Group Policy login issues on multi-user systems

Question

We have a few systems on our domain receiving a Windows couldn't connect to the Group Policy Client service Please consult your administrator error message at login after sitting at "Please wait: for a few minutes. We have determined that only computers with multiple user accounts are experiencing this(shared systems). 2 of us in IT have replicated the issue when trying to switch to our elevated account for password resets on our own systems. The majority of users are seeing it at shift change when the previous shift doesn't sign out. A simple restart fixes the issue every time but looking for a better solution. The issues started around the first week of April. The only thing that has outright fixed it was one of our support staff replaced a shared computer with about 5 users configured with a brand new system and the issues stopped. We don't have this leisure on all of our systems though due to equipment configs. The Group Policy Client service is running when we remote into the services using "Connect to another computer" in services when the issue occurs.

Answer 1

Hello!

If you're seeing the error message "Windows couldn't connect to the Group Policy Client service. Please consult your administrator," it usually means there's a problem with the Group Policy Client service on your Windows system. Here are some things you can try to fix it:

1. Run a System File Checker (SFC) scan: This tool looks for and fixes corrupted or missing system files. Just open Command Prompt as an administrator and run "sfc /scannow." Let it finish, and if it finds any issues, it'll try to repair them. Then restart your computer and see if the error's gone.
2. Check the Group Policy Client service status: Press Windows Key + R, type "services.msc," and hit Enter. Find "Group Policy Client" in the list, right-click it, and pick Properties. Make sure it's set to "Automatic" startup type and that it's running. If it's stopped, click "Start" to get it going again.
3. Delete the Group Policy profiles: Go to "C:\Windows\System32\GroupPolicy" in File Explorer and delete the "Machine" and "User" folders there. Restart your computer, and Windows will create new ones with default settings.
4. Check for malware or virus infections: Use a good antivirus program to scan your system for any malware or viruses that might be messing with the Group Policy Client service. Make sure your antivirus definitions are up to date before you start the scan.
5. Do a system restore: If you started getting the error after making changes to your system, like installing software or updates, you could try doing a system restore to an earlier point in time when you didn't have the error. This will take your system settings back to the way they were before.

Hope that helps!