You can see the error "the system cannot find the file specified" while doing Windows 7 backup, connecting an external hard drive, or update Windows 10. There are many reasons that cause the issue. No matter what, you should learn the ways to fix it in the first place. Here are 6 useful ways for how to fix the system cannot find the file specified in Windows 7 and Windows 10 introduced for your references. If any data lost or deleted during the fix, try Deep Data Recovery to retrieve them, the sooner the better.
The error message, "the system cannot find the file specified" is a common error that Windows users experience. You can get the error message when accessing an external hard drive, local hard drive, USB, or while using Disk Management, launching a program, or installing a driver on your PC. Whatever the reason why you get the "the system cannot find the file specified", rest assured that you can resolve it on your own with the following 6 useful methods.
The "The system cannot find the file specified" error can occur due to various reasons. Here are some of the most common reasons:
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the error message "Windows 7 the system cannot find the file specified". The solution that will work for you depends on the cause. Therefore, the first thing is to identify the reasons why you are receiving the error message, and thereafter, you can use the solution that can resolve the error message. In this post, we'll look at six different solutions to resolve the error message.
Malicious attacks, cyber threats, and viruses are the most common reasons why you may receive the system cannot find the file specified in Windows 10 command prompt error message. The best way to resolve this issue is to launch active antivirus software. After launching the software, proceed to scan your PC thoroughly to remove and clean any malicious content on your system. This will also remove junk files from your computer.
If your Windows operating system is out of date, you may also experience this error code. Therefore, it is recommended that you update your Windows OS and install other pending updates on the system. Here are the steps to update Windows OS to fix "the system cannot find the file specified".
1. Click Windows + I simultaneously.
2. Select the "Update & Security" option from the displayed menu.
3. Click on "Check for updates" to reveal all pending updates.
4. Install all pending updates and restart your system when the updates finish.
If you've tried the first two solutions and still experience the issue, the next step is to check the system log file and verify it. This may be the solution that resolves the error. Here's how to check and verify the system log files:
Step 1. Open the "C:/Windows/INF" directory and proceed to open the "INF" folder
Step 2. Locate the "setupapi.dev.log" file and double click on it to open.
Step 3. Press Ctrl + F key together and type "cannot find the file" in the search bar that is displayed after pressing the keys. Click Enter to start the search.
Step 4. Check the result generated and copy and paste the missing file that is in the Windows/INF folder.
Step 5. Reinstall the driver again and reboot.
To troubleshoot the issue, you can alter the registry keys to resolve the error. Here's how to do it:
Step 1. Long press on the "Windows + R" key and type "Regedit" in the displayed window. Click on Enter.
Step 2. Look for "KKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion".
Step 3. Expand the menu and locate the "RunOnce" tab. If you can't find this key, simply click the "CurrentVersion" menu and select "New > Key" from the generated menu.
Step 4. Type "RunOnce" as the new name for the key and navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\" on the left pane.
Step 5. Expand the menu again check to see if the "RunOnce" key has been created successfully.
Step 6. Close the Registry Editor and then restart the Windows.
If the drivers have been downloaded from the manufacturer's website and the system is experiencing the error code, you should uninstall and reinstall the drivers again to fix the issue. Here's how to do it:
1. Navigate to the "Control Panel" and choose "Device Manager".
2. Enlarge the category to find the device that you want to uninstall.
3. Right-click on the specific device name and select the "Uninstall" option.
4. confirm the "Delete the driver software for this device" by clicking the "OK" button. This will uninstall the drivers.
5. Reinstall the driver and reboot your PC.
For the external hard drive if the Problem occurs while inserting the External Hard Drive on the Computer. Sometimes, the error message "the system cannot find the file specified in Windows 10 command prompt" might be because of an issue with an external drive. If this is the case, you should format the drive. The steps below explain how to do this.
Step 1. Keep the external hard drive connected with your computer. Click on "This PC" to open the folder.
Step 2. Locate the external hard drive and right-click on it. Select "Format" and choose the "Quick Format" option.
Step 3. Click "Start" to start the process. When the formatting is complete, try to perform the command to see if the issue has been resolved.
While trying to fix the issue with "the system cannot find the file specified windows", you may lose some files. If this happens to you, you can recover your lost data with the Deep Data Recovery tool.
Deep Data Recovery is a safe and highly effective file recovery tool that is designed to help you recover files completely from memory card, disk/partition, USB flash drive, RAW drive, and other storage devices. It has two modes of scanning, Quick Scan, and Deep Scan, to make your recovery process highly rewarding.
Step 1: Download and install the best free data recovery software for Windows on your PC. Launch it and select the file types you will like to recover. All file types are usually highlighted when you launch the software, so you need to uncheck them and select the specific file types that you want. When you are done, click the "Next" button to start the process.
Step 2: Select the location where you want to scan for the data. This may include a specific location or partition. After the selection, click "Scan" to recover deleted files in Windows 10, Windows 7, and macOS.
Step 3: Check the scan result and preview to see that your preferred files have been recovered. Click "Recover" to recover and save the files. If you want to search further, use the "Deep Scan" mode.
The error message "the system cannot find the file specified Windows 7 backup" can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to perform a backup. This error can occur due to various reasons, such as corrupted system files, incorrect file paths, or issues with the backup software.