Fix System Error 5 Has Occurred On Windows

System error 5: Access is denied is an error message that prevents users from installing some software. It usually pops up due to a lack of account permissions. Running a command on Windows where you need administrative rights will probably give rise to System Error 5. 

This error can be quite annoying, especially if you need to run a certain command. This article will give you different ways to fix System error 5 on your Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista.

What Is The “System Error 5 Has Occurred Access Is Denied” Error?

System error 5 is an error access denied code which means that your access is denied because you don’t have the required privileges to run a certain command. For example, when you try to run a command which is supposed to stop the print spooler, you will get an error message. 

Why Causes The “System 5 Error Has Occurred” Message?

1. Time Synchronization Problem

If your PC’s time has been set up wrongly, that can lead to the System 5 error. You can resolve it by enabling the time sync feature on the PC to ensure your system’s time is always running right. In addition to that, your system should have the correct time zone as per the region you live in.

2. Account You Are Trying To Access Is Disabled or Doesn’t Exist On The Domain

If the account on your PC has been disabled or doesn’t exist in the specific domain name, you can get System error 5 . Ensure that the account you wish to access exists and is enabled on your domain. You might use the “netdom” command-line utility on the PC.

3. Missing Permission To Access Remote Computer

If you are attempting to access a remote computer, make sure you have the required permissions. Your PC might throw the system error 5 if any required permission is missing. You won’t have any problems with all the permissions required from the remote computer.

4. Command Requires Elevated System Privileges

Some commands like the ones that manage different Windows services like net use, net start, etc. require special privileges to be executed. For example, the print spooler service is a core Windows service that needs to run always. So, if you need to stop it for some reason, you will need elevated system privileges to execute it. Note that logged in as an Administrator won’t be enough in this case. 

Users who try to run the command to stop the print spooler service usually get the System error 5 messages. 

How to Fix System Error 5 on Windows?

Fixing the “System error 5 has occurred” requires you to open the elevated command prompt window and run the command again. This will give you proper administrator privileges to run the commands you are getting stuck with.

1. How To Fix The “System Error 5” in Windows 10/8?
2. How To Fix “System Error 5 Has Occurred” On Windows 8?
3. How to Fix System Error 5 on Windows 7?
4. How to Fix System Error 5 on Windows Vista?

How To Fix The “System Error 5” in Windows 10/8?

System error 5 is not a major issue and can be solved if you follow a couple of simple instructions. Given below are the steps you need to follow to resolve the System error 5 on Windows 10/8:

1. Press the Windows + X key on the keyboard and select the Command prompt (Admin) option or the Windows Powershell (Admin) option. This will open the elevated command prompt window.

2. You will receive a prompt on the screen asking if you want the command prompt app to make changes to your device. Click the Yes button and proceed.

3. If it still gives the error, try running the following command:

net local administrators

4. You will get the names of all administrators on your device. If your name is not present or incorrect, you are not an administrator. So, first, you need to set yourself as an administrator and then, try the method.

You can go to the Windows search box and type in Command Prompt. Right-click on the option from the search results that says Command Prompt and then, click on Run as administrator. When prompted if you want to allow the device to make changes, click on Yes.

Now, you can begin executing the commands and the System error 5 has occurred error won’t come up again.

How To Fix “System Error 5 Has Occurred” On Windows 8?

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard. This will open the Windows 8 start screen for you.
2. Type in cmd in the search box.
3. From the search results under the Apps header, right-click Command Prompt and click on the Run as administrator option.
4. Now, a User Account Control box might come up. Click on the Yes button, this will permit the app to make changes to the control.
5. A black command prompt window will come up with its title bar named – Administrator: Command Prompt. That shows that this command prompt is running with some elevated privileges.
6. Try running the command that wouldn’t run earlier. It should run properly now.

How to Fix System Error 5 in Windows 7?

1. Click on the Start menu and type cmd in the search box. Press the Enter key.

2. Right-click on the search result that says cmd.exe. Then, click on the Run as administrator option.

3. A User Account Control box might open up, click on Yes to confirm that you want to allow the program to make changes to the PC.
4. Enter the following commands one by one:

net user
net user administrator

Enter the password and re-enter it. This should fix the system error 5. 

How to Fix System Error 5 on Windows Vista?

1. Click on the Windows Start button located at the screen’s bottom. 
2. Now, type in “cmd” in the Start search box.
3. From the search results under Programs, right-click on the result that reads “cmd”. From the drop-down menu, select the “Run as administrator” option.
4. A User Account Control box might come up. Click the Yes button. This allows the program to make changes to your system.
5. Try running some commands to check if the error is gone or not.

What If Running Command Prompt with Administrative Privileges Failed?

If you can’t open the command prompt with administrative permissions due to some reason, you may have Registry issues. It is much likely that certain registry entries are preventing you from launching a command prompt session with elevated privileges. Here’s how you can remove the corrupt Windows registry entries:

1. Press the Windows + R keys to launch the Run utility. Type in regedit and hit the Enter key.
2. Go to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\FrontPage\Addins\

3. Right-click on the entry named FPE.com.AddIn and click on Delete
4. Restart your system and the error should be gone.

Alternative Way To Fix The System Error 5: Modify Registry

1. Go to the Windows search bar and type in regedit. Click on the option that says Registry Editor. 

2. From left panel, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\LanmanServer\\Parameters
3. Click on Edit and then on Add Value
4. The new value you are adding should be named MinFreeConnections
5. Next, click on Add > New > REG_DWORD
6. Set the new key’s value to 5 and then, close the Registry Editor. Then, right-click on the Windows key and click on Control Panel
7. Then, click on Network and find the Installed Network Software. Now, under the Installed Network Software, select Server and click on Configure
8. Find the Optimization option and choose Maximize Throughput for File Sharing. Click on OK.
9. Then, open Start and type in cmd. Right-click on the search result and select Run as administrator.
10. Type in net stop server and net start server. Press Enter after each of these commands.
11. Navigate to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Microsoft\\Office\\FrontPage\\Addins\\
12. Next, look for the FPE.com.AddIn entry name and right-click on it and then, choose Delete.
13. When it is removed, Restart your machine and check if the error is gone.

Final Words

The above guide discusses how to get rid of the System 5 error on Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista. We hope the step-by-step instructions in this article were easy to understand and helped you eliminate the error.