The DNS server has been reconfigured to boot from a boot file. Current server and zone configuration information has been written to this file. To return to booting from the registry or Active Directory, use the DNS console and reconfigure the boot method for the server. For more information, see “To change the boot method used by the DNS server” in the online Help.

If you see this in conjunction with event ID 157 or event ID 7023 from the Service Control Manager, this might indicate that the registry key which determines whether your DNS initializes from a boot file or from the registry might not have been updated properly.

Edit an entry in the registry, and if your DNS server initializes from a boot file, you might need to copy a new boot file into the DNS folder.

Caution:
Do not use a registry editor to edit the registry directly unless you have no alternative. The registry editors bypass the standard safeguards provided by administrative tools. These safeguards prevent you from entering conflicting settings or settings that are likely to degrade performance or damage your system. Editing the registry directly can have serious, unexpected consequences that can prevent the system from starting and require that you reinstall Windows 2000. To configure or customize Windows 2000, use the programs in Control Panel or Microsoft Management Console (MMC) whenever possible.

Start a registry editor (regedt32.exe or regedit.exe) and locate the following subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dns\Parameters. Edit the entry EnableRegistryBoot (data type: REG_DWORD) so that the value is 1 for registry boot or 0 for boot file. Exit the registry editor.

The value of this entry was set to 1 when the first zone was created, and by default the boot file’s information was then migrated into the registry. When you reset this entry back to zero, it disables the DNS server from booting or initializing from the registry. If the DNS server does not boot from the registry, it must initialize from a boot file. A backup boot file can be found in the following location: Systemroot\System32\Dns\Backup. Copy this file to the Dns folder, and then start DNS.