Windows 8, group policy client service failed sign in

Question

Hello,

I'm running Windows 8 Professional, and in the last couple of days have experienced random errors trying to login.

Firstly, when I log in as a standard user, I get the message "Group policy client service failed sign in", and cannot login.  If I try to log in as Administrator I can log in but Windows recreates the profile from scratch and when I get to the start menu I have no apps displayed, and cannot find any programs via search.  This problem has happened twice now, and it seems to temporarily fix itself after rebooting, however this morning it took 4 reboots to fix.

I also get the error "Windows couldn't connect to the system event notification service", and again this seems to fix itself after a few reboots.

I have scanned my SDD on which the OS installed and there are no reported errors.

I am worried that on the next reboot the problem will revert and will not be fixable.  Please can you tell me how to fix this.

Kind regards,

Matthew

Answer 1

OK, guys, I already posted solution in other threads and it is for Windows 7. But, It looks like it is exactly the same issue, and a very wide-spread one - caused by crash during reboot initiated by Windows Update.  I am re-posting here.  If someone can test on Windows 8 would be great.  If you need my help let me know - I am actually very interested in testing it on Windows 8.

I had this issue on my laptop since November, and it really bugged me.  I sifted through the event log and found the pattern of events that preceded the issue, and, probably, caused it.

In short, the pattern is as follows: Windows updates run automatically as scheduled, and when reboot is initiated after the updates are finished, the computer crashes (probably during reboot sequence).  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 during crash and Group Policy Client "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 was intact, so, you do not touch anything here - just check that the key exists.
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SVCHOST This 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 - this key normally should be there, but, again, it was missin on my laptop.
• 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 complete all steps above, reboot the computer and the problem will be fixed.

Here is the link to the video walkthrough if you have any troubles understanding what has to be done:http://youtu.be/4m5KEmckWK4

http://youtu.be/4m5KEmckWK4

Answer 2

I have also had the same problem you had with your standard user account throwing an error, when you try to signin. I have 1 administrative account and 1 standard. After creating the standard account, when I tried signing in, it gave me this:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Failed to connect to Group Policy Client Services, please consult your Administrator.

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**..**Same thing as yours.. Am I right?

---

After a long 2 days of research:P I have finally found something that has worked for me. Here's what I did:

1. Go to Task Manager (open it up by pressing ctrl+alt+delete, then select task manager)

2. Once in Task Manager, go to the tab: Startup

3. You will see that there are a list of apps. Some may be disabled, others enabled. All of these are apps and programs that begin running automatically when your computer is starting up.

4. DISABLE ALL APPS!  (You must disable all of the apps in this category even if they look important, otherwise the test will not work). Doing this will allow you to see if the problem is being caused by a third party program or application when your computer is starting up.

5. Now head over to the Start menu and RESTART your computer.

6. After your computer has restarted, try signing in to your Standard User account.

7. If all goes well, and the error above ^ doesn't come up, your all good.

Important Landing Info:

If you find that this option works, you should go back and go through to steps 1-3, into Task Manager and Enable the apps you don't think would cause the problem. Do some more testing, and see which ones are causing the error...

I hope this helps. It did for me.

Please ask me if you need any extra help or support, glad to help!

Answer 3

I had the issue on Windows 8.1 for a domain user.  Managed to fix it by deleting the local profile.

I did this by logging on as another domain administrator and deleting the profile as per the steps below:

1.  Open up System  (Control Panel > System and Security > System)

2.  Click Advanced system settings

3.  Advanced Tab

4.  User Profiles

5.  Highlight problem profile and click Delete

Answer 4

Hello all,

After weeks of chasing Microsoft Support I have finally got a response from them, and it appears to explain the issue.  I will cut/paste the full response at the bottom of the email, but based on the precise date/times the issue occurred for me I am 95% sure it is due to a corrupted Group Policy Client Service.

The specific steps below are from their email (my comments are in square brackets):

...If this is not caused by a missing service, then it could be that parts of the Group Policy Client Service may be corrupted. To fix this issue:

1.      Press Windows+R to open the run box. On the run box, type eventvwr.msc and then press enter. This opens up the Event Viewer.

2.      Go to Windows Logs and then System. Look for entries that say errors about Group Policy Client Service. Errors would look something like "Windows cannot process Group Policy Client Side Extension".

[Here I sped things up a bit by clicking "Save All Events As..." on the right-hand pane, saving the file as Text, then using Notepad (windows key+R -> type Notepad -> OK) and searching (Ctrl+F) for "Group Policy".]

3.      Go to the Details tab. Click on System to view what's below it. Take a note of the GUID.

[something like {555908d1-a6d7-4695-8e1e-26931d2012f4}]

4.      Press Windows+R to open the run box. On the run box, type regedit and then press enter.

5.      Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\GPExtensions. On the list below it, select the one that has the same name as the GUID.

6.      Right-click on it and then select Export to back it up first. Select a location to save and then save it.

7.      Right click on it again and this time, select Delete.

8.      Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

The dates/times and frequencies matched well from memory when the problem had occurred, including the last time I had the problem on 18 Jan.  The GUID causing the problem was no longer there, which seems right as I have not had the problem since that date.

So in conclusion, I can't guarantee that this will fix the issue (as the GUID had disappeared for me), but it looks very likely to be what caused it.

Hope this helps somebody!

Regards,

Matthew Riley

Microsoft's email below in full:

Dear Matthew,

Thanks for visiting Answer Desk.

Based on your case (SR 1193155391), it says you are having issues logging in and getting an error "Group Policy Client Service failed sign in".

