Operating System GlobalFlag has been set

[This topic is intended to address a specific issue called out by the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool. You should apply it only to systems that have had the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool run against them and are experiencing that specific issue. The Exchange Server Analyzer Tool, available as a free download, remotely collects configuration data from each server in the topology and automatically analyzes the data. The resulting report details important configuration issues, potential problems, and nondefault product settings. By following these recommendations, you can achieve better performance, scalability, reliability, and uptime. For more information about the tool or to download the latest versions, see "Microsoft Exchange Analyzers" at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=34707.]  

Topic Last Modified: 2005-11-18

The Microsoft® Exchange Server Analyzer Tool reads the following registry entry to determine the value for the GlobalFlag entry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager

If the Exchange Server Analyzer finds the value for GlobalFlag to be present and configured with any value other than 0 or null, a warning is displayed.

  • The GlobalFlag registry value setting is a bitmask that determines what debugging options have been enabled for the operating system. Unless you are actively engaged in debugging or tracing a problem with the help of Microsoft Product Support Services, it is recommended that you set the GlobalFlag value to 0 at all times.

The GlobalFlag registry value is set to 0 by default. If this value has been altered from the default value of 0, you can use the Gflags tool included with the Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 support tools, which can be found on the Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM in the \Support folder. Alternatively, you can manually set the value to 0 by using a registry editor. Both procedures are described below.

Important

This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to restore the registry, view the "Restore the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or Regedt32.exe.

To correct this error using GFlags

  1. Click Start, click Run, and in the Open field type GFlags. The Global Flags user interface will appear.

  2. Clear all of the check boxes and click Apply.

  3. Click OK to exit the GFlags tool and restart the computer for the change to take effect.

To correct this error using a registry editor

  1. Open a registry editor, such as Regedit.exe or Regedt32.exe.

  2. Navigate to: HKLM\ System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager

  3. Double-click the value called GlobalFlag and set its Value data to 0.

  4. Exit the registry editor and restart the computer for the change to take effect.

Before you edit the registry, and for information about how to edit the registry, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 256986, "Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=3052&kbid=256986).