DNS Server Event Log IDs Incorrect After Applying SP4

On a Windows NT Server computer running the Domain Name Server (DNS) service, you will no longer be able to read DNS events created prior to the application of Service Pack 4 (SP4). All DNS messages will look similar to the following:


NOTE: The * would be the Event Identifier and any additional data.

To prevent this problem, stop the DNS server service prior to applying SP4 and save the system event log. The event log offset for DNS events has been changed as of SP4. To read the saved event logs, perform the following steps:

1. At a command prompt, type:
   
   Net Stop DNS
2. Change to the %System Root%\System32 Directory and rename the Dns.exe file to Dns.exe.sp4.
3. Change to the $NTUninstall directory and copy the old Dns.exe (pre-SP4) binary into the %System Root%\system32 directory.
4. Open Event Viewer. You can now view the logs on that computer with the old binary.
5. When finished reviewing the log, rename old Dns.exe to Dns.exe.sp3 and rename Dns.exe.sp4 to Dns.exe.
6. At a command prompt, type:
   
   Net Start DNS

An alternative may be to bring up a new DNS server (pre-SP4) and use it to view old DNS events or saved event logs.