Windows 8.1 Search/Indexing Will not Start - Error 2: The system could not find the file specified.

Anonymous

Original title: Windows 8.1 Search/Indexing Will not Start

Running Windows 8.1 and the indexing has stopped. When I go to services and try and restart the windows search service i get the message....

Windows could not start Windows Search service on the local computer.

Error 2: The system could not find the file specified

I've tried disabeling, rebooting and renabling but this did not work.

I've also did a completly fresh install, which fixed the problem, for about 2 days and back to the exact same error now.

Searched on the internet but cannot find any refrence to Error 2 and windows 8 search. Tried some of the simular fixes reported to different error codes in windows 7 but none matched exactly and none worked.

Any help appreciated, only thing I can think of is that it may be windows 8.1 related? As never had problems with windows 8

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Anonymous

I experienced the same problema and i FIXED it!! after chatting with Microsoft technical service many times, the solution give was: format your PC and reinstall Windows..

However, thanks to Gary and his clue... i fixed and this is my solution (it Works for me now)

I renamed (you can try to delete, but i always like to rename to have an easy way to restore) the key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigs{A010C594-BAB6-4690-952C-28A0C0365307} value=ScopeToMonitor

renamed to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigBAK{A010C594-BAB6-4690-952C-28A0C0365307} value=ScopeToMonitor

and then started the Windows search sercvice (services.msc).. and right now its working. Its already indexing my files!!

The Windows search service automatically created a new entre in the registry named:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigs

I rebooted my laptop and the service started automatically and its working and indexing!!

Hope this patch helps!

Sergio

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Anonymous

Hi everyone, after 4 months of trying to solve this issue without reinstalling the OS, here is my solution!

(all other remedies failed)

Suggest you start with USB memory stick and format (I used NTFS)

This is a little laborious but works...

Open [Services] application, scroll down to [Windows Search] double click and set to Automatic on Startup type:

Open [This PC] to show available drives and ensure you can see your new USB drive, then click on [Manage]. Under [Storage] menu click on [Disk Management].

Click on the new USB drive box (bottom of window), it should show Drive 1 Removable

Right button click and select [Change Drive Letter and Paths...], then select the aspirate USB drive and literally work through the alphabet (avoiding drive letters that are already in use). Each time you change the drive letter, reboot your PC and check to see if [Services] has started 'ruining' [Windows Search]

Once you have figured out which is the correct drive to enable [Windows Search] service to run, then I suggest you partition some space on your hard drive and rename it to the appropriate drive letter that you know works! (Don't forget to format)

Hope that works for you as it fixed my issue

Thanks to everyone for making the world a better place

Think responsibly

Dom

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140 additional answers

Anonymous

2013-11-08T15:18:19+00:00

I have resolved my issue with Windows Search stopping in Windows 8.1.

System Mechanic 12 was on both of my systems at the time they were upgraded from Windows 8.0 to 8.1. As soon as that upgrade to 8.1 happened and System Mechanic ran its usual background registry check/clean routine etc., that’s when Windows Search started stopping with all the associated problems of lost indexing and slowed system response.

Today I completely uninstalled System Mechanic 12, restarted the computer, and reinstalled SM 12 from a fresh download. Windows Search service now continues to run with no problem/no stopping. The same fix worked on both my computers after a complete removal and reinstallation of SM 12. Apparently something got miswired during the Windows 8.0 to 8.1 upgrade that messed with the registry check/repair functions followed by System Mechanic, causing it to delete or remove a file needed by the Windows Search service. The added bonus is that being able to use System Mechanic again has enabled both machines to once again start up much faster and seemingly run much smoother.

Unfortunately, the same uninstall/reinstall process has not fixed the same problems with Windows Search caused by Norton Utilities 16's registry scan functions.

One last point is that some other programs I was running at the time of the Windows 8.0 to 8.1 upgrade also developed strange quirks following the upgrade that were also resolved by removing and reinstalling those programs.
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Anonymous

2013-11-02T18:45:27+00:00

Norton appears to have bought PC Tools which puts out Registry Mechanic so that screws that program.

I NEVER let Norton stuff anywhere near my computers -- if I know Norton is involved with them.

I finally solved it by trying to delete the files in the Search / Data directory but most of them are in use by Search and can't be deleted.

However, in one of the posts I found a mention of a registry entry about have a successful search and changing the value from 1 to 0 and I flipped the number on that flag and it fixed it!!

My Search and Indexing began working again.

I removed Registry Mechanic from my machine to make sure it never runs again. Unfortunately the program auto-renewed in Sept so they got me for another year but I went in and stopped that **** so they won't get any more of my money.

Windows 8.1 was available in beta form for a long time so there is no excuse of the owners / programmers of all programs not to have issued a fix before it was RTM.

I was really sorry to see Norton's name on their website. PC Tools had put out some good software.
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Anonymous

2013-11-02T15:58:30+00:00

We end users should not have to figure that out. An MS level 2 tech that I've communicated with over the past week about this issued is supposed to contact me today. Maybe he'll have some answers.
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