Some users have recently reported a problem where they are not able to open Explorer.exe after upgrading Windows 10 or after installing a Windows Update. They receive an error message that says “An attempt was made to reference a token that does not exist”.
This problem is not exclusively for the Explorer.exe program. Numerous users using other Windows utilities such as Taskbar, Recycle Bin, MMC or Microsoft Management Console and etc also received the problem.
After analyzing the issue and looking at various users’ reports, we managed to create a list of potential culprits for the issue under discussion. These are:
April Creators Update – The update was released with an inconsistency that corrupted the files of various built-in utilities. The issue has been fixed now and applying will resolve the problem for you.
Corrupted System Files –An inconsistence Windows update, a malware infection or manual interference may results in system files corruption which could be the reason why your Windows displayed the said error.
If you are struggling to resolve the issue, below we have provided the best troubleshooting solutions. For the best result, we urge you to start with the first fix and wok you way down till you get the effective solution.
Possible fixes for “An attempt was made to reference a token that does not exist” error
Fix 1: Run Command Prompt to fix corrupted files
Some users having this issue managed to resolve it by using an elevated command prompt to fix registry system files corruption. This method resolves the problem for you in case it is triggered by files corruption. Here is a quick guide:
- Press Win+ R, type in CMD and then press Ctrl+ Shift+ Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt window,
- If received UAC, choose ‘Yes’,
- In the Command line, type the below command and hit Enter:
cd %WINDIR%\System32
- Type or paste the below command next to this and hit Enter:
for /f %s in (‘dir /b *.dll’) do regsvr32 /s %s
- Close the elevated Command Prompt and restart your device.
At the next startup, see if the issue has been resolved. If not, move with our next solution provided below.
Fix 2: Revert to the previous version of Windows
Make sure if the problem is not triggered due to the last Windows Update you installed. Some users have managed to resolve the problem by using the Advanced Recovery option that allows them to revert to the previous Windows version. Most of the users re-applied the update after a while and reported that this worked for them:
- Press Start key, click on Power icon while holding the Shift key and then click on the Restart button,
- In the opened Advanced Recovery options window, click on Troubleshoot,
- Go to the Advanced options and then click Go back to the previous version of Windows,
- Once the process is complete, restart your device and wait for the next startup,
- Check the then if An attempt was made to reference a token that does not exist error is resolved now.
Fix 3: Perform a Repair Install
If error still occurs, there could be a case of system file corruption what could be causing the said error. If so, you should consider clean installing the system. In this method, you will lose all your personal files and applications. Other option is to perform repair install.
A repair install will solely replace the Windows files and dependencies while leaving your files and applications intact. You can employ PC Repair Tool – an automatic tool to check for possible Windows related issues and eradicate them automatically. It works effectively in case of system files corruption.
Conclusion
That’s all! Hope so, the fixes provided in this post are helpful for you in getting rid of An attempt was made to reference a token that does not exist error. Comment down below in case you have any doubts regarding any steps provided in the solution.
