{"id":45955,"date":"2023-05-14T14:37:55","date_gmt":"2023-05-14T09:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=45955"},"modified":"2023-07-15T16:19:55","modified_gmt":"2023-07-15T10:49:55","slug":"cant-open-device-manager-any-applet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/cant-open-device-manager-any-applet\/","title":{"rendered":"Can’t Open Device Manager or MMC applets Due to Restrictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Windows 10 or Windows 11. when you try to Device Manager from the Command Prompt (admin) window, the Device Manager doesn’t run. The following error message comes up when you do so: <\/p>\n

C:\\windows\\system32\\devmgmt.msc\n\nThis file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action. Please install an app or, if one is already installed, create an association in the Default Apps Settings page.<\/pre>\n
(and)<\/p>\n
The system cannot execute the specified program<\/pre>\n
(or)<\/p>\n
Restrictions<\/strong>\n\nThis operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.<\/pre>\n
\"restrictions<\/p>\n
Right-clicking on the Start button (or pressing Win<\/kbd> + X<\/kbd>) and Choosing “Device Manager”, or right-clicking on This PC and clicking “Manage” gives the same result.<\/p>\n
The same error occurs when you attempt to open Disk Management, Computer Management, or any other MMC console.<\/p>\n
RELATED:<\/strong> Fix: MRT.exe Blocked by System Administrator<\/a><\/div>\n
Cause<\/h2>\n
Cause 1<\/h3>\n
The above error can occur if the .msc file association is broken. However, as a workaround, you can launch Device Manager or Computer Management by running one of the following commands from Command Prompt:<\/p>\n
mmc.exe devmgmt.msc<\/pre>\n
%SystemRoot%\\system32\\mmc.exe %SystemRoot%\\system32\\devmgmt.msc<\/pre>\n
mmc.exe compmgmt.msc<\/pre>\n
%SystemRoot%\\system32\\mmc.exe %SystemRoot%\\system32\\compmgmt.msc<\/pre>\n
But the following canonical Control Panel command-line does not<\/strong> work:<\/p>\n
control.exe \/name Microsoft.DeviceManager<\/pre>\n
Cause 2<\/h3>\n
Another possibility is that mmc.exe is blocked using group policy or registry-based policy (“DisallowRun<\/code>“) settings. In that case, the above commands don’t help<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
The DisallowRun<\/code> registry key corresponds to the Don’t run specified Windows applications<\/a> GPO.<\/p>\n
For example, the following registry settings may be present in the subject computer.<\/p>\n
\nHKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\Explorer\n    DisallowRun    REG_DWORD    0x1 \n\nHKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\Explorer\\DisallowRun\n    1    REG_SZ    taskschd.msc \n    2    REG_SZ    devmgmt.msc \n    3    REG_SZ    mmc.exe\n<\/pre>\n
In the above example, Task Scheduler, Device Manager, and mmc.exe are blocked in the registry.<\/p>\n
Resolution<\/h2>\n
To resolve the file association or restrictions error when opening an MMC applet, follow these steps:<\/p>\n
    \n
  1. Download mscfix.reg<\/a> (zipped)<\/li>\n
  2. Unzip the archive and run mscfix.reg<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Click Yes to confirm.<\/li>\n
  4. Click OK.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    This fixes the .msc file association on your Windows 10 or 11 computer.<\/p>\n
    INFO:\u00a0Contents of mscfix.reg<\/h3>\n
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\.msc]\n@=\"MSCFile\"\n\n[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile]\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile]\n@=\"Microsoft Common Console Document\"\n\"EditFlags\"=dword:00100000\n\"FriendlyTypeName\"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,\\\n  00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,\\\n  32,00,5c,00,6d,00,6d,00,63,00,62,00,61,00,73,00,65,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,\\\n  00,2c,00,2d,00,31,00,33,00,30,00,00,00\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile\\DefaultIcon]\n@=\"%1\"\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile\\shell\\Author]\n@=\"&Author\"\n\"MUIVerb\"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\\\n  6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\\\n  00,6d,00,6d,00,63,00,62,00,61,00,73,00,65,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,\\\n  2d,00,31,00,33,00,33,00,35,00,31,00,00,00\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile\\shell\\Author\\command]\n@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\\\n  00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,6d,00,6d,00,\\\n  63,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,2f,00,61,00,20,00,22,00,25,00,31,00,22,\\\n  00,20,00,25,00,2a,00,00,00\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile\\shell\\open\\command]\n@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\\\n  00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,6d,00,6d,00,\\\n  63,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,22,00,25,00,31,00,22,00,20,00,25,00,2a,\\\n  00,00,00\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile\\shell\\RunAs]\n\"HasLUAShield\"=\"\"\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile\\shell\\RunAs\\command]\n@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\\\n  00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,6d,00,6d,00,\\\n  63,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,22,00,25,00,31,00,22,00,20,00,25,00,2a,\\\n  00,00,00\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile\\shell\\runasuser]\n@=\"@shell32.dll,-50944\"\n\"Extended\"=\"\"\n\"SuppressionPolicyEx\"=\"{F211AA05-D4DF-4370-A2A0-9F19C09756A7}\"\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile\\shell\\runasuser\\command]\n\"DelegateExecute\"=\"{ea72d00e-4960-42fa-ba92-7792a7944c1d}\"\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile\\shellex\\ContextMenuHandlers\\PintoStartScreen]\n@=\"{470C0EBD-5D73-4d58-9CED-E91E22E23282}\"\n\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\mscfile\\shellex\\IconHandler]\n@=\"{7A80E4A8-8005-11D2-BCF8-00C04F72C717}\"\n\n[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Explorer\\FileExts\\.msc]\n\n[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Explorer\\FileExts\\.msc\\OpenWithProgids]\n\"MSCFile\"=hex(0):\n\n[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\Explorer\\DisallowRun]\n\n[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\Explorer]\n\"DisallowRun\"=-\n\n[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\Explorer\\DisallowRun]\n\n[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\Explorer]\n\"DisallowRun\"=-\n<\/pre>\n
    The “DisallowedRun” registry key and the values may have been created by malware. Be sure to follow up with a thorough scan for malware, using Malwarebytes Antimalware or ESET scanner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
