The RestrictAnonymous Value Breaks the Trust in a Mixed-Domain Environment (296403)

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

When you try to add users or global groups from a trusted Windows NT 4.0 domain with Active Directory Users and Computers on a Windows 2000 domain controller, the following error occurs when you click the trusted domain name in the Look In box of the object picker:

Cannot display objects from this location because of the following error:

The trust relationship between the primary domain and the trusted domain failed.

If you are doing a NLtest sequery, you may receive either or all of the following error messages:

Error_No_logon_server

-and/or-

The domain name domain cannot be contacted.

RESOLUTION

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.

To resolve this problem, set the RestrictAnonymous value to 0 or 1 on the Windows 2000 domain controller:

Open Registry Editor, and then navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\LSA
Set the following values:
Value: RestrictAnonymous
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value Data: 0x1 or 0x0(Hex)
Restart the domain controller.
Break, and then re-establish the trust.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem only occurs in an environment where there is a two-way trust between a Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 domain. You should only use the level 2 setting for RestrictAnonymous in a pure Windows 2000 environment.

For additional information about RestrictAnonymous in Windows 2000, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

246261 How to Use the RestrictAnonymous Registry Value in Windows 2000