Routing and Remote Access Service Could not Start – “System cannot find the file” Error 2

When you start the Routing and Remote Access service (RRAS) via the Services MMC on your Windows 10 computer, you may encounter the error code 2 (which means a missing file). Here is the full error message verbatim:

The Event Viewer shows this error:

Log Name:      System
Source:        Service Control Manager
Date:          
Event ID:      7023
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      DESKTOP-JKJ4G5Q
Description:
The Routing and Remote Access service terminated with the following error: 
The system cannot find the file specified.

This post tells you how to fix the RRAS service startup error.

Fix “Error 2” Routing and Remote Access Service Could not Start

Follow these steps to fix the Routing and Remote Access Service error.

1. Right-click Start, and click Run.
2. Type regedit.exe and click OK. This opens the Registry Editor.
3. In the Registry Editor window, go to the following branch:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteAccess\Parameters

4. In the right-pane, create an expandable string value (REG_EXPAND_SZ) named ServiceDLL (if the value doesn’t already exist.)
5. Double-click ServiceDLL and set its data as follows:

   %SystemRoot%\System32\mprdim.dll

6. Exit the Registry Editor.

You should be able to start the Routing and Remote Access Service successfully.

If that doesn’t help, repair Windows system files using DISM and then follow up with the System File Checker. See article Repair Windows 10 Using DISM and the System File Checker for detailed information on the topic.

That’s it! This should resolve Routing and Remote Access Service error 2 on your Windows 10 computer.