SystemSettingsAdminFlows is associated with administrative privileges. It is an executable file that’s present on every single Windows computer by default. So when a user tries to open a file with administrative privileges, the error message could pop up. In this post, we will address this issue and see what needs to be done if the SystemSettingsAdminFlows error appears on your Windows computer.
SystemSettingsAdminFlows.exe – Bad Image
CAWINDOWS\SYSTEM32\msauserextdilis either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again using the original installation media or contact your system administrator or the software vendor for support, Error status 0xc000012f.
OR
C:\Windows\system32\SystemSettingsAdminFlows.exe
Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item.
What is SystemSettingsAdminFlows.exe?
SystemSettingsAdminFlows.exe is a file responsible for granting administrative privileges to the user. When we launch a file or a program with administrative privileges, this file is utilized. However, because it functions in the background, one doesn’t usually notice its existence let alone its functioning.
Fix SystemSettingsAdminFlows Error on Windows 11/10
SystemSettingAdminFlows shows an error when the user account control policy in the Group Policy Editor is misconfigured. However, one may also see the error message if some of the system files are missing or corrupted or the OS has some bug. We recommend you execute from the first solution and then move your way down.
- Configure a Policy
- Update your Operating System
- Run SFC and DISM
- Repair Windows using Installation Media
- Reinstall the faulty application
Let us talk about them in detail.
1] Configure a Policy
There is a policy called User Account Control: Admin Approval Mode for the Built-in Administrator Account in the Local Group Policy Editor present on your computer that needs to be configured in order to resolve the issue. We need to turn on the policy and we will be good to go. Follow the steps given below to do the same.
- Open Local Group Policy Editor from the Start Menu.
- Go to Local Policies > Security Options.
- Look for User Account Control: Admin Approval Mode for the Built-in Administrator Account.
- Double-click on the policy, change it to Enabled, and click on Ok.
After making the changes, restart your computer and then check if the issue is resolved.
2] Update your operating system
One may get the error message due to some kind of bug in the existing version of Windows. The same peculiarity was experienced by users running Build 10061. That is why we recommend running the latest build, for that, check for updates.
- If you are Windows 11 user, go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
- Windows 10 users should go to Settings > Updates & Security > Check for updates.
After updating the system, reboot it and check if the issue is resolved. Hopefully, this will do the trick for you.
3] Run SFC and DISM
In case, updating doesn’t work, it is possible that your system files are corrupted. To get rid of this corruption, we will run some tools using Command Prompt. For that, open Command Prompt as an administrator (if you can’t launch cmd in elevated mode, skip this solution and move to the next). Now, execute the following command.
sfc /scannow
If the System File Checker fails to do the job, execute the following DISM commands to scan and repair the system image.
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
DISM commands will take some time, but make sure to execute each of them separately. Finally, check if the issue is resolved.
4] Repair Windows using Installation Media
If nothing worked, you can clearly say that your system is corrupted beyond the point of repair. Therefore, we need to use a fresh copy of the operating system to repair your current installation. So, go ahead and repair Windows using installation media and resolve the issue.
Read: System process (ntoskrnl.exe) High Disk or CPU usage on Windows.
5] Reinstall the faulty application
If there is a particular application that when launching gives you a SystemSettingsAdminFlows error, do reinstall it. Reinstalling will work in case some necessary files are not installed during the initial installation process. So, go ahead and uninstall the program. Now, download a fresh copy and install it.
We hope that you will be able to resolve the issue using the solutions mentioned in this article.
Also Read: SystemSettings.exe System error in Windows.
