly for ~Rs 0 INR (configuration fix in most cases), because the cheap path looks tempting until a part shows up wrong. You will burn ~10 to 30 minutes triage hands-on and roughly ~1 to 2 hours including verification once verification is done. Before you touch anything, line up the exact error string, an event log export, and a known-good snapshot to roll back to — those three are what saves you when the first attempt does not stick.

0x00000045 is a Windows system error code that bubbles up from the Windows networking stack (LANMAN, SMB, redirector). The symbolic name ERROR_TOO_MANY_SESS belongs to the Windows networking stack (LANMAN, SMB, redirector), so when you see it the failure is almost always related to that area, not the app that happens to print the message. In plain English: the system is reporting that the network BIOS session limit was exceeded.

Application logs treat 0x00000045 as opaque, which is why the fix usually involves dropping one layer down: check the underlying API call, the OS resource it touched, and the permissions or state at the moment of the call. The original message is short on context for a reason. The kernel returns the code; the friendly text is up to whichever shell or app surfaces it.

When does 0x00000045 appear?

0x00000045 shows up in a handful of recurring situations. Knowing which one you are in saves you from random chair-spinning. Walk through the list below and tick off the scenario that matches what you were doing when the error landed.

How serious is 0x00000045?

Severity: Medium. On its own this is not a danger sign, it is a configuration or permissions signal. Treat it as a hint about what to check rather than a reason to panic. The error code itself is just a status return, the real question is what the caller was trying to do at the moment it fired. Always pair the code with the timestamp and the surrounding event log entries before deciding what to repair.

How to fix 0x00000045

Detect the failure (PowerShell, run as Administrator)

# Confirm that 0x00000045 is what you are looking at.
$errCode = [int]69
[System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception]::new($errCode).Message

# Pull recent system + application errors that match this code.
Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='System'; Level=1,2,3; StartTime=(Get-Date).AddHours(-24)} -MaxEvents 200 |
  Where-Object { $_.Message -match '0x00000045' -or $_.Message -match 'ERROR_TOO_MANY_SESS' } |
  Select-Object TimeCreated, Id, ProviderName, Message | Format-List

Fix: network path and adapter check

# 1. Confirm the remote host and share are reachable.
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 'fileserver01' -Port 445
Get-SmbConnection

# 2. Refresh the local adapter cache and DNS.
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
Restart-Service -Name 'LanmanWorkstation','LanmanServer' -Force

# 3. Re-map the network drive cleanly.
net use Z: /delete /y
net use Z: \\fileserver01\share /persistent:yes

Verify the fix

# 1. Re-trigger the original operation and confirm no new event lands.
$before = Get-Date
# (run the previously failing command here)
Get-WinEvent -LogName System -MaxEvents 50 |
  Where-Object { $_.TimeCreated -ge $before -and $_.Message -match '0x00000045' }

# 2. Decode the error code one more time to confirm it is gone.
net helpmsg 69

Short-term workarounds for 0x00000045

If you cannot fix the root cause right now, these reduce the impact without papering over the real issue:

Quick verify checklist for 0x00000045

Frequently asked questions

What does 0x00000045 mean exactly?

The system is reporting that the network bios session limit was exceeded.

Is 0x00000045 dangerous?

On its face the message is informational, not destructive. Treat it as diagnostic output rather than a security incident. The actual problem is whatever the code is pointing at: a misconfigured ACL, an absent library, or an exhausted resource. Solve the source and the code stops firing.

Will reinstalling fix 0x00000045?

Almost certainly no. Reinstalling Windows wipes far more than the actual fault, which usually sits in a registry hive, a driver, or an ACL on a single file. Run the repair commands above and only reinstall if everything else passes and the error still shows up.

How is 0x00000045 different from 0x80070005?

Adjacent code numbers can look interchangeable, yet each one fires from a separate component. 0x00000045 is yours; other codes nearby are owned by different subsystems with different fixes. Always match the exact code before applying steps.

How do I find out which process is throwing 0x00000045?

Open Event Viewer, filter the System and Application channels by the timestamp of the error, and read the ProviderName and ProcessId fields on the matching entry. A PowerShell session with Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='System'} and a Where-Object for 0x00000045 gives the same answer in seconds.

Codes that sit in neighbouring corners of the same subsystem. Worth a glance if the fix above did not land:

Related guides worth a look while you sort this one out:

References

Field notes from real Windows incidents

When I work on the 0x00000045 symptom the rhythm I lean on is the one I have built over years of these tickets. Windows error codes come in a handful of families; once you recognise the family, the doc page is one search away. STOP codes look terrifying but the first DWORD almost always points directly at the responsible driver. DISM RestoreHealth needs network or a known-good source image; the most common cause of a failed RestoreHealth is a blocked Windows Update endpoint.

Tools I actually reach for

For the 0x00000045 symptom on Windows the cheapest signal I can land usually comes from Process Monitor (procmon), then PowerShell Get-WinEvent, WinDbg for STOP code analysis, Windows Performance Recorder when Process Monitor (procmon) cannot see the layer the fault sits in, and Windows Error Lookup Tool (err.exe) for the cases where neither of those answers cleanly. That ordering is not academic. It matches the layers the failure tends to surface through, so the cheap signal lands first and the heavier tooling only comes out when the simpler answer does not hold up under scrutiny.

Verification I run before I close the ticket

Before I mark the 0x00000045 symptom resolved on a Windows unit, the verification loop below is what I actually run. Each step proves a different layer is green, and the order matters - the cheap checks gate the more expensive ones.

sfc /scannow

If that one comes back clean, move to the next check. If it does not, stop and dig in there before layering more verification on top of a red signal.

err.exe 0xXXXXXXXX  # symbolic decode

If that one comes back clean, move to the next check. If it does not, stop and dig in there before layering more verification on top of a red signal.

Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='System'; Level=1,2; StartTime=(Get-Date).AddDays(-7)}

If that one comes back clean, move to the next check. If it does not, stop and dig in there before layering more verification on top of a red signal.

wevtutil epl System system.evtx  # export for offline review

Only when every line above runs clean do I close the ticket and update the runbook with the timestamps.

Where I check first when the docs disagree

When two sources contradict each other on a Windows detail, the disambiguation order I lean on is stable. I usually start at techcommunity.microsoft.com/category/windows for the ground-truth view on Windows. I usually start at learn.microsoft.com/windows/win32/debug/system-error-codes for the ground-truth view on Windows. I usually start at support.microsoft.com for the ground-truth view on Windows. I usually start at github.com/microsoft/Windows-Driver-Frameworks for the ground-truth view on Windows. Random blog posts and reseller wikis are signal, not ground truth, and I treat them as such until the references above either confirm or contradict the claim.

Pitfalls I have walked into on this exact path

The shortcuts that look smart on the 0x00000045 symptom have a habit of biting back. The pitfalls below are the ones I have personally walked into on a Windows unit, not things I read about. STOP codes look terrifying but the first DWORD almost always points directly at the responsible driver. Reliability Monitor is the single most underused triage surface in Windows — it gives 30 days of crash history without writing a query. When in doubt I revert to the slower path that the manual prescribes - the time I save by skipping it is always smaller than the time I spend cleaning up afterwards.

What I tell the next on-call

When I hand the 0x00000045 symptom off to the next person on rotation, the three lines I leave in the runbook are these. First, the symptom signature for Windows on the Windows family - not a paraphrase, the exact string that surfaces. Second, the diagnostic that gave the highest signal in the least time. Third, the exact verification command whose green output justified closing the ticket. That trio is what turns a one-off fix into a runbook entry the next engineer can use without paging me at three in the morning.

I also add a one-line note on the cost of getting this wrong. For the 0x00000045 symptom on a Windows unit, the cost is rarely the replacement part. It is the downtime, the second site visit, and the trust deficit you spend with whoever owns the asset when the fix does not hold. That framing keeps the next on-call from choosing the cheap-looking shortcut that ends up costing the most in elapsed hours and goodwill.