System Error 57346. Software Licensing Service Will Not Start

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• Wednesday, November 04, 2009 6:20 PMDarin Smith MSMSFT, Moderator

   
  

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  Hello Legless,
  
    Below is the information I usually provide for the Software Licensing Service has Stopped (and won't restart) issue.  You have done most of the steps it describes, but follow it down to where a course of action is provided for each error code.
  
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  The problem is that your Vista's Software Licensing Service has stopped. Vista uses this service to check itself and confirm it is Genuine. When the service is stopped, Vista is unable to confirm it's own Genuine status and may show Genuine or Non-Genuine. The fact that the Service has stopped is also, most likely, the cause of other issues you may be experiencing (such as not having access to the Control Panel).

    Normally this is not a big problem, since you can just restart the Service. However, we have seen a number of users that receive an error when they attempt to restart the Service. This indicates a more serious 'root cause' to the service having stopped.

    What I would like you to do is to try to restart the service using the 'Service Restart' steps, below. If the service won't restart, you will receive an error.

   

  Service Restart steps:

  (If you have access to the Start button):

  1)    Click the Start button

  2)    Type: cmd in the Start Search field

  3)    At the top the Start window, you will see cmd.exe

  4)    Right Click cmd.exe and select Run as Administrator

  5)    Type: net start slsvc

   

  (If you do not have access to the Start button):

  1)    Click the option that launches an Internet Browser

  2)    A Browser will open, type: %windir%\system32 into the address field

  3)    Find the file cmd.exe

  4)    Right Click on the cmd.exe and select Run as Administrator

  5)    Type: net start slsvc

   

  A)   If the error message is "System Error 3, The system cannot find the path specified." or "System Error 2, The system cannot find the file specified": Go to the main Vista Validation forum page http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/genuinevista/threads/, look in the announcement section and follow the steps found in thread "Fix for ‘Software Licensing service Has Stopped’ on some Vista 64bit systems"

   

  B)   If you receive any other error (System Error 5, System Error 57346 or System Error 54273): These occur as a result of massive file corruption.  We do not know what the root cause of the corruption is and this can be caused by any situation where files could be corrupted. However, from troubleshooting others that had this issue, the likeliest causes are either Malware Infection or failing Hard Drive. The only resolution we can suggest is reinstall Vista.

   

  C)   If you receive no System Error and the Service start but then stops almost immediately: Something is apparently activity stopping the service. Most likely caused by some other dependent Windows Service or possibly a Malware infection. While the Software Licensing Service, itself, is part of the Anti-piracy sub-system, the running (and stopping) of Windows Services is a Vista core system that I have no insight to and is supported by Vista support at http://support.microsoft.com
  
  Thank you,
  Darin MS
  
  
  
  

  • Marked As Answer byDarin Smith MSMSFT, ModeratorWednesday, November 04, 2009 6:21 PM
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• Wednesday, November 11, 2009 3:29 AMLegless

   
  

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  Darin.
  
  I appreciate that you're busy but a half-hearted copy 'n paste from previous questions is hardly helping. I'd already gone through all of those steps.
  
  

  B)    If you receive any other error (System Error 5, System Error 57346 or System Error 54273): These occur as a result of massive file corruption.  We do not know what the root cause of the corruption is and this can be caused by any situation where files could be corrupted. However, from troubleshooting others that had this issue, the likeliest causes are either Malware Infection or failing Hard Drive. The only resolution we can suggest is reinstall Vista.

  So your support consists of: You're screwed. We don't care.  Reinstall Vista.

  Well thats not an option as my machine will only let me do a factory reinstall which will totally wipe my system. Then I'll have to reinstall every other piece of software that I use as well as all of my files and documents. I'm a developer and this is something that's just not on.
  

  So, as usual, I'll have to figure out and fix the problem myself.

  Thanks for nothing Micro$oft.
  

  
  
  
  
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• Thursday, November 19, 2009 10:30 PMDarin Smith MSMSFT, Moderator

   
  

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  Hello legless,
  
  
    I'm sorry that you felt my support was half-hearted. 
  
    The bottom line is, your Windows is damaged, you have corrupt files.  The cause of the corruption is unknown, but I gave examples of what could cause it (you are a Dev and At the computer, you have far greater ability then I to test if one of the possible causes i provided is, in fact, the cause.  Once you isolate the cause, you can correct it and not have it happen in the future, but that won't fix the current damage).  From experience, when people that get those types of error messages, there is no way that I know of, bar reinstalling, to repair the damage. 
  
    My goal was to save you time.  I could have had you try all the troubleshooting steps (that I have already tried over the last three years) that didn't work. It would taken time and served no purpose.  So I gave you the benefit of my experience and cut right to the resolution I know to work for this issue and that is reinstalling.  
  
    Is that truly 'half-hearted' support? 
   
  Thank you,
  Darin MS

  • Marked As Answer byDarin Smith MSMSFT, ModeratorThursday, November 19, 2009 10:30 PM
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