Guide to fix error 0xc0000102 in Windows 10, 11

Application launch error 0xc0000102 is one of a series of similar failures, albeit not the most popular, but thousands of users see it every month. They try to open some program, but instead of the expected result, an error is displayed. More often, the crash appears when launching Chrome, Adobe Reader, BS Player, etc. We will consider all the ways to solve the problem in Windows 10, 11.

Why does error 0xc0000102 appear?

Most often, the failure is of a serious form and is associated with damage to some important data of the system or program. Here’s what can provoke it:

• damage to user files;
• incompatibility with the version of the operating system;
• failure in registry files associated with setting incorrect values;
• violation of subsystem files;
• malfunction of BCD data;
• prohibition on launching MMC applications (system).

How to fix error 0xc0000102?

We propose to first consider simpler and at the same time effective methods. If they do not work already, then let’s get down to setting up and restoring the system. Try it first:

• Create a new profile… Damage to the profile files or its permissions can provoke an error. Creating a new account should help. To do this, you need to press Win + I, go to “Accounts” and on the “Family and other people” tab, click “Add a user for this computer.” All that remains is to log out, log in with a different profile, and check if this solution helped.

• Run the program in compatibility mode. If the problem occurs when opening an old game or application, it is worth trying to run it in compatibility with Windows 7, XP. The action gives a good chance of fixing the problem. This can be done in the properties of the program shortcut on the “Compatibility” tab.
• Perform a clean boot of the system… You can use safe mode or turn off all programs and services (everything you need is available in the msconfig.exe menu – entered in the Run line). On the “Boot” tab, you can select “Safe Mode” or in the “Services” section – turn off everything, and then – in “Autostart”. If the program works, then the problem is in conflict with other applications, you need to turn them on in turn and look at the result.

In more complex cases, the error when starting the application 0xc0000102 in Windows 10, 11 appears when system data is corrupted. Their restoration is a little more difficult, so it will be considered separately.

Method 1: automatic Windows repair

The main condition for this action is the presence of an installation disk or flash drive. Everything else is a matter of technology.

Instructions for Windows 10:

1. Turn off the computer, start it and go to the Boot Menu. The tooltip will be displayed at the bottom (usually F9, but there may be another button).
2. Select the drive with the installation distribution of the operating system connected to the PC.
3. After starting in the Windows window, click on the bottom “System Restore”.
4. In the Troubleshoot section, go to the Advanced Options tab and select Automatic Repair.

Method 2: repairing the bootloader

The first part of the procedure is similar to the previous instructions, you need to do everything the same, but select “Command line” from the recovery options. In the console that appears, it remains to enter the commands sequentially, after each pressing Enter:

bcdedit / export C: BCD_Backup

c:

cd boot

attrib bcd -s -h -r

ren c: boot bcd bcd.old

bootrec / RebuildBcd

After restarting the system, it’s worth trying to see if that helped.

Method 3: allow MMC applications to run

This will be helped by changing just one parameter, which, when active, tries to notify the administrator that someone is trying to launch a system application. After turning off the settings, applications will open without problems.

What do we have to do:

1. Press the Win + R combination, insert secpol.msc and press Enter.
2. In the “Local Policies” section in the “Security Settings” section, you need to find “User Account Control: all administrators work in administrator approval mode.”
3. Disable this option and reboot the system.

Now you know about all the ways to fix the error with code 0xc0000102 in Windows 10, 11. After one of the actions, the programs should start without problems.