How to Fix BitLocker System Cannot Find the File Specified Error?

BitLocker is designed to protect your data by encrypting your entire drive. However, users occasionally encounter "System Cannot Find the File Specified" error that prevent BitLocker from functioning correctly, which can be very frustrating, especially when you need to encrypt the drive data urgently.

Why this Error Occurs?

The "System Cannot Find the File Specified" error typically indicates a problem with BitLocker’s ability to access necessary system files or configuration settings. This can happen due to several reasons:

1. Corrupted or Missing System Files: Essential system files required by BitLocker might be corrupted or missing.

2. Drive Letter Changes: If the drive letter of the encrypted drive has changed, BitLocker may not be able to locate the necessary files.

3. Registry Issues: Incorrect or corrupted registry settings related to BitLocker can cause this error.

4. Hardware Problems: Physical issues with your hard drive or storage device can also lead to this problem.

Before start, you should exclude following factors:

Factor 1 Whether your computer supports TPM or not and if your computer Windows version compatible for BitLocker Drive Encryption.

Factor 2 If other drives to enable BitLocker Drive normally.

If none of these factors exist, try the following solutions:

Solution 1: Start/Restart BitLocker Drive Encryption Service

Step 1 Press Win + R, then type "services.msc", press enter.

Step 2 In Service windows, locate the BitLocker Drive Encryption Service, and double-click on it.

Step 3 In Startup type option, select "automatic", and then click on "Apply".

Step 4 If the BitLocker Drive Encryption Service is not running, click on the start button to run it.

Step 5 Restart computer and retry the BitLocker encryption process.

Solution 2: Update the Content of ReAgent.xml

Step 1 Access to the path of ReAgent.xml

Step 2 Edit its content as follows, set its all value to '0'.

Step 3 Restart your computer, then you can successfully enable BitLocker Drive Encryption.

Analysis: When we’re attempting to open the BitLocker console to encrypt the system drive, the "ReAgent.xml" file contains specific GUIDs for the "WinreBCD" and "WinreLocation" paths. These parameters may fail to properly initialize BitLocker due to changes in the system environment. Manually setting the GUIDs and offsets in the "ReAgent.xml" file to 0 can resolve this issue and allow BitLocker to function as expected.

Solution 3: Rename ReAgent File

Step 1 Access to the path of ReAgent.xml.

Step 2 Right-click on the file, and choose rename.

Step 3 Rename ReAgent.xml to ReAgent.old

Step 4 Type "Manage BitLocker" in the Windows Search box, and press enter to access to BitLocker Drive Encryption Panel.

Step 5 Re-try the BitLocker Encryption process.

Solution 4: Delete Registry Key Entry

Check your System Restore settings, to confirm if you’ve accidentally set Windows 10 in a Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) and with several functions working incorrectly. If true, try following steps:

Step 1 Press Win + R, type "regedit" in the run dialog, and then press enter.

Step 2 Navigate to:

Step 3 Check if there is a key named "MiniNT". If it exists, just delete it.

Step 4 Type "cmd" in the search box, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter shortcut to run Command Prompt as admin.

Step 5 Run the following command

Step 6 Then execute "sfc /scannow" command to ensure the integrality of the system files.

Step 7 Retry to enable BitLocker for Windows drives to see if the issue persists.