Month: July 2010

Error “Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file” When Playing DVD Movies

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When you insert a DVD media in the drive, right-click on the drive and choose Play from the context menu, the following error may occur. Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item. However, you may be able to play DVD movies via … Read more

How to Run System File Checker (SFC) Offline in Windows 10/11 & Earlier

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The System File Checker (sfc.exe) is a useful tool that lets you scan the integrity of Windows system files and repair corrupt or missing system files. Numerous cases have been resolved by running the sfc.exe /scannow command.

However, there are situations wherein a corrupt or missing system file prevents Windows from booting normally or prevents Command Prompt and console programs like Sfc.exe from being launched. In such cases, Sfc.exe can be run offline via the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) in all versions of Windows, including Windows 11.Read more

How to Use Resource Monitor to Find Which Process Has Locked a File

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Many folks use Process Explorer from Windows Sysinternals to gather information about running processes and their open handles. In addition, there is an excellent but less familiar utility in-built with Windows 7 and higher (including Windows 10/11).

The built-in utility is Resource Monitor, which provides complete details of running processes, their associated handles, and associated modules (for example, DLL files).Read more

[Fix] Currency, Stock or Weather Gadgets Not Updating in Windows 7

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Did the Currency, Stock, or the Weather Gadget got stuck and stopped updating in your Windows 7/Vista computer all of a sudden? Clearing the Sidebar Gadgets cache using the following steps might help. Clear the Windows Sidebar Cache Folder Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to bring up the Task Manager. Exit Sidebar.exe process via Task Manager. Instructions for … Read more

Fix Event Log Service Error 4201 The Instance Name Passed Was Not Recognized

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One of our readers faced a problem where the Windows Event Log failed to start, and as a result, a couple of other services failed as well. Attempting to start the Windows Event Log service manually via the Services MMC resulted in error 4201. The complete error message is provided below:

Windows could not start the Windows Event Log service on Local Computer.

Error 4201: The instance name passed was not recognized as valid by a WMI data provider.

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