How to fix the Windows System Error 2 ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND
This article features error number Code 2, commonly known as ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND and it is described as The system cannot find the file specified.
About Windows System Error
Windows system errors occur at various times during normal use of the operating system. Users should receive an error code that they can use to analyze and investigate what happened to the computer. However, these codes will not necessarily provide detailed information. And since non-system software can also return these codes, the user will need to have an understanding of the program and runtime context when analyzing errors. Here are some ways to understand symptoms, causes and general solutions.
Definitions (Beta)
Here we list some definitions for the words contained in your error, in an attempt to help you understand your problem. This is a work in progress, so sometimes we might define the word incorrectly, so feel free to skip this section!
- File — A block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, accessible by the string-based name or path
- Find — This tag has multiple meanings
- System — System may refer to a set of interdependent components; Low level infrastructure like the operating system from a high language point of view or an object or function for accessing the previous
Symptoms of Code 2 — ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND
When processing, Windows send System Error codes to tell the user the kind of problem happening to the computer. They appear at unexpected instances so it is difficult to detect unless one analyzes the error message that comes with it. Windows System Error codes are symptoms to other problems happening to the computer, and since they are, users need to consider the error message, the time and the processes running while it occurred.
(For illustrative purposes only)
Causes of ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND — Error 2
Windows system errors can be caused by software or hardware breakdown. Sometimes, your software is not working in consistency with the hardware because of changes or general hardware failures. At some instances, users might have installed conflicting drivers or the OS got corrupted. Perhaps a component had some abnormal power surge which can damage parts and affect its operation. Different kinds of factors may have happened which caused the system to display a System error at certain periods of computer usage. Problems with software and hardware, of course, easily resolved if user can easily pinpoint the portion that are causing the failure. To address problems with these kinds of error, try the following repair methods.
Repair Methods
If a repair method works for you, please click the upvote button to the left of the answer, this will let other users know which repair method is currently working the best.
Please note: Neither ErrorVault.com nor it’s writers claim responsibility for the results of the actions taken from employing any of the repair methods listed on this page — you complete these steps at your own risk.
Method 1 — Repair Corrupted or Missing System Files
System File Checker — this tool works pretty much like a registry checker but this helps you find and repair corrupted or missing system files so it takes a bit longer to run
- To run the command, open elevated Command prompt by typing it on the search window, then right clicking Command Prompt and choosing run as administrator
- Type sfc /scannow on the prompt and wait until verification process is successfully completed
Run Checkdisk — Chkdsk repairs many inconsistencies with the OS. System errors may also be repaired using this utility. To run it,
- Open Command Prompt by typing it on the search box, then when you see the result on the list overhead, right click on it and choose, Run as Administrator
- Your system might say you cannot run it at the moment because you are still processing data, and will ask you if you want to run it before the next startup, just click y for yes and then exit the screen and reboot the computer
- Once the computer reboots, you will see checkdisk running outside of Windows, just let it finish till it gives you a report of what was found, fixed or marked
- Exit the window and the let your computer reboot normally.
Method 2 — Update or Reinstall your Driver
Changes done to your computer can mess up your driver. If that happens, you can either reinstall your driver or update it. To do that, you can do the following.
- If you received a Device Manager error code, take note of the description so you can pinpoint the driver or the component that is causing the error
- Launch device manager by either searching for Device Manager or running «devmgmt.msc»
- Find the driver on the list and right click on it
- Click Uninstall in case you want to reinstall the driver, or Update Driver Software if you are trying to update it.
- You will see a confirmation window, make sure the Delete driver software item is unchecked.
- Click ok then reboot your computer.
You may alternately do this:
- You may manually download the driver from the manufacturer.
- Run it to replace the current driver you are using.
- Once done, let your computer reboot.
Method 3 — Roll Back your Driver
You may also go back to the original driver your computer came with. To do that:
- On Device Manager, find the problematic driver.
- Right click the device and click Properties.
- When you see the Properties window, click the Driver tab.
- You will see the Roll Back Driver button, click that.
- Confirm the rollback by clicking Yes when you see a question that says «Are you sure you would like to roll back to the previously installed driver software?»
- Restart your computer after this.
Method 4 — Use System Restore
For Window 7
- Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools
- Click System Restore and then click Next.
- Choose your restore point when you know your computer is doing fine
- Keep clicking Next and the click Finish
- It will take time so be patient, wait for the operation to completely stop
For Windows 8, 8.1 or 10
- Right-click the Start button, then click System.
- Once in System window, click System and Security.
- Tap System and on the left side, click System protection.
- Click System Restore, follow the instruction to select your restore point and then click Next until you see the Finish button.
- Wait for the restore process to finish.
Method 5 — Repair reinstall using your OS CD or flash drive
- The best way to repair your system software is still reinstalling it. Repair reinstall process helps you keep your files as you repair the operating system. Though, you need to make sure you back up your file if you indeed need to clean reinstall your computer. You will need to insert your installation media and restart your computer.
- Access your BIOS, the process differs from one computer model to another, it may be F1, F2, or Del button.
- Once there, go to boot section, set boot to the installation disk and save settings.
- For earlier version of Windows, you may need to tap your keyboard while you wait for the computer to access the installation disk.
- Choose the repair utility first instead of clean installing the OS. This may save you a lot of hassles. However, if the issue continues after rebooting your computer, then just back up files and do the clean reinstall.
Other languages:
Wie beheben Fehler 2 (FEHLER DATEI NICHT GEFUNDEN) — Die angegebene Datei wurde vom System nicht gefunden.
Come fissare Errore 2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND) — Il sistema non trova il file specificato.
Hoe maak je Fout 2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND) — Het systeem kan het gespecificeerde bestand niet vinden.
Comment réparer Erreur 2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND) — Le système ne peut pas trouver le fichier spécifié.
어떻게 고치는 지 오류 2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND) — 시스템이 지정된 파일을 찾을 수 없습니다.
Como corrigir o Erro 2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND) — O sistema não pode encontrar o arquivo especificado.
Hur man åtgärdar Fel 2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND) — Systemet kan icke finna den specificerade filen.
Как исправить Ошибка 2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND) — Система не может найти указанный файл.
Jak naprawić Błąd 2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND) — System nie może odnaleźć określonego pliku.
Cómo arreglar Error 2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND) — El sistema no puede encontrar el archivo especificado.
About The Author: Phil Hart has been a Microsoft Community Contributor since 2010. With a current point score over 100,000, they’ve contributed more than 3000 answers in the Microsoft Support forums and have created almost 200 new help articles in the Technet Wiki.
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Last Updated:
12/11/22 08:26 : A Windows 10 user voted that repair method 1 worked for them.
This repair tool can fix common computer problems such as blue screens, crashes and freezes, missing DLL files, as well as repair malware/virus damage and more by replacing damaged and missing system files.
STEP 1:
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STEP 2:
Click on Start Scan and let it analyze your device.
STEP 3:
Click on Repair All to fix all of the issues it detected.
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Compatibility
Requirements
1 Ghz CPU, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD
This download offers unlimited scans of your Windows PC for free. Full system repairs start at $19.95.
Article ID: ACX013918EN
Applies To: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000
Speed Up Tip #48
Partitioning Your Hard Drive:
To ensure maximum performance, make sure to partition your hard drive properly if you are reinstalling Windows. Ideally, it is recommended to have at least 3 partitions for every hard drive. To make sure that you are doing it right, look for a guide online.
Click Here for another way to speed up your Windows PC
Errors in Alphabetical Order: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Невозможно запустить службу Windows Event Log — Error 2: The system cannot find the file specified.
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Вопрос
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Непосредственно перед данным событием в логах System регистрировались следующие ошибки:
Log Name: System
Source: Service Control Manager
Date: 4/25/2009 5:10:41 PM
Event ID: 7000
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: server3.domain.ru
Description:
The Volume Shadow Copy service failed to start due to the following error:
The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion.Log Name: System
Source: Service Control Manager
Date: 4/25/2009 5:10:41 PM
Event ID: 7009
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: server3.domain.ru
Description:
A timeout was reached (30000 milliseconds) while waiting for the Volume Shadow Copy service to connect.в течении 1,5 часов раз в 2 минуты (примерно)
В Application
Log Name: Application
Source: VSS
Date: 4/25/2009 5:03:51 PM
Event ID: 13
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: server3.domain.ru
Description:
Volume Shadow Copy Service information: The COM Server with CLSID {e579ab5f-1cc4-44b4-bed9-de0991ff0623} and name Coordinator cannot be started. [0x8007041d]Operation:
Instantiating VSS serverLog Name: Application
Source: VSS
Date: 4/25/2009 5:03:51 PM
Event ID: 8193
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: server3.domain.ru
Description:
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error calling routine CoCreateInstance. hr = 0x8007041d.Operation:
Instantiating VSS serverА так же
Log Name: System
Source: srv
Date: 4/25/2009 4:03:55 PM
Event ID: 2012
Task Category: None
Level: Warning
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: server3.domain.ru
Description:
While transmitting or receiving data, the server encountered a network error. Occassional errors are expected, but large amounts of these indicate a possible error in your network configuration. The error status code is contained within the returned data (formatted as Words) and may point you towards the problem.Установлен Windows Server 2008 EE с ролями AD, DNS, FS, WS, WSUS
Приблизительно в 17:10 сервер был принудительно перезапущен, после чего перестали запускаться службы Windows Event Log и DNS.
