You receive a "Stop error 0xC0000244 {Audit Failed}" error message when the crashonauditfail registry key is set to 1 on a Windows Server 2003-based computer (829082)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, 64-Bit Enterprise Edition

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 set the value of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\crashonauditfail registry subkey to 1 on a Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computer, the following error message may appear when you shut down the Windows Server 2003-based computer:
Stop Error: 0xC0000244 {Audit Failed}
An Attempt to Generate a Security Audit Failed
Clients will receive the following error when they try to gain access to the server:

Logon failure: user account restriction. Possible reasons are blank passwords not allowed, logon hour restrictions, or a policy restriction has been enforced.

CAUSE

This problem may occur when the crashonauditfail registry subkey is given a value of 1 and the following timing issue occurs: While the system is in the process of shutting down there is an attempt to write an audit event.

The valid range for the crashonauditfail registry value is 0 through 2. The following table describes each value:
ValueMeans
0Anyone can log on to the computer.
1The system will halt if it cannot write an audit log event.
2Only Administrators can log on to the computer.

RESOLUTION

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows Server 2003 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required

Restart requirement

You must restart your computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

   Date         Time   Version      Size     File name
   ----------------------------------------------------
   25-Sep-2003  17:39  5.2.3790.89  800,256  Lsasrv.dll

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates


Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/28/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbBug kbfix kbQFE kbWinServ2003preSP1fix KB829082 kbAudITPRO