MSSQL 2000 under win 2000 IIS5 random mssql_connect issues...

Help, We have been asked to move some stuff to Win2000 IIS, with MSSQL 2000, and although everything is up and working (thank god for database abstraction), however mssql_connect fails every 100th or so time. mssql_pconnect crashes with "PHP has encountered an Access Violation at 01BD5199". I have written a hack to improve the failing of mssql so that page loads only fail every thousandth page or so (this is about every 5000 connection) by checking to see if the connect fails, if it does wait 1/10th of a second and try again for five times. Anyhow, the question being, is anyone running a production site with PHP, IIS, MSSQL 2000, on windows 2000. Right now both IIS and MSSQL are running on the same box, but we can move MSSQL to a different platform (WINNT 4.0, or something), but I have a feeling that the error is happening in the php_mssql.dll. I have noticed that there are a couple of open bugs re: mssql_pconnect on Win2000, but they haven't seemed to be addressed in the last few months (I think they are from July?). Any info, help, or experience with this would be greatly appreciated... Kris