Audio Service on Local Computer. Error 3: The system can't find path

I have been wasting so much time the past few days trying to fix this issue! Any help/direction will be much appreciated. I have been all over these forums and found SIMILAR issues, but not my exact issue.

Every time I reboot, I have reset my audio drivers. They work every time afterwards, but not until I let Windows 'fix' the problem. This has been going on for a month or so. I want to know what I can to permanently fix this...

What I have learned...I can get the 'Windows Audio' and the 'Windows Audio Endpoint Builder' to start automatically. They originally were not starting automatically. I modified the logon setting for both of these services like I read about. I found a Windows 'MicrosoftFixit50671' troubleshooter that did nothing. I manually attempted to reset the "Windows Firewall and Base Filtering Engine' the same way by modifying the logon info to no avail.

This is the error I can't get past. This pops up when I try to 'Start' the 'Audio Service' from the services.msc window. What have I done and how do I fix it? Please help!!!

"Windows could not start the Audio Service services on Local Computer. Error 3: The system cannot find the path specified."

Hi pcb79,

Please check status of the 'Dependency' for 'Windows Audio Service'; and check if 'Windows Audio Endpoint Builder' is functional. You may follow these steps: Click 'Start' & type 'Services.msc' in the search box and tap 'Enter'.

Also check the following services and ensure that they show 'Status as Started & are set to Automatic':
- Audio Service
- Multimedia Class Scheduler
- Windows Audio
- Windows Audio Endpoint Builder
Note: Please create a system 'Restore Point'; for future use, if needed: System Restore Point - Create

If the issue persists, try re-installing the 'audio drivers' to see if that helps; updating them may not work. To check the 'audio card' installed in the nit, you may follow these steps:
- Open 'Device Manager' > Expand 'Sound, Video & Game Controllers' > Right click and uninstall the 'Audio Card' drivers > Follow through with the uninstall and allow the system to restart > Allow 'Windows' to update the 'Audio drivers' automatically > Check if the issue persists (Please share the system make/model if you face ambiguity)

If you still experience issues, try to reset 'Windows Services' to 'default settings': Services - Restore Default Services in Windows 7

If nothing works, please run the 'SFC Diagnostic Tool' to check the integrity of files in 'Windows': SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker
- Follow 'Option 3' to capture the CBS logs and share for investigation

I would also like to have a closer look at the 'System Logs' for a better understanding. Please check the steps listed in the following thread and share details. The tool may not find any 'Blue screen errors'; however, system logs and other information may prove useful: Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Posting Instructions

Hope this helps. Do reply with the findings.

Hi pcb79,

It appears that 'Windows Services' were misbehaving and resetting defaults did the trick.
Glad that the issue is fixed; thank you for confirming.