Symptoms

When you use a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer to share files with another user over a network, you receive the following error message:

Error: Server service not started

Additionally, when you try to start the Server service, the service does not start. Instead, you receive one the following error messages

Error 126: The specified module cannot be found

Could not start the Server service on local Computer. Error 2: The system cannot find the file specified.

Also, the Event log has the following entry:

Type: Error
Source: Service Control Manager
Error: Event ID: 7023
Description: The Server service terminated with the following error: The
system cannot find the file specified.

Resolution

This problem occurs if the Srvsvc.dll file is missing. To resolve this problem, extract a new copy of the Srvsvc.dll file from the Windows XP disk to the %systemroot%\system32 folder on the computer's hard disk. To do this, follow these steps:

  • Insert the Windows XP disk into the CD drive.
  • Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK
  • At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER.

expand CD drive:\i386\srvsvc.dl_ %systemroot%\system32\srvsvc.dll

  • Similarly, expand srv.sys file to the drivers folder. Use the following command:

expand CD drive:\i386\srv.sy_ %systemroot%\system32\drivers\srv.sys

Notes

  1. Make sure that there is a character space between "srvsvc.dl_" and "%systemroot%."
  2. CD drive represents the letter of the computer's CD drive. And %systemroot% represents the path and folder in which the Windows system files are located. For example, assume that the letter of the computer's CD drive is E and that the folder that contains the Windows system files is C:\Windows. In this situation, type the following at the command prompt, and then press ENTER: expand E:\i386\srvsvc.dl_ C:\Windows\system32\srvsvc.dll
  3. To close the command prompt, type exit, and then press ENTER. Restart Windows.
  4. Expand a copy of srvsvc.dll from %windir%\ServicePackFiles\i386 folder if the following conditions are true:
     
    • You installed Windows XP SP2 from a Windows XP SP2 CD that included SP2 as part of the base installation.
    • You downloaded and installed Windows XP SP2 from the Microsoft Web site.
    • Note If the ServicePackFiles folder is not present on the computer, you can copy the files from a slipstreamed Windows XP SP2 installation CD.