(Solved) Media Creation Tool Error 0X80072F8F – 0X20000

The error may arise due to essential services not starting correctly, conflict of applications, and interference of the third-party antivirus, which prevents the installation of Windows. These are the most common contributor factors that can trigger 0X80072F8F – 0X20000.

Fix- Media Creation Tool Error Code 0X80072F8F - 0X20000
Fix- Media Creation Tool Error Code 0X80072F8F – 0X20000

More reasons can be included for causing this issue. We have listed some main of them below:-

  • Not having Administrator Privileges- If you do not have proper administrator privileges, you may not be able to install Windows. Without administrator privileges, you cannot make significant changes to your system.
  • TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 are Turned Off- TLS provides security for sending data to applications on the internet. As per the research, if the TSL1.1 and TSL 1.2 are disabled, you might face this Error Code 0X80072F8F – 0X20000 while upgrading Windows to the latest.
  • Incompatible System Requirements- Having conflicting system requirements can also run users into this issue, so ensure you are not missing any requirements that can cause problems.
  • Absence Of Essential Services- If the Windows services don’t start properly at the startup, many problems may occur such as this one.
  • Unstable Internet Connection- If your internet is not stable, you may likely get errors like this. So if the internet causes this issue, you have to wait until the internet gets stable.

1. Check Minimum Requirements

Having incompatible system specifications can lead you to this error code. Make sure you are compatible with the minimum requirements of the operating system. You can search on Google to check the minimum requirements.

2. Make sure the Internet Connection is Stable.

The error may arise due to an unresponsive or unstable internet connection. You can check internet speed through your browser. If your internet speed is less than 2 Mbps, you are suffering from a bad network connection. If the speed is good, you can proceed to other solutions; otherwise, wait for the internet to stabilise.

3. Run as Administrator

For doing the significant changes to the computer system, it is mandatory to have proper administrator privileges because when the users don’t have administrator privileges on their accounts, they might not be able to complete major tasks.

Here are the steps to run the programs in administrator mode:-

Right-click on Media Creation Tool and select Run as Administrator from the listed options.

Run As Administrator
Run As Administrator

4. Edit Registry File

If we look into the forums, modifying the registry files will help in eliminating Error code 0X80072F8F – 0X20000. To do this, you have to enter into the Registry a database for the operating system to store low-level settings. It is best to create a registry backup before proceeding because if something goes wrong, you will atleast have a backup to restore it. Here are the steps:-

  1. Press the Windows + R keys simultaneously to open a run dialog box
  2. Type regedit in the box and press Enter

    Launching Registry
    Launching Registry
  3.  Once the Registry is opened, navigate to the following path
    Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update
  4. Now right-click on the empty space and hover the over New
  5. Select DWORD (32-bit) from the listed option and name it as AllowOSUpgrade

    Select DWORD (32-bit)
    Select DWORD (32-bit)
  6. Double click on the file and change its value data to 1
    Change Value Data to 1
    Change Value Data to 1
  7. Once done, press OK to save the changes then check if the issue persists.

5. Perform Clean Boot

Performing a clean boot is the process that is used to eliminate software and driver conflicts. It is a way to start Windows with the essential services and minimum drivers. By performing a clean boot, you can resolve Error Code 0X80072F8F – 0X20000. Here is how you can do this:-

  1. Click the Start Menu, and type Msconfig in the search bar
    Open System Configuration
    Open System Configuration
  2. Open system Configuration and select the Selective Startup, then untick the option Load Startup Items

    Performing Clean Boot
    Performing Clean Boot
  3. After that, go to the Services tab from the top and tick the option Hide All Microsoft Services
  4. Then click Disable All from the right and press OK

    Disabling Irrelevant Services at Startup
    Disabling Irrelevant Services at Startup
  5. Once done, restart your computer and check if the Error code 0X80072F8F – 0X20000 is resolved

6. Clear the Software Distribution Folder

A Software Distribution is a folder that stores temporary Windows files that may require installing Windows Updates. If we look from the other side, sometimes the system cannot access Windows Updates files, which can cause this Error code 0X80072F8F – 0X20000. So clearing the software distribution folder may resolve this issue. Below are the steps:-

