Forum Discussion
Wifi not working after deleting capability access manager db
is there someone here with some computer windows know how - I was having a problem with the capability accessmanager database consuming all my hard drive space and so every bit of advice I found online from even windows forums was to simply delete the db file and windows will automatically recreate it but it will eliminate the enormous file upon next restart
I did that and now though I don't have any wifi connection and I get an error message in services when I try to restart the capability access manager service - I don't know what to do now
I have windows 11. All the advice I found online was saying that if you delete the database file that is okay because windows just recreates it when you restart as long as Capability Access manager service isn't disabled - well I didn't disable it, I just followed the directions to go into safe.mode and delete the db file
But now after restarts the Capability access manager remains disabled and I can't start it in the services.msc
11 Replies
Deleting the Capability Access Manager database can break system permissions, which may affect WiFi functionality. Try restarting your system first, then reset network settings or run a network troubleshooter. If the issue persists, you may need to restore the database by performing a system restore or repairing Windows using system repair tools.
We deleted the CapabilityAccessManager db-wal file in Safe Mode, as recommended by other forums. After that, the system could not detect any Wi-Fi networks. We attempted multiple fixes, including uninstalling the NIC and drivers, running the Windows troubleshooter, and resetting the network adapter.
We also saw that the Settings app would crash when navigating to Settings > System > Power, though it was unclear if this was related.
To resolve the issue, we used Settings > System > Recovery > Fix problems using Windows Update. After installing the repair version of 25H2, both Wi-Fi and the Settings app were functioning normally again.
Hello everyone:
I did the same procedure (you might be referring to a post in learn.microsoft.com on this subject
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5815087/capabilityaccessmanager-is-devouring-my-hard-drive
My experience suggested me that in order for the process to restart and rebuild the files, the permissions and ownership that step 4 of the post redefined with ICACLS
icacls "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\CapabilityAccessManager" /grant administrators:F /t
had to be restored to their previous status, which I accomplished by resetting the permisions to default
icacls "C:\Path\To\Folder" /reset /T /C
Once I accomplished this, I opened the services with Win+R and typed "services.msc", made sure that the CapabilityAccessManager service was up and running (or made sure to start it by right clicking on it and starting).
ONLY IF the service started successfully I would restart the computer normally and complete the solution.
If you see in services.msc that CapabilityAccessManager is down and won't start, and you performed a file delete procedure such as the one in the link, it's very possible that by restoring the original permissions to the folder you'll get the service back and you'll see your wi-fi networks after a reset.
This is the only real fix on here
I have the same problem and deleted the entire folder and now have no internet connection. How can I download from windows update if I cannot connect to the internet to do so?
If you don't have an ethernet connection, you'll need to repair Windows using the Media Creation Tool
bro u are a life saver.. i too deleted capability access manager db wal file n my laptop couldn't detect any wifi networks after that.. i tried every solution.. im currently installing windows 25H2 as i type this.., My gut says this solution will definitely work.. so thanks a lot in advance ❤️
After hours of painstaking experimentations, the solution I found was: instead of deleting the individual .db* file(s), backup and delete the entire C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\CapabilityAccessManager\ folder.
It seems to me that the logic of camsvc is: if the folder exists, assume that all files are intact and crash if any file is missing. If the folder doesn't exist, create the folder and then create all the files anew.
Yes, I understand your situation. The Capability Access Manager database (or similar system database files) can sometimes grow excessively large, consuming a lot of disk space. Deleting the database file and letting Windows recreate it is a common troubleshooting step, but it should be done carefully.
Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. Run the Network Adapter troubleshooter to detect and fix issues.
