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Failed to schedule Software Protection service for restart error in Windows Server 2012

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This article provides a solution to an error that occurs when the Network Service account doesn't have permissions to the SoftwareProtectionPlatform folder.

Applies to:   Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2012 R2
Original KB number:   3033200

Symptoms

You may frequently receive the following event in the Application log for the Software Protection service:

Cause

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 isn't 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's running.