Fix ERROR_IS_JOIN_PATH (0x00000093) on Windows 10/11
When Windows says there aren't enough resources to process a command, it's usually a memory or handle leak. Here's how to fix it fast.
What This Error Means
You're staring at ERROR_IS_JOIN_PATH (0x00000093) with the message "Not enough resources are available to process this command." I know it's frustrating because everything looks fine—your RAM shows free space, your CPU isn't pegged. But this error isn't about raw memory. It's about Windows's internal resource pool, specifically the paged and non-paged pool, or a handle table that's filled up. I've seen this happen most often when you're running a script that opens and closes many files or registry keys without properly releasing handles. Or when a background service like Windows Search or a third-party antivirus is hogging things. Let's fix it.
Step 1: The 30-Second Fix – Reboot and Retry
Before you do anything complicated, reboot. This clears temporary handles and resets the memory pools. I know it sounds obvious, but I've had users spend an hour tweaking settings when a simple restart would have fixed it. If the error goes away after reboot, it was a transient resource leak. You're done. If it comes back, move to Step 2.
Step 2: The 5-Minute Fix – Free Up System Resources
If rebooting didn't stick, something is eating resources persistently. Here's what to check quickly:
Close Unnecessary Programs
Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc). Look at the Processes tab. Sort by memory usage. Kill anything you don't need: browsers with 40 tabs, Office docs you're not using, chat apps. Then try the command that gave you the error again. Still failing? Check the Details tab for handle counts. Sort by Handles. If any process has over 10,000 handles, that's your suspect. For example, svchost.exe hosting Windows Search can balloon. Restart that service or kill the process (if safe).
Run Disk Cleanup
Low disk space on the system drive (usually C:) can also trigger this error. Run cleanmgr from the Start menu, select C:, and delete temporary files, Recycle Bin, and Windows Update cleanup. Reboot after. I've seen this fix the error on older machines with small SSDs.
Step 3: The 15+ Minute Fix – Check Memory Pool and Handles
If the error persists, we need to dig into Windows's resource pools. This is the real fix for persistent cases.
Check PoolMon via Command Line
Open an elevated Command Prompt (right-click Start → Command Prompt (Admin) or Terminal (Admin)). Run:
poolmon /p /bIf you don't have poolmon installed, you'll need to install the Windows SDK (or just skip to the next step—most users don't have it). Look for tag names with high Allocs or Bytes. Common culprits: File (file system), MmSt (memory manager), NtFs (NTFS). If you see a tag you don't recognize, Google it. For example, LSDB is often linked to a Lenovo driver causing leaks.
Check Non-Paged Pool Memory
Open Resource Monitor (resmon from Start). Go to the Memory tab. Look at Non-Paged Pool usage. If it's above 500 MB on a 64-bit system (or 200 MB on 32-bit), you have a leak. Note which processes are using it. Common offenders: ntoskrnl.exe (kernel), wininit.exe, or third-party drivers like aswSP.sys (Avast) or e1d65x64.sys (Intel Ethernet).
Update or Roll Back Drivers
If you suspect a driver, update it via Device Manager or the manufacturer's site. But I've seen more issues from new drivers than old ones. If the error started after an update, roll back: Device Manager → right-click the device → Properties → Driver → Roll Back Driver. For network or storage drivers, this is often the fix.
Disable Superfetch/SysMain
Windows 10 and 11 use SysMain (formerly Superfetch) to preload apps. It can cause resource contention. Disable it:
sc config SysMain start= disabled
sc stop SysMainRun the command above in an elevated prompt. Reboot. Does the error go away? If yes, leave it disabled or set to manual (start= demand). I've had this fix the error on systems with 8 GB RAM or less.
Still Stuck?
If you've gone through all three steps and the error still hits, you're likely looking at a hardware issue: failing RAM, a dying disk, or a corrupt system file. Run sfc /scannow and chkdsk C: /f (replace C: with your system drive). If those find nothing, run a memory test with mdsched.exe. I've seen a bad stick of RAM cause this exact error because the memory pool couldn't allocate pages. But that's rare. More often, it's a handle leak from a misbehaving app or driver. Reboot, clean up, and if all else fails, a clean install of Windows will wipe it out—but try the steps above first. They've saved me hours.
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