Installer Could not write value CategoryCount to key (re usnjsvc)

I haven't used MSN Messenger for a long time (since maybe early 2005?) and
tried to sign on today with existing MSN Messenger v6.2 (WinXPsp2 Home OS)
and was informed I would have to upgrade to current version (Windows Live
Messenger v8.1).

During installation, an Installer Information popup appeared with the
following message:

Could not write value CategoryCount to key
\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Applic ation\usnjsvc.
Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your
support
personnel.

Since I am my support personnel <g> I contacted myself and tried to figure
out the significance of this message and whether to Cancel or Ignore (Retry
did not work). I checked the registry and the Key does not exist, but I
would assume WLM installer would create it if needed. I've tried to find out
more about this Key and Service, but my research hasn't been very
illuminating.

I am working in the Administrator (Owner) account, so "sufficient access"
shouldn't be a problem, but I have been having other "Permissions" problems
with Windows Updates that I can't figure out either (have reset Permissions
with SubInACL to no avail), and I wonder if those problems might be the cause
of this WLM installation problem (ie, maybe the installer can't create the
Key because of a permissions problem).

Apparently, "usnjsvc" refers to the Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal
Reader service (program/process: usnsvc.exe). If that is a reference to the
Windows Journal program, it doesn't seem crucial to what will be my very
limited use of WLM for simple IM functions.

Would it create any problems if I "Ignore" this message and proceed with
installation. If so, what steps might help resolve the problem so I can
complete the installation.

Thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can offer!

---gdv

Greetings,

Well it sounds like you've done your homework. However, the USN Journal is not part of the
Windows Journal. It is actually the journal in the NTFS file system which tracks changes to
files. This is actually used for the 'Sharing Folders' feature in Messenger.

Try the Ignore option as the worse that can occur is that the USN Service doesn't work and
the feature is then disabled in Messenger.

It does sound like something has broken permissions in your registry. Instead of using
SubInACL, go into the registry to this key (or at least the Application key), right-click and
choose Permissions. You'll then be able to see exactly what's going on registry
permission-wise. My apologies if you've already done this.

--
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
--


"gdv" <> wrote in message
news:12EF7D38-FAF7-4CA8-925E-...
> I haven't used MSN Messenger for a long time (since maybe early 2005?) and
> tried to sign on today with existing MSN Messenger v6.2 (WinXPsp2 Home OS)
> and was informed I would have to upgrade to current version (Windows Live
> Messenger v8.1).
>
> During installation, an Installer Information popup appeared with the
> following message:
>
> Could not write value CategoryCount to key
> \SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Applic ation\usnjsvc.
> Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your
> support
> personnel.
>
> Since I am my support personnel <g> I contacted myself and tried to figure
> out the significance of this message and whether to Cancel or Ignore (Retry
> did not work). I checked the registry and the Key does not exist, but I
> would assume WLM installer would create it if needed. I've tried to find out
> more about this Key and Service, but my research hasn't been very
> illuminating.
>
> I am working in the Administrator (Owner) account, so "sufficient access"
> shouldn't be a problem, but I have been having other "Permissions" problems
> with Windows Updates that I can't figure out either (have reset Permissions
> with SubInACL to no avail), and I wonder if those problems might be the cause
> of this WLM installation problem (ie, maybe the installer can't create the
> Key because of a permissions problem).
>
> Apparently, "usnjsvc" refers to the Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal
> Reader service (program/process: usnsvc.exe). If that is a reference to the
> Windows Journal program, it doesn't seem crucial to what will be my very
> limited use of WLM for simple IM functions.
>
> Would it create any problems if I "Ignore" this message and proceed with
> installation. If so, what steps might help resolve the problem so I can
> complete the installation.
>
> Thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can offer!
>
> ---gdv

"Jonathan Kay [MVP]" wrote:

