XADM: Exchange Services Do Not Start on a Recovery Server, and You Receive an "Error 1069" Error Message (312436)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5
This article was previously published under Q312436
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

If you start a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server computer that you use as a Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 recovery server (or standby server), the Exchange Server 5.5-related services may not start.

Additionally, the following behavior may occur:
  • If you try to start the Microsoft Exchange System Attendant (SA) service, you receive the following error message:
    Error 1069: The service did not start due to a logon failure.
  • When you view the startup information for the Microsoft Exchange 5.5-related services (in Control Panel, double-click Services, click the service that you want, and then click Startup), no information is displayed.

CAUSE

This behavior may occur if both of the following conditions are true:
  • The Windows NT 4.0 Server computer on which Exchange Server 5.5 is installed is configured as a backup domain controller (BDC).

    -and-
  • The server has been offline (or is not on the production network).
This behavior occurs if the machine account password has expired. By default, this password (which maintains the secure channel to the primary domain controller [PDC]), is updated every seven days. If the BDC is not connected to the PDC, the password cannot be updated.

NOTE: An updated version of the Samsrv.dll file included in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 (SP4) and later, in conjunction with registry changes, permits you to either turn off (disable) machine account password changes entirely, or to modify their default duration.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, designate the Exchange Server computer as a PDC, and then enter the Service account password for each of the Exchange services. To do this, follow these steps.

Step 1: Designate the Exchange Server Computer as a PDC

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedt32.exe in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. Maximize the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE on Local Machine window.
  3. Navigate to the following registry subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SECURITY

  4. On the Security menu, click Permissions.
  5. Click Administrators, click Full Control in the Type of Access list, click to select the Replace Permission on Existing Subkeys check box, and then click OK.
  6. Click Yes to confirm the replacement of permission on all existing subkeys within SECURITY.
  7. Click OK in response to the message stating that Registry Editor could not set security in all subkeys.
  8. Navigate to the following registry subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SECURITY\Policy

  9. On the Security menu, click Permissions.
  10. Click Administrators, click Full Control in the Type of Access list (if it is not already selected), click to select the Replace Permission on Existing Subkeys check box, and then click OK.
  11. Click Yes to confirm the replacement of permission on all existing subkeys.
  12. Click OK in response to the message stating that Registry Editor could not set security in all subkeys.
  13. Navigate to the following registry subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SECURITY\Policy\PolSrvRo

  14. On the Security menu, click Permissions.
  15. Click Administrators, click Full Control in the Type of Access list (if it is not already selected), click to select the Replace Permission on Existing Subkeys check box, and then click OK.
  16. Click Yes to confirm the replacement of permission on all existing subkeys.
  17. In the right pane of the Registry Editor window, double-click the No Name:REG_NONE value.
  18. Under Data Format, click Hex, if it is not already selected.
  19. Change the value in the 0000 row to the following:

    03000000

  20. Click OK, and then quit Registry Editor.
  21. Restart the computer.

    The startup information for the Exchange 5.5-related services is now available in the Services tool in Control Panel.

Step 2: Enter the Service Account Password for the Exchange 5.5 Services

  1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Services.
  2. In the Service list, select a Microsoft Exchange service that is configured as Automatic startup, and then click Startup.
  3. Under Log On As, type the service account password in the Password and Confirm Password boxes, and then click OK.

    NOTE: If you do not know the service account password, reset the password for the user account under which the Exchange 5.5-related services run; do this in User Manager for Domains. In this case, you also have to change the Microsoft Exchange Administrator password.For additional information about how to change the Exchange Administrator password, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    157780 XADM: How to Change the Service Account Password

  4. Follow steps 2 and 3 to enter the password information for each Exchange 5.5-related service.
  5. Start the Exchange-related services.

    NOTE: You can also restart the server to force the Exchange 5.5 services to start automatically.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to change the Exchange service account, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

152808 XADM: How To Change the Service Account

For additional information about how to disable automatic machine account password updates, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

154501 How to Disable Automatic Machine Account Password Changes

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/1/2003
Keywords:kberrmsg kbprb KB312436
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.