First thing we have to know is whether the computer is connected to a domain server or is just a personal computer.

To check, press Windows+Pause|Break key to bring up the System Properties window. Under the "Computer Description", it will say whether it's Domain or Workgroup.

If the Computer Description says it's Domain, it would be best to contact the person who manages the domain server. We also have a different department that supports computers connected on domain servers.

If the computer is not on domain, then the problem may have something to do with the Group Policy Service. Though this may root from different components of Windows, most of the time, this starts with a system crash and because of this, some of the system files/components get corrupted.

To be able to try the following steps, you need to log in as an Administrator.

First thing to try is a clean boot. There could be a corrupted 3rd party program that is running at start up that prevents access either to the service or to the log on.

To do a clean boot:

1.      Press Windows+R to open the run box. On the run box, type msconfig and then press enter.

2.      Go to Services tab. Outside the list on the bottom left of the window, put a check on Hide all Microsoft services. Now click Disable all.

3.      Go to Startup tab and then click on Open Task Manager. Disable all the programs listed.

4.      Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

You can also try recreating the User Profiles on the computer to check if this is just caused by a corrupted user account. One way to fix it is to recreate the User Account.

1.      To delete a user account:

a.      Make sure that you have backed up all the files before deleting the user profile.

b.      Go to Control Panel and then go to User Accounts, and then select Manage another account. From here, you can delete the user account

2.      To create a new user account:

a.      Press Windows+I. On the bottom of the Settings pane, click on Change PC Settings.

b.      Go to Users. Click on the plus sign that says Add a User.

If this does not work, the issue could be with the Group Policy Client service itself. It could be missing registry settings.

*Note: Editing the registry incorrectly could cause further problems with Windows and so please make sure that the steps are carefully followed. To back the registry up, please refer to this link.

We need to open the registry to do this. Press Windows+R to open the run box. On the run box, type regedit and then press enter.

1.      First, check if the Group Policy Client service is still present on the registry. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services and look for a folder named gpsvc. If it is present, then it is good. If it is not, we may need to extract this from a different Windows 8 computer.

2.      Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost and highlight the Svchost folder. On the right pane, check if there is a GPSvcGroup. If it is there, then skip this step. If there is none:

a.      Right click on the blank part of the window and then click New, then select Multi-String Value. Name it GPSvcGroup. Double-click on it and then on the value, type GPSvc.

b.      On the left pane, right-click on Svchost and then select New, then select Key. It will create a new folder under Svchost. Name the new folder GPSvcGroup.

c.       Click on the GPSvcGroup folder. On the right pane, right click on the blank part and select New then select DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value AuthenticationCapabilities. Double-click on it. On Base, select Decimal and then on the value data, put in 12320 then click OK.

d.      Right-click again on the blank part and select New then select DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value CoInitializeSecurityParam. Double-click on it. On the value data put in 1 then click OK.

3.      Reboot the computer for the changes to take effect.

If this is not caused by a missing service, then it could be that parts of the Group Policy Client Service may be corrupted. To fix this issue:

1.      Press Windows+R to open the run box. On the run box, type eventvwr.msc and then press enter. This opens up the Event Viewer.

2.      Go to Windows Logs and then System. Look for entries that say errors about Group Policy Client Service. Errors would look something like "Windows cannot process Group Policy Client Side Extension".

3.      Go to the Details tab. Click on System to view what's below it. Take a note of the GUID.

4.      Press Windows+R to open the run box. On the run box, type regedit and then press enter.

5.      Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\GPExtensions. On the list below it, select the one that has the same name as the GUID.

6.      Right-click on it and then select Export to back it up first. Select a location to save and then save it.

7.      Right click on it again and this time, select Delete.

8.      Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

If taking it into specifics does not solve it, you can run the built-in Windows 8 repair tools to fix the whole Windows.

*Very important note: These tools can wipe out programs and files so make sure you are ready before you run this. If you want to proceed with it, you must have already backed up your files and have ways of reinstalling your programs.

Here is what the tools do:

·         Refresh - resets all changes made to Windows. This does not affect the files but removes all the desktop programs installed on the computer.

·         Reset - resets all changes made to Windows and puts it on a fresh state. This removes all personal files and folders and removes all programs on the computer.

To start these tools:

1.      Press Windows+I. On the bottom of the Settings pane, click on Change PC Settings.

2.      Go to General. Scroll down and you will see the options for Refresh and Reset. Click Get started to initialize it.

a.      The Refresh option will say "Refresh your PC without affecting your files".

b.      The Reset option will say "Remove everything and reinstall Windows".

There are some scenarios that Refreshing the PC does not solve the problem and so, if needed, a Reset is advisable.

Answer 5

Got the same on Win 8 Pro, fine after reboot. The computer is NOT part of domain. Running an SSD too.

The App event log shows an app/service crash:

Faulting application name: svchost.exe_wuauserv, version: 6.2.9200.16420, time stamp: 0x505a9a4e

Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, version: 6.2.9200.16420, time stamp: 0x505ab405

Exception code: 0xc0000005

Fault offset: 0x00000000000055b9

Faulting process id: 0x378

Faulting application start time: 0x01cdf6d7ac157eab

Faulting application path: C:\Windows\system32\svchost.exe

Faulting module path: C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\ntdll.dll

Report Id: 78603a3e-644a-11e2-be70-001e4fe7932e

Faulting package full name:

Faulting package-relative application ID:

The System log shows number of Errors as SCM tries to restart failing services...

Any hints appreciated!

Thanks!