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

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:Clients will receive the following error message when they try to gain access to the server: When you set the value of the crashonauditfail registry subkey to 2, Administrators will be able to log on to Microsoft SQL Server but non-Administrators will not. Clients will receive the following error message when they try to gain access to Microsoft SQL Server:

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:

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for installing this hotfix.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

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.

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

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