When I attempt to start the Windows Search service I am getting the following error:

"Windows could not start the Windows Search service on Local Computer.

Error 2: The system cannot find the file specified."

Looking at the details of the service, it appears the file in question is C:\Windows\System32\SearchIndexer.exe with the /Embedding parameter.  When I look in the System32 folder, the file is clearly present with a date stamp of 08/22/2013 and a time stamp of 04:07 (I have 24 hr clock enabled in Settings).

So I'm unsure what the problem is.

Have attempted to run the SFC tool, no problems found.  Have disabled the service, restarted Windows then attempted to restart the service, getting the same error.

Have attempted to restore to a previous point and still getting the same error.  Even restoring to a date same as initial installation results in the same error. Any thoughts on what I can do at this point, short of doing a fresh install?

Thanks!

Reply from Answers:

Open up regedit and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search

In the right pane, right click on SetupCompletedSuccessfully and click on Modify.
Verify value is set to 0 (zero). If not, backup the registry, change to zero and reboot

HTH

Milos

• Proposed as answer by Brian Haines 15 hours 26 minutes ago

Reply from Answers:

Open up regedit and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search

In the right pane, right click on SetupCompletedSuccessfully and click on Modify.
Verify value is set to 0 (zero). If not, backup the registry, change to zero and reboot

HTH

Milos

• Proposed as answer by Brian Haines Monday, July 06, 2015 3:54 PM

>Windows Search Service fails to start

Consider yourself lucky.  It's useless anyway, and should be disabled in order to have a halfway decent setup.

There are a number of other things that need to be disabled so that the system doesn't even try to start the indexer or use its results.  Then, amazingly, you can actually find things, without the very real possibility of a corrupted index.

Can anyone really think that indexing (some of) the contents of a hard drive then storing the data on the hard drive itself makes any kind of sense?

    

Error 2: The system cannot find the file specified."

Unfortunately that does not need to mean what you think it implies.  E.g. it could be referring to a module that the main executable wants to load and then it doesn't even need to mean that that one cannot be found but that perhaps only that it cannot be loaded for some reason.   Try running ProcMon to capture all the events associated with the production of this message in order to be sure that you understand what it means.

There have been reports that using lolo System Mechanic causes an issue like this and the fix is to roll back whatever changes you made with this software and contact lolo support.

Are you using System Mechanic?

Also, some laptops/tablets with SSD's have software that disables Windows Search and you need to use their system utilities to enable Windows Search

.Noel,

The Windows Photos App in 8.1 REQUIRES Windows Search and crashes (bad programming) when it is not enabled. Also, the Windows Photos App in 8.1 is actually also a system file manager and without Windows Search enabled, all kinds of strange things are being reported. Obviously Microsoft needs to make some changes, but until they do, most people will need to have Windows Search enabled

Thanks for your thoughts, Barb, but does anyone NEED the Windows Photo app?  If you like that kind of stuff, get an iPad, which actually works.

No one NEEDs any of the Metro/Modern toys.  I believe it will be best to ignore them until they wither and die just like many of Microsoft's other "great ideas", such as the Windows Live Gallery and Gadgets.  Let's hope Microsoft doesn't screw up the desktop any further, as it is where serious computing is and remains.

  

Thanks for your thoughts, Barb, but does anyone NEED the Windows Photo app?  If you like that kind of stuff, get an iPad, which actually works.

That doesn't help anyone who is trying to get Search to work.

They'll never get it to work!  It needs to be known that Windows Search is bogus. That's not my fault.

Is something that seems to run but can't produce rigorous results better than something that doesn't run at all? 

People who search their computers for things need to be able to trust that the results they get are complete and valid.  This Google-like "see if you can turn up something interesting to look at" BS doesn't apply!  Blurring the lines between entertainment and important things and providing "tools" that aren't trustworthy helps just whom, exactly?

Even when indexing can be made to run the results simply can't be trusted.  Any rational person would turn it off and learn to use what's left of their system.

That Microsoft has not chosen to re-engineer this poor implementation of a bad design in multiple major operating system releases doesn't help anyone who is trying to get Search to work either, now does it?

