This system error can arise from Photos, but it can also appear when you boot other Windows apps. Unfortunately, you can’t utilize Photos with this startup issue, so here are some fixes that can feasibly resolve that File system error in Windows 10 and 11.
1. Check for Windows Updates
Microsoft often releases patch updates to fix various Windows bugs. As this file system error has been widely reported, it likely hasn’t escaped the big M’s attention. So, it’s recommended that you check for, download, and install all additional Windows updates as follows:
Launch the Settings configuration app. You can use its Win + I keyboard shortcut to open it quickly. Select Windows Update along the left side of Settings. Click the Check for updates option to initiate a search. Windows will automatically download and install any available patch updates found. If you see any optional updates listed beneath the Check for updates button, click the Download and Install options for them.
The steps for checking updates in Windows 10’s Settings app are a little different. You’ll need to select the Updates & Security Settings category in Windows 10. Then you can select the same Check for updates option from there.
2. Run the Windows Store App Troubleshooter
The Windows Store App troubleshooter is one that can resolve a wide range of UWP (Universal Windows Platform) app issues. That troubleshooter doesn’t always work, but running it is always worth a try.
This is how you can run the Windows Store App troubleshooter within Windows 10 or 11:
Open Settings to view its System tab. Click Troubleshoot and then Other troubleshooters within the System tab. Then select the Run option that brings up the Windows Store App troubleshooter. Wait for the Windows Store App troubleshooter to detect issues. It might automatically apply repairs or make suggestions for you to carry out.
In Windows 10, you’ll need to select Update & Security in Settings to reach the Troubleshoot tab. Then you can select an Additional troubleshooters option from there. Select the Run the troubleshooter option for Windows Store Apps.
3. Reset the Photos App
You can select both Reset and Repair troubleshooting options for Photos in both Windows 11 and 10. One option deletes the app’s data and the other applies repairs without affecting data. This is how you can select to reset and repair Photos in Windows 11:
Open Settings via the Start menu or with its hotkey. Select the Apps tab (or category in Windows 10). Then click Apps & features to view your desktop’s or laptop’s apps. Select Advanced options by clicking the three-dot button for the Microsoft Photos app. Next, select the Repair option. If selecting Repair doesn’t fix Photos, try clicking Reset as well. Select Reset again to give the go-ahead to clear data for Photos.
4. Restore the Default Pictures Libraries
Sometimes, restoring the default picture libraries helps fix this issue. To do that, follow these steps:
Click the folder taskbar icon to open the Explorer file manager app. Double-click the Libraries folder in Explorer’s navigation pane to expand it. Right-click the Pictures library to select Properties. Select the Restore Defaults option. Click Apply to save the default settings. Restart Windows after restoring default libraries.
5. Clean Boot Windows
To ensure there isn’t a third-party app or service interfering with Photos in any way, try clean-booting Windows. Configuring a clean boot with the MSConfig utility will remove superfluous programs and services from the Windows startup.
Here are the steps for clean-booting Windows 10 and 11:
Click Start with the right button on your mouse to select Run. Open the System Configuration tool by inputting msconfig in Run and clicking OK. Uncheck the Load system items checkbox on the General tab to deselect that setting. Click Services to open that tab’s options. To exclude more essential services, select Hide all Microsoft services. Deselect all other services by clicking Disable all. Select Apply to save the new options. Then click OK to close the MSConfig tool. Click Restart on the System Configuration dialog box. Try starting Photos again after the restart to see if the File system error still arises.
6. Reinstall the Photos App
Reinstalling the Photos app might be necessary if none of the resolutions above fix its file system error. It’s also recommended that you thoroughly eradicate leftover files from Photos after uninstalling the app.
This is how to reinstall Photos and erase leftovers from it in Windows:
Firstly, press the Win + S key combination to bring up the search box. Type in the keyword PowerShell within the search tool’s text box. Click the Windows PowerShell search result with the right mouse button and select Run as administrator. To uninstall Photos, enter this PowerShell command: Get-AppxPackage Microsoft. Windows. Photos | Remove-AppxPackage Press the Return key to execute. Open the PsExec v2. 3 webpage. Click the Download PsTools link there. Launch Explorer’s window to navigate to the folder the PsTools ZIP saved in. Right-click the PsTools ZIP to select Extract all. Click Browse in the extraction window that opens. Select to extract the ZIP to a C:\Program Files (x86)\PsTools folder location. Select Extract to decompress the ZIP. Open Command Prompt with elevated user rights. Input the following text and hit Return: C:\Program Files (x86)\PsTools\PsExec. exe -sid c:\windows\system32\cmd. exe Select the Agree option on the PsExec agreement window that opens. Next, enter this rd (remove directory) command in the new Prompt window that opens and press Return: rd /s “C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft. Windows. Photos_2017. 37071. 16410. 0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe” Press the Y keyboard key to give the go-ahead. Open Microsoft Store by clicking the shortcut for that app on the Start menu. Type Microsoft Photos within the search box in MS Store. Select to open the Microsoft Photos page. Click the Get button there to reinstall the app.
Note that the “Microsoft.Windows.Photos” folder on your PC might have a different version number in its title than the one within the specified command in step 15. You’ll need to take ownership of the “WindowsApps” folder to open that directory and check the “Microsoft.Windows.Photos” folder’s version number on your PC.
You can take ownership of the WindowsApps folder by entering this PowerShell command:
Kick-Start Photos With These Potential Fixes
Photos’ File system error isn’t always entirely straightforward to fix. There isn’t any guaranteed fix for that error. However, those potential Windows 10 and 11 resolutions for the File system error are certainly worth a try.
Remember that Photos isn’t the only image viewer app in the world. If the File system error persists after applying those resolutions, you can always check out some alternative image viewer apps to Photos. FastStone Image Viewer and IrfanView are two of the best freeware image viewers that have decent feature sets.
