windows service installation error trying to create new app event

[Chris C.]

I have a windows service msi created from a setup project. The windows
service is also a windows application with a console. The msi will create a
file folder directory to house the .exe and other files, put icons on
desktop, create a user start menu entry, install the service (installutil.exe
/i) automatically and will present a login screen asking to enter computer's
login domain\username and password (what the service will run under). The
msi will also create a new application event log source entry. The console
will then be displayed and can set credentials in the application.exec.config
file. This windows service watch file folders for files. When a file is
found, it will do some checking and then digitally sign the file to be
uploaded using Capicom and WSE 2.0 SP2, and then will call a web service to
upload the file to a secured web site.

I can use this msi and it will install OK on a computer with windows server
2003 OS. When I take the same msi and try to install on a computer with
windows XP PRO SP2 OS, the installation will fail with 'access is denied'
trying to create the new application event log source entry with the
domain\username and password entered in the pop-up window asking what account
the windows service will run under. The computer with the windows XP PRO SP2
was created from an image of another computer.

I do have admin rights to the computer. The 'administrators group' and
'system' has full control permissions to the windows registry service event
log entry. 'Power users' and 'users' groups have read only access
permissions.

I tried to add everyone, myself to the event log permissions but that
failed also.

If I manually create the application event source windows entry for the
windows service name with the 'eventmessagefile' entry pointing to the .NET
Frameworkl 1.1 message file, I can successfully install the windows service
using the msi.

Another computer with windows XP SP2 can take the msi and install with no
problem.

I also tried to add my domain\username to the local security policy entries
for 'log on locally', 'log on as a service', 'log on as a batch', and still
no such luck.

Does anyone have any clues as I need help ASAP!

The last resort that I really don't want to try is to have the hard drive
reimaged from the original imaged computer it was built from. I have
installed a lot of other software and did configurations and really don't
want to spend another week to do it again.

Any help and ideas will be greatly appreciated!

Chris C.

 

[Mark L. Ferguson]

The first question you have to answer is: 'Does Any 'runas' work on that
system using a 'domain/username' ID, and farther, does it fail AND a
'username/password' ID succeed? The 'access denied' message is a sure sign of
a Permissions problem.
I can't tell how complex your Permissions are on that machine, but a reset
of default security might do something, and a backup made before the reset
should take you back to current security if no help.

HOW TO Reset Security Settings Back to the Defaults:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;313222

 

[Chris C.]

I can't log on as another account as I do not have the administrator
password. This computer was build from an image with its original user. Our
own account was then
added afterwards.

I tried to do the 'msconfig' to go back to an earlier system restore for
about 2 weeks ago. It did help a little though. The problem is I would have
to try to remember what I installed
in the 2 weeks after the system restore was done.

I am afraid to try the security reset as this computer was created from an
image and do not know what would be restored - if it would be from the
original message or not.

Chris C.