  1. Press the Windows + R keys simultaneously to launch the Run Window.
  2. Type the following path and hit enter or copy and paste it into the box
    C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
    Launching Software Distribution Folder
    Launching Software Distribution Folder
  3. Here delete all the files by pressing Ctrl + A and then the Delete button on the keyboard
    Removing Software Distribution files
    Removing Software Distribution files
  4. Once you deleted them, click Start Menu and type Command Prompt, then right-click command prompt and choose Run as Administrator

    Running Command Prompt with Administrator Privileges
    Running Command Prompt with Administrator Privileges
  5. Once the command prompt loads up put the following command and hit enter
    wuauclt.exe /updatenow
    Forcing Windows to update
    Forcing Windows to update
  6. Once done, restart your computer for the changes to take effect and check if the Media Creation Tool Error code 0X80072F8F – 0X20000 persists.

7. Enable TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2

TLS or Transport Layer Security 1.1 and 1.2 are the security protocol versions used to establish encrypted connections to send data into the applications over the network. It has been seen that the error can occur due to disabled TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2. To fix this, you must enable it by following the instructions below:-

  1. Create a Registry Backup first, then open the notepad and paste the code mentioned below
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp]
    "DefaultSecureProtocols"=dword:00000a00
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp]
    "DefaultSecureProtocols"=dword:00000a00
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TLS 1.1\Client]
    "DisabledByDefault"=dword:00000000
    "Enabled"=dword:00000001
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TLS 1.2\Client]
    "DisabledByDefault"=dword:00000000
    "Enabled"=dword:00000001
  2. After copying the code, click File from the top then click Save As

    Saving File
    Saving File
  3. Save the file with the .reg extension.
  4. Once done, double-click on the file to apply the settings in the Registry
    Run the Registry File to Apply changes
    Run the Registry File to Apply changes
  5. Click Yes if asked for confirmation and restart Windows, then check if the issue gets resolved.
  6. For Windows 7 users, download the KB3140245 package from Microsoft that comes with TLS 1.1 and 1.2

8. Restart Relevant Windows Services

Another solution for this is restarting the Windows update service. If the Windows Update service gets stopped due to a conflict of services, this error may appear on the screen. Below are the steps to restart the Windows update:-

  1. Press Windows + R keys to open the Run Dialog Box
  2. Type services.msc and press Enter

    Open Services
    Open Services
  3. Once the service page opened, please scroll down to Windows Update service and right-click on it to select Properties

    Opening Service Properties
    Opening Service Properties
  4. Now change the startup type from Manual to Automatic
  5. If the service is stopped, click on the Start button, then click Apply and press OK

    Change Service Startup Type to Automatic
    Change Service Startup Type to Automatic
  6. Now repeat the same process for the mentioned services below
    Background Intelligent Transfer Service
    Server
    Workstation
    TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
    IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules

9. Reset Windows Update Component Services

If none of the methods worked, you could try resetting the Windows Update Component, which is used to update the operating system. Follow the steps to reset Windows component services:-

  1. Click Start Menu, and type Command Prompt
  2. Right-click on the command prompt and choose Run as Administrator

    Running Command Prompt with Administrator Privileges
    Running Command Prompt with Administrator Privileges
  3. Now insert the following commands to reset Windows services
    net stop bits
    net stop wuauserv
    net stop appidsvc
    net stop cryptsvc
    Reset Windows Update Component Services
    Reset Windows Update Component Services

10. Run Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup is a utility introduced to counter any corruption in Windows that may lead to errors. It is also used to free up the space by removing the unnecessary files, cache files and the files you rejected, which end up in the recycle bin. Below are the steps to run the Disk Cleanup utility.

  1. Open File Explorer and right-click on C Drive
  2. Select Properties from the options menu
    Launching Disk Properties
    Launching Disk Properties
  3. Click Disk Cleanup and wait for the page to load up
  4. Check mark all the files and press OK to delete
    Removing Unnecessary Files From System
    Removing Unnecessary Files From System
  5. Once done, check if the issue persists.

11. Download Windows ISO File

Another solution for this issue is downloading the ISO file from the official website. Downloading the Windows IS0 file will fix this issue. below are the steps that will help you in this:-

  1. Download the IOS file of the operating system from the Windows Media Creation Tool
  2. Once the download is finished, right-click on it and select Mount

    Mount ISO Files
    Mount ISO Files
  3. Now run the Windows setup as an administrator, and this will start upgrading Windows to the latest.

