"You do not have permission to change your password" error message when you try to change your password in Windows XP

When you try to change your password after you log on to your Microsoft Windows XP-based computer for the first time, you may receive the following error message:

This problem may occur if all the following conditions are true:

• Your computer is part of a Microsoft Windows 2000 domain.
• The User must change password at first logon option is turned on for your user account.
  
  Note This scenario will only occur the first time that you log on to the account. After the first logon, this check box is cleared, and this condition does not have to be met. This scenario occurs when updates to Group Policy change the RestrictAnonymous setting to 2.
• In the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa registry subkey of the Windows 2000 domain controller, the value of the RestrictAnonymous entry is set to 2.

Service pack information

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

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Windows XP Professional

Windows XP Professional Service Pack 1 (SP1)

Windows XP 64-Bit Edition

Windows XP 64-bit Edition Service Pack 1 (SP1)

To work around this problem, set the value of the RestrictAnonymous entry in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa registry subkey on the Windows 2000 domain controller to either 0 (zero) or 1. To set the value, follow these steps.

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa
4. In the right pane, double-click RestrictAnonymous.
5. In the Value data box, type 0 or 1, and then click OK.
6. Quit Registry Editor.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.

For additional information about how to use the RestrictAnonymous registry value in Windows 2000, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: