7 Fixes For File System Error (-2147219196) On Windows

Looking at pictures that we saved on our computers is fun but some people do not think it is fun because they are shown an error message instead of bringing back happy memories and nostalgia. This could be the File System Error (-2147219196) error message and this will prevent you from viewing the pictures that you wanted to see in the first place.

If this is it, you have come to the right place. We did our research on this Windows error and figured out everything you will need to do about it. This article will help you get photos to open on your computer as usual, after fixing the File System Error (-2147219196).

What does the File System Error (-2147219196) error message mean?

Under most circumstances, the File System Error (-2147219196) shows up when you try to open a picture on your Windows 10 system. This can also appear when you are trying to use applications that come with the Windows Operating System (OS) during its installation.

When this error message comes up, you will not be able to use the features offered by the Windows applications. Though this is generally caused by a bug, there are a few other factors that can be responsible for this error message to appear and incapacitate the Windows applications.

What are the factors that cause the File System Error?

There are 5 plausible reasons on your Windows 10 computer that can be held responsible for the File System Error (-2147219196).

System bugs

Bugs or glitches in the OS can be responsible for more problems on the computer than one can imagine. This can also be responsible for the File system error on your Windows PC. Some of these bugs are temporary and can be fixed easily by rebooting the system or trying to launch the photo viewer again.

Disabled System Services

There are some system services that have to be enabled for the Windows applications to function normally. There can be some forced situations where these services can get disabled. Thereby when the relevant services are down, you are highly likely to face the File System Error when you try to open photos on your Windows PC.

Disk Corruption

When the OS is not able to write data to a file or when parts of the file become inaccessible, data corruption develops on the hard disc. A corrupted hard disk can arise as the storage unit matures in several circumstances. If you have an old HDD or an SSD, you can probably face the file system error.

Corrupt Windows Update

Windows Updates are not always beneficial because there are chances of a Windows Update becoming corrupt. This damaged update file can be a cause of the file system error on your system. Ironically, another Windows Update could be the solution to this.

File System Encryption Errors

It is also a possibility that the very feature, that offers protection to your system files and the files you create on a PC, could be the reason you see the file system error message. How this element affects the Windows apps is quite complicated.

Solutions to the File System Error on your Windows 10 PC

1. Troubleshoot the Microsoft Store Apps
2. Update or Upgrade the OS Version
3. Get the latest version of the Photos app
4. Update all the available system drivers
5. Adjust the Photo App directory permissions
6. Launch the OS in a Clean Boot
7. Run the SFC scan command

Fixing the File System Error on Windows 10

Troubleshoot the Microsoft Store Apps

The Windows OS has an in-built troubleshooter that allows users to detect problems with some aspect of the operating system and fix it, if it is not complicated. The first solution to the First System Error is to try and run the Windows Troubleshooter for Windows Applications.

The steps to carry out this simple workaround are as follows –

• Bring up the Settings window on your system through the Start menu or by pressing the Windows + I keys on your keyboard.
• Click on the Update & Security settings tile and go into the Troubleshoot tab.
• In this page, you should be able to see all the troubleshooters that you have earlier used. If not, click on the Additional Troubleshooters link at the lower part of the page.

• Locate the Windows Store Apps and expand the option by clicking on the section.

• Now, choose the Run the troubleshooter button.
• You may be asked to make a number of choices that can help you fix the application.

Once this troubleshooting is complete, the issues will be detected and if there are any, they will be fixed once the “Apply this fix” option is clicked on. This solution is highly unlikely to let you use the Windows apps

Update or Upgrade the OS Version

It is mentioned above that updating the Windows 10 OS can be both useful and corruptive to the system. However, it is impossible to know how the update can affect your PC. Since the recent Windows 11 OS is out, there is also a chance of the issue being fixed when you upgrade to the newer Windows version.

This is what you have to do for updating the OS version –

• Launch the Windows Settings and click on the Update & Settings option.
• On the page, find the Windows Update section,
• Here, click on the Check for updates option. The system will check for available system and driver updates.
• If there are pending updates, click on the Download and Install option on your system.

• Once the download is complete, restart your PC using the Update and Restart option in the Shutdown section.

You can use the Download and Install option in the Windows 11 upgrade section to begin upgrading the OS to the newer version. This can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours to complete.

Get the latest version of the Photos app

Since there have been several reports of this error message showing up while trying to use the Photos application or try to access an image file on your Windows computer. Updating the Photos application could help you fix the existing file system error on your system.

