The number of identity values that gets "burned" upon a crash or a shutdown can by found by logging into the server and typing:

1.sp_configure "identity burning set factor"

2. go

the Default value set upon install is 5000. The number "5000" in this case is read as ".05% of all the potential identity values you can have in this particular case will be burned upon an unexpected shutdown." The actual number depends on the size of the identity field as you specified it when you created your table.

To set the burn factor, type:

1. sp_configure "identity burning set factor", [new value]

2. go

This is a static change; the server must be rebooted before it takes effect