Поиск по форуму решения не дал.
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Перемещено
23 апреля 2012 г. 3:22
merge forums (От:Windows Server 2008)
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Перемещено
Ответы
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Если ещё актуально, посмотрите тут:
http://forum.kaspersky.com/index.php?showtopic=115048&st=0&gopid=966631&#entry966631На сервере случаем Kaspersky Enterprise Edition не стоит ?
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Помечено в качестве ответа
DustySU
20 мая 2009 г. 6:14
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Помечено в качестве ответа
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 12 Jun 2014
The files themselves are there, I am an administrator on the file server its being synced from (and to) and the Administrators group has Full Access.
It isn’t hidden and isn’t read-only. If I choose to Ignore this and the other files that I receive the same error on, the sync completes with those exceptions.
Help?
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 12 Jun 2014
eringobra
11 May 2015, 19:56
Some more info:
Left (source) is the file server that FFS is installed on. Right (destination) is a Synology NAS shared folder, which is a mapped drive \ipaddresssharename. I have also tried it without mapping the drive and using \ipaddresssharename and \servernamesharename.
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Zenju
13 May 2015, 11:05
Have you tried using Windows Explorer to copy the files and see if that works?
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 12 Jun 2014
eringobra
13 May 2015, 12:06
Have you tried using Windows Explorer to copy the files and see if that works?Zenju
Thank you for replying Zenju.
As a workaround to get all my files copied over, yes. I copied them from a full backup taken with BackupAssist into the NAS folder where I wanted them to reside for the ‘sync’ backups. Afterwards I ran another sync, the errors were gone.
I’m concerned this will continue to happen though, do you know what the issue could be, what I could try? Other files in the same folders with the same permissions transfer without an issue.
I want FFS to be my permanent sync solution, but if this problem persists with random files, it will become time consuming.
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- Posts: 6611
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Zenju
13 May 2015, 14:44
Next time you encounter this issue (and can confirm externally, e.g. via Windows Explorer that it’s indeed an unexpected error rather than the source or target file really missing at the time), start up a Process Monitor (https://technet.microsoft.com/de-de/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx) trace, retry the operation and let it fail, stop the trace and send the pml file to me via email for analysis.
+ include a few screenshots showing the scenario and error messages.
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 12 Jun 2014
eringobra
14 May 2015, 18:30
Next time you encounter this issue (and can confirm externally, e.g. via Windows Explorer that it’s indeed an unexpected error rather than the source or target file really missing at the time), start up a Process Monitor (https://technet.microsoft.com/de-de/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx) trace, retry the operation and let it fail, stop the trace and send the pml file to me via email for analysis.
+ include a few screenshots showing the scenario and error messages.Zenju
Will do, when I have time (probably tomorrow) I will just remove the problematic file from the destination to reproduce and get you the logs.
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 12 Jun 2014
eringobra
18 May 2015, 12:06
Next time you encounter this issue (and can confirm externally, e.g. via Windows Explorer that it’s indeed an unexpected error rather than the source or target file really missing at the time), start up a Process Monitor (https://technet.microsoft.com/de-de/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx) trace, retry the operation and let it fail, stop the trace and send the pml file to me via email for analysis.
+ include a few screenshots showing the scenario and error messages.Zenju
Hi Zenju,
Attached is the PML file but I would rather not attach screenshots publicly for security reasons. I will privately message you with those.
Thank you!
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 12 Jun 2014
eringobra
18 May 2015, 13:11
Next time you encounter this issue (and can confirm externally, e.g. via Windows Explorer that it’s indeed an unexpected error rather than the source or target file really missing at the time), start up a Process Monitor (https://technet.microsoft.com/de-de/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx) trace, retry the operation and let it fail, stop the trace and send the pml file to me via email for analysis.
