Quick Fix: AVG Antivirus 8.0 error message, Error: Action failed for registry key
The error message is:
Local machine: installation failed
Installation:
Error: Action failed for registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows: creating registry key....
Error 0x80070005
The fix action is to log as the administrator, go to the registry using regedit
Navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows" key and right click to check the permissions
ensure your administrator login has full security and permission rights to this folder. More than likely if you're receiving this AVG install error it does not and you will need to add your administrator user.
NOTE: If you receive error messages stating you don't have rights to add users. Please check out our NTFS guide here. As you will need to go to the advanced menu and take ownership of the key first, before adding security rights.
How do I ‘navigate to’ the key? Can’t find it in the regedit suggested.
Good catch! In Registry Editor go to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows”.
We changed the abbreviation in the article from “HKLM” to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE”
Thanks for reading!
I’m facing the same problem guys!!
First class. I was really struggling with uninstalling AVG8.0 and installing 8.5. Followed your advice and “Hey. Presto!” instant result. Now have my anti virus running again. Thanks a bunch.
hi i am facing same problem installing AVG anti virus in my laptop. It is giving me the below error:
Local machine: installation failed
Installation:
Error: Action failed for registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows: creating registry key….
Error 0×80070005
i wanted to try the above solution by editing my registry but whenever i ran regedit it is giving me msg regedit is disabled by admin…and the thing is i am log in as admin. can you please help???
hi i am facing same problem installing AVG anti virus in my laptop. It is giving me the below error:
Local machine: installation failed
Installation:
Error: Action failed for registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows: creating registry key….
Error 0×80070005
i wanted to try the above solution by editing my registry but whenever i ran regedit it is giving me msg regedit is disabled by admin…and the thing is i am log in as admin. can you please help???
Trying to upgrade to free version 8.5 under Windows Version 5.1 Sevice Pack 2.
get error: Local machine: installation failed
Installation:
Error: Action failed for registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\AVG.AvgKernel: creating registry key….
Error 0×80070005
Tried folowing regedit you described, but got Access Denied. I’m th only administrator AI know on my laptop. Thanks. YOur much bettor than Grisoft!
Thanks for reading, if you’re having trouble with Access Denied messages, We still recommend reading over the NTFS guide here http://www.copyrunstart.net/?p=23
You’re going to need to take Ownership of the registry key or add least add permissions. Is you name on the permissions list when you right click and select permissions? Do you have full control? You must anwser yes to both of those questions. If you can’t add your name you’ll need to take Ownership of the folder.
You do this by pressing the Advanced button on the permissions page. Then select the Owner tab. The select your user, then check the box for replace owners, and OK.
Now try adding permissions. You may need to restart once you’ve completed this.
I have the same problem as Richard. However, when I attempt to alter the ownership, I get “access denied.”
Not sure what to do from there.
I am currently set to the owner of the file, however i cannot change the permissions. If i try to reset myself as owner (remove and add) i get the same “Access Denied” message as Logabob.
Any ideas?
I wanted to say, I had this same issue, however I was properly registered as an admin on the system I was working on. It turns out a virus was at fault for the issue. What I did to solve it was to open regedit to the location the error specified:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows
Then I tried to change the permissions. They changed fine however I noticed they would change back as soon as after I closed the window. The solution was to leave the permissions window open while running the installation. That fixed the issue I had.
the error message is 0×80070002%DESTINATION%=”C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\
avgemc.exe.installer_backup_1″,%SOURCE%=C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\avgemc.exe”
“Error: Action failed for registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows: creating registry key…. Access is denied.”
Still having problems with permissions on this file. Won’t let me change owner, changed permission, change anything. I can fill in the data w/changed info, but it will not save it. I’ve also tried leaving the windows with the changes on them open, while I installed AVG. NG. Any help would be most appreciated! TIA
I can’t take ownership. I’m denied even though I’m the only administrator. Thanks AVG
Yeah, I’m getting the same problem, access denied when I go to take ownership of the folder.
I solved the “can’t change permissions” problem by
1. going to permissions and clicking advanced
2. Press the owner tab and select your account Name
3. Check “replace owner on subcontainers and objects
4. press apply (you will see an error when you press apply ignore it) press ok
5. press apply on the permissions window and press ok
6. go back into permissions and you should see your account name. Set it to full permission
And now you should be able to get into it
I am not a computer person but wanted to ask if I can do any of these in Safe Mode? Will it make a difference? I need to resolve this very same problem too.
Thanks, it helpt alot!
To solve the “Permission Denied” problem:
- Right-click the “Windows” key and enter the “Permissions” window;
- Click the “Advanced” button and another window will appear;
- At the “Permissions” tab delete any entry in wich type is “Deny”;
- Close the “Advanced” window then set “Full Control” to “All.
Now just click “Ok” and delete the f**cking key!!
I couldn’t get anything to work for me. I contacted AVG support and they sent me a link to an access reset tool that did the trick. After running it, I was able to install 9.0.
http://www.avg.com/filedir/util/support/reset_access_avg9_en.exe
Had a problems uninstalling AVG Free 9 to make way for 2011 Free with the same key. Your fix did the trick! Thanks!
If for some reason you are trying to uninstall AVG free, which there are some programs that require it to be uninstalled, and you get an error telling you that the “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows” is restricted, you must go into the administrator account, which sometimes is hidden in safe mode, and run regedit to come to the HKEY files, fallow the files all the way to the last one. Once you get there and try to open the file holding the one your looking for, it will tell you that it is restricted. Hit okay and another warning will pop up and as if you would like to change the permissions for that file. Hit okay and find the admin and your personal profiles, add them to the list, then make sure that everything is marked as unrestricted. The file will open up and you will be able to change, uninstall, or install the AVG free program.
This was a self fix anomaly, and should be done very carefully in case of something being marked as unrestricted and being deleted when it needs to be there. Make sure to NOT delete any files when you find it, just open the files up and run the install/uninstall program when ready.
None of the regedit suggestion worked,
..but this fix as suggested by gqadmin did:
“”"”<<<<>>>
ran the script and uninstall was successful. THANK YOU gqadmin
Thanks JVB King, your advice worked great for me!
I had a virus a while back that I got rid of but never bothered to sort out the registry errors.
Recap:
- Got an error that the HKEY…./Current Version/Windows Folder was not accessible ‘Access Denied’
- Right Click on the folder – Select Permissions
- Click the Advanced tab
- In the “Owner” tab, check ‘ Replace owner on subcontainers and objects’ and click Apply (ignore error)
- back to “Permissions” tab – Click Add
- Type in a known user name then hit “Check Names” press “OK”
- Hit “Apply” and then “OK”
Back in the Permissions Standard window
- Select the user and check Full Control, Read, etc. and hit “OK”
Still have to study my printout of this. Like Daedalus on pg 6, I recently had a Virus Removal and Reformat, and didn’t sort out any registry errors. The Reformat GREATLY changed my Windows XP, always kept Networking disabled, and there are no other Users on this computer, so I hate all that about Types of User Accounts. One place in these instructions says type in the name of another user on the network, but what if there isn’t one? We have two computers and my husband’s probably still using Win 98, doesn’t use it much. Is there any way I could change back to my old version of XP? Updates would undo that?