Notice: This website is an unofficial Microsoft Knowledge Base (hereinafter KB) archive and is intended to provide a reliable access to deleted content from Microsoft KB. All KB articles are owned by Microsoft Corporation. Read full disclaimer for more details.

"HTTP 500 - Internal server error" error message when you try to open Webs while the IUSR account or the IWAM account is turned off


View products that this article applies to.

Symptoms

If you try to open a Web site on a Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Web server by using the FrontPage client while either the IUSR_computer or IWAM_computer account is turned off, you may receive error messages in the FrontPage client indicating the server extensions are not installed. Or, you may receive following error message:
HTTP 500 - Internal server error
Additionally, the Event Viewer logs on your Web server may contain error messages similar to the following:
  • If IUSR_computer is turned off:
    • In your Application log:
      Event Type:     Error
      Event Source:   IISADMIN
      Event Category: None
      Event ID:       102
      Date:           1/1/2002
      Time:           12:00:00 PM
      User:           N/A
      Computer:       COMPUTER
      Description:
      
      IISADMIN service found that account IUSR_<COMPUTER> is disabled.
      Some IIS functions can fail for this reason.
      							
    • In your System Log:
      Event Type:     Warning
      Event Source:   W3SVC
      Event Category: None
      Event ID:       100
      Date:           1/1/2002
      Time:           12:00:00 PM
      User:           N/A
      Computer:       COMPUTER
      Description:
      
      The server was unable to log on the Windows NT account
      'IUSR_<COMPUTER>' due to the following error:
      Logon failure: account currently disabled.
      The data is the error code.
      
      Data:           0000: 33 05 00 00
      							
    • In your Security Log:
      Event Type:     Failure Audit
      Event Source:   Security
      Event Category: Account Logon
      Event ID:       681
      Date:           1/1/2002
      Time:           12:00:00 PM
      User:           NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
      Computer:       COMPUTER
      Description:
      
      The logon to account: IUSR_<COMPUTER>
        by: MICROSOFT_AUTHENTICATION_PACKAGE_V1_0
        from workstation: COMPUTER
        failed. The error code was: 3221225586
      							
      -and-
      Event Type:     Failure Audit
      Event Source:   Security
      Event Category: Logon/Logoff
      Event ID:       531
      Date:           1/1/2002
      Time:           12:00:00 PM
      User:           NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
      Computer:       COMPUTER
      Description:
      
      Logon Failure:
        Reason: Account currently disabled
        User Name: IUSR_<COMPUTER>
        Domain: COMPUTER
        Logon Type: 3
        Logon Process: IIS
        Authentication Package: MICROSOFT_AUTHENTICATION_PACKAGE_V1_0
        Workstation Name: COMPUTER
      							
  • If IWAM_computer is turned off:
    • In your Application log:
      Event Type:     Error
      Event Source:   IISADMIN
      Event Category: None
      Event ID:       102
      Date:           1/1/2002
      Time:           12:00:00 PM
      User:           N/A
      Computer:       COMPUTER
      Description:
      
      IISADMIN service found that account IWAM_<COMPUTER> is disabled.
      Some IIS functions can fail for this reason.
      							
    • In your System Log:
      Event Type:     Error
      Event Source:   DCOM
      Event Category: None
      Event ID:       10004
      Date:           1/1/2002
      Time:           12:00:00 PM
      User:           N/A
      Computer:       COMPUTER
      Description:
      
      DCOM got error "Logon failure: account currently disabled." and
      was unable to log on .\IWAM_<COMPUTER> in order to run the server:
      {3D14228D-FBE1-11D0-995D-00C04FD919C1}
      							
      -and-
      Event Type:     Warning
      Event Source:   W3SVC
      Event Category: None
      Event ID:       36
      Date:           1/1/2002
      Time:           12:00:00 PM
      User:           N/A
      Computer:       COMPUTER
      Description:
      
      The server failed to load application '/LM/W3SVC/1/ROOT'.
      The error was 'The server process could not be started because the
      configured identity is incorrect. Check the username and password.'
      							
    • In your Security Log:
      Event Type:     Failure Audit
      Event Source:   Security
      Event Category: Account Logon
      Event ID:       681
      Date:           1/1/2002
      Time:           12:00:00 PM
      User:           NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
      Computer:       COMPUTER
      Description:
      
      The logon to account: IWAM_<COMPUTER>
        by: MICROSOFT_AUTHENTICATION_PACKAGE_V1_0
        from workstation: COMPUTER
        failed. The error code was: 3221225586
      							
      -and-
      Event Type:     Failure Audit
      Event Source:   Security
      Event Category: Logon/Logoff
      Event ID:       531
      Date:           1/1/2002
      Time:           12:00:00 PM
      User:           NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
      Computer:       COMPUTER
      Description:
      
      Logon Failure:
        Reason: Account currently disabled
        User Name: IWAM_<COMPUTER>
        Domain: COMPUTER
        Logon Type: 3
        Logon Process: NtLmSsp 
        Authentication Package: NTLM
        Workstation Name: COMPUTER
      							

↑ Back to the top


Cause

The IUSR_computer and IWAM_computer accounts must be turned on for IIS to function correctly.

↑ Back to the top


Resolution

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:
  1. Log on to your Web server as an administrator.
  2. Start the User Manager for Domains program on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or the Computer Management snap-in on Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows XP.
  3. View the properties for the IUSR_computer or IWAM_computer accounts.
  4. Click to clear the Account disabled check box.

↑ Back to the top


More information

For additional information , click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
297989 PRB: Configured Identity Is Incorrect for IWAM Account
297519 Server Application Error Message: 'The server failed to load application'

↑ Back to the top


Keywords: KB321448, kbprb, kbopenfile, kberrmsg, kbconfig, kbaccounts

↑ Back to the top

Article Info
Article ID : 321448
Revision : 4
Created on : 2/21/2007
Published on : 2/21/2007
Exists online : False
Views : 429