Windows Error ID 2042

Xander Warren 70 Reputation points
2026-11-11T02:16:11.8933333+00:00

After the latest windows monthly update from November 10th on every boot I get 2 of these errors. In the details it says this "Config Read Failed Config: 18 Error: Access is denied."

This only started after the newest update. I didn't download the preview update near the later half of October, so I am unaware if this was present in that too. I check my defender and firewall status and they're both running and SFC and DISM come back good too.

What I mainly want to know is if this is a known issue and is something I can just ignore safely until microsoft fixes it.

Here is the XML view -

<Event xmlns="__http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event__">

  • <System>

  <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Windows Firewall With Advanced Security" Guid="{d1bc9aff-2abf-4d71-9146-ecb2a986eb85}" />

  <EventID>2042</EventID>

  <Version>0</Version>

  <Level>2</Level>

  <Task>0</Task>

  <Opcode>0</Opcode>

  <Keywords>0x200000000000000</Keywords>

  <TimeCreated SystemTime="2026-11-11T01:56:07.3442279Z" />

  <EventRecordID>69563</EventRecordID>

  <Correlation />

  <Execution ProcessID="3876" ThreadID="4512" />

  <Channel>System</Channel>

  <Computer>-</Computer>

  <Security UserID="S-1-5-19" />

  </System>

  • <EventData>

  <Data Name="SettingType">18</Data>

  <Data Name="ErrorCode">-2147024891</Data>

  </EventData>

  </Event>

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Windows update
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  1. Kai-H 30,915 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-11-11T09:53:48.8233333+00:00

    Hi, @Xander Warren

    Yes, this is a known one, and you can safely ignore it. The same Event ID 2042 "Config Read Failed, Config: 18, Access is denied" started showing up for people who installed the October 28 preview update (KB5127936), and since the November 10 Patch Tuesday update rolls those same changes out to everyone, you're now seeing it too. It's a logging glitch in the firewall service at startup, not an actual firewall failure. Your own checks (Defender and firewall running, SFC and DISM clean) line up with that.

    Config 18 is an internal firewall setting that was changed in this update, so the service still tries to read it at boot, fails, and writes the error, then carries on normally. That's why it appears exactly twice per boot and nothing else is broken. Microsoft went through a nearly identical situation last year with the same event ID ("More data is available" instead of "Access is denied"), and they confirmed back then that the firewall keeps working as expected and no action is needed.

    Here are some suggestions you can try:

    Leave it alone and keep Windows Update on. This kind of thing gets quietly fixed in a later cumulative update, and there's nothing to repair on your end.

    If the red entries bother you, don't bother with "netsh advfirewall reset" or resetting the firewall. It did nothing for the previous 2042 bug and it won't here either.

    Only if you really want a clean log right now, you could uninstall the November update (Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates), but I wouldn't recommend that since you'd lose the security fixes just to hide a cosmetic error.

    Quick sanity check if you want peace of mind: Windows Security > Firewall & network protection should show all three profiles On. If they are, you're good.

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