I received the following Message in th edreaded gery box with the Blue header "lsass.exe - system error" when I load up my Laptop.
It was working fine when I use it last. Can any one help?

Volcano

Hi volcano,

H ave you tried rebooting it? And does it still app ear?

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Ash
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Hi Ash yes I have All day to be honest. The full message is " Security Accounts Manager initialization failed because of the following error: A Device attached to the system is not functioning. Error status:0xc0000001.

Just a thought this is a Laptop that is only used with a Measuring instrument do you think it needs to be connected to the equipment for soem reason. I have to say it never has before.
Volcano

Hello, after a bit of browsing, i discobvered this about your problem. This may not be your problem though, only what Microsoft suggest.

CAUSE of problem:
This issue may occur if the Security Accounts Manager file (SAM) is corrupted or missing.


RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, either restore or replace the SAM file.

Note You cannot use the repair process or the recovery console to resolve this issue. These methods require authentication, which cannot occur if the SAM file is corrupted or missing.

To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods.
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Method 1: Restore the SAM File from Backup
If you used the Backup utility in Windows XP to back up the system state, you can restore the SAM (and all other registry settings) from the disk or archived copy by using the Restore Wizard or the Automated System Recovery Wizard.

Note ASR is not supported on Windows XP Home Edition.

For additional information about using the Backup utility in Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
309340 (How to use Backup to restore files and folders on your computer in Windows XP) HOW TO: Use Backup to Restore Files and Folders on Your Computer in Windows XP
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Method 2: Copy the SAM File from the Repair Folder
If you cannot restore the SAM file by using the Windows Backup utility, copy the SAM file from the following location
C:\WINDOWS\repair
and paste it to this location:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\config


Note When you do this, you will lose all accounts or groups that had been created. You will also need credentials that were valid at the time that the ASR was run. This will restore the SAM back to the last instance that Automated System Recovery (ASR) was run, or to when the system was first installed. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Do either of the following:
• Start the computer from another operating system (if you have a multiple-boot system).

Note If Windows XP is installed on an NTFS file system drive, you must start the computer from an operating system that can access the NTFS drive (for example, Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows NT). If Windows is installed on a FAT32 drive, you can start the computer by using Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) or Microsoft Windows 98.

-or
• Perform a parallel installation of Windows XP, and then start the computer from the parallel installation.

For additional information about how to perform a parallel installation of Windows XP , click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
316941 (How to install or upgrade to Windows XP) HOW TO: Install Windows XP
2. Click Start, click Run, type cmd (or command if you are using Windows Me or Windows 98), and then click OK.
3. At the command prompt, type each of the following commands, pressing ENTER after each command:

copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam

Note This procedure assumes that you have Windows XP installed in the following default location:
c:\windows
4. Restart the computer by using the original installation of Windows XP.
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Method 3: Reinstall Windows XP
If you cannot restore the SAM file by using either Method 1 or Method 2, you must reinstall Windows XP to replace the SAM file.

Note You must use the New Installation option to replace the SAM file. If you perform use the In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) option for Windows XP, the SAM file is not replaced. This method may require that you reformat the partition that Windows XP is installed to. Before you continue with this method, make sure that you have a backup of your My Documents folder, or select an option to install Windows XP to a different partition than where Windows is currently installed.

For additional information about how to install Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
316941 (How to install or upgrade to Windows XP) HOW TO: Install Windows XP

Source: "Security Accounts Manager Initialization Failed" Error Message When You Start Windows XP