Symptoms That You May Experience If the Lsass.exe Process Stops (220946)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0

This article was previously published under Q220946

SYMPTOMS

If the Lsass.exe process stops on a Windows NT 4.0-based computer, the domain box may be missing from the logon dialog box. If you try to log on to the local computer, you may receive the following error message:
The system can not log you on (C0000037). Please try again or consult your system administrator.
You can ping the computer from the network; however, when you use the net command to gain access to the computer, the command does not work and you receive the following error message:
System error 6 has occurred
The handle is invalid
An event is not logged on computers that are running Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000.

In Windows 2000, when the Lsass.exe process stops the computer restarts after you receive the following message:

The system process LSASS.EXE terminated unexpectedly with status code X. The system will now shut down and restart.

The status code may be different depending on the conditions that caused the Lsass.exe process to stop.

CAUSE

The Lsass.exe process has unexpectedly stopped.

RESOLUTION

You may be able to resolve this issue by installing the latest service pack or security roll-up for your version of Microsoft Windows. For additional information about how to do so, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

152734 How to Obtain Windows NT Version 4.0 U.S. Service Pack

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

If the issue continues to occur, contact Microsoft Technical Support for assistance with this issue. For a complete list of Microsoft Technical Support phone numbers and information about support costs, please visit the following Microsoft Web site:

MORE INFORMATION

The status code in one of the error messages is -1073741819. If you convert this number from decimal to hexadecimal, it becomes C0000005, which is the code for an access violation:

//
// MessageId: STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION
//
// MessageText:
//
// The instruction at "0x%08lx" referenced memory at "0x%08lx". The memory
// could not be "%s".
// #define STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION ((NTSTATUS)0xC0000005L) //

You can use Dr.Watson to capture the information from the Lsass.exe process. If Dr.Watson does not capture the information about the Lsass.exe process, you may want to set up the Userdmp.exe tool.

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/24/2004
Keywords:kbprb kbsetup w2000setup KB220946