12. Install Windows Using External Device

You can install Windows from an external device such as a mobile, laptop or computer. We have mentioned the steps for both devices, that may help you to install Windows through external devices.

12.1. Install Windows Using Mobile Phone

  1. Download Windows Media Creation Tool
  2. Once the downloading is finished, run the media creation tool
  3. Accept the notices and license terms, then select the radio option named Create Installation Media for Another PC and press Next

    configuring Windows Setup
    configuring Windows Setup
  4. On the next screen, make sure the option Use the recommended options for this PC is checked, then click Next

    Leave the Recommended option selected
    Leave the Recommended option selected
  5. Select the option named IOS File and click Next

    Select ISO
    Select ISO
  6. Choose the destination where you want to install Windows ISO File
    Downloading ISO File
    Downloading ISO File
  7. Once done, click Save, and it will start creating Windows ISO.
  8. Now it’s time to transfer the Windows ISO file to your mobile phone. Use the USB cable to transfer the file to an easily remembered folder.
  9. Once you transfer it, download DriveDroid
    Install DriveDroid
    Install DriveDroid
  10. Open the DriveDroid, and it will request the root access that you will grant
    Grant the Root Access
    Grant the Root Access
  11. Now tap on CONFIGURE IMAGE DIRECTORY and select the folder where you copied the Windows ISO file
    Configure Image Directory
    Configure Image Directory
  12. Now connect your mobile phone to your computer and choose the Standard Android Kernel

    Selecting Standard Android Kernel
    Selecting Standard Android Kernel
  13. On the next screen, select Android Shows Up On OS and click Next

    Select Android Shows Up On OS
    Select Android Shows Up On OS

    Note: If the device does not appear on your computer, then select Choose a Different USB System and try again

  14. Select Booted Successfully using DriveDroid then click Next. Again click Next to finish the process
  15. Now go back to the homepage where Windows 10 ISO might already feature. If not, then tap the Gear Icon from the top right corner and select Image Directories

    Select Image Directories
    Select Image Directories
  16. Select the last directory and tap the red circle icon from the bottom right corner then browse the folder which contains the ISO file. Select ISO file.
    Configure DriveDroid
    Configure DriveDroid
  17. Go back to the DriveDroid homepage
  18. Then, select the Windows ISO file and choose Host Image Using CD-ROM

    Host Image Using CD-ROM
    Host Image Using CD-ROM
  19. After that, connect your device to the computer with the USB cable and shut down your computer
  20. Now turn on the computer and enter a boot menu by pressing the shortcut keys. Usually, F10, F11, F12, and Delete keys are used to access the boot menu
  21. Note: If you cannot find it, you may need to visit the manufacturer’s website.
  22. When the boot menu opens, select the boot device named similar to Linux File-CD Gadget, or it can be named as your mobile name
  23. After that, Windows will boot normally, and you can install a clean version of your Windows.
    Installing Windows
    Installing Windows

12.2. Install Windows from the other Computer

  1. Download Windows Media Creation Tool and run it on your computer
  2. Accept the terms and conditions and select Create Create Installation Media for Another PC and press Next

    Create Installation Media for Another PC
    Create Installation Media for Another PC
  3. Make sure the option named Use the recommended options for this PC is checked
  4. Leave the USB Flash Drive is selected and press Next

    Select USB Flash Drive
    Select USB Flash Drive
  5. It should Start downloading Windows OS. Once done, unplug the USB flash drive from the computer and plug it into the problematic computer
  6. Shutdown, the computer, then turn it on
  7. Once the loading screen appears, press the Boot Menu keys on the keyboard, such as F12 and Delete. If you are not sure, you can go to your manufacturer’s website
  8. Once the boot menu loads up, select the USB pen driver
    Select USB Pen Drive
    Select USB Pen Drive
  9. Then Window will boot, and you can install a clean version of the Windows OS.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hamza Mohammad Anwar


Hamza Mohammad Anwar is an intermediate JavaScript web developer with a focus on developing high-performance applications using MERN technologies. His skill set includes expertise in ReactJS, MongoDB, Express NodeJS, and other related technologies. Hamza is also a Google IT Certified professional, which highlights his competence in IT support. As an avid problem-solver, he recreates errors on his computer to troubleshoot and find solutions to various technical issues.
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(Solved) Media Creation Tool Error 0X80072F8F – 0X20000

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