  

I have the same problem. Windows Search doesn't work, registry field is 0 and in Services it only shows "starting" without actually doing. I also use System Mechanic and suspect the use of System Mechanic has been the cause of Windows Search functionality stopping in Windows 8.1.

Contacted System Mechanic and got as feedback "Unfortunately, at this time a fix for this error is not available". Does anyone has a suggestion how to get Windows Search operational again since it is a very useful feature to find material on your laptop?

undo all the changes made by system mechanic. that is the only solution.

undo all the changes made by system mechanic. that is the only solution.

@ Barb

What all does it do?  There have been some incidents in which the Windows Search component was found inexplicably disabled as a feature and then using DISM to re-enable the feature made it start working again.

C.f.

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/ie/en-US/df7fe865-b712-4938-bfcd-ea6a2661f14a/desktop-search-doesnt-work-windows-81#59e62f1a-d237-4b3e-9a58-c41dad5ae163

Also, I still don't understand why Windows Search stopped appearing in Windows Features after Win 8.1 RTM.     And when did that dialog become titled "Windows Features" (instead of Windows Components)?  More ways to be confused and to confuse.

TIA

I tried to do that and I could roll-back some of the changes made by System Mechanic but probably not all anymore. As for now there is nothing I can roll-back in System Mechanic anymore and still Windows Search isn't starting anymore (it tries but unsuccessful). Any other suggestions how to get Windows Search back on again?

I also tried dism.exe/online/Enable-Feature/FeatureName:SearchEngine-Client-Package but that results in an error 87 "The online/enable-feature/featurename option is unknown.

Check with sc.exe shows:

Type: 10 WIN32_OWN_PROCESS

Start_Type: 2 AUTO_START (DELAYED)

ERROR_CONTROL : 1 NORMAL

BINARY_PATH_NAME : C:\WINDOWS\system32/SearchIndexer.exe /Embedding

LOAD_ORDER_GROUP:  

TAG: 0

DISPLAY_NAME: windows Search

DEPENDENCIES: RPCSS

SERVICE_START_NAME: LocalSystem

sc.exe queryex wsearch results in

TYPE: 10 WIN32_OWN_PROCESS

State: 1 STOPPED

WIN32_EXIT_CODE: 2 (0x2)

SERVICE_EXIT_CODE: 0 (0x0)

CHECKPOINT: 0x0

WAIT_HINT: 0x0

PID: 0

FLAGS: 

• Edited by Jan v R Tuesday, November 26, 2013 9:51 AM

On Mon, 25 Nov 2013 13:07:07 +0000, Jan v R wrote:   > > >I have the same problem. Windows Search doesn't work, registry field is 0 and in Services it only shows "starting" without actually doing. I also use System Mechanic and suspect the use of System Mechanic has been the cause of Windows Search functionality stopping in Windows 8.1. > >Contacted System Mechanic and got as feedback "Unfortunately, at this time a fix for this error is not available". Does anyone has a suggestion how to get Windows Search operational again since it is a very useful feature to find material on your laptop? > >-----   See Sergio's reply (which I marked as Answer in that forum) on a registry fix that MIGHT work for you. Please come back and let us know if it worked or not.   http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-tms/windows-81-searchindexing-will-not-start-error-2/c8ca129c-11e1-4223-9839-8ba62f345d5e?tab=question&status=AllReplies%2CAllReplies&page=4          

On Mon, 25 Nov 2013 18:20:51 +0000, Robert Aldwinckle on forums [MVP] wrote:   >What all does it do?  There have been some incidents in which the Windows Search component was found inexplicably disabled as a feature and then using DISM to re-enable the feature made it start working again.    I don't know what System Mechanic does to the registry.  

Hello Barb,

Thanks a lot. This registry change of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigs to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigsBak resolved the problem. My laptop is indexing right now.

• Proposed as answer by Sween_sr Saturday, December 21, 2013 4:40 PM
• Unproposed as answer by Sween_sr Saturday, December 21, 2013 4:40 PM

I too have the same problem and none of the fixes suggested above actually work and so I have done further work myself.  The Troubleshooter does not solve the problem.