    In Windows 10 or Windows 11. when you try to Device Manager from the Command Prompt (admin) window, the Device Manager doesn’t run. The following error message comes up when you do so:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,869],"tags":[191,441],"class_list":["post-45955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows-10","category-windows-11","tag-error-messages","tag-registry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5474,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/another-app-controlling-your-sound-error-windows-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":45955,"position":0},"title":"Fix “Another App Is Controlling Your Sound At The Moment” Error in Windows 10","author":"Ramesh","date":"October 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you're receiving the following error message or similar when playing a audio or video file in your Groove app, Windows Media Player or the Movies & TV app in Windows 10?Can't play. Another app is controlling your sound at the moment. To listen here, close that app and try\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"restart windows audio service","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/w10-audio-svc-restart.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/w10-audio-svc-restart.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/w10-audio-svc-restart.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5545,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/cannot-find-camera-error-c00dabe0-a00f4244\/","url_meta":{"origin":45955,"position":1},"title":"Error “Cannot find your camera” 0xC00DABE0 or 0xA00F4244 in Windows 10","author":"Ramesh","date":"October 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"If your webcam or Camera app in Windows 10 won't open and you get an error message saying that we can't find or can't start your camera (including error codes 0xA00F4244 or 0x200F4244), the cause might be antivirus software that's blocking the webcam or camera, or it could be an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"0xC00DABE0 0xa00f4244 cannot find camera ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/cant-find-camera-a00f4244.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/cant-find-camera-a00f4244.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/cant-find-camera-a00f4244.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/cant-find-camera-a00f4244.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":181,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/know-which-devices-can-wake-up-your-pc-from-sleep-mode\/","url_meta":{"origin":45955,"position":2},"title":"Know which devices can wake up your PC from Sleep mode","author":"Ramesh","date":"April 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Is your PC waking up automatically when in Sleep mode, and wondering which device is waking the system up? Here is a command which gets the list of devices that are configured to wake the computer up. Open a Command Prompt window (cmd.exe) and run the following command: powercfg \u2013devicequery\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"know which devices wake computer from sleep","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/sleep-wake-up-disable-device.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6065,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/restore-missing-battery-icon-taskbar-notification-area-windows-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":45955,"position":3},"title":"[Fix] Battery Icon Missing in the Taskbar in Windows 10","author":"Ramesh","date":"December 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The battery icon in the Taskbar notification area helps you quickly check the battery charge level and also to switch between the battery saver and \"best performance\" settings.\u00a0If the battery icon is missing from the notification area in your Windows 10 computer, here is a couple of recommendations to resolve\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"turn system icons on or off power battery icon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/w10-power-battery-notification-icon.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/w10-power-battery-notification-icon.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/w10-power-battery-notification-icon.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/w10-power-battery-notification-icon.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55021,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/store-error-80072efd-80072efe-80d02002-80072ee2\/","url_meta":{"origin":45955,"position":4},"title":"Store Error 0x80072EFD, 0x80072EFE, 0x80D02002 or 0x80072EE2","author":"Ramesh","date":"June 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"You may be unable to install or update apps in your Microsoft Store. Nothing may happen when clicking \"Install\" to install a Store app. The \"Microsoft-Windows-Store\/Operational\" event log may record the following errors: NULL Error: Unknown HResult Error code: 0x80072ee2 Source (111) 0x80072ee2 = ERROR_INTERNET_TIMEOUT Task Category: Gaming Services. Or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Store Error 0x80072EFD, 0x80072EFE, 0x80D02002 or 0x80072EE2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/store-error-0x80072ee2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/store-error-0x80072ee2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/store-error-0x80072ee2.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/store-error-0x80072ee2.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31021,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/device-and-printers-in-windows-11\/","url_meta":{"origin":45955,"position":5},"title":"How to Open “Device and Printers” in Windows 11","author":"Ramesh","date":"December 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"In Windows 11 22H2 and up, when you double-click \"Devices and Printers\" from the classic Control Panel, it redirects you to the Settings \u2192 Bluetooth & devices page. You may wonder how to access the classic Device and Printers Control Panel applet. Open \"Device and Printers\" in Windows 11 In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 11"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 11","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-11\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"open Devices and Printers using Device Manager Action menu","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-devices-and-printers-devmgmt.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-devices-and-printers-devmgmt.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-devices-and-printers-devmgmt.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-devices-and-printers-devmgmt.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45955\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}