Remote Desktop Client broken The system cannot find the file specified mstsc.exe.mui

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I'm facing this issue on a PC running Windows 7 Professional SP1 x64, updated to the latest (Oct 17) Security and Quality rollup.

It's impossible, as any user, to run mstsc.exe. The error states:

mstsc.exe

The system cannot find the file specified.

c:\Windows\System32\<LANG_NAME>\mstsc.exe.MUI.

mstsc_error

The event viewer's showing no messages at all about this. I've look into all sections and for any type of event, not just errors and warnings.

I've been googling for the error and found numerous posts related to the problem, but none of the soultions worked for me.

I'll briefly explain the steps I took in order to try to fix this:

  • compared mstsc.exe and mstsc.exe.mui's locations with a known good system.

  • copied both files from the known good system in the broken one

  • as the default mui location for 32 bit executables on this system is C:\Windows\System32\it-IT\ I created another folder in it named it and put inside it mstsc.exe.mui aaclient.dll.mui mstscax.dll.mui. I also copied this new it folder in C:\Windows\System32\. So now I have three copies of this three files in C:\Windows\System32\it-IT\ C:\Windows\System32\it and C:\Windows\System32\it-IT\it

  • I've search into the registry for the word mstsc.exe.mui and found just two keys, non related to this file's path. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\COMPONENTS\DerivedData\Components\amd64_microsoft-windows-t..cesclient.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_it-it_5f6e83504ee8d5f5 and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\COMPONENTS\DerivedData\Components\amd64_microsoft-windows-t..cesclient.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.18540_it-it_5f49fb9c4f04de0d.

  • Then I've found a working and updated PC running Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 English, and took mstsc.exe.mui aaclient.dll.mui mstscax.dll.mui from its C:\Windows\System32\en-US. I've put it in en-US en and en-US\en

  • I tought I might have installed an english version of the mstsc.exe that might want to find english dlls in the italian path, so I tried to overwrite italian's files with english files. I also tried the other way around, with files from the italian system in the english's folders.

  • I've found that installing KB2574819-v2-x64 might fix this, it was already installed on this system so I tried to remove it and reinstall it back.

  • I wasn't able to find a way to remove and reinstall mstsc application/feature.

  • I tried disabling antivirus protection.

  • I've scanned the machine for rootkits and virus, with no luck at all. It's always been protected with a commercial antivirus solution that never expired since it's been in production, and it's always been used by a conscious person, and WITHOUT administrative rights.

  • I've performed a full chkdsk pre boot.

  • I've scanned with sfc /scannow and it found no corrupted system files.

I tried all this steps, with no luck at all but I think I might have still missed something, and don't want to wipe and reinstall a system that is performing perfectly but this issue. Anybody's got any clues?

Another detail that might be important, I don't think the mstsc.exe was ever run since this PC is in production. Just in the last few weeks they introduced new features that bring on this PC the need to use the rdp client. As far as I know the problem might be present since the fresh installation. As this system was installed in 2014 and is always been up to date, I suspect it might be a problem with the install image, or with the updates that went through years till now. Unfortunately I can't determine when the problem with mstsc.exe started. This PC is an AD member and has always received updates from their WSUS. It's never been unpatched or without business antivirus solution since 2014.

Relevant edit: as supposed in the answer, yes, it was an english system and the italian language pack was installed before PC went in production.

Marco

Posted 2017-10-18T12:42:43.163

Reputation: 80

Is this behavior the same on every user on the system? – Klinghust – 2017-10-21T16:50:20.680

1Yes, as the question states: “it’s impossible, as any user,...” I tried even a domain admin and a local admin account. It’s a client issue. – Marco – 2017-10-21T16:54:24.240

must be because the OS can't figure out what LANG_NAME is – Uğur Gümüşhan – 2017-10-25T06:22:41.410

Answers

2

Have you changed the language on the computer when the problem started?

Here are some possible remedies :

  1. Try to reinstall RDP 8.0 or RDP 8.1, as the case may be.
  2. The file you might be missing might really be C:\Windows\system32\wbem\<LANG_NAME>\mstsc.mfl.
  3. Try the Windows Update Troubleshooter

  4. It is possible that although your computer is Italian, mstc.exe is English. Try to create a subfolder en-US and copy there the files as follows:

    c:\windows\system32\mstsc.exe
c:\windows\system32\mstscax.dll
C:\Windows\System32\aaclient.dll
c:\windows\system32\en-US\mstsc.exe.mui
c:\windows\system32\en-US\mstscax.dll.mui

Note also that as your Windows is 64-bits, and if you are also using a 64-bit Explorer, these files should actually reside in C:\Windows\SysWOW64.

harrymc

Posted 2017-10-18T12:42:43.163

Reputation: 306 093

Indeed! I didn't knew how too reinstall RDP as mentioned in the OP. Following your suggestion I fixed at point 1); reinstalling KB2592687 for the italian language did the trick. – Marco – 2017-10-23T19:13:39.893

Asked: 2017-10-18T12:42:43.163

Viewed: 6 939 times

Active: 2019-01-22T20:06:04.010