I hit this error while trying to delete a leftover McAfee Validation Trust Protection Service using sc delete “mfevtp” command.

This is how I resolved the issue:

• Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
• Navigate to:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\mfevtp
  mfevtp is the KeyName of the service you having problem with (the same you use with sc delete command)
• Delete sub-key called “Security“
  Allways make a registry backup befory deleting any keys
• Restart computer

After reboot sc delete “mfevtp” completed without any errors and service was gone for good.

Windows XP