What is “call to ScRegSetValueExW failed for FailureActions”?

Question

On a Windows 7 x64 system I find this entry in my eventlog multiple times after startup and once before shutdown.

Der Aufruf "ScRegSetValueExW" ist für "FailureActions" aufgrund folgenden Fehlers fehlgeschlagen: Zugriff verweigert

(The call to "ScRegSetValueExW" has failed for "FailureActions" due to the following reason: Access denied)

I couldn't find anything on any forum, all the search results do list the error as part of the eventlog but none does focus on it as to what it really means and why it appears. As I have a quite persistent windows update problem (80080005) on this machine i suspect the problems to be related.

Any knowledge about this issue around?

Here is the full log Detail:

Protokollname: System
Quelle:        Service Control Manager
Datum:         08.12.2016 12:50:24
Ereignis-ID:   7006
Aufgabenkategorie:Keine
Ebene:         Fehler
Schlüsselwörter:Klassisch
Benutzer:      Nicht zutreffend
Computer:      SkyStar
Beschreibung:
Der Aufruf "ScRegSetValueExW" ist für "FailureActions" aufgrund folgenden Fehlers fehlgeschlagen: 
Zugriff verweigert
Ereignis-XML:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Service Control Manager" Guid="{555908d1-a6d7-4695-8e1e-26931d2012f4}" EventSourceName="Service Control Manager" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49152">7006</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x8080000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2016-12-08T11:50:24.823119000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>4071</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution ProcessID="1012" ThreadID="964" />
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>SkyStar</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data Name="param1">ScRegSetValueExW</Data>
    <Data Name="param2">FailureActions</Data>
    <Data Name="param3">%%5</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>

Answer 1

This error is currently being generated by AVG AntiVirus (v16.141.7996) – so, if you have an AVG security program installed, this will be the cause. Switching off the "AVG Self Protection" feature (Options → Advanced Settings) stops the errors.

The program generates Event ID:7006 errors in the Windows "System Event Log" – showing an Error (using the Red "!" symbol) – twice during startup of Windows and once during shutdown. It appears that the "AVG Self Protection" feature is blocking access to certain AVG Registry entries that AVG itself is trying to update.

AVG appears to function OK despite the registry access errors – but it doesn't inspire confidence when a security program generates these types of errors accessing its own registry entries. The problem was reported to AVG several months ago – we are still awaiting a fix.