+ include a few screenshots showing the scenario and error messages.Zenju
I sent a second message with the URLs. You can’t attach files to private messages. I also can’t send another message for 45 minutes — apparently sending 2 of them in a short time period is a security risk?
Anyway, let me know if you got them. If not, I’ll try to find another way to send the screenshots.
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- Posts: 6611
- Joined: 9 Dec 2007
Zenju
18 May 2015, 16:33
The file copying of «Conor Lynch signature.jpg» fails when trying to copy a file with an alternate data stream called «AFP_Resource». There are two things that are strange:
1. The creation of the ADS «AFP_Resource» on the network share succeeded, so there is no reason why a later step would fail with «NAME_NOT_FOUND».
2. File copying previously copied the ADS «AFP_RESOURCE» with success, which has the same name, but different case. Some conflict?
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 12 Jun 2014
eringobra
18 May 2015, 17:59
The file copying of «Conor Lynch signature.jpg» fails when trying to copy a file with an alternate data stream called «AFP_Resource». There are two things that are strange:
1. The creation of the ADS «AFP_Resource» on the network share succeeded, so there is no reason why a later step would fail with «NAME_NOT_FOUND».
2. File copying previously copied the ADS «AFP_RESOURCE» with success, which has the same name, but different case. Some conflict?Zenju
Hi Zenju,
I sent the screenshots privately for security reasons. If you could please not post any more screenshots on this discussion, I would appreciate it.
I see what you’re seeing in the log, but I don’t understand what this means or what needs to be done with it. I don’t see a file «afp_resource»…?
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Zenju
18 May 2015, 20:01
Talking about the (security-) elephant in the room: you posted the .pml file publicly above containing a lot more than what’s on the screenshots…
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eringobra
19 May 2015, 20:26
Talking about the (security-) elephant in the room: you posted the .pml file publicly above containing a lot more than what’s on the screenshots…Zenju
You’re right, and I’ve deleted it.
I have the same error on new files I tried to sync today. Do you have any advice on how to remedy?
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Zenju
22 May 2015, 16:34
I’m not quite sure why an error occurs in this situation. The only safe thing to say is that it’s happening outside of FFS’s control and is either a bug in Microsoft’s CopyFileEx, or in the network drivers, or by the network server.
It’s a CopyFileEx bug in any case, but MS could argue that a file with these ADS streams is corrupt anyway:
:AFP_RESOURCE:$DATA
:AFP_Resource:$DATA (size 0)
From FFS’s perspective there is one thing we could try, though: use a different copy routine in this case:
[404, Invalid URL: https://freefilesync.org/FreeFileSync_7.1_test3_Windows_Setup.exe]
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 12 Jun 2014
eringobra
22 May 2015, 18:56
I’m not quite sure why an error occurs in this situation. The only safe thing to say is that it’s happening outside of FFS’s control and is either a bug in Microsoft’s CopyFileEx, or in the network drivers, or by the network server.
It’s a CopyFileEx bug in any case, but MS could argue that a file with these ADS streams is corrupt anyway::AFP_RESOURCE:$DATA
:AFP_Resource:$DATA (size 0)From FFS’s perspective there is one thing we could try, though: use a different copy routine in this case:
[404, Invalid URL: https://freefilesync.org/FreeFileSync_7.1_test3_Windows_Setup.exe]Zenju
Awesome!! I installed that version locally, ran a sync of three of the problem files, and they copied successfully. Then I did another sync from the File Server where I originally ran it, and it recognized that the files were already there and didn’t try to recopy.
Only thing… Whenever I open the new program, I got this error six times:
The program can’t start because MSVCR120D.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.
As long as I keep clicking OK, it lets me in and lets me do the sync. This is only on the newest install file you gave me, the older version I had before didn’t generate this error.
Thank you for keeping up with this resolution!
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Zenju
22 May 2015, 19:44
Great, I’ve incorporated the changes into the current beta. Let me know if there are any issues:
[404, Invalid URL: https://freefilesync.org/FreeFileSync_7.1_beta_Windows_Setup.exe]
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- Joined: 12 Jun 2014
eringobra
26 May 2015, 13:03
I installed the beta and that fixed the error messages, tested on a couple of known problem files and they synched fine.
I’ll wait until it comes out of beta before I install on my server, but everything works great now. Thanks again!