We’re receiving the above error after we installed and attemped to start WM 6.0.1 on a W2K server.

When you install the NT service for IS6.0.1 (Either with webMethodsInstaller601 or with installSvc.bat) a skeleton registry entry is created for the service. When the service is subsequently started, server.bat is executed with a special syntax: “server.bat -service wmIS”. When server.bat is executed with this syntax it is supposed to add/update additional keys within the service’s registry entry. One of these is the “java classpath”.

In your case (and mine) server.bat -service wmIS was not working correctly:
It will fail if LOCKFILE exists in your \intergrationServer\ directory. It will also fail if the user ID that the service will “Run As” does not have the authority to add keys in the registry.

Try this:
Stop IS (if it is running)
Logon to windows with a userid that has administrator (I think Power User will work also) authority
Delete \integrationServer\LOCKFILE (if it exists)
open a command prompt
cd to \integrationServer\bin
execute server.bat as follows:
server.bat -service wmIS

Please edit and review server.bat. you will see where it looks for an argument of -service wmIS.

webMethods has a fix:IS_6-0-1_Fix101 that will fix this problem and a couple of others. I do not know if the fix is generally available yet however. The main feature of the fix is is an updated version of installSvc.bat that automatically deletes LOCKFILE and automatically runs server.bat after installing the service.