Windows Installer package does not install correctly on a Windows 2000-based server that is running Terminal Services in Application Server mode

When you install a Microsoft Windows Installer package on a Microsoft Windows 2000-based server that is running Terminal Services in Application Server mode, the Windows Installer package does not install correctly. HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry settings that are added by the Windows Installer package do not appear in the registry subkey as expected.

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

• You are running Terminal Services in Application Server mode.
• A program or a service uses the LoadUserProfile function to load the System account profile.
  
  Note The System account has a security identifier (SID) of S-1-5-18.
• You install a Windows Installer package on your Windows 2000-based server after the System account profile is loaded.

During installation, the Windows Installer package calls a set of APIs. These APIs make sure that the registry settings that are added by the Windows Installer package propagate correctly from the registry subkey to the registry subkey. However, because the System account profile is loaded in the registry, the Windows Installer package registry settings are saved to the registry subkey instead of to the subkey. Therefore, the Windows Installer package settings never propagate to the registry subkey.

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.

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, submit a request to 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

This hotfix requires Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 or later.

Restart requirement

You must restart your 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) 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.

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

This hotfix adds the DisableLoadSystemProfile entry to the registry subkey. After you apply this hotfix, the DisableLoadSystemProfile entry is enabled, and the REG_DWORD value is set to 1. If a program or service tries to use the LoadUserProfile function to load the System account profile, the LoadUserProfile function will return an error.

This problem does not occur in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 because the registry key is a symbolic link to the registry key.

For additional information about program installation in a Terminal Services environment, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: