The error “The specified module could not be found” happening in Windows 11

Anonymous
2021-12-25T04:16:45+00:00

Upgraded one of my desktop PCs to Windows 11. I have a 2nd desktop still running Windows 10

On the Windows 11 desktop the “The specified module could not be found” error occurs. I notice that the error happens when attempting to access a jpeg or mp4

The error can be fixed in cmd window with these commands

C:\Windows\system32>  gpupdate /force

C:\Windows\system32>  sfc /scanfile=c:\windows\system32\ieframe.dll

C:\Windows\system32>  sfc /scannow

C:\Windows\system32>  exit

Restart

Unfortunately, the error eventually re-occurs on my Windows 11 desktop.

This error has never occurred on my Windows 10 desktop.

So, I'm beginning to think that this may be a "Windows 11" bug

Anyone else getting this error?

If so, have you found a permanent solution?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-03-10T20:40:18+00:00

    I have the same problem and it's on a brand new computer with Windows 11 pre-installed from Dell. I've also tried all the troubleshooting steps noted in this thread. It's always a short term fix.

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-03-09T16:06:00+00:00

    Thanks for your info

    I was also getting the error on "Photos" and "Movies & TV"

    The last time it happened I fixed it by doing a full Norton virus scan, and there has also been some Win11 updates

    The error had been re-emerging frequently, but I haven't gotten the error in quite a while, don't know why

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-03-08T22:38:14+00:00

    I'm having the same problem when trying to open a jpeg with MS Photo app.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-03-08T20:16:07+00:00

    The “The specified module could not be found” error seems to have subsided on my Win11 desktop. Its been a number of weeks since I've seen this error, I suspect the issue may have been resolved by recent Win11 updates - we'll see...

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  5. Anonymous
    2022-02-21T16:59:48+00:00

    I applied a few different "recommended" fixes (updating the policy, reinstalling "photos" and "TV & Movies" apps, doing a refresh of Win11) - they all had the same result - the error does stop, but only for a few days or so, it eventually starts happening again. I recently tried doing a full Norton system scan, and the error did stop, so I'm still waiting to see if the error starts happening again.

    I have two desktops, I only upgraded one of my desktops to Win11, this error has only happened on the Win11 desktop, the error has never happened on the Win10 desktop. Both desktops are on the same LAN, so its not likely that only one of my desktops would be infected with some malware. So I've come to the same conclusion, given all the trouble shooting results, the most likely cause is a subtle bug in Win11 that happens in some configurations (as not all Win11 Desktops are reporting the bug)

    I think some kind of debugging tool that would "trap" the state of the OS before, during and after the bug happens could show the root cause.

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