Fix Windows Cannot Find C:\Windows\regedit.exe Error

The Registry Editor is one of the most critical components of a Windows operating system. This important tool is mostly used to solve various problems and system crashes, but what if the problem is in the Registry Editor (Regedit) itself?

Although this is a rare case, chances that you may encounter some problems with this tool is highly likely. More specifically, a problem that prevents users from opening the Registry Editor.

Complete Error Message:

“Windows cannot find C:\Windows\regedit.exe, Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.”

If the Regedit does not work, it can be very dangerous because you cannot control what is happening on your system. Therefore, if you cannot open regedit, please read this article further because we have prepared some solutions that may be useful for you in solving this critical issue.

Method 1 – Perform a System Restore

First, try to restore the system to a date that you know it is properly working.

System Restore recovers system files and the registry before they have been corrupted, but your personal files remain intact. The only thing you can lose is the newly installed software, updates, and some types of files if they have already been intentionally deleted.

When a drive is restored using System Restore, it is completely deleted and restored as it was delivered at the factory, without adding programs or personal files.

If you cannot access the System Restore function directly, select Safe Mode. If this doesn’t work, use the drive to recover Windows (you had to do it when the device was new) and run the System Restore function from the drive for recovery. If you do not have a recovery disk, you can still create one disk on another Windows machine if both machines are 32-bit or 64-bit. This recovery allows you to access recovery points located on your hard drive.

If you are lucky enough to think about creating a disc image using Windows Backup, you can also use the recovery disc to recover the disc in this way, and then use the latest backup to update it.

Method 2 – Check Your Path Environmental Variables

Problems with path environmental variables can also cause an error like this.

1. First, right-click on My Computer and select the Advanced tab,
2. Then click the Environment Variables button.
3. Then find and highlight the line starting with the Path in the lower field.
4. Click the Edit button.
5. Change the line in the Variable value field to start it %SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32
6. When you have finished editing, click OK and restart your computer.

Method 3 – Performing a SFC Scan

The following command performs a full scan of the protected system files on your computer and fixes any files that cause problems while running Windows 10.

• Use the Windows + X key combination to open the Advanced User menu and select Command prompt (Admin), because you need administrative privileges to run SFC.
• On the command line, type the following command and press Enter: sfc /scannow

When the analysis is complete, you will see one of the following messages:

• Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations: This indicates that your system doesn’t have any missing or corrupted files.
• Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation: This message means that there was a problem during the scan and an offline scan is required.
• Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them. Details are included in the CBS.Log %WinDir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log: You will get this message when SFC was able to fix the problem. Now, you can move on or you can view the logs to get more details.
• Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.Log %WinDir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log: In this case, you’ll need to repair the corrupted files manually.

You can execute the command three times to fix all errors.

Method 4 – Run the Antivirus Scan at Boot Time

Perform a full system scan with Windows Defender or your favorite antivirus software – preferably in safe mode or at startup. You can run a standalone Windows Defender Offline Scan at the beginning of Windows 10 to remove persistent and hard-to-remove malware.

Method 5 – Resetting the System

If nothing else works, then clean-installing your system is the way to go. After resetting the Windows 10 system, you will receive a new copy to solve all the Registry Editor problems.

To reset your Windows 10 system:

1. Click Start.
2. Open Settings.
3. Open Updates and Security.
4. Select Restore.

Conclusion

This is horrible error that you can encounter in your Windows 10 PC. The worst thing yet is the uncertainty of a virus or malware infection. It is our hope that you found a solution for this error from the above-mentioned list. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.