SmartCard Service

jimmie q 26 Reputation points
2022-01-29T04:31:25.707+00:00

I'm experiencing an issue with my SmartCard.

I thought it was the reader. It is not. I repeat, it's NOT the reader.

I checked the service and noticed that it's not running. I tried to start it and got an error:

Windows could not start the Smart Card service on Local Computer.

Error 1075: The dependency service does not exist or has been marked for deletion.

I thought it might be the DLLs but a cursory look at SCardSvr.dll looks exactly the same as one on another machine that is working normally. I checked the dependencies; my computer and the known good computer have NO dependencies.

I've tried "DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth" and then "sfc /scannow"
It found some errors so I rebooted.

Tried running Smart Card service again, same error

I've tried searching for answers and I see lots of similar questions but zero real answers, especially regarding error 1075.
If the dependency is marked for deletion, why doesn't the reboot fix it? If the dependency service does not exist, why does it work on my known good computer? I checked the settings on the known good computer and my computer and they are the same. For all intents, they look alike so I'm super confused (and frustrated) that I cannot get this service to start.

Another thing to note: I checked the eventlog and found that the Smart Card service didn't start because it depends on the following service: wudfsvc

Now, how is it that my computer needs this service, but my known good computer does NOT, nor does it have this dll?

for ref: Known good PC is Win10 20H2, my computer Win10 21H2 (I have the newer version)
If I have the newer version, why is my computer looking for wudfsvc (which is on older systems) ????

Any suggestions other than kicking this PC across the room? In which case, I guess I don't need to read my smart card, eh?

Windows Server
Windows Server
A family of Microsoft server operating systems that support enterprise-level management, data storage, applications, and communications.
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  1. jimmie q 26 Reputation points
    2022-01-29T07:36:37.767+00:00

    If anyone is curious, I was led to an answer.

    I opened cmd prompt as admin, entered sc qc scardsvr
    and saw the dependency there (even though services.msc ->Smart Card->Properties shows NO DEPENDENCIES)
    I then went to the registry key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SCardSvr
    and found the DependsOnService string and there it was: wudfsvc
    I deleted the string, rebooted, and now I'm good to go.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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