System Cannot Log You On - c0000017

ID: Q199168

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

After a server has been running for a period of time, users who try to log on locally may receive the following error message:

System cannot log you on c0000017.

Users connecting to the server over the network may receive the following or other related RPC errors:

RPC Server Busy

CAUSE

This can be caused by a memory leak on the server in question. In most cases, the cause is a third-party application, such as a backup solution, or administrative package running as a service that drains the system memory resources over time.

RESOLUTION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

Restarting the computer usually alleviate the error messages and allows access beyond the logon screen. It may be necessary to run a Performance Monitor log to determine the memory allocation.

In the event that restarting the server does not allow an interactive logon, you may find it necessary to connect remotely, if possible, and to change any third-party services Startup value to 0x3 (Manual Startup). You can find the keys in the following registry path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\<third-party service>

Select the Start value for the service name and change the value to: 0x3 Hex. On the next restart of the server, these services will now be set to manual rather than automatic.

Note: The above operation can be accomplished with Regedt32.exe by selecting Registry and then select Computer.

MORE INFORMATION

To allow for an incident-free shutdown of the affected computer, use Shutgui.exe from a remote workstation.

REFERENCES

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q150934 How to Create a Performance Monitor Log for NT Troubleshooting

Additional query words:

Keywords :
Version : winnt:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb