Why won't windows connect to the group policy client?

Anonymous
2012-11-04T18:34:27+00:00

I am currently using a dell inspiron 7720 with windows 7 home premium and recently a small message has begun appearing above my taskbar saying

"Failed to connect to a windows service

Windows could not connect to the Group Policy Client service. The problem prevents standard users from logging on to the system.

As an administrative user, you can review the System Event Log for details about why the service didn't respond"

Anyone know why this is happening and how to fix it?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2016-08-21T13:45:28+00:00

The resolution is quite easy. Ignore all those tech geeks here and on other sites who just want to show off how they can fiddle with registries--a very dangerous game.  Go to Search, type cmd, open cmd as Administrator.  Type exactly this (with indicated spaces): netsh winsock repair  then press Enter. You will need to Restart (NOT shut down and turn On) your computer. Bingo! Unfortunately this condition may re-occur from time to time, like if you Start your computer before turning on your internet and establishing a good connection.  No sweat the fix takes about 3-5 minutes depending upon your computer Restart speed.

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Anonymous
2013-02-02T03:55:35+00:00

I FOUND SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM!

You did a great job on discovering the events BEFORE the issue started to occur.  I had this issue on my laptop since November, and it really bugged me.  Like you, I sifted through the event log and found absolutely the same pattern you described.

In short, the pattern is as follows: Windows updates run automatically, and when reboot is initiated after the updates are finished, the computer crashes.  When it boots up, it reports that the last shutdown was unexpected, and the issue begins to occur.

I spent 2 days trying to dig out a solution from the Internet, to no avail, until I came across this page.  It doesn't say anything about this particular problem, but it gives more information about SVCHOST process that starts many services, including Group Policy Client.  It looks like during reboot a vital registry settings were lost and Group Policy Client simply "doesn't know" how to start. Let me explain:

There are two places to look in the registry:

  1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services this path should contain gpsvc key (a folder), which is responsible for service parameters and configuration.  I found that the key wasintact, so, you do not touch anything here.
  2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SVCHOSTThis is the most important path you should look into, as it must contain the keys and values referred in the key #1.  Below are descriptions what must be present there.
  • There must be Multi-String value called GPSvcGroup. My laptop was missing it.  So, you should create multi-string value named GPSvcGroup and assign it value GPSvc.
  • Next, you must create a key (a folder) and name it GPSvcGroup
  • Then open newly-created GPSvcGroup folder and create 2 DWORD values:
  1. First called AuthenticationCapabilities and you must give it a value of 0x00003020 (or 12320 in decimal)
  2. Second is called CoInitializeSecurityParam and it must have value of 1.

Once you completed all steps above, reboot the computer and the problem will be fixed.

I am so relieved I was able to fix it, and hope this will help others with the similar issue.

Here is the link for video walkthrough: http://youtu.be/4m5KEmckWK4[http://youtu.be/4m5KEmckWK4](http://youtu.be/4m5KEmckWK4)

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-03-25T08:48:37+00:00

    Thanks, P.L.X. - this worked for me on Windows 8.1. Problem arose on or before 23 March 2015, with a message saying '...couldn't connect to Group Policy Services...' The Registry fix, exactly as described for Windows 7, worked for me.

    But I wonder what else might be missing after an apparent Windows Update crash, that has not shown up yet?

    Edit: Oddly, Services shows that the Group Policy Client has a status of 'Stopped', and all Property fields are greyed out - nevertheless, there was no 'couldn't connect' message on boot-up.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-08-22T20:54:54+00:00

    Hi Tony,

    We're glad to help.

    With regard to your concern, refer to the thread on How to reset Winsock.

    Let us know if you need further assistance.

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-11-07T07:10:29+00:00

    Hi,

    Thank you posting the question in Microsoft Answers.

    I am sorry for the inconvenience.

    Let us try the following methods and see if that helps:


    **Method 1:**You may use Event viewer to check what is causing this issue.

    Event Viewer is an advanced tool that displays detailed information about significant events on your computer. It can be helpful when troubleshooting problems and errors with Windows and other programs.

    To open Event refer:

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Open-Event-Viewer


    Method 2: Make sure Group policy client service is up and running.

    Refer the following steps:

    A.    Click Start, type Run, hit enter

    B.    Type services.msc, and then click OK.

    C.    Look for Group policy client service, right click on it and click on properties.

    D.    Make sure Service status is started and startup type is automatic

    E.       Click on Apply and Okay.

    Method 3: Run SFC Scan.

    Refer:

    Use the System File Checker tool to troubleshoot missing or corrupted system files on Windows Vista or on Windows 7:

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833

    Hope this information helps. Do let us know if you need any further help. We are happy to help you.

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