diff --git a/core/src/window_service.rs b/core/src/window_service.rs
index 5d19f631da..153d762a59 100644
--- a/core/src/window_service.rs
+++ b/core/src/window_service.rs
@@ -4,13 +4,12 @@
 use crate::blocktree::Blocktree;
 use crate::cluster_info::ClusterInfo;
 use crate::leader_schedule_cache::LeaderScheduleCache;
-use crate::packet::Packets;
 use crate::repair_service::{RepairService, RepairStrategy};
 use crate::result::{Error, Result};
 use crate::service::Service;
 use crate::shred::Shred;
 use crate::streamer::{PacketReceiver, PacketSender};
-use rayon::iter::{ParallelBridge, ParallelIterator};
+use rayon::iter::{IndexedParallelIterator, IntoParallelRefMutIterator, ParallelIterator};
 use rayon::ThreadPool;
 use solana_metrics::{inc_new_counter_debug, inc_new_counter_error};
 use solana_runtime::bank::Bank;
@@ -77,18 +76,18 @@ where
     let now = Instant::now();
     inc_new_counter_debug!("streamer-recv_window-recv", packets.packets.len());
 
-    let (shreds, packets): (Vec<_>, Vec<_>) = thread_pool.install(|| {
+    let (shreds, packets_ix): (Vec<_>, Vec<_>) = thread_pool.install(|| {
         packets
             .packets
-            .drain(..)
-            .par_bridge()
-            .filter_map(|mut packet| {
+            .par_iter_mut()
+            .enumerate()
+            .filter_map(|(i, packet)| {
                 if let Ok(s) = bincode::deserialize(&packet.data) {
                     let shred: Shred = s;
                     if shred_filter(&shred, &packet.data) {
                         packet.meta.slot = shred.slot();
                         packet.meta.seed = shred.seed();
-                        Some((shred, packet))
+                        Some((shred, i))
                     } else {
                         None
                     }
@@ -98,7 +97,21 @@ where
             })
             .unzip()
     });
-    let packets = Packets::new(packets);
+    // to avoid lookups into the `packets_ix` vec, this block manually tracks where we are in that vec
+    // and since `packets.packets.retain` and the `packets_ix` vec are both in order,
+    // we should be able to automatically drop any packets in the index gaps.
+    let mut retain_ix = 0;
+    let mut i = 0;
+    packets.packets.retain(|_| {
+        let retain = if !packets_ix.is_empty() && i == packets_ix[retain_ix] {
+            retain_ix = (packets_ix.len() - 1).min(retain_ix + 1);
+            true
+        } else {
+            false
+        };
+        i += 1;
+        retain
+    });
 
     trace!("{:?} shreds from packets", shreds.len());
 
@@ -258,22 +271,29 @@ impl Service for WindowService {
 mod test {
     use super::*;
     use crate::bank_forks::BankForks;
+    use crate::blocktree::tests::make_many_slot_entries;
     use crate::blocktree::{get_tmp_ledger_path, Blocktree};
     use crate::cluster_info::{ClusterInfo, Node};
+    use crate::contact_info::ContactInfo;
     use crate::entry::{make_consecutive_blobs, make_tiny_test_entries, Entry};
     use crate::genesis_utils::create_genesis_block_with_leader;
+    use crate::packet::{Packet, Packets};
     use crate::recycler::Recycler;
+    use crate::repair_service::RepairSlotRange;
     use crate::service::Service;
     use crate::shred::Shredder;
     use crate::streamer::{receiver, responder};
+    use rand::seq::SliceRandom;
+    use rand::thread_rng;
     use solana_runtime::epoch_schedule::MINIMUM_SLOTS_PER_EPOCH;
     use solana_sdk::hash::Hash;
     use solana_sdk::signature::{Keypair, KeypairUtil};
     use std::fs::remove_dir_all;
     use std::net::UdpSocket;
     use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
-    use std::sync::mpsc::channel;
+    use std::sync::mpsc::{channel, Receiver};
     use std::sync::{Arc, RwLock};
+    use std::thread::sleep;
     use std::time::Duration;
 
     fn local_entries_to_shred(entries: Vec<Entry>, keypair: &Arc<Keypair>) -> Vec<Shred> {
@@ -539,4 +559,68 @@ mod test {
         Blocktree::destroy(&blocktree_path).expect("Expected successful database destruction");
         let _ignored = remove_dir_all(&blocktree_path);
     }
+
+    fn make_test_window(
+        packet_receiver: Receiver<Packets>,
+        exit: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+    ) -> WindowService {
+        let blocktree_path = get_tmp_ledger_path!();
+        let (blocktree, _, _) = Blocktree::open_with_signal(&blocktree_path)
+            .expect("Expected to be able to open database ledger");
+
+        let blocktree = Arc::new(blocktree);
+        let (retransmit_sender, _retransmit_receiver) = channel();
+        let cluster_info = Arc::new(RwLock::new(ClusterInfo::new_with_invalid_keypair(
+            ContactInfo::new_localhost(&Pubkey::default(), 0),
+        )));
+        let repair_sock = Arc::new(UdpSocket::bind(socketaddr_any!()).unwrap());
+        let window = WindowService::new(
+            blocktree,
+            cluster_info,
+            packet_receiver,
+            retransmit_sender,
+            repair_sock,
+            &exit,
+            RepairStrategy::RepairRange(RepairSlotRange { start: 0, end: 0 }),
+            &Arc::new(LeaderScheduleCache::default()),
+            |_, _, _, _| true,
+        );
+        window
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_recv_window() {
+        let (packet_sender, packet_receiver) = channel();
+        let exit = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false));
+        let window = make_test_window(packet_receiver, exit.clone());
+        // send 5 slots worth of data to the window
+        let (shreds, _) = make_many_slot_entries(0, 5, 10);
+        let packets: Vec<_> = shreds
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(|s| {
+                let mut p = Packet::default();
+                p.data
+                    .copy_from_slice(&mut bincode::serialize(&s).unwrap().as_ref());
+                p
+            })
+            .collect();
+        let mut packets = Packets::new(packets);
+        packet_sender.send(packets.clone()).unwrap();
+        sleep(Duration::from_millis(500));
+
+        // add some empty packets to the data set. These should fail to deserialize
+        packets.packets.append(&mut vec![Packet::default(); 10]);
+        packets.packets.shuffle(&mut thread_rng());
+        packet_sender.send(packets.clone()).unwrap();
+        sleep(Duration::from_millis(500));
+
+        // send 1 empty packet that cannot deserialize into a shred
+        packet_sender
+            .send(Packets::new(vec![Packet::default(); 1]))
+            .unwrap();
+        sleep(Duration::from_millis(500));
+
+        exit.store(true, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        window.join().unwrap();
+    }
 }