> Greetings,
>
> Well it sounds like you've done your homework. However, the USN Journal is not part of the
> Windows Journal. It is actually the journal in the NTFS file system which tracks changes to
> files. This is actually used for the 'Sharing Folders' feature in Messenger.
>
> Try the Ignore option as the worse that can occur is that the USN Service doesn't work and
> the feature is then disabled in Messenger.
>
> It does sound like something has broken permissions in your registry. Instead of using
> SubInACL, go into the registry to this key (or at least the Application key), right-click and
> choose Permissions. You'll then be able to see exactly what's going on registry
> permission-wise. My apologies if you've already done this.
>
> --
> Jonathan Kay
> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> Associate Expert
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> --
>
>
> "gdv" <> wrote in message
> news:12EF7D38-FAF7-4CA8-925E-...
> > I haven't used MSN Messenger for a long time (since maybe early 2005?) and
> > tried to sign on today with existing MSN Messenger v6.2 (WinXPsp2 Home OS)
> > and was informed I would have to upgrade to current version (Windows Live
> > Messenger v8.1).
> >
> > During installation, an Installer Information popup appeared with the
> > following message:
> >
> > Could not write value CategoryCount to key
> > \SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Applic ation\usnjsvc.
> > Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your
> > support
> > personnel.
> >
> > Since I am my support personnel <g> I contacted myself and tried to figure
> > out the significance of this message and whether to Cancel or Ignore (Retry
> > did not work). I checked the registry and the Key does not exist, but I
> > would assume WLM installer would create it if needed. I've tried to find out
> > more about this Key and Service, but my research hasn't been very
> > illuminating.
> >
> > I am working in the Administrator (Owner) account, so "sufficient access"
> > shouldn't be a problem, but I have been having other "Permissions" problems
> > with Windows Updates that I can't figure out either (have reset Permissions
> > with SubInACL to no avail), and I wonder if those problems might be the cause
> > of this WLM installation problem (ie, maybe the installer can't create the
> > Key because of a permissions problem).
> >
> > Apparently, "usnjsvc" refers to the Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal
> > Reader service (program/process: usnsvc.exe). If that is a reference to the
> > Windows Journal program, it doesn't seem crucial to what will be my very
> > limited use of WLM for simple IM functions.
> >
> > Would it create any problems if I "Ignore" this message and proceed with
> > installation. If so, what steps might help resolve the problem so I can
> > complete the installation.
> >
> > Thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can offer!
> >
> > ---gdv
>
>

Jonathan -

(First of all, ignore previous APPARENT 9/11/07 reply from me -- that wasn't
what I sent, but is just a quote of your previous reply to me. When I sent
my response there was VERY LONG delay and then I had to sign in again, and
then I got the message indicating my reply had gone through; but obviously it
didn't. Fortunately, I saved a copy of the text of my reply, which I now
post again below. Hopefully it comes through correctly this time...and sorry
for the trouble.)

Thanks for your reply. I had to leave town late Friday afternoon (9/7/07)
b4 you posted it, so I finally went ahead and cancelled the installation of
v8.1, thinking I'd hear from someone eventually and try again. When I
cancelled the installation, I got following message, with error code (which
may or may not be useful):

Windows Live Messenger setup has failed with error code: '1603'.
Please go to the Windows Live Messenger website
http://messenger.live.com
to download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger.

Also, when I cancelled the installation, I immediately got an eMachines
BigFix (eMachines pre-installed update tracking software) notice about a
critical update for MSN Messenger 6_2 (I assume because it somehow tracks
installations and detected the rollback to v6.2). I downloaded & installed
that update, which turned out to be v6.2.0.208, and this version seemed to
install and work OK.

However, the key I mentioned earlier:
\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Applic ation\usnjsvc
still does not exist. I did check the permissions for:
\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Applic ation\
as you suggested, but that stretches me into new territory, and I don't know
what the permissions "should" be. And since I may have to upgrade to v8.1
anyway (see "Forced, XP-only Windows Live Messenger 8.1 update" at
http://www.mess.be/) I may still have to get the permissions straightened out.

In the bigger picture (and perhaps somewhat off-topic for this newsgroup),
I've been having serious Windows Update problems (currently about 73 critical
updates I can't install after computer was unused for about 10 months) and
many other programs I can't install (e.g., most antivirus programs, Spybot,
Windows Defender, etc), all of which, as far as I can tell, are running into
"permissions" problems (and/or "ownership" problems???). Sometimes the error
popups refer directly to "permissions," or directly/indirectly state/imply I
need to be in an Administrator account; but they often refer to "insufficient
resources," sometimes with error codes (e.g. in Windows Updates) that point
back to permissions. As I mentioned, I'm running in the Owner/Administrator
account, and I have 512MB of RAM, but I get these "insufficient resources"
messages even if no other programs are running.

So I really want to learn more about appropriate permissions settings in
general, and how to change them to appropriate settings. With that in mind:

1. Can you clarify what they "should" be in Owner/Administrator account for
the Application registry key mentioned above?

