How to Fix “Error 0x80004005” on Windows? (All Scenarios)

The 0x80004005 error is common for users as it occurs in many scenarios. The most common situations where you could face this error are while updating Windows, deleting, copying, and extracting folders and files, installing applications, updating Microsoft Store apps, and accessing shared files and folders over a network.

We have described all the situations along with their solutions; you can use the following methods to fix this error.

1. How to fix the 0x80004005 error when updating Windows?

In most cases, this error occurs while trying to update Windows to the new version. There are many reasons behind the Windows update errors, but the main one is the corrupt files. Therefore, we have given the instructions which you can follow to fix this error.

1.1 Manually Download the Windows Update

Before fixing this issue, try downloading the Windows update that gives you this error. Usually, when we face Windows errors, there are various reasons behind each error. However, you can avoid any Windows update error by downloading the Windows update from the Microsoft catalog.

Microsoft Catalog is a store that contains all the Windows updates for all versions that have been released so far. To download and install Windows update from the Microsoft catalog, follow the steps:

1. To download the Windows update, go to the Microsoft Catalog website.
2. Search for the Windows update that is causing the error.
3. Then, click Download and make sure you are downloading the right update according to the architecture.

   

4. Once done, double-click the update from your Downloads directory to install
5. Wait for your computer to restart, and the issue should be fixed.

1.2 Run Windows Update troubleshooter

You can also use Windows update troubleshooter to fix this issue. Troubleshooters are created for the users to make things easy to fix common issues. It is an automatic utility that the user can use to check the Windows update registry files, restart the Windows update services and check for pending restart. If it detects any issue, it tells the user to fix it by clicking on the option.

1. Right-click the Start Menu and select Settings to open.

   

2. Then, go to the Update and Security.

   

3. Select Troubleshoot from the left sidebar.
4. Then, click Additional troubleshooters to view the troubleshooters.

   

5. Select the Windows update.
6. Then, click Run the troubleshooter.

   

7. If the troubleshooter detects an issue, fix it by clicking on the fix button.
8. Once done, try updating the Windows to check if the issue is fixed.

1.3. Clear the software distribution folder

Clearing a software distribution folder is one of the best ways to fix Windows update errors because it stores the files downloaded via the built-in Windows update utility. It could be possible that Windows update files might get corrupted during the downloading process, causing this error. Therefore, follow the steps to remove corrupt Windows update files and then download the Windows update again to fix this error.

1. To clear the software distribution folder, click Start Menu.
2. Enter Command Prompt in the Windows search bar.
3. Right-click the command prompt and choose Run as administrator.

   

4. Once the command prompt is opened, copy and paste the following commands in the terminal to stop the essential Windows update services.

   net stop wuauserv
   net stop bits

   

5. After that, press the Win + R keys to launch the Run Window.
6. Copy the following path and hit Enter to navigate into the software distribution folder.

   

7. Highlight all the files and folders under the software distribution folder.
8. Then, press the Delete key to clear the software distribution folder.

   

9. Once done, paste the following commands to start the Windows update services.

   net start wuauserv
   net start bits

   

10. Then, go to Settings and try to update Windows.

2. Error while extracting, moving, and deleting folders and files?

If you are receiving this error while extracting, deleting, and moving the files and folders to another directory. It could be due to improper permissions to the folder, or the folder you are trying to extract is encrypted with a password, and Windows is not detecting it. To fix this, follow the following methods.

2.1 Change Permissions Settings

In most cases, the error occurs due to not having appropriate permissions over the folder, causing this issue. In this case, you will have to change the permissions to get full control over the folder. Follow the steps to change the permissions settings:

1. To change the folder permission, right-click the folder and select Properties.
   

   

2. Then, go to Security and select your account under Group or user names.
3. Then, check if you have full control over the folder or not. If not, click Edit and select the Full control option. to get the permissions over the folder. If you cannot see your local account under the Group or user names, click Advanced.

