How to fix “The specified procedure could not be found” error in Windows 11

What is “The specified procedure could not be found” error

Some users who upgraded their system from Windows 10 to Windows 11 started facing problems with opening certain applications. The error they get is complimented with the following message: “There was a problem starting [filename]. The specified procedure could not be found.”. While some issue victims struggle to open a third-party app, others experience troubles with accessing files like videos and photos via “Photos” and “Movies & TV” apps. It was also reported by some to face the same error while trying to open native Windows Defender to perform a scan. The information we gathered indicates there are a couple of fundamental reasons why such an error occurs – corrupted system file system, malware intervention, system bug, and other glitches as well. Based on this, we have collected all the solutions that other users proved to successfully resolve the issue. Before trying them out, we should also note that many users complained these solutions had only a temporary effect on fixing the error message. The problem disappeared but then re-occurred within the time after solution. Many suspect it is up to Microsoft themselves as they should release an update to address some internal glitch and eliminate the error respectively. Before that happens, try the solutions below.

“The specified procedure could not be found” error Windows 10

“The specified procedure could not be found” error Windows 7

1. Install fresh updates

As mentioned above, “The specified procedure could not be found” error tends to be associated with internal Windows 11 problems. The operating system is new and it is reasonable to say there might be certain bugs leading to this kind of error. Depending on when you are reading this guide, try to check your system for available updates – maybe the fix has already been released by the Microsoft team. You can do this using the following steps:

1. Click on the Start button at the bottom of your desktop and choose Settings.
2. Then, navigate to Windows Update and click Check for Updates.
3. If updates have already been found, simply Download and install them.

After this, restart your PC and check if the error continues to pop. If there are no new updates found just yet, simply move on to other solutions below.

2. Run file-repair commands

These command lines presented below focus on resolving problems related to missing or corrupted files. We will need to use Command Prompt which is a native Windows environment meant to execute various commands. Follow these instructions underneath:

1. Click on the search loop and type in cmd
2. Once found, right-click on it and choose Run as administrator. Agree with the action
3. Once the console is opened, type these commands one-by-by clicking Enter after each.

gpupdate /force
sfc /scanfile=c:\windows\system32\ieframe.dll
sfc /scannow

4. When the fixing process is done, exit the console and restart your computer.

3. Scan your system for malware

Malware could be one of the reasons why DLL errors occur. Various infections are prone to cause DLL clutters and damage other parts of a system. If you have been using Windows 11 for some time and allow a thought it could somehow be affected by unwanted programs or malware, give your system a scan using default Windows Defender or advanced third-party software. Our recommendation is Malwarebytes – a reputable and time-tested antivirus showing great results at detecting and removing potentially harmful programs. You can download it and access a 14-day period of full-fledged anti-malware experience via the button below.

3. Reinstall “Photos” and “Movies & TV” apps

Some error victims express significant concern about opening some jpeg, mp4, and other media files. The issue may occur when trying to use default “Photos” and “Movies & TV” applications provided by Windows itself. If this is your case, try executing these commands below to reinstall them and therefore reset their configuration. Although this will most likely fix the issue, it does not guarantee the error message will not appear again in the nearest future. As an alternative, you can also open problematic files through other photo-viewing applications like “Paint”, “Adobe Photoshop”, or “Windows Media Player”. Either way, here are instructions on running the commands.

1. Click on the search loop as we did above and type in Windows Powershell.
2. Right-click on it choose Run as administrator. Agree with the action.
3. Once the console is opened, copy-paste these commands one-by-one pressing Enter after each.

get-appxpackage *Microsoft.Windows.Photos* | remove-appxpackage
get-appxpackage *Microsoft.Windows.Movies & TV* | remove-appxpackage

After these commands are entered, we have to redeploy (reinstall) all in-built Windows apps. Run this command to do this:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

4. After everything is done, restart your computer and try to open the files using “Photos” and “Movies & TV” applications.

4. If you are unable to access Windows Defender

If your subject of error is Windows Defender, then try running this command instead. Users who struggled with it testified the method’s capacity to resolve the issue and regain access to Windows Defender. They also said the error did not appear anymore afterwards.

1. Click on the search loop as we did above and type in Windows Powershell.
2. Right-click on it choose Run as administrator. Agree with the action.
3. Once the console is opened, copy-paste this one command and press Enter afterwards.

Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.SecHealthUI -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage

4. When finished, reboot your computer and see if anything changed.

5. Reinstall the problematic application

If you are facing the issue with a specific third-party application downloaded from Microsoft Store or other resources, try to uninstall this software and install it again. Here is how you can do this in Windows 11:

1. Click on the search loop and type in Control Panel this time.
2. Open it up and click on Uninstall a program under Programs. If you do not see these options, make sure View by in the top right corner is set to Category.
3. You will now see a list of all program installed. Right-click on the one you are experiencing problems with and click Uninstall.
4. After deleting the program, install it again and check if you receive the same error message as before.

Summary

“The specified procedure could not be found” is truly annoying and new to many Windows 11 users. As we said a couple of times above, the solutions we have presented are most likely to have a temporary fix for the error. You will be able to open media files or other applications without any problem. However, it is not excluded that the same message will appear the next week and you will have to run the same working solution again. The community is still on the alert for new-coming updates that could fix this issue forever.