NetBIOS Scope ID Causes Windows 2000 Domain Controller to Stop Responding on Boot

When a Windows 2000 domain controller has a NetBIOS scope ID defined, it may appear to stop responding (hang) during boot with a "Preparing Network Connections" message. If the computer is allowed to sit for two hours or longer, the boot process may finish.

To resolve this issue, remove the NetBIOS scope ID from the registry of the Windows 2000 domain controller, using the following steps.

NOTE: This action can break communication with other NetBIOS-based computers that have the scope ID defined.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1. Allow the domain controller to boot completely, or reboot into Safe mode.
2. After the computer is completely booted, log on as an administrator.
3. Run Regedt32.exe.
4. Delete the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\ScopeID
5. Reboot normally.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows 2000.

NOTE: The use of NetBIOS scopes as described in this article is included only as a convenience for limited situations in which they absolutely must be used, and no other alternatives exist (such as VLANs, IPSec, more restrictive use of NTFS and share security, and so on). The use of NetBIOS scopes is discouraged, and there are no guarantees that NetBIOS scopes will be supported in future releases of Microsoft products.

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: