"Failed to connect to a Windows Service" - Windows 10

Dhaiwat

Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2016
Posts
12
I have upgraded from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 (64-bit). Now, every time I start my PC, it shows "Failed to connect to a Windows Service" in the bottom right corner for 2-3 seconds. Due to this problem, I can't open the File explorer from the task-bar. If I click the icon, it doesn't open up right away, it opens after A LOT of time like 10-15 minutes. I can' use Google Chrome, too. I have tried fixing it and I have come to know that the opencl.dll file is corrupt (C:>Windows>SysWOW64>opencl.dll). Now I need a "fresh" copy of the file. It would be really great if anyone can help me get a good copy of the file because SFC wasn't able to fix it.
Windows Version info:
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Version 1511
OS Build 10586.164

Please help, I really need it!
:smile9:
 
Hi Dhaiwat ... and welcome to the forums ...

For the "failed to connect to a Windows Service" error, a commonly used first try to help is:
1) Right-click the Windows Start Menu icon
2) Select Command Prompt (Admin)
3) Select Yes to Allow.
4) Type netsh and press Enter on your keyboard.
5) Type winsock reset and press Enter on your keyboard.

opencl.dll problem
Especially if your system has an nVidia graphics card, have a look at this thread from our Windows Update forum: it discusses a process to help with the corruption of that file:
https://www.sysnative.com/forums/wi...tion-sfc-dism-windows-10-update-1511-th2.html

Let us know if you have any questions.
 
I have tried this, it works but it is temporary. After 2-3 times, the problem arises once again. :( Please help! :(
 
I'll search for a more permanent solution to the "Failed to connect" issue.... It's too bad the temporary one doesn't work a bit longer.

It's possible that the repairs for your second problem might also help correct some of the issues with the first. Have a look at the SFCfix thread, and let me know if that process helps.

I'll stay tuned.
 
Hi again


Sorry for the delay (so much to do!)

If you very recently upgraded to Windows 10 (less than 30 days ago) ... you have the option to return to your earlier version with just a few clicks (Start - Settings - Update & security - Recovery - Go Back to Windows 8.1). Then you can test to see if everything is working normally.

If everything is back to normal, your options are to stay with Windows 8.1, or try to upgrade to Windows 10 again.

If you decide to upgrade to Windows 10, depending on your mix of software and hardware - you might be better off with a clean install of Windows 10. You could make a backup system-image of your Windows 8.1 installation beforehand (as an insurance policy). I've done quite a lot of different upgrades, and the clean installs generally are the easiest (the most trouble-free). [If you decide to clean install, I recommend using a Windows 10 DVD created either from the Media Creation Tool on Microsoft's Windows 10 website, or from TechBench. Both sources are valid Microsoft sources.

When you upgrade directly to Windows 10 from an older version, all the vendor utilities, and all the outdated drivers, have an opportunity to hang around and cause trouble. And they usually do. After all, most of them were designed of previous versions of Windows. I've seen vendor utilities hanging on to driver files as old as 2009.

It's true that you have to backup your files & re-install some programs - but that usually doesn't take very long [compared to the drawn-out battle that can ensue when an upgrade goes "off the rails"].

We can try to find a fix other than a reinstall - but that approach will take much more time (both for you and for us here) ... because I think there are likely many issues involved, not just one or two. If you do want to try fixing the system as it is - a first step would be to run the SysNative info collecting app, and Performance Monitor, and diagnostics -- following the instructions from our BSOD forum's thread ... https://www.sysnative.com/forums/bs...windows-10-8-1-8-7-vista-post303.html#post303 ... but you can post the results here.

Let us know which way you'd like to go & we'll take it from there.
 
I'll give the fix a try before trying to reinstall because reinstalling will be a very, very long process for me. Please tell me what to do now.
 
Hi again

Since something is amiss with your Windows components (possible trouble in the WinSxS folder), possibly file-version trouble with the problematic nVidia driver, and basic system response degrading to near-unusable status (ten minutes to open File Explorer, for example) . . . the next-quickest fixes are 1) Try using System Restore (if it is turned on, and you have a usable restore point from before the trouble started), 2) Trying the DISM process again, and then re-trying SFC /scannow -- and 3) Trying an in-place reinstall of Windows (which doesn't require the complete reinstall of all your programs & data) - but doesn't always work.

You can start with the System Restore try, since it's so darned easy (& reasonably fast). If the restore doesn't work, visit the link to our BSOD forum's SysNative info collection app, download and run it, try the Performance Monitor's health report (which doesn't always work, don't panic if it doesn't), and maybe run a few diagnostics. All the instructions are in that BSOD forum's thread ... but you post the results here instead of there (since, as far as we know, you aren't experiencing the infamous Blue Screen of Death errors)...
_______________

Quick-fix try #1

System Restore in Windows 10


1) Right-click the Windows Start Menu icon
2) Select System
3) Select System Protection (a blue link in the upper left-hand corner)
4) Select System Restore
5) Choose a restore point from before the current trouble started.
_______________

Quick-fix try #2

Create a bootable Windows 10 DVD

Go to the Microsoft Windows 10 website:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

1) Once on the Windows 10 site, scroll down to the section "Need to create a USB, DVD, or ISO?"
2) Click on the blue option button "Download tool now"
Once the download is complete, double-click MediaCreationTool.exe
3) "Getting things ready" will appear for a bit.
4) Agree to the License Terms by clicking on Accept
5) "Getting a few things ready" will appear.
6) On the following screen, select "Create installation media for another PC".
7) And click Next.
8) Select your preferences: language, Windows 10 version, bit-depth (the defaults are English, Windows 10, 64-bit)
9) Select ISO file.

If the iso is created on a computer already running Windows 10, simply put a blank DVD in the optical drive, right-click the .iso file you created & select "burn disk image". Otherwise use a DVD burning capable program (Roxio, Nero, Sonic, CyberLink, etc.) to create the bootable DVD -- look for a "burn image" option. You must use that special command, because simply copying the file to a DVD doesn't make the DVD bootable, it must be written as a system image (otherwise it ends up as a normal storage DVD that happens to have an .iso file on it).

Run DISM using a Windows 10 DVD

1) Make sure you are disconnected from the Internet. No Ethernet cable. Turn off the wireless.
2) Place the Windows 10 DVD in the DVD drive - cancel or exit out of any resulting screens.
3) Note the drive letter assigned to your DVD drive (you'll see this in File Explorer)
4) Right-click the Windows Start Menu icon
5) From the menu, select Command Prompt (Admin)
6) To the question "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your computer?", select Yes
7) Type in the following command, replacing the "D" in the Source:esd: with the drive-letter assigned to your DVD-drive (if it's different)
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:esd:D:\Sources\Install.esd:1 /limitaccess
(if your DVD drive happens to be assigned the drive-letter D, you can copy and paste that line into your command prompt)

It can take quite a while - varies a bit from machine to machine. Don't worry if it hangs at a certain "percent complete" for a long time - that is normal ("percent complete" reporting can be notoriously inaccurate, but doesn't hurt anything).
_______________

Quick-fix try #3

In-place re-install of Windows 10

If the version of Windows 10 on the troubled computer is the most current version available, you should be able to use the DVD created during quick-fix #2 for the re-install, because the "build" should match.

You can follow the steps in the tutorial, complete with screenshots, from tenforums.com:
Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade - Windows 10 Forums
_______________

Let us know if you have any questions.
 
Hi again

Glad that you've got an Intel graphics card ... it simplifies the troubleshooting a bit. Fixing nVidia drivers is no fun. I was guessing nVidia since one of their driver installations can corrupt that opencl.dll file...

Let us know how the fix-its go. We'll hope for the best
 
Just saw your question: you can label the restore point anything you'd like. You only have to name a restore point when you manually create one ... something like "pre-repair try" or "post-repair try" any such name that helps you remember is good.

The fix it try for System Restore is to find a restore point older than the current bad behavior by the computer.
 
I can't find any before the problem. So, now I have to post the output and the results from that BSOD thing, right?
 
Yes, you can try the info-collecting app & some of the other steps mentioned in that thread (like the diagnostics)... But you can go ahead and try the other two quick-fix methods after you collect the data and post it here. That way you don't have to wait for me to have enough time to go through all the data ... you might get lucky with one of the other two quick-fix tries I listed.

I'll be going offline for a while in a bit (sleeping!) ... but I'll check in again later on...
 
I did the DISM scan and at the moment, it seems to be fixed but it can be back like it has come back before. So, we'll have to wait.
 
And no, the issue is probably not resolved. I didn't see the error message this time but Chrome doesn't open, File explorer doesn't open. So, now I'm going to try the Quick Fix #3. I wanted to ask if my files in other hard drives than the system hard drive would be kept or not because I have a few Steam games, so please tell me. And yes, I can't perform PERFOMN scan. Please help and tell me a permanent solution, please! :)
 

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