6 Ways to Fix Windows Script Host Errors

Having problems with Windows script host errors? Here's how to fix them.

Are you encountering Windows Script Host error messages like “The system cannot find the file specified for the Startup.vbs script”? Or something like “Windows Script Host access is disabled on this machine”? Normally, these errors are caused by corrupted system files, malware, registry errors, and VBS script file issues.

So, if you’ve had enough of Windows Script Host errors, read on to discover how you can tackle these problems.

What Is the Windows Script Host and Why Is It Giving You Issues?

The Windows Script Host is a built-in tool designed for PC administrators to automate and manage tasks. It provides an environment where you can execute scripts in a variety of languages. By default, this tool interprets and runs VBScript (.VBS and .VBE) files and plain-text JScript (.JS and .JSE) files.

When you encounter Windows Script Host errors, it means that the Windows Script Host tool is failing to read a particular script file. Now that we know this, let’s take a look at how you can handle Windows Script Host errors.

1. Scan Your PC for Viruses and Remove Any Threats

If malware is the main culprit for this error messa you can perform a full scan on your device and remove any harmful programs.

To get started, here are some simple steps to follow:

1. Type Windows Security in the Windows search bar and select the Best match.
2. In the next window, select Virus & threat protection.
3. Next, select Scan options and then choose Full scan from the options that appear.
4. Finally, press the Scan now button.

If you want to scan specific files or perform a quick scan, open the Virus & threat protection settings as per the previous steps and select either the Quick scan or Custom scan option. In addition to this, you could also try running the Microsoft Defender Offline scan.

2. Change the Default Value of the VBS File

The VBS (Virtual Basic Script) is a file containing code that you can run using the Windows Script Host tool. If this file isn’t configured correctly, it could cause several Windows Script Host errors.

So, to tackle this problem, try changing the default value of the VBS file by following these steps:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
2. Type Regedit and press OK to open the Registry Editor.
3. Navigate to Computer > HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT > .vbs.
4. Double-click the (Default) value on the right-hand side pane to open it.

In the next window, set the Value data to VBSfile and then press OK to save these settings.

When you finish, close the Registry Editor and then restart your PC.

3. Fix Corrupted System Files With SFC and DISM

If Windows Script Host errors are caused by corrupted system files, then the SFC and DISM tools can come in handy. These are two critical tools that you can always depend on in case you want to quickly find and repair mischievous system files.

To get started, here’s how you can run the DISM tool:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
2. Type CMD and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt.
3. Next, type the following command and then press Enter:

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

4. Wait for the scan to complete. From there, type the following command and press Enter:

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

5. When the scan is complete, restart your PC to apply these changes.
6. Now you can run the SFC scan. To do this, open the Command Prompt as per the previous steps, type the following command, and then press Enter:

   sfc /scannow

7. When the scan is complete, close the Command Prompt and restart your PC

4. Use the Microsoft Safety Scanner

If you have an antivirus program installed, you could use it to find and remove any harmful programs that might be causing this error. But if you don’t have any antivirus program, then you could give the Microsoft Safety Scanner a try. This is a free and easy-to-use tool designed to quickly find and remove malware from Windows devices.

Here’s how you can use the Microsoft Safety Scanner:

1. Depending on your system specs, download either the 32- or 64-bit version of the Microsoft Safety Scanner.
2. Once installed, open the program and select the type of scan you want to run.
3. Click Next to continue and follow the on-screen instructions to finalize the process.

5. Use a System Restore Point

Creating restore points is one of the best ways to keep your Windows data safe. In case the Windows Script Host errors are a recent thing, then you can tackle them by restoring your PC to its previous state with a restore point.

So, if you’ve already created a system restore point, here’s how you can use it:

1. Type Control Panel in the Windows search bar and select the Best match.
2. Click the View by drop-down menu and select Large icons.
3. Scroll down and click the Recovery option.
4. In the next window, click the Open System Restore option and then click Next in the pop-up window.
5. In the System Restore window, select a restore point and then click Next to continue.

Follow the on-screen instructions to finalize the process and restart your PC when you finish.

6. Enable Windows Script Host Via the Registry Editor

You might run into Windows Script Host errors simply because the Script Host is disabled. To resolve this issue, here’s how you can enable the Script Host via the Registry Editor:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
2. Type Regedit and press OK to open the Registry Editor.
3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows Script Host > Settings.

Double-click the Enabled value on the right-hand side pane and then set its Value data to 1.

If you can't find the Enabled value, create it by following these steps:

1. Right-click on an empty space on the right-hand side pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
2. Name this new value as Enabled and then click OK.
3. Finally, double-click on the value and set its Value data to 1.

Easily Tackle Windows Script Host Errors

The Windows Script Host errors are quite irritating, but resolving them is super easy. If you run into such issues, simply follow the tips we’ve provided and you should be good to go. From there, you could even start exploring a couple of Windows scripts that could help you automate your tasks.

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