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WMI Provider Error Access is denied - while changing SQL Server account password

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Recently one of our blog readers reported that when they tried to change the SQL Server account password in SQL Server Configuration Manager they were getting "WMI Provider Error Access is denied [0x80070005]".  This was happening on two separate Windows Server 2008 machines that were in a workgroup, and the user was logged on as local administrator.

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I curiously enough was also having this problem on 3 of my machines (two Vista and one Windows 2008) when I was trying to update my password in SQL Server Configuration Manager after my domain account password expired and had to be changed.  I was logged on with my domain account that is a member of local administrator.  This problem was also happening whether I would use my SQL 2005 or SQL 2008 Configuration Manager.

I have yet to finish sorting out exactly why this access denied is occurring, but wanted to post a simple workaround I identified while investigating this.

First confirm that you are logged on with an account that is a local administrator (or member of local Administrators).  After you open SQL Configuration Manager and go to properties for the Service, instead of immediately trying to change the password, go to Browse and then type the account name in the "enter the object name to select" box and choose check names to let it resolve.  Then come back to the properties screen and enter the password. 

Sarah Henwood | Microsoft SQL Server Escalation Services

Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 21, 2009
    PingBack from http://windows7news.com.au/2009/01/22/wmi-provider-error-access-is-denied-while-changing-sql-server-account-password/

  • Anonymous
    April 22, 2009
    I'm experiencing exactly the same problem with an SQL Server 2008 SP1 installation, first node of a two node cluster. The second node won't install, and the setup crashes out when it gets to the point of setting the sqlserver accounts. I'm trying to change the passwords to be less complex than I'd previously set as I felt perhaps that was causing the problem. I tried your work around, but I'm getting

WMI Provider Error

The process terminated unexpectedly. [0x8007042b]

OK  

now. The machines are in a domain rather than a workgroup, and are using domain accounts.

  • Anonymous
    January 13, 2010
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 31, 2010
    It worked, your a star! many thanks

  • Anonymous
    September 02, 2010
    Thank you Sarah!  Your workaround really saved me!

  • Anonymous
    December 09, 2010
    I found that just "touching" the account name as jinfeng suggested didn't work for me, but retyping any part of the account name works. Browsing for the account name also works but this takes more time.

  • Anonymous
    December 09, 2010
    I found that just "touching" the account name as jinfeng suggested didn't work for me, but retyping any part of the account name works. Browsing for the account name also works but this takes more time.

  • Anonymous
    December 09, 2010
    I found that just "touching" the account name as jinfeng suggested didn't work for me, but retyping any part of the account name works. Browsing for the account name also works but this takes more time.

  • Anonymous
    June 12, 2011
    I just had this happen on a system without an expired password that just stopped running.  

  • Anonymous
    July 08, 2011
    Tried that and it does not fix the problem. I still cannot change the service account.

  • Anonymous
    September 28, 2011
    Thank you much for this post. Good thing is it was the first hit on Google :). Also I hope this "Bug" was fixed.

  • Anonymous
    May 04, 2012
    I am facing similar issue on my SQL Server 2005 production server and none of the workaround suggested here seems to be working. Does anyone have any other suggestions for this error message?

  • Anonymous
    January 02, 2013
    Worked like a charm. Much appreciated!

  • Anonymous
    April 14, 2014
    AWESOME.  Just spent 2 hours trying to figure this out before I found this post.  Ridiculous how easy it was to fix. This fix workied like a charm

  • Anonymous
    May 07, 2015
    Solved!!! thanks a lot!!!

  • Anonymous
    December 15, 2015
    I found that the problem was that I needed to grant the account "run as a service" rights.