Solved Cannot start Windows Time service

[Rincewindwiz]

Hi
I noticed my PC failed to update to daylight saving time. So I tried to synchronise the clock (CP->Date & Time->Internet Time but I got the message "Windows Time Service is not running."

Into services and sure enough it is there but not started. Actions->Start produces a window that says "Windows could not start the Windows Time Service on Local Computer. Error 2: The system cannot find the file specified". (No idea which file!!!)

Action->Properties tells me that the path to the executable is c:\windows\system32\svchost.exe -k LocalService and that file (svchost.exe) is certainly there.
Startup type is automatic
Start parameters are blank.

w32tim /unregister works fine
w32time /register produces (after a bit of a pause) "The following error occurred: The system cannot find the path specified. (0x80070003)"
I wonder which path? Maybe that's the reason it cant find this unknown file?

net start w32time produces
The Windows Time service is starting.
The Windows Time service could not be started.
A system error has occurred.
System error 2 has occurred.
The system cannot find the file specified.

So what file is it looking for? Why is it looking for it?
Where is all this specified?

Thanks for any ideas!

Event viewer and Registry information follows


The Event view reports service Contorl manager Event ID 7023
The Windows Time service terminated with the following error:
The system cannot find the file specified.
and gives the following details information
- System
- Provider
[ Name] Service Control Manager
[ Guid] {555908d1-a6d7-4695-8e1e-26931d2012f4}
[ EventSourceName] Service Control Manager
- EventID 7023
[ Qualifiers] 49152
Version 0
Level 2
Task 0
Opcode 0
Keywords 0x8080000000000000
- TimeCreated
[ SystemTime] 2012-10-31T09:05:30.101583700Z
EventRecordID 141164
Correlation
- Execution
[ ProcessID] 460
[ ThreadID] 5312

Channel System
Computer R60
Security
- EventData
param1 Windows Time
param2 %%2

So maybe its this %%2 parameter? But where is this set? What should it be? etc etc

The registry key entries for w32tim are
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\w32time]
"Type"=dword:00000020
"Start"=dword:00000002
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"ImagePath"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,\
74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,\
00,76,00,63,00,68,00,6f,00,73,00,74,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,2d,00,\
6b,00,20,00,4c,00,6f,00,63,00,61,00,6c,00,53,00,65,00,72,00,76,00,69,00,63,\
00,65,00,00,00
"DisplayName"="@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\w32time.dll,-200"
"ObjectName"="NT AUTHORITY\\LocalService"
"Description"="@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\w32time.dll,-201"
"FailureActions"=hex:80,51,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,14,00,00,\
00,01,00,00,00,60,ea,00,00,01,00,00,00,c0,d4,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
"ServiceSidType"=dword:00000001
"RequiredPrivileges"=hex(7):53,00,65,00,41,00,75,00,64,00,69,00,74,00,50,00,72,\
00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,68,00,\
61,00,6e,00,67,00,65,00,4e,00,6f,00,74,00,69,00,66,00,79,00,50,00,72,00,69,\
00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,65,00,\
61,00,74,00,65,00,47,00,6c,00,6f,00,62,00,61,00,6c,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,\
00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,\
65,00,6d,00,54,00,69,00,6d,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,\
00,67,00,65,00,00,00,00,00

(I did try changing the display name to "Windows Time" but it made no difference.)

 

[Rincewindwiz]

So having tried a variety of things from various sources, none of which worked I resorted to a repair install. That worked fine and solved that problem but Windows Update then stopped working.

seems this is something to do with KB982670 update to .Net4. My system had no record of that KB update but I deleted .NET4 anyway and Windows Update started working again

 

[jimmyeao]

For anyone who arrives here from google, if you dont fancy doing a repair install, do the following:
open a command window and run "net stop w32time" followed by "w32tm /unregister", "w32tm /register" and "net start w32time" and then
"w32tm /resync".