2. Can you steer me to any clear general introductions/summaries regarding
proper (or default?) permissions settings for an Owner/Administrator account
and a normal User account?

3. Finally, and of less immediate importance, do you know if there are any
particularly important differences in typical permissions settings between
WinXP Home and Pro (with or without Tablet PC). (I also have a Tablet PC
with WinXP Pro Tablet Edition, but haven't been having ANY of the permissions
or installation problems on it.)

I apologize if any of this is too far off-topic, but any guidance you can
offer would be greatly appreciated!!!

"Jonathan Kay [MVP]" wrote:

....> It does sound like something has broken permissions in your registry.
Instead of using
> SubInACL, go into the registry to this key (or at least the Application key), right-click and
> choose Permissions. You'll then be able to see exactly what's going on registry
> permission-wise. My apologies if you've already done this.

^^^ (Believe me, NO apology needed on this <g> ---gdv) ^^^

i'm trying to upgrade my msn to the 8.1 messenger, but i keep receiving the
following message "service messenger sharing folders USN jornal reader
service' (usnjsvc) could not be installed. verify that you have sufficient
privileges to install system services.....
Pls try to provide me with the solution to fix this problem....
thanks in advance

"Jonathan Kay [MVP]" wrote:

> Greetings,
>
> Well it sounds like you've done your homework. However, the USN Journal is not part of the
> Windows Journal. It is actually the journal in the NTFS file system which tracks changes to
> files. This is actually used for the 'Sharing Folders' feature in Messenger.
>
> Try the Ignore option as the worse that can occur is that the USN Service doesn't work and
> the feature is then disabled in Messenger.
>
> It does sound like something has broken permissions in your registry. Instead of using
> SubInACL, go into the registry to this key (or at least the Application key), right-click and
> choose Permissions. You'll then be able to see exactly what's going on registry
> permission-wise. My apologies if you've already done this.
>
> --
> Jonathan Kay
> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> Associate Expert
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> --
>
>
> "gdv" <> wrote in message
> news:12EF7D38-FAF7-4CA8-925E-...
> > I haven't used MSN Messenger for a long time (since maybe early 2005?) and
> > tried to sign on today with existing MSN Messenger v6.2 (WinXPsp2 Home OS)
> > and was informed I would have to upgrade to current version (Windows Live
> > Messenger v8.1).
> >
> > During installation, an Installer Information popup appeared with the
> > following message:
> >
> > Could not write value CategoryCount to key
> > \SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Applic ation\usnjsvc.
> > Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your
> > support
> > personnel.
> >
> > Since I am my support personnel <g> I contacted myself and tried to figure
> > out the significance of this message and whether to Cancel or Ignore (Retry
> > did not work). I checked the registry and the Key does not exist, but I
> > would assume WLM installer would create it if needed. I've tried to find out
> > more about this Key and Service, but my research hasn't been very
> > illuminating.
> >
> > I am working in the Administrator (Owner) account, so "sufficient access"
> > shouldn't be a problem, but I have been having other "Permissions" problems
> > with Windows Updates that I can't figure out either (have reset Permissions
> > with SubInACL to no avail), and I wonder if those problems might be the cause
> > of this WLM installation problem (ie, maybe the installer can't create the
> > Key because of a permissions problem).
> >
> > Apparently, "usnjsvc" refers to the Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal
> > Reader service (program/process: usnsvc.exe). If that is a reference to the
> > Windows Journal program, it doesn't seem crucial to what will be my very
> > limited use of WLM for simple IM functions.
> >
> > Would it create any problems if I "Ignore" this message and proceed with
> > installation. If so, what steps might help resolve the problem so I can
> > complete the installation.
> >
> > Thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can offer!
> >
> > ---gdv
>
>

I am having a problem with the usnjsvc file as well. I'll say it is similar
problem as this is the message that pops up during halfway installing the
messenger:-

Service Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader Service (usnjsvc) could
not be installed.Verify that you have sufficient privileges to install system
services.

I am using admin account so having "no privilege" to install anything
shouldn't be an issue.It happened right after i uninstall (older version
forgot the version number) and tried installing the latest Windows Live
Messenger up to date.

Well Its quite simple.. You don't need to be a "MVP" :P to solve that.. just
a lil common sense for the workaround..

I got the same error message today when I tried to upgrade my live messenger..

