How to Fix Virtual Disk Manager the System Cannot Find the File Specified in Windows 10/8/7

Fix the System Cannot Find The File Specified (8 Fixes)

If "The system cannot find the file specified" or virtual disk manager the system cannot find the file specified errors occur while you are using Windows Backup, you can check if your system partition is set to active to fix this issue. To do so, you just need to open Disk Management, right-click the system drive (usually C drive) and choose the "Mark Partition as Active" option.

Overview - Diskpart Has Encountered an Error: The System Cannot Find The File Specified

I have a USB flash drive, which I may have mucked up, so I used DISKPART's CLEAN to clean it up. I created a simple volume and tried to format it. (This is all using Windows Disk Management.) I was told The system cannot find the file specified. When I plug in the drive, the computer makes a beeping noise as though it has recognized something, but nothing appears in My Computer. How can I format the disk so I can use it again?

If you are having a similar problem as shown below that the computer doesn't allow you to format a disk, partition, or an external storage device with "system cannot find the file specified" error, don't worry. Reliable methods are available to help, and you can follow to remove this error from your PC so as to format your devices back to work again.

How to Fix Virtual Disk Manager The System Cannot Find The File Specified

Fix 1. Format Disk Partition with Free Partition Manager Software

When you are unable to complete the format process on your computer, you can refer to professional partition manager software - EaseUS Partition Master for help.

The free version - EaseUS Partition Master Free allows you to directly format devices that you may not be able to format with Windows Explorer or Disk Management tool. Download and install this free partition manager software on your Windows PC and apply it to fix 'unable to format' issue on your disk partition and storage devices:

Step 1. Run EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the hard drive partition you intend to format and choose "Format".

Step 2. In the new window, set the Partition label, File system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3), and Cluster size for the partition to be formatted, then click "OK".

Step 3. Then you will see a warning window, click "OK" in it to continue.

Step 4. Click the "Execute Operation" button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click "Apply" to start formatting the partition on your hard drive.

All you need is to wait for the process to complete and then you'll get a newly formatted hard drive partition or USB for saving data again.

Fix 2. Check and Remove Errors on Disk Partition to Fix the Error

If you prefer a manual way to fix "can't format disk partition" error when the system cannot find the file specified than downloading and applying third-party software for help. You can just run CHKDSK to remove this issue from your disk partition:

Step 1. Press the Windows key and type cmd.

Step 2. Right-click "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as administrator".

Step 3. Enter the following command: chkdsk E: /f /r /x

"E" means the drive letter of the partition you want to repair or fix.

Also read: Fix 'CHKDSK Is Not Available for RAW Drive/USB/SD Card' Error

Fix 3. Run CHKDSK Alternative to Fix the System Cannot Find The File Specified 

If you don't have any technical know-how and want to minimize data risks, using third-party software could be a better choice. The Command line is suitable for computer professionals since wrong commands can cause severe problems. Therefore, we strongly recommend you try an automatic command line alternative.

EaseUS Tools M is a practical computer fixing tool that is safe and light-weighted. It's a perfect alternative to CHKDSK command. Use this one-click tool to solve your computer issues.

To fix file system error or disk error:

Step 1:  DOWNLOAD EaseUS Tools M for Free and install it.

Step 2: Open the software and select the "File showing" option. 

Step 3: Choose the drive and wait for repairing. After the operation completes, click the "View" button to check the drive. 

Fix 4. Check System Log File If the System Cannot Find The File Specified 

If you get the prompt "The system cannot find the file specified" while accessing files/folders, you can try this operation.

Step 1. Navigate to the C:/Windows/inf directory and open the Inf folder.

Step 2. Locate the setupapi.dev or setupapi.dev.log file and open it.

Step 3. Press "Ctrl + F" hotkey and type cannot find the file in the search.

Step 4. Press "Enter" to run the search. You should get the missing file.

Step 5. Copy and paste it into the Windows/inf folder.

Step 6. Reinstall the driver and reboot the system.

Fix 5. Change Registry to Fix System Cannot Find File Specified

According to users, you can fix this error simply by making few changes to your registry.

Step 1. Press "Windows + R" and enter Regedit. If there is a prompt asking for permission, click "Yes".

Step 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion and check if there is "RunOnce". If not, add it manually.

Step 3. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion and check whether there is "RunOnce". If not, create it manually.

Step 4. Quit Registry Edit, restart your computer and install hard disk drivers again.

Fix 6. Update Your Hard Disk Driver

If you are faced with the system cannot find the file specified error while launching programs, update your disk driver to fix it.

Step 1. Go to "This PC" > "Manage" > "Device Manager".

Step 2. Expand "Disk drives".

Step 3. Right-click the disk and choose "Update driver".

Fix 7. Uninstall and Reinstall Some Programs

If you receive this error when you are opening some specific programs, you can fix the error by uninstalling and reinstalling.

Step 1. Go to "Windows Settings" >  "Apps" > "Apps & features".

Step 2. Click the problematic program and choose "Uninstall".

Step 3. Go to Microsoft Store, download the application, and then install it again.

Fix 8. Install Windows Update to Fix Cannot Find The File Specified

If you get this error when you are backing up the system, try this method to solve the system cannot find the file specified.

Step 1. Click "Start" and type update.

Step 2. Choose "Check for updates".

Step 3. Windows will show you the new updates available. Click "Install now" to update your Windows.

Diskpart Has Encountered an Error: The System Cannot Find The File Specified Conclusion

You can get a complete guide to fix the system cannot find the file specified error in Windows 10. EaseUS partition manager software can not only format your drive but also resize/partition your hard drive to manage your disk space. You can always turn to EaseUS Partition Master for help.