# Error at starting Elasticsearch: StartupException - Unable to initialize modules

**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-starting-elasticsearch-startupexception-unable-to-initialize-modules/99266
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [September 4, 2017, 9:36am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-starting-elasticsearch-startupexception-unable-to-initialize-modules/99266 "2017-09-04T09:36:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![patbre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f8ce5/32.png) [@patbre](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/patbre)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2017, 9:36am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-starting-elasticsearch-startupexception-unable-to-initialize-modules/99266/1 "2017-09-04T09:36:19Z")

</div>

Hello,

my 30 days trial of X-Pack has ended and I tried updating it to Basic License. I have registered and downloaded the license and tried updating it through the license API like it is said in the Docs. There was some error (unfortunately I did not save it) so I tried stopping elasticsearch cluster and starting it again. Since then my cluster won't start again. When I run it I receive the following error and it immediately shuts down. I have no idea what this error is about and if it has something to do with the license or is it something completely random. Please help.

```
[2017-09-04T11:05:10,101][WARN][o.e.b.ElasticsearchUncaughtExceptionHandler] [] uncaught exception in thread [main]
org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.StartupException: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Unable to initialize modules
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.init(Elasticsearch.java:127) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.execute(Elasticsearch.java:114) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.cli.EnvironmentAwareCommand.execute(EnvironmentAwareCommand.java:67) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.cli.Command.mainWithoutErrorHandling(Command.java:122) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.cli.Command.main(Command.java:88) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.main(Elasticsearch.java:91) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.main(Elasticsearch.java:84) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Unable to initialize modules
	at org.elasticsearch.plugins.PluginsService.<init>(PluginsService.java:123) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.node.Node.<init>(Node.java:312) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.node.Node.<init>(Node.java:244) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap$5.<init>(Bootstrap.java:232) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap.setup(Bootstrap.java:232) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap.init(Bootstrap.java:351) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.init(Elasticsearch.java:123) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	... 6 more
Caused by: java.nio.file.FileSystemException: /Users/Bre/Documents/es/elasticsearch-5.5.1/modules/.DS_Store/plugin-descriptor.properties: Not a directory
	at sun.nio.fs.UnixException.translateToIOException(UnixException.java:91) ~[?:?]
	at sun.nio.fs.UnixException.rethrowAsIOException(UnixException.java:102) ~[?:?]
	at sun.nio.fs.UnixException.rethrowAsIOException(UnixException.java:107) ~[?:?]
	at sun.nio.fs.UnixFileSystemProvider.newByteChannel(UnixFileSystemProvider.java:214) ~[?:?]
	at java.nio.file.Files.newByteChannel(Files.java:361) ~[?:1.8.0_121]
	at java.nio.file.Files.newByteChannel(Files.java:407) ~[?:1.8.0_121]
	at java.nio.file.spi.FileSystemProvider.newInputStream(FileSystemProvider.java:384) ~[?:1.8.0_121]
	at java.nio.file.Files.newInputStream(Files.java:152) ~[?:1.8.0_121]
	at org.elasticsearch.plugins.PluginInfo.readFromProperties(PluginInfo.java:114) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.plugins.PluginsService.getModuleBundles(PluginsService.java:273) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.plugins.PluginsService.<init>(PluginsService.java:117) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.node.Node.<init>(Node.java:312) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.node.Node.<init>(Node.java:244) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap$5.<init>(Bootstrap.java:232) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap.setup(Bootstrap.java:232) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap.init(Bootstrap.java:351) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.init(Elasticsearch.java:123) ~[elasticsearch-5.5.1.jar:5.5.1]
	... 6 more
```

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![patbre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f8ce5/32.png) [@patbre](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/patbre)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2017, 10:50am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-starting-elasticsearch-startupexception-unable-to-initialize-modules/99266/2 "2017-09-04T10:50:06Z")

</div>

I have found the error. Was opening the plugins and modules folders with Finder, which created DS\_Store files and Elasticsearch would not start again. The solution was just to remove those files.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [October 2, 2017, 10:50am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-starting-elasticsearch-startupexception-unable-to-initialize-modules/99266/3 "2017-10-02T10:50:07Z")

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