Overview

You receive the following error when scanning a Windows 8 computer with GFI EndPointSecurity:

Connecting to remote registry failed with: The network path was not found. (error 53)

Environment

• GFI EndPointSecurity 2013 SR1 or later
• Windows 8

Root Cause

By default, The remote registry service is disabled in Windows 8. GFI EndPointSecurity requires this service to be allowed to contact remote computers and conduct scans on them.

Resolution

Scanning requires the Remote Registry service to be enabled. To enable this service on the target computer:

1. Open the Start screen

2. Type services.msc and press Enter

3. Find the Remote Registry service, right-click it and select Properties

4. Set the Startup type to Automatic

Note: You can also enable this service via Group Policy.