I am unable to edit registry keys on Server2008R2. I am getting the message "an error is preventing the key from being opened. Access denied." I get the same message if I am logged on as local administrator or a domain admin.

Hi, Can you launch Registry Editor? If you can launch Registry Editor, then I would like to confirm that what registries cannot be accessed? This issue mostly can be caused by the incorrect permissions settings. If you cannot access all the registries, please refer to %systemroot%\System32\config and correct the permissions for the following files: Sam – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM Security – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SECURITY Software – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE System – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM Default – HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT If only a few registries cannot be accessed, please right click on it and select Permissions to correct them. Regards, Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.