This is the procedure to update the Photos application on your system –

• Launch the Microsoft Store on your system. This is available in the Start menu or you just have to search for it.
• Go to the application Library, the option for which is in the bottom-left part of your Microsoft Store page.
• Select the Get Update button to make the application check for available updates for all the system apps.

• If there is an available update for the Photo Viewer on the, download the update and restart your PC.

Once the update has been applied, try opening the image that you wanted to see earlier.

Update all the available system drivers

A faulty system driver can cause a series of issues on your computer; One of these could be a file system error. This means that updating the system drivers can help towards fixing it. There are three ways to update the driver software on a Windows-based computer.

The first and easiest option is to use the Windows Update page in the System settings.

• Open Windows Settings (Windows + I) and select Update & Settings from the settings main menu.
• Locate the Windows Update area on the page.
• Click on the Optional updates link under the update status section.

• Expand the Driver Updates section and check all the checkboxes next to the available driver updates.

• Now, click on the Download and Install option after making sure that you have an active internet connection.
• Once the update downloads are complete, restart the system to apply the updates to your system.

You can also use the little more complicated method where you will have to use the Device Manager.

• Launch the Device Manager window on your system using the devmgmt.msc command in the Run tool (Windows key + R) or choose it from the Quick Link menu (Windows + X).
• Now expand the section that contains the device and the drivers for them.
• Right-click on the driver and choose the Update driver option.

• Once the update driver wizard comes up, select the Search automatically for updated driver software on your computer.
• If there are available driver updates, they will be downloaded, and to install them, you just have to reboot your device.

The last option is to use a third-party application to check for driver updates and download them. There are several applications to carry out this duty. This is the easiest method to get an update of the device driver software.

Adjust the Photo App directory permissions

The Photo viewing application is generally provided with some permissions to allow the users to provide permissions. This is something that the users do not usually configure on their own. However, if these have been changed the only way to fix this is to make changes in the permissions provided to the Photo application.

This can be a complex procedure if you do not know what to do. Check the steps below to do it right –

• Launch the Admin: Command Prompt window through the Search bar (Windows + S) or the Run tool (Windows + R). If you are using the Run utility, press the Shift and Enter key to open the CMD command with administrator privileges.
• Enter the following command and execute it:
• TAKEOWN /F “C:\Program Files\WindowsApps” /R /D Y
• This command will transfer the ownership of the WindowsApp folder to the user profile
• Open the File Explorer (Windows + E) window and go to this directory:
• C:\Program Files\WindowsApps
• Sometimes this folder may be hidden and you will have to choose the Show hidden files option on the menu bar on the top.
• When you try to open the Windows folder, there could be a prompt window for confirmation to open it.
• Right-click on the Microsoft.Windows.Photos_2017.37071.16410.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe folder and choose the Properties option in the context menu.
• Click on the Security tab and open the Advanced option.
• Go to the Advanced permissions category and select the Change option for the file owner.
• Once you see the text field, enter NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller and click on the OK button.
• Check the Replace Owner of subcontainers and object checkbox.
• Once you’re done, click on the Apply and OK button to save these changes.
• After this is complete, launch the Administrator: Windows PowerShell tool on the system.
• First, execute the get-appxpackage *Microsoft.Windows.Photos* | remove-appxpackage and then, restart your system.
• Once the reboot is complete, open the Administrator: Windows PowerShell on your system and execute the Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.Windows.Photos | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
• Once this command has been processed, try opening the picture again.

Launch the OS in a Clean Boot

• Open the Run tool (Windows key + R) and type the msconfig command into it, then press Enter. This is the command that will open the System Configuration window.
• Select the Load Startup Items option located below the Selective Startup radio button section in the General tab.
• Toggle the Hide all Microsoft services option on the Services tab. Then, in the lower-left corner of the window, click Disable all.
• Select Open Task Manager from the Startup tab.
• Go to the Services tab in the Task Manager window and disable all the processes that are currently running.
• Close the Task Manager as well as the System Configuration windows.
• To conduct a clean boot, restart your computer.

Run the SFC scan command

The System File Checker (SFC) command is used to scan the system for corrupted files and replace them with a fresh replacement copy of the file. This system file replacement is stored in the C:\System32\dllcache folder. Since system file corruption is also a reason for the file system error, we can try running the SFC command.

Open the Administrator: Windows PowerShell tool on your system, for which there are two methods – the Quick Link menu (Windows key + X) or the Search bar (Windows key + S) on your taskbar.

Once the application is up, type in the following commands in the given order and hit the enter key.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

Once the following commands are executed, restart your system to apply these changes.

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