[SOLVED] Security - SPP Errors

[Mike McCall]

A client's laptop is throwing a ton of Security-SPP errors - "Failed to schedule Software Protection service for re-start at <time_stamp>. Error Code: 0x80070005."

Looking around for solutions I found this from MS:

"The issue may occur if one or more of the following conditions are true:

• The Task Scheduler service is disabled.
• The Software Protection Platform service is not running under the NETWORK SERVICE account.
• Read permissions for the NETWORK SERVICE account are missing on the following folder:
  
  C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\Microsoft\Windows\SoftwareProtectionPlatform

Resolution
To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

1. Verify that the Task Scheduler service is running.
2. Open the Computer Management tool, and then navigate to Configuration -> Task Scheduler -> Task Scheduler Library -> Microsoft -> Windows -> SoftwareProtectionPlatform.
3. On the General tab of SoftwareProtectionPlatform, select the security options, and then verify that the Software Protection Platform service is set to use the NETWORK SERVICE account.
4. In Windows Explorer, browse to the C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\Microsoft\Windows\SoftwareProtectionPlatform folder, and then verify that the NETWORK SERVICE account has Read permissions for that folder.
5. Restart the Software Protection service if it is running."

I've done this and it hasn't helped. Over 400 errors in just a couple of hours. Ideas?

 

[TurricanII]

To double check, did you right click the C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\Microsoft\Windows\SoftwareProtectionPlatform folder >Properties>Security>Advanced and add the account 'NETWORK SERVICE' with read permission?

 

[Mike McCall]

To double check, did you right click the C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\Microsoft\Windows\SoftwareProtectionPlatform folder >Properties>Security>Advanced and add the account 'NETWORK SERVICE' with read permission?

Yes I did. Even went back and double checked just now.

 

[FremontPC]

What AV is running?

If you're certain the AV isn't causing a problem here, and the HDD is ok, maybe have a look at this:

http://www.paulscomputerservice.net/articles/article.php?ID=313

 

[Mike McCall]

What AV is running?

If you're certain the AV isn't causing a problem here, and the HDD is ok, maybe have a look at this:

http://www.paulscomputerservice.net/articles/article.php?ID=313

She's a Managed AV client using MaxFocus Bitdefender. Over night it generated over 2k Security-SPP errors. Under the System log it's throwing DNS warnings for meetinglab.zoho.com (previously uninstalled, now removed from registry) & avery-us-west-2-svc.logicnow.us & 1 other LogicNow site, saying the DNS servers didn't respond. Her DNS servers are OpenDNS.

I'm currently using Splashtop for remote work, and I've been dropped several times recently. She seems to be losing connection sporadically and I'm beginning to think it's the router. Rebooting the router is the next step, but being a senior I don't want to raise her stress level. I'll try to walk her through it and save her a service call (about 40-miles away). Don't know if these are related of separate issues. Might be a bug of some sort (she uses Edge exclusively), but I need to get the connection issue sorted first. Then I'll make sure it's clean, and then I'll look at the SPP errors.

 

[FremontPC]

Yeah, I've run into issues with older folk when it comes to even finding the router (and THEN finding the power connection) and getting them to reboot the blastid thing. Maybe you can remote into the router and reboot it? Make sure "kitty" isn't napping on top of the thing...

 

[Mike McCall]

Yeah, I've run into issues with older folk when it comes to even finding the router (and THEN finding the power connection) and getting them to reboot the blastid thing. Maybe you can remote into the router and reboot it? Make sure "kitty" isn't napping on top of the thing...

I'm thinking it may be a good idea for me to get the router login information when I sign clients up for services. I should have it for times like this. She knows where the router is and can unplug it from the wall, wait several seconds, and plug it back in. However, if that doesn't stabilize the connection then I'll have to make a visit. Just trying to save her the expense since she's on a fixed income.

 

[FremontPC]

Might be her modem too, maybe a good opportunity for her to check with her ISP and see if her modem is outdated/malfunctioning, or maybe there's some bad equipment on the poles?

 

[Mike McCall]

I had her get the login information off the router so I was able to remote into it. She's with CenturyLink and her modem/router is a Zyxel pk5001z, which I learn is notorious for drop outs & DNS issues. Back in about 2012 a firmware update was released that was supposed to rectify the problem, but this already has the update. I think it's time for a new router. No sense chasing the tail when I need to cut off the head.

 

[FremontPC]

Cool. Hope that gets the fix, let us know!

 

[Mike McCall]

Aside from getting dropped while remoted in, I could watch the bars in the WIFI status icon fluctuate wildly. Client won't be home until this afternoon to work with. This is what the router log looks like:

 

[FremontPC]

Looks like she'd be having problems wifi or hard wired, either one. Put in to Centurylink for a replacement and have her put the existing modem on a different jack, just for a stab at it. Is this a dry line?

 

[Mike McCall]

Once she's home I'll have her contact Centurylink for a replacement. The modem is internal so sh can't move it. Dry, as opposed to submersible?

 

[FremontPC]

Dry line means it's internet only, no phones. If there are phones, there might be some funky/missing DSL filters too.

"The modem is internal so sh can't move it. "

I should have said move the gateway to a different wall jack, just in case the current one is bad/unreliable.

 

[Mike McCall]

Ah. I've heard it referred to as "naked" but dry is new to me. No, I believe she has a traditional landline.

Good thought on moving it. I'll check with her and ask what's available. Logs show she's losing the WAN side so that may help.

 

[FremontPC]

Yeah, it's just something to do until the new gateway shows up. I think it comes with new dsl filters, so can't hurt to swap those out too. Hope the new box fixes it, let us know how it goes!

 

[Mike McCall]

She moved the modem to another phone jack in her bedroom. I let it sit for awhile and the remoted in and checked the modem logs. Same errors. She recently replaced her landline phone with one that has a satellite about a week & a half ago. The new phone (VTech) has significant noise on it making it nearly unusable. It seems at least possible, if not likely, that the new phone may be causing line noise issues, which could be causing the WAN side drop outs and other errors. So, she's going to return the phone in the next day or two and I'll see what happens. If the replacement phone doesn't cause the noise and the errors settle down, then she just saved herself a service call and I just have some cleanup to do. If the line noise remains, then she'll need to have her phone company come out and deal with it. Either way, she needs to deal with those things before we look at the modem. As for the other errors, I can see DNS errors being generated by a wonky connection, not so sure about the Security-SPP errors though.

 

[FremontPC]

So, she's using a cordless phone instead of a hard-wired phone? If it's 2.4 Ghz, then it could well be walking on the gateway. In that case, she could just unplug the cordless and hook her old hardwired phone back up as a test.

If the cordless phone has a lot of noise on it, then she needs to check to see if there's a DSL filter between the jack and the phone base. She could also just plug the phone into the "Phone" jack on the back of the gateway, that has a DSL filter built into it as I recall.

Or are we talking some kind of VOIP over a satellite dish instead of a traditional phone line?

 

[Mike McCall]

Her old phone was cordless, but didn't have a satellite extension. I think it's just a bad phone in this case.

 

[FremontPC]

Got it, thanks!

I mentioned the DSL filters because you can get noise on your phone call if you don't have those in place. I guess she could just unplug the gateway from the wall jack as a quick test of that.