diff -r 58adcb17d304 -r 6e45ffa3bccf hotspot/src/os/windows/vm/os_windows.cpp
--- a/hotspot/src/os/windows/vm/os_windows.cpp	Mon Oct 04 10:08:29 2010 -0700
+++ b/hotspot/src/os/windows/vm/os_windows.cpp	Thu Oct 07 08:06:06 2010 -0700
@@ -3311,7 +3311,6 @@
   }
 }
 
-
 // this is called _after_ the global arguments have been parsed
 jint os::init_2(void) {
   // Allocate a single page and mark it as readable for safepoint polling
@@ -3390,6 +3389,21 @@
     actual_reserve_size = default_reserve_size;
   }
 
+  // Check minimum allowable stack size for thread creation and to initialize
+  // the java system classes, including StackOverflowError - depends on page
+  // size.  Add a page for compiler2 recursion in main thread.
+  // Add in 2*BytesPerWord times page size to account for VM stack during
+  // class initialization depending on 32 or 64 bit VM.
+  size_t min_stack_allowed =
+            (size_t)(StackYellowPages+StackRedPages+StackShadowPages+
+            2*BytesPerWord COMPILER2_PRESENT(+1)) * os::vm_page_size();
+  if (actual_reserve_size < min_stack_allowed) {
+    tty->print_cr("\nThe stack size specified is too small, "
+                  "Specify at least %dk",
+                  min_stack_allowed / K);
+    return JNI_ERR;
+  }
+
   JavaThread::set_stack_size_at_create(stack_commit_size);
 
   // Calculate theoretical max. size of Threads to guard gainst artifical