FIX: Microsoft Search Service May Cause 100% CPU Usage if BUILTIN\Administrators Login Is Removed

The Microsoft Search service (MSSearch) may fail to start, or may cause 100% CPU usage, if both of the following conditions are met:

• The BUILTIN\Administrators account is removed from SQL Server 2000.
• The Microsoft Search service is configured to start under an account other than the local system account.

Running the Microsoft Search service under an account other than local system is not supported.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for SQL Server 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Change the startup account for the Microsoft Search service to the local system account.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in SQL Server 2000. This problem was first corrected in SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 1.

You do not need to add back the BUILTIN\Administrators account. It is fully sufficient for the service account for SQL Server and SQL Server Agent to have login rights (and be sysadmins), and to add [NT Authority\System] as a syadmin to represent the local system and thereby enable full-text search to work properly.

If you do wish to add the BUILTIN\Administrators account back into SQL Server, start SQL Enterprise Manager, go to the \ServerName\Security\Logins folder, and grant access to the BUILTIN\Administrators user.

If you wish to prevent Windows NT administrators from administering SQL Server, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: