Random Dr. Watson Errors in Services.exe

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

SYMPTOMS

After you add or modify one of the values in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services registry key on your computer running Windows NT 4.0, you may receive random or intermittent Dr. Watson error messages with the Services.exe file as the source.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because the DependOnService value type for one or more Windows NT services may be corrupt or incorrect. The registry may have become corrupt, or a service's value may have been improperly configured.

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).


To resolve this problem, verify that the value type for the DependOnService value is set to REG_MULTI_SZ for all services that contain value entries. To do this, perform one of the following:

• Use Registry Editor to examine each DependOnService value for the correct value type. To do this:



1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).



2. Locate the following key in the registry:

   
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services 




3. Click each service to display to attendant DependOnService value for that key. If the value type is not listed as REG_MULTI_SZ, go to the How To Correct This Issue section.



• Export the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services key to an external file, and then use a standard text editor to check the individual DependOnService values for the correct value type:



1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).



2. Locate the following key in the registry:

   
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services 




3. On the Registry menu, click Save Subtree As, type a unique name for the file, and then click Save.



4. Quit Registry Editor.



5. Use a standard text editor, such as Notepad, to review the file and confirm that the DependOnService value is associated with the correct value type. For each entry that is not listed as REG_MULTI_SZ, go to the How To Correct This Issue section.



• Use the Windows NT Diagnostics tool to identify incorrect value types for the DependOnService value.



1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools (Common), and then click Windows NT Diagnostics.



2. Click the Services tab, highlight each individual service, click Properties, and then click Dependencies.



3. If you are experiencing this exact issue, the Service Dependency window may contain values that look like this:

   MSExchangeIS
   end||
   ee|e|e
   e|||
   



NOTE:The Above characters "e" and "|" were substituted for the illegible symbols that may be displayed.


4. Make a note of the service that contains these invalid entries and then proceed to the How To Correct This Issue section.

How To Correct This Issue:

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).



2. Locate the following key in the registry:

   
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services 




3. Highlight the DependOnService value, make a note of the current value entries, and then press DELETE.



4. On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:

   
      Value Name: DependOnService
      Data Type:  REG_MULTI_SZ
      Value:      <dependent on each unique service> 




5. Quit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

MORE INFORMATION

The Dr. Watson log, located in the %SystemRoot% folder, may also show a call similar to the following in the stack trace below the faulted function:

services!ScReadDependencies

Q193888 How to Delay Loading of Specific Services

Additional query words:

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