Offline files service error: The system cannot find the path

Problem: we need to enable offline files in a windows 2008 r2 workstation. Starting the Offline files service only shows the error "The system cannot find the path".

Solution: the procedure to enable offline files in windows 2008 is documented in the following link http://www.win2008workstation.com/win2008/enable-offline-files-feature. Just in case the URL is broken anytime in the future, I am copying the most important part below:

Prerequisite: You must have the Desktop Experience feature installed.

1. Download and install the appropriate version of Windows Mobile Device Center from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/devicecenter.mspx. This doesn’t have to do with any Windows Mobile device, but it is needed to get the Sync Center option in the Control Panel.

2. In the Start menu click Control Panel.

- If you use the Modern View, click the Network and Internet section and click Enable offline Files.

- If you use the Classic View, doubleclick the Offline Files icon.

In the Offline Files window click Enable Offline Files to start using offline files.

3. Close the Enable Offline Files window by clicking OK and choose Yes when asked if you want to restart your Computer.

4. After the restart go to the networking folder you want to make offline available, right click on it and select Always Available Offline. A local copy will now be made.

Preem Palver´s note: after installing the 64 bit version of the Mobile Device Center, I got a message saying that there was an error installing the driver. However after rebooting the machine it worked fine.