Fix 0x00000242: No paging file specified on Windows 10/11

When this error hits

You'll see 0x00000242 right after booting — usually a BSOD or a popup from an app like SQL Server, Photoshop, or a VM host. The exact message: "{No Paging File Specified} No paging file was specified in the system configuration." It's most common after you've:

• Ran a registry cleaner that nuked the ExistingPageFiles key
• Changed a drive letter where the pagefile lived
• Deleted pagefile.sys manually because you were short on space
• Recently moved the pagefile to another drive and that drive died or disconnected

What's actually happening

Windows stores virtual memory settings in the registry under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management. The PagingFiles value lists which drives hold a pagefile. If that value is blank, points to a missing drive, or references a file that doesn't exist, you get error 0x00000242. The kernel literally can't find a file it expects at boot. Without a pagefile, the system won't allocate virtual memory — and some apps will refuse to start.

The culprit here is almost always a corrupted or missing registry entry. Rarely is it a physical file issue — pagefile.sys is recreated automatically when the setting is correct.

How to fix it

Step 1: Restore default pagefile settings

1. Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, hit Enter.
2. Go to the Advanced tab, click Settings under Performance.
3. Switch to the Advanced tab, click Change under Virtual memory.
4. Check Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.
5. Click Set, then OK on all dialogs.
6. Reboot.

Step 2: If step 1 doesn't work — manual registry fix

Sometimes the UI won't save the change if the registry is already corrupt. Do this:

1. Open Registry Editor (regedit as admin).
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management.
3. Find the value PagingFiles (type REG_MULTI_SZ).
4. Double-click it and set it to exactly this: C:\pagefile.sys (on a new line, no quotes).
5. Find ExistingPageFiles (type REG_MULTI_SZ). Set it to C:\pagefile.sys as well.
6. Close regedit, reboot.

Step 3: If you can't even boot

Boot from Windows installation media. Open Command Prompt (Shift + F10 at setup screen). Run:

reg load HKLM\TEMP C:\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM
reg add "HKLM\TEMP\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" /v PagingFiles /t REG_MULTI_SZ /d "C:\pagefile.sys" /f
reg unload HKLM\TEMP

Reboot normally. This bypasses the broken registry hive.

Still failing?

Three things to check:

• Drive C: full? You need at least 1 GB free to create a pagefile. Free up space or move the pagefile to another drive via the UI.
• Drive letter changed? If you moved the pagefile to D: but D: is now E:, update PagingFiles in regedit to point to the correct drive.
• Corrupted user profile? Rare, but try creating a new local admin account and see if the error follows you. If not, migrate your data.

Don't bother with chkdsk or SFC for this — they won't fix a registry value. Skip third-party "registry cleaners" too; they cause this problem more often than they solve it. The fix is always in the registry or the UI setting.