I then examined Services and found that Windows Search could not start because "the system cannot find the path specified".-

It follows that the path specified must be stored somewhere.  A search of the registry reveals that the search data file is located In C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search and the location shows that it does exist.

That leaves the question Why does the system report that it cannot find the path?  I discovered the issue by accident when I double clicked Search to see what was in the folder.  It immediately opened to briefly show a file called Data but then immediately jumped back to the parent folder.  I have gone through all the usual Permissions settings to give myself administrative right, Auditing rights, Ownership rights etc but nothing solves the problem.  I thought that deleting the folder and re-creating it might solve the problem but, despite my Admin/Owner/Auditor rights, I am not allowed to delete the folder!

So, having narrowed down the problem can anyone please offer a solution?

none of the fixes suggested above actually work

Some of them include their own diagnostics.  E.g. what is  DISM  showing you?

FWIW I am now on W8.1 RTM and can confirm that the Windows Search component is no longer listed in Windows Features, so  DISM  is now the only way we have to control its presence.  I'm pretty sure I could still disable it but haven't bothered trying that, so I don't know exactly what symptom that would cause but imagine it would be minor.

I also tried dism.exe/online/Enable-Feature/FeatureName:SearchEngine-Client-Package but that results in an error 87 "The online/enable-feature/featurename option is unknown.

 

@ Jan

Did you solve your typo?  <eg>

The fact that you were able to see  wsearch  present but stopped would suggest that you at least have the Windows Search component installed.

Barb:

You are a WinGoddess!!!!  Searching for months for a solution.  Your fix worked like a champ.

Thanks a million!!!

Jay

• Proposed as answer by Sween_sr Saturday, December 21, 2013 4:40 PM
• Unproposed as answer by Sween_sr Saturday, December 21, 2013 4:40 PM

I could not see exactly the Registry that was mentioned above so I just renamed

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigs

---

to

---

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigsBAK

and got an instant successful start of Windows Search Service. Thank you

• Proposed as answer by Deboh Wednesday, January 15, 2014 4:46 PM

BINGO! I also just added BAK using the rename function. Instant indexing - no slow computer - folders expand - yeah!! thank you!!

I'm another with this problem.  Making those registry changes only offers a temporary fix for me as they come back :(

• Edited by MadEngineer Thursday, January 16, 2014 1:54 AM

Thank you!!! Have been looking for solution for months... even considered about reseting windows!

This solution worked for me:

Rename:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigs

---

to

---

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigsBAK

Awesome, this reg edit working fine for me. :) :) :)

Thanks all,

• Edited by Madhu Nagarajrao Wednesday, February 05, 2014 5:49 AM

I had this same error for about a week.  My registry key was also at 0. 

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The Windows Search service terminated with the following error:
The system cannot find the file specified.

Error ID 7023

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tried to start stop services as an admin, and read a bunch of entries from Event ID website, and the problems were all over the place through either DNS to a registry size limit, or some type of service configuration, but came across this nice forum.  Do not like editing my regedit, but changing

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigs

to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigsBACKUP02222014

on the FileChangeClientConfigs folder and then rebooting worked like a charm.

Thanks everyone.  :)

Sergio's fix work for me!

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigsBak Worked for me too. Index started again after months of researching the problem. Thanks

There is no alternative to Index Search, even if it is very buggy; so your answer is not helpful at all.

I had exactly the same problem, with that weird \ProgramData\Microsoft\Search folder behavior...

Try this: Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\Gathering Manager and correct the index location path in DefaultApplicationsPath.

In my case, the issue arouse when I moved the index to another partition, then changed the partition letter. This causes 1. the WS service to crash (can't start, cf. the system events logs) 2. the advanced Indexing Options in the Control Panel to become unacessible. The fix is super simple, but it took me hours to find it!

I also cleared HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigs, as suggested by another user, but it wasn't necessary to get the service back running (in my case).

• Edited by Michel Cordani Saturday, January 03, 2015 9:14 PM Precision added
• Proposed as answer by Michel Cordani Saturday, January 03, 2015 9:14 PM

Open up regedit and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search

In the right pane, right click on SetupCompletedSuccessfully and click on Modify.
Set value to 0 (zero).

As always backup the registry before making changes. 

Thank you, Milos!