You may need to reset the registry and file permissions if you experience Access is denied error when installing a Windows XP Service Pack or update. (Example: Service Pack 3 setup error. Access is denied.)
Hint: If you’re seeing the error Service Pack 3 setup error. Access is denied when installing Windows XP Service Pack 3, to verify if the error is caused by incorrect registry permissions, open the file C:\Windows\Svcpack.log using Notepad and look for the text Access is denied or DoRegistryUpdates failed.
Note: Access denied errors can also be caused by third-party applications, especially anti-virus or anti-spyware applications. So, make sure that you close all the anti-virus and anti-spyware utilities temporarily and then install the Service Pack. This helps in most cases. You should reset the registry and the file permissions only if necessary.
Resetting the Registry and the File Permissions
Using SECEDIT.EXE (for Windows XP Professional)
In Windows XP Professional, you may use the following secedit command-line to reset the file and registry permissions to defaults.
For more information, see article How to reset security settings back to the defaults.
Using SubInACL
For Windows XP Home Edition (and Professional Edition), you may use the SubInACL tool to reset the registry and file permissions. Download and then install the Subinacl.exe (~370 KB) from Microsoft. SubInACL is a command-line tool that enables administrators to obtain security information about files, registry keys, etc.
Download reset.zip, unzip and run the reset.cmd file. This script resets the registry and file permissions in your system.
Reset.cmd Contents
The file reset.cmd contains the following lines:
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CURRENT_USER /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subdirectories %SystemDrive%\ /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
Related Posts
- RegASSASSIN Resets ACL Permissions and Deletes Stubborn Registry Keys Easily
- Prevent Internet Explorer Toolbar Layout From Being Reset
- Fix Error “Windows Cannot Access the Specified Device, Path, or File” When Playing DVD Movies in Windows 7
- Fix for Desktop Icons Layout Not Getting Saved Upon Restarting Windows
- How to Create a Password Reset Disk and Use It to Reset Forgotten Password in Windows 7
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed! We feature Tips, Troubleshooting information, Scripts and Utilities for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems!
Prefer an E-mail subscription?
Hello if some one can help
Two days back I installed the ESET NOD32 antivirus program. The program may have destroyed my windows registry file and now all I see is the main blue window which shows my log in ID.
It briefly shows my desktop screen saver than shows the blue welcome log in sign window with my name and the bottom part read turns off the computer and the bottom right portion says after log on you can add or change accounts. just go to control panels and click user accounts.
I have an HP laptop and using Windows XP since 2006.
Can any one please help
Donna
The worst thing is that all the messed up permissions are being caused by windows installer, this solution may work, but msiexec will mess everything again whenever you install a large program… too bad this is also a problem on windows 7 which, well, was designed to avoid this sort of ‘issues’. Solution: MS, fire all your crappy coders!!!
reset.cmd is script/batch file which launches SubInACL tool with necessary parameters.
are both reset.cmd and SubinACL = one solution or are they two separate solutions ?
If separate, what are the pros and cons of each ?
[...] fixes in this and prescribed in KB891801 don’t even seem to help. Typically a repair install of windows [...]
Gustava,
Thanks for your help. My solution was to use the HP Recovery D: drive to reset the machine to factory setup. I was then able to successfully install SP3. (I’m not at my home machine now so I’m working from memory here) From other comments I learned that SP3 erroneousely installed c:\Windows\System32\drivers\Intelppl.sys (SP?) on AMD machines. So, I just renamed that file to hide it, and Voila!, everything has been working well since then.
However, this solution is not good for those who don’t want to destroy their pre-SP3 image, so I will remember your solution in the future.
–James
James, I had a similar issue with SubinACL but this is what I did: I installed the MSI file on another working machine (WIN-PRO) and and just copied the subincacl.exe file into my thumb drive. I inserted the device on the affected machine and I was able to run the subincacl.exe directly from the thumb drive without any issue, regards! Gustavo.