FIX- This is for Vista Users

Click on Start ---> Control Panel ---> Administrative tools ---> Services

Once u click on Services The Services window opens up scroll down to where
it says "Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader service" right click
properties.. Check for Startup type: Mine was set at "Manual" and I changed
it to "Automatic" So do the same change it to "Automatic" click Apply and OK
and ur done... Worked for me .. should work for you... Post here and Let us
know if that works for you.. Cheers!

"Strats" wrote:

> I am having a problem with the usnjsvc file as well. I'll say it is similar
> problem as this is the message that pops up during halfway installing the
> messenger:-
>
> Service Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader Service (usnjsvc) could
> not be installed.Verify that you have sufficient privileges to install system
> services.
>
> I am using admin account so having "no privilege" to install anything
> shouldn't be an issue.It happened right after i uninstall (older version
> forgot the version number) and tried installing the latest Windows Live
> Messenger up to date.
>
>

I have xp service pack2.

i have tried this but once i have clicked on "apply" it then tells me that
it has been marked for deletion.

"Khan" wrote:

> Well Its quite simple.. You don't need to be a "MVP" :P to solve that.. just
> a lil common sense for the workaround..
>
> I got the same error message today when I tried to upgrade my live messenger..
>
> FIX- This is for Vista Users
>
> Click on Start ---> Control Panel ---> Administrative tools ---> Services
>
> Once u click on Services The Services window opens up scroll down to where
> it says "Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader service" right click
> properties.. Check for Startup type: Mine was set at "Manual" and I changed
> it to "Automatic" So do the same change it to "Automatic" click Apply and OK
> and ur done... Worked for me .. should work for you... Post here and Let us
> know if that works for you.. Cheers!
>

Thanks but not working for me, the problem looks like a circular windows
joke, when I try to open this service said: A required entry in the registry
is missing or an attempt to write to the registry failed, for me is a problem
in the messenger installer for some configurations

"Khan" wrote:

> Well Its quite simple.. You don't need to be a "MVP" :P to solve that.. just
> a lil common sense for the workaround..
>
> I got the same error message today when I tried to upgrade my live messenger..
>
> FIX- This is for Vista Users
>
> Click on Start ---> Control Panel ---> Administrative tools ---> Services
>
> Once u click on Services The Services window opens up scroll down to where
> it says "Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader service" right click
> properties.. Check for Startup type: Mine was set at "Manual" and I changed
> it to "Automatic" So do the same change it to "Automatic" click Apply and OK
> and ur done... Worked for me .. should work for you... Post here and Let us
> know if that works for you.. Cheers!
>
> "Strats" wrote:
>
> > I am having a problem with the usnjsvc file as well. I'll say it is similar
> > problem as this is the message that pops up during halfway installing the
> > messenger:-
> >
> > Service Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader Service (usnjsvc) could
> > not be installed.Verify that you have sufficient privileges to install system
> > services.
> >
> > I am using admin account so having "no privilege" to install anything
> > shouldn't be an issue.It happened right after i uninstall (older version
> > forgot the version number) and tried installing the latest Windows Live
> > Messenger up to date.
> >
> >

Thank you very much!!

"Khan" wrote:

> Well Its quite simple.. You don't need to be a "MVP" :P to solve that.. just
> a lil common sense for the workaround..
>
> I got the same error message today when I tried to upgrade my live messenger..
>
> FIX- This is for Vista Users
>
> Click on Start ---> Control Panel ---> Administrative tools ---> Services
>
> Once u click on Services The Services window opens up scroll down to where
> it says "Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader service" right click
> properties.. Check for Startup type: Mine was set at "Manual" and I changed
> it to "Automatic" So do the same change it to "Automatic" click Apply and OK
> and ur done... Worked for me .. should work for you... Post here and Let us
> know if that works for you.. Cheers!
>
> "Strats" wrote:
>
> > I am having a problem with the usnjsvc file as well. I'll say it is similar
> > problem as this is the message that pops up during halfway installing the
> > messenger:-
> >
> > Service Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader Service (usnjsvc) could
> > not be installed.Verify that you have sufficient privileges to install system
> > services.
> >
> > I am using admin account so having "no privilege" to install anything
> > shouldn't be an issue.It happened right after i uninstall (older version
> > forgot the version number) and tried installing the latest Windows Live
> > Messenger up to date.
> >
> >