   

4. Then, click Change.
5. Enter your local account username.
6. Then, click Check Names to get a local account name.

   

7. After that, click OK to add a local user account.
8. Now to add permissions to the local user account, click Add.

   

9.  Then, click Select a principal from top.
10. Again enter the local account username.
11. Then click Check Names and click OK.
    
12. Check the Full Control option to get access to the folder on the local user account, then click OK.
    

    

13. After that, click Apply and click OK.

2.2 Use Archive Software to extract the folder

You might receive this error message If the folder or file you are trying to open is password-protected and Windows is not detecting it. To fix this issue, you will need to download archive software such as WinRar or 7-Zip to extract the folder. Follow the steps to extract the folder using archive software:

1. Download the WinRar or 7-zip.
2. Once it’s done, install it on your computer.

   

3. Then, right-click the folder you want to extract.
4. Select Extract to “Folder.”
   

   

5. Once done, check if the issue persists.

3. Error While Accessing Shared Files And Folders

You can also encounter this error while accessing the shared files and folders on the network. This issue usually occurs when the LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy or AllowInsecureGuestAuth is not set correctly in the registry editor.

LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy is used to build a filtered token of remote connections for all the local users under the administrator. While AllowInsecureGuestAuth allows the insecure guest to log on to an SMB server. In simple words, both are essential for accessing shared files and folders over the network. Therefore, follow the steps to configure the LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy and AllowInsecureGuestAuth from the registry editor:

1. To open the registry editor, click Start Menu and type Registry Editor to open it.

   

2. Go to the following path.

   HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters

3. Check for AllowInsecureGuestAuth.
4. If you find it double-click on it and set the value data to 1.
5. But if you cannot find AllowInsecureGuestAuth, right-click on the empty space, hover New, and then select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
   

   

6. Name it as  AllowInsecureGuestAuth and set the value data to 1.

   

7. After that, restart your computer to apply the changes.
8. Check if the issue persists. If it is, then follow the steps.
9. Open the registry editor, paste the following path in the address bar or manually navigate to the path.

   HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

10. In the right pane, right-click the empty space, hover New, and then select DWORD (32-bit) Value or QWORD (32-bit) Value according to the Windows architecture.

    

11. Once you have created an entry, name it as LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy and set the value data of 1.

    

12. Then, click OK and restart your computer to save the changes, and check if the issue is fixed.

3.1 Enable SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support

A server Message Block (SMB) is a protocol that users can use to access files and folders over the network. Windows uses SMB for file sharing with the other devices on the network. Therefore, it is recommended to enable it as it can lead you to this error while accessing other shared data on the network. Follow the steps to enable SMB 1.0/CIFS file-sharing support:

1. Press the Windows key and type Turn windows features on or off.
2. Open the Windows features.

   

3. Find and tick SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support.

   

4. Once done, click OK and check if the issue is fixed.

4. Error While accessing the virtual machine on Ubuntu

If you are receiving this error while accessing a virtual machine on Ubuntu, you might have to disable the hypervisor, which seems to be the root cause of this issue.

Although users can host multiple Virtual machines using a hypervisor, sometimes, it can cause this error. Therefore, try disabling the hypervisor via the command prompt as follows:

1. To open the command prompt, press the Windows key and type Command Prompt.
2. Right-click the command prompt and choose Run as administrator.

   

3. Once it is launched as admin, enter the following command.

   bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off

   

4. Once done, check if the issue is fixed.

5. How to fix Microsoft Windows Store error code 0x80004005?

This error can also occur while updating Microsoft Apps on the Microsoft store. The simple way of facing this issue is to reset the Microsoft Store, which has worked for most affected users. Follow the steps to reset Microsoft Store:

1. Open the Run Window by pressing the Win + R keys together.
2. Enter wsreset.exe in the search box and click OK.

   

3. Once done, check if your issue is resolved.