Drwtsn32.exe May Fail to Handle an Abnormal Termination Event

ID: Q218157

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition
Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

A service running on the system abnormally terminates and Drwtsn32.exe is called and fails to run. A Drwtsn32 dialog box is displayed indicating the following:

User32.dll failed to initialize.

Drwtsn32.log or User.dmp files are not generated.

CAUSE

If the service is configured to run in a user context other than LocalSystem, Drwtsn32.exe will fail to run because it needs access to the desktop to function properly and this access is denied because it is running in the same context as the failing service.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, configure the service to run as the LocalSystem user account until the cause of the failure is determined and corrected.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

Additional query words: 4.00

Keywords : kbbug4.00
Version : winnt:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug