Stacks are reserved memory that programs use to process hardware events.

A stack overflow occurs when there is not enough space in memory to run the hardware interrupt routines. To resolve these behaviors, you can modify the "STACKS=" line in the Config.sys file, eliminate terminate-and-stay-resident program (TSRs), and eliminate hardware conflicts. When Windows delivers an error message that is related to an internal stack overflow, there is not enough space in memory either set aside or available to handle the calls that are made to the computer hardware. There are several things to consider when you troubleshoot this behavior: The Config.sys startup file may not be properly configured for the Windows installation. Use the following values: STACKS=64,512 ;(this is the maximum allowed) FILES=60 BUFFERS=40 If you are using the dual-boot capabilities in Windows, the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files may not contain the correct configuration to run Windows. When you are dual-booting between Windows 3.x and Windows, these files may not have been renamed back to Config.dos and Autoexec.dos. Examine the Config.sys file to determine if files such as Himem.sys or Emm386.exe are loaded from a folder other than the Windows folder. If so, boot Windows by using the Safe Mode Command Prompt Only option. Rename the Config.sys file to Config.dos and the Autoexec.bat file to Autoexec.dos, and then restart your computer. Some TSRs may be interfering with Windows. Disable any non-boot device drivers in the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files. If you install from Windows 3.x and you receive a stack overflow error message, check the Win.ini and System.ini files for non-Windows-based programs or drivers that are loading. There may be an incompatible hardware configuration. Check the port and IRQ settings of the network adapter, sound card, and modem. Make sure that there are no COM2/COM4 or COM1/COM3 conflicts and that no devices are sharing IRQs. Disable or remove conflicting devices. The computer may need a BIOS upgrade. Check the BIOS version and contact the manufacturer of your computer for information about a BIOS upgrade. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 82318 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/82318/EN-US/ ) Stack Overflow Can Cause Windows to Hang Stack overflows can cause Microsoft Windows to stop responding (hang). If Windows hangs intermittently, try adding the following line to the CONFIG.SYS file:

STACKS=9,256

MORE INFORMATION The addition of the STACKS command line causes MSDOS to reserve space for hardw...
The addition of the STACKS command line causes MS-DOS to reserve space for hardware interrupt handling (rather than an application's stack). In general, the default setting gives you more free memory; however, there are situations when the hardware interrupt routines require more space. On IBM machines, STACKS=0,0 is the default; on all other machines, STACKS=9,128 is the default. One such situation is when you are running SMARTDrive (SMARTDRV.EXE) version 4.0 with certain network cards. Windows Setup should modify the CONFIG.SYS file accordingly when Windows is installed if it detects a known problem configuration. If Windows is hanging or crashing, particularly if SMARTDRV.EXE 4.0 is running, or a network is installed, try adding the STACKS command to the CONFIG.SYS file and see if that corrects the problem. For more information, please query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: STACKS and OVERVIEW