Some Windows users reported that they are unable to access shared resources on their computers. When trying to do the same, their system prompts that a System Error 53 has occurred and the network path was not found. In this post, we are going to discuss this issue in detail and see how to resolve it.
System error 53 has occurred.
The network path was not found.
Fix System Error 53 has occurred, The network path was not found
If a System Error 53 has occurred, the first thing you should check is the network path. If the entered path is correct, move to the solutions given below.
- Check connectivity using ping
- Ensure the file and folder sharing option is enabled
- Temporarily disable the security program
- Start the computer in safe mode with networking
- Restart TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service
Let’s get started.
1] Check connectivity using ping
If there is a problem with accessing the files and folders, then first you need to check the logical connectivity using the ping command. For that, we will use the built-in Command Line interpreter, Command Prompt. So, follow the steps given below to do the same.
- Press the Windows + R to open the run dialog box.
- Type cmd and press Enter button
- Once the Command Prompt is open, type the following command.
ping <destination-IP>
After running the command, we have to analyze the packets. Check if packets are lost; if there are no lost packets, your network setup is just fine. In case there are packets lost and your network setup is incorrect, check the network path, and if it is correct, move to the next solution.
2] Ensure the file and folder sharing option is enabled
You cannot access network resources if files and folders are not enabled. If you are encountering the said error, make sure the file & folder sharing option is enabled. If this option is disabled, then you can’t access anything from the remote computer. Let’s enable the file-sharing option so that we can access the resource. Here is how you can do the same.
- Right-click on the required drive and select Properties.
- Once the dialog box appears, click on Sharing tab and check the status of the Network Path.
- If we find Not Shared, then click on the Advanced Sharing button.
- Here, check the box associated with Share this folder and note the Share name of the drive.
- Once this process is completed, click on Apply and OK buttons to save the changes.
Finally, the target drive will be Shared.
Note: This should be done by the person whose drive you want to access.
3] Temporarily disable your security software
If we are getting ping results and confirmed that the file-sharing option is enabled, then we can remove this error by disabling the antivirus and firewall. It has been seen many times that the antivirus installed on your computer can prevent you from accessing resources from a remote device. So, go ahead and disable Windows Firewall, and if you have some other security program, disable it as well.
4] Check in Safe Mode with Networking
When we start the computer in Safe Mode with Networking, it starts with network drivers and a minimal set of services. This means that it allows us to connect the computer to the internet and contact the shared server without any hindrance. Here, we should check if any third-party application is causing this problem. So, follow the steps mentioned below to boot your computer in Safe Mode with networking.
- Right-click on the Start button.
- Press and Hold the Shift key and click on Restart.
- Once the computer restarted, click on Troubleshoot and then click on Advanced options.
- Now click on the Startup Settings button and then let the system restart.
- Here, hit the number associated with Safe Mode with networking
Once the computer is started in this mode, check whether your issue will be resolved or not by connecting to the shared network.
5] Restart TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service
Next up, let us restart the service that assists your computer in connecting to the shared network. Restarting the service will flush out network glitches and resolve the issue. To do the same, open Services from the Start Menu, look for TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service, right-click, and select Restart.
Hopefully, you can resolve the issue with the help of the solutions mentioned in this post.
Read: Unable to map Network drive in Windows
How do I fix Network error 53?
Network Error 53 means that you are unable to communicate with the shared network. This mostly happens when you enter the wrong network shared path. In that case, the very first thing you should do is check if the network path you have entered is correct, you can contact the owner of that drive for detail. In case, the network path is correct, check out the solutions mentioned here to fix the remedy.
How do I fix errors when the Network path cannot be found?
If Network Path cannot be found, ask the person sharing the drive to enable Sharing option. It is possible that they have shared the path and then accidentally disable the feature. You can check the second solution to know how to do the same.
Read: Disable Could not reconnect all network drives notifications.
