If you’re following Microsoft’s Best Practice recommendations for securing SQL Server 2000, you should be running the SQL Server and SQL Server Agent services under separate domain user accounts (not the Local System account). Whilst setting this up you may encounter this error:

[LOG] The data portion of event 17052 from MSSQLSERVER is invalid

Adding the SQL Server service user account to the Administrators group fixes the problem, but does not adhere to Best Practices.

More info: