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Asked: 2021-11-16T02:49:20+00:00 In:

WindowsError: [Error 1338] The Security Descr

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WindowsError: [Error 1338] The security descriptor structure is invalid. This error message comes up when I open services.msc. I am able to open Compmgmt.msc, Eventvwr.msc. Problem occurs only while opening services.msc. I have tried all the ways to open services.msc but nothing works. Reinstalled the SP2, rebooted the server (Windows Server 2003 Enterprise SP2). Nothing resolves the issue. Also copied the Filemgmt.dll from a working server to the affected server and registered it in the registry, still the issue is persisting. Please suggest.

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    2 Answers

    1. You could run the following on the problem server:
      for /f %i in (‘wmic service get name’) do @echo %i >> bad.txt & sc sdshow %i >> bad.txt
      Run the same command on a working server (different output file) running the same OS version, service pack, updates, and applications (may not be identical but the closer the configurations the better):
      for /f %i in (‘wmic service get name’) do @echo %i >> good.txt & sc sdshow %i >> good.txt
      Then use your text compare tool of choice (Winmerge, WinDiff, Beyond Compare, etc.) to compare bad.txt to good.txt to find out which service has incorrect permissions.
      Then you can use “sc sdset ” to change the security descriptor on the services you identify to be different than on the good server.
      But keep in mind they could be different for a reason – something needs specific permissions set on a service to work properly. That is why the closer the configurations of the bad versus good servers, the less chance you are changing something that will
      break something else.

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    2. This issue can be caused due to the security descriptor for certain service is incorrect or corrupt. After determining which service is the problem, we can try to modify the CustomSD key. For the similar steps, you may refer to the following thread:

      Error opening event log file / security descriptor structure is invalid

      http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-CA/winservergen/thread/9abe2194-252f-4015-a6fc-98d387b5d919

      Regards

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