SMS: Chkdsk Runs Every Time the System Is Restarted Post-SP3

ID: Q180694

The information in this article applies to:

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 you apply Systems Management Server Service Pack 3 (SP3) to Microsoft Windows NT clients, Chkdsk runs every time the client is rebooted, even if Windows NT had previously been shut down correctly.

Additionally, when CHKDSK runs at system startup, you may also receive the following error message: 

   Cannot open volume for direct access

CAUSE

The new remote control video system driver, Systems Management Server Remote Control Video Helper (Rchelp.sys), is implemented in Systems Management Server Service Pack 3.

The "Cannot open volume for direct access" error message occurs because Rchelp.sys was creating a file on the volume during startup. Consequently, CHKDSK was unable to get exclusive access to the volume.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Systems Management Server version 1.2. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. service pack for Systems Management Server version 1.2. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces): 

   S E R V P A C K

WORKAROUND

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.

To work around the problem, edit the following registry key: 

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\rchelp
Set the Start value (reg_dword) to 2 (the default is 1).

This has the effect of changing the startup value from "System" to "Automatic", starting it later in the boot process, which solves the Chkdsk problem.

Chkdsk will still work normally when you start the computer and the Systems Management Server Remote Control functionality is retained.

To automate the deployment of the fix, create a text file with a REG extension. It should consist of the following lines: 

   REGEDIT
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\rchelp]
   "Start"=dword:00000002
Run the following command at each computer to implement the fix. Note that the user who is logged on must have the appropriate permission. 

   regedit <path>\<filename>.REG
You can run the command as part of a logon script or distribute it as a Systems Management Server job, or a similar process.

Additional query words: prodsms gracefully graceful startup reboot privilege right 

Keywords          : smsgeneral kbfix1.20.sp4 kbbug1.20 
Version           : Windows:1.2
Platform          : winnt
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

Last Reviewed: October 22, 1998