ADDITIONAL SYSTEM INFORMATION :
Windows

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
In the code below, 'rootNativeHandle()' is called in the constructor of the root - which must result en recursion if this root is affected by an error...

Constructor from java.util.prefs:
    private WindowsPreferences(int rootNativeHandle, byte[] rootDirectory) {
        super(null, "");
        int[] result =
                WindowsRegCreateKeyEx1(rootNativeHandle, rootDirectory);
        if (result[ERROR_CODE] != ERROR_SUCCESS) {
            logger().warning("Could not open/create prefs root node " +
                    byteArrayToString(windowsAbsolutePath()) +
                    " at root 0x" + Integer.toHexString(rootNativeHandle()) +
                    ". Windows RegCreateKeyEx(...) returned error code " +
                    result[ERROR_CODE] + ".");
            isBackingStoreAvailable = false;
            return;
        }
        // Check if a new node
        newNode = (result[DISPOSITION] == REG_CREATED_NEW_KEY);
        closeKey(result[NATIVE_HANDLE]);
    }


STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
I provoked the error by setting permissions in the windows registry to 'deny' for the user.

EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
an error report from java.util.prefs
ACTUAL -
after a long delay (the recursion) an exception on stackoverflow

---------- BEGIN SOURCE ----------
a simple program opening preferences
---------- END SOURCE ----------

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
I believe there should be no calls to functions in an error report at a basic level. Perhaps it is a typo error - a parameter is called rootNativeHandle - as the function rootNativeHandle().

FREQUENCY : always