You cannot view a user's universal group membership in Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Users and Computers when universal groups do not reside in the local domain

When you use Active Directory Users and Computers, and you click the Membership tab in the user's Properties dialog box to view the universal group membership for a user, only the universal groups that reside in the local domain are shown. If the user also belongs to universal groups that do not reside on the local domain, these universal groups do not appear in the Membership tab of the user's Properties dialog box, even when the nonlocal domain resides in the same forest and you are connected to a global catalog server in the local domain.

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.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) 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 item in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2003, 32-bit versions

Windows Server 2003, 64-bit versions

By default, in Windows Server 2003, Active Directory Users and Computers only shows group memberships for the local domain. After you apply this hotfix, Active Directory Users and Computers connects to a global catalog server. If the local domain controller is not also a global catalog server, Active Directory Users and Computers connects to a different global catalog server in the forest. In this case, the forest-wide universal group membership for the user appears in Active Directory Users and Computers.

Installation instructions

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

Important You must configure the corresponding registry key before you apply this hotfix.

To apply this hotfix, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. In Registry Editor, make sure that the following registry subkey exists:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Directory UI
   If this subkey does not exist, follow these steps to create it manually:
   1. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft
   2. Click New, and then click Key.
   3. Type Windows to name the new subkey.
   4. Right-click Windows, click New, and then click Key.
   5. Type Directory UI to name the new subkey.
   6. Right-click Directory UI, click New, and then click DWORD Value.
   7. Type AlwaysShowExternalGroups to name the new entry.
   8. Double-click AlwaysShowExternalGroups.
   9. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, type 1, and then click OK.
3. After you have configured the registry subkeys and the registry entry, double-click the WindowsServer2003-KB833883-xxx-ENU.exe hotfix file, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
4. Restart the computer.

This setting must roam with the user regardless of the computer that the user uses. Therefore, this registry key is in the following user hive:When different administrative users work on the same physical computer, be aware that this setting is not computer-wide.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

To install the hotfix in Windows XP and in Windows Vista, copy the Adprop.dll file in the Windows XP hotfix package to the SYSTEM32 directory by using the following command:For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: