Error Fixed Now: The System Cannot Find The File Specified Windows 10 11

If you are someone who knows little about Windows then you must be familiar with “The system cannot find the file specified”. Perhaps, you are dealing with this error right now. So you are looking for answers on how to solve this problem.

Here we have 5 best solutions that can stop showing the “The system cannot find the file specified” in your Windows system.

Solution 1: Check system logs

System logs store and record all the history and events that took place on your PC. It is a good way to find insights about what went wrong with your computer. Common logs present in Windows system logs are errors, intrusions and transactions. So you can also find “System Cannot Find The File Specified” error in the logs. This method can help us find the specific timestamp and information regarding this error.

Steps to see the system log file

  1. Open File Explorer and click on your windows drive.
  2. Navigate to “Windows” > “INF” and search for “setupapi.dev” or “setupapi.dev.log” file.
  3. Open the log file and press “Ctrl + F” and then a small window will pop up.
  4. Type “Cannot Find the file” and press enter. After that, the missing file shows up.
  5. Copy the name of the missing file and apply search on Windows > INF folder.
  6. Reinstall the hard disk driver and restart your computer.

Solution 2: Change the Registry Key

Windows registry is where you will find the database of resources and configurations of your computer. Registry values contain information regarding account services, drivers and user interfaces. So changing the registry key can fix the issue we are solving here.

Steps to change the registry key

  1. Press Windows + R to open up the CMD command.
  2. Type “regedit” and press enter.
  3. Copy and paste the following key in the registry editor: “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\\CurrentVersion”. You can find the registry editor at the bottom side of the registry.
  4. Go to “CurrentVersion” > “New” > “Key” to locate the “RunOnce” key name. You can also find this key without going to CurrentVersion.
  5. Change the name of the key to “RunOnce”.
  6. Go to “CurrentVersion” again and check for the “RunOnce” key name.
  7. If you find the key then close the registry and reboot your windows computer.

Solution3: Use SFC and DISM

These are repair tools that can be the one problem solver of the problem you want to overcome. These tools for Windows can repair various errors including the one we are dealing with.

  1. Open “CMD” as an administrator.
  2. Inside Cmd, paste the following command: sfc/scannow and hit enter.
  3. After that, enter another command “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image/Scanhealth” followed by “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth”.
  4. After the command runs successfully, close Cmd and restart your computer.

Solution4: Delete the ProfileImagePath Key

Deleting the ProfileImagePath key is an effective solution for removing the system file error. You can use this method if the error has relations to system images or backup files.

Steps to delete ProfileImagePath Key

  1. Open the Windows search line and search for “registry editor”.
  2. Open the Registry Editor and enter the following path: “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList”.
  3. Click on ProfileList and open its sub-folders.
  4. Now assess the subkey inside each item. If the value of ProfileImagePath is empty then delete it.

Solution5: Update drivers

Updating drivers can sometimes sort out all your problems and eliminate them. However, you should consider this solution when the error occurs in one of the drivers of your computer.

Steps to update drivers

  1. Go to the Windows search line and type “Device Manager”.
  2. Press enter and select the device where the problem occured. For example, if the problem is with your display drivers, right click on it.
  3. Right-click on the device and hover your cursor on “Update Drivers” and click on it.

Now widows will give you two options to update the driver. You can either manually select the new drivers or let Windows search for the drivers.

Conclusion

Many things can cause the error “System Cannot Find the file specified”. It is difficult to catch the exact reason for the error without diagnosing your specific system. As a result, we suggest you try these methods step-by-step carefully and solve the error.

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