Visualizer Forums - View Single Post - lsass.exe System error: The endpoint format is invalid.

Hello all. First of all, the description of my system: I have a P4@3.82 GHz, ASUS P4P800-E Deluxe, 1 GB RAM Dual Channel, 2 SATA HDDs in RAID 0 mode and a DVD+RW drive with two other virtual (Alcohol). I have the latest drivers everywhere. The initial drive letters were C, D for the HDD, E for the DVD+RW and F, G for the virtual drives. I need some help for a serious problem now I am facing and I believe that the drive letters have to do with. I cannot log into my system (XP Pro SP2), because an error message appears: "lsass.exe System Error: The endpoint format is invalid". The window has only an OK button, which resets my system. It is the first time I see such an error message. As a relatively experienced user, I tried to search and resolve this issue. But the only references I found on the web, were for an old and known security issue which doesn't affect XP SP2. In addition, I am using firewall and antivirus software, so this is not my case.
I saw this message for the first time when I attached a PATA HDD from my second PC (for data transfer reasons). I thought that I haven't plug it correctly in the secondary channel, so I checked it up and I pluged it in the primary channel, leaving my DVD+RW off. In the second boot all was fine, but now I know that this wasn't the solution. When I removed all the other HDD drives and left my system in its initial state, the error came up again. After a lot of searching and testing, I noticed that I could log into my system only when I was having the PATA drive attached as Primary Master. When I put it out, I can't log in. So I infered that something was wrong with the drive letter assignments or with the signatures of the partitions the OS expects to see. Of course, I didn't forget to check my system for viruses or other malware when I was logged in. Then I tried with Partition Magic (Drive Mapper) to swap the drive letters (E: HDD --> I: HDD, reboot. Then F: DVD+RW --> E: DVD+RW, reboot). After that, I unpluged the PATA HDD and my system started successfully, but only once. At the next boot, the same error appeared again.
The similar result has also my registry intervention from safe mode. I read that in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices key the OS keeps all the necessary info for the drive letters and signatures. If you delete all its data, the system is forced to recompute them at the next boot. So I prepared my system with the necessary drives only (HDD and DVD+RW) and I deleted everything there. At the next reboot, indeed I could logged in as I wanted, but at the next reboot the error came up again. I tried both with DVD+RW at primary and secondary channel. Also, I have clean my registry with System Mechanic from the safe mode. The very strange thing is that I tried to repeat the same process (delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices items), but this time I couldn't boot even once!
Also, I would like to add that one time I could logged in after I made (from safe mode) a rollback driver process to a system device (Intel USB root...) under System Devices. I did this, because in a previous successful log in, I saw that my system devices, RAID controller and ATA/ATAPI controller drivers have returned to the original Microsoft drivers. But for one more time, this wasn't the permanent solution, as I thought. The rollback might happened because I tried once to boot with Last Known Good Configuration (no success).
Now I still can log in from safe mode and I believe that something is reported wrong in the registry and causes this error. I couldn't find any info on the web, about what exactly can cause this error. I found only the error code (1706)... If someone has ever heard about this error and can help me, as usual said, I would appreciate it very much. I don't want to make a repair installation of Windows XP, because I am afraid that my system will be messed up and because I believe that it is not really necessary. Of course, I don't want to have the (old and small) PATA drive attached forever. Thank you.

10-21-2005, 11:46 AM
harvas Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 4	lsass.exe System error: The endpoint format is invalid. Hello all. First of all, the description of my system: I have a P4@3.82 GHz, ASUS P4P800-E Deluxe, 1 GB RAM Dual Channel, 2 SATA HDDs in RAID 0 mode and a DVD+RW drive with two other virtual (Alcohol). I have the latest drivers everywhere. The initial drive letters were C, D for the HDD, E for the DVD+RW and F, G for the virtual drives. I need some help for a serious problem now I am facing and I believe that the drive letters have to do with. I cannot log into my system (XP Pro SP2), because an error message appears: "lsass.exe System Error: The endpoint format is invalid". The window has only an OK button, which resets my system. It is the first time I see such an error message. As a relatively experienced user, I tried to search and resolve this issue. But the only references I found on the web, were for an old and known security issue which doesn't affect XP SP2. In addition, I am using firewall and antivirus software, so this is not my case. I saw this message for the first time when I attached a PATA HDD from my second PC (for data transfer reasons). I thought that I haven't plug it correctly in the secondary channel, so I checked it up and I pluged it in the primary channel, leaving my DVD+RW off. In the second boot all was fine, but now I know that this wasn't the solution. When I removed all the other HDD drives and left my system in its initial state, the error came up again. After a lot of searching and testing, I noticed that I could log into my system only when I was having the PATA drive attached as Primary Master. When I put it out, I can't log in. So I infered that something was wrong with the drive letter assignments or with the signatures of the partitions the OS expects to see. Of course, I didn't forget to check my system for viruses or other malware when I was logged in. Then I tried with Partition Magic (Drive Mapper) to swap the drive letters (E: HDD --> I: HDD, reboot. Then F: DVD+RW --> E: DVD+RW, reboot). After that, I unpluged the PATA HDD and my system started successfully, but only once. At the next boot, the same error appeared again. The similar result has also my registry intervention from safe mode. I read that in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices key the OS keeps all the necessary info for the drive letters and signatures. If you delete all its data, the system is forced to recompute them at the next boot. So I prepared my system with the necessary drives only (HDD and DVD+RW) and I deleted everything there. At the next reboot, indeed I could logged in as I wanted, but at the next reboot the error came up again. I tried both with DVD+RW at primary and secondary channel. Also, I have clean my registry with System Mechanic from the safe mode. The very strange thing is that I tried to repeat the same process (delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices items), but this time I couldn't boot even once! Also, I would like to add that one time I could logged in after I made (from safe mode) a rollback driver process to a system device (Intel USB root...) under System Devices. I did this, because in a previous successful log in, I saw that my system devices, RAID controller and ATA/ATAPI controller drivers have returned to the original Microsoft drivers. But for one more time, this wasn't the permanent solution, as I thought. The rollback might happened because I tried once to boot with Last Known Good Configuration (no success). Now I still can log in from safe mode and I believe that something is reported wrong in the registry and causes this error. I couldn't find any info on the web, about what exactly can cause this error. I found only the error code (1706)... If someone has ever heard about this error and can help me, as usual said, I would appreciate it very much. I don't want to make a repair installation of Windows XP, because I am afraid that my system will be messed up and because I believe that it is not really necessary. Of course, I don't want to have the (old and small) PATA drive attached forever. Thank you.