How To Fix Windows Error 193 0xC1

Learn how to quickly fix the Windows error 193 0xc1. This error is not specific to a particular program or software, it is a Windows related problem that can affect any program installed on your system. The text of the 193 error is:

Windows could not start the iTunes program on your computer. Error 193: 0xc1

On older Windows systems it could be shown as:

Could not start the Windows service on Local Computer. Error 193: 0xc1

What Is Windows Error 193 and Why Does It Happen?

As you may know, programs on Windows are run by services. To run a program, Windows needs to be able to find the service needed for that program. If the service is not available, or if windows is unable to follow the path to the .exe file of the program for some reason (e.g incorrect path), then you get the error 193 0cx1.

Let us look at two cases where this error would occur:
Case 1: The directory where the service or program is located has a name with more than one word, and there is another directory in the same location with a similar name (see Fix 1).
Case 2: The path to the program which is recorded in the Microsoft Services Console does not match the path to the program recorded in the Windows registry (see Fix 2).

How To Fix Error 193 0xc1 on Windows

Fix 1: Checking For Similar Directory Names

This problem usually happens to directories that have more than one word in their name. For example, if the program is stored in the C:\Program Files directory and there exists another directory called Program in the same location, this could trigger the error 193. Although renamaing the “Progam” folder in this case may fix this error, but unless you know what you are doing, it is not advisable to do as launching a service associated with that folder would cause an error. See fix 2.

Fix 2: Wrong Service Path In Windows Registry or Services Console

The common problem is that the path to the service in the registry does not match the same in MMC. The procedure below is recommended regardless of wether there are similar directories or not.

1. Open the services console either by typing services.msc in the start menu and pressing enter, or by opening ‘Run’ and then typing services.msc

2. This will open a window displaying list of all the running services on your computer. Look for the service of the application causing the error, right click on that service, then click Properties.

3. In the properties window, check Path to executable. Make a note of this path (you could copy it to a notepad window or something), also, remember the name of the service.

4. Now let’s check if this path matches the one stored in the registry.
Click start, type regedit and press enter. This would open the Registry Editor. You could also open it by typing ‘regedit’ in Run.

5. In the registry editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\. Under Services, look for the desired service, click on it, then check the Image path on the right pane. Copy it to a notepad window if possible (double click on the path to enter edit mode).

6. Follow the instuction below depending on whether both paths match or not.

(A) If both paths do not match, double click on the path in the registry to edit it and then change it to match the one you got from the Services console. Now try running the program, if you still get the error 193, then put double quotes around the path in the registry (as described in option B below).
Try running the program once more, if the error 193 0xc1 still shows up, then use the original path from the registry (puting quotes around it), then change the path in the Services console to match.

(B) If both paths match, put double quotes around the path in the registry. For example “C:\Program Files\samplepath\sampleservice.msc”. Make sure you use the straight quotes (“”) and not the curvy ones (“”).

Extra: Error 193 0xc1 While Trying To Use The Printer

If you see the Windows error 193 while trying to print a document, then it might be due to a spooling problem.
To fix this, launch Command Prompt and then type the following command the way it is:
CMD /K SC CONFIG SPOOLER DEPEND= RPCSS

Then press the enter key.

I hope this guide has helped you fix the Windows error 193 0xc1 on your computer. If it has, do leave a comment saying thanks and if possible which part of this guide was paramount to fixing your problem.