The “AUDIT FAILED” BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) error may appear during the initialization process for Windows XP, when the CrashOnAuditFail option is turned on. It means that the system failed when it attempted to perform a security audit. This event happens when the Security Log new has reached the specified Maximum Log Size and does not permit logging of audit information.

This BSOD error also appears during the initialization process for Windows 2000, NT and Server 2003 if the system is configured with the option Do Not Overwrite Events or when the option selected for Event Log Wrapping is Overwrite Events Older Than (X) Days. These settings prevent the logging of audit information when the Security Event Log is full.

This BSOD error is also known as “AUDIT_FAILED” and “STOP 0xC0000244“. Some users of Windows XP have reported this error, which normally appears on the screen during the initialization of the system.

To resolve the “AUDIT FAILED” BSOD error in Windows XP, you have to update the system by installing the XP service pack that addresses this issue. You can also resolve this issue by using the Registry Editor, though the process must be done by creating a parallel installation of Windows XP to a different hard disk or folder, since any error incurred during this procedure may require you to re-install the OS.

To resolve the issue, start the Registry Editor by clicking on the Start button, click Run, and then type regedit in the search box and press Enter. Highlight HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE with the cursor, and then click Load Hive on the File menu. After opening the registry hive, type Alternate when you receive the prompt to enter a name.

When the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Alternate\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa appears in the window, double-click the CrashOnAuditFail subkey in the right-side pane, edit it by changing the value from 1 to 0, then click OK. After making this change, you have to click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Alternate, click Unload Hive on the File menu, and then reboot the system.

You may be required to repeat the process using ControlSet002, ControlSet003 and other control sets for the full resolution of this BSOD error.

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