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

2013-11-20T20:30:48+00:00

The three systems in which the Search Service is failing are running PC Tools Registry Mechanic. The one that is working is not. I contacted PC Tools today about it and they opined that they were tracking the issue but that officially their utility is not yet certified for version 8.1. It obviously removed a pointer of some type because the error message is "can't find the file specified". This is a real mess for those of us who upgraded via download since we don't have any media for restore/refresh.

I am troubleshooting another issue in which my 8.1 clients can not connect to my WHS 2011 for client recovery. They backup OK but you can't connect to server via the recovery DVD and download an image. Probably just another gremlin in 8.1.
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Anonymous

2013-11-20T22:05:14+00:00

I found a fix, at least for my systems. Since Outlook search wasn't working, I ran SCANPST on the Outlook file and found some errors. I then ran Office 365 online repair. Outlook search is now working. Everything is slower when you search the PC with no indexing but I have the basics.
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Anonymous

2013-11-21T00:26:58+00:00

My Windows 8.1 Pro error: “Windows could not start the Windows Search service on Local Computer. Error 2. The system cannot find the file specified”.

I do NOT use System Mechanic, but regularly use Advanced Systems Care, version 6, now 7. However, I don’t know if this error is related.

I've also noticed that the services “Work Folders” and “Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service” won’t start either. They worked fine prior to the 8.1 upgrade. I've tried everything short of formatting the hard drive and re-installing Windows 8.

The commonality I've found is both Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service, and Work Folders are the only two services listed in Windows Search Service Properties: “The following system components depend on this service”.

Could these three dead services somehow be related?
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