The error code 0x8000ffff appears on Windows systems relatively frequently, as it does not identify a specific error, but rather appears in errors at different points in the system. The causes of the 0x8000ffff error are not usually faulty or missing Windows components, but rather functions that are missing from some third-party programs. In most cases, the reason for this? Unexpected? they are third-party antivirus..
Be careful Googling Windows error messages. In the search results, unreliable pages often appear among the first options that offer even less reliable programs that supposedly solve the problem that has been searched. The truth is that this is how many hackers distribute their malicious programs. For this reason, under no circumstances install one of these programs. Instead, fix the problem with Microsoft tools, as explained in this article.
There are especially three reasons why the error 0x8000ffff often appears:
If the 0x8000ffff error appears during program installation, it is usually caused by an incomplete uninstallation . In such a case, the problem in question was already installed previously and there are still? Remnants? of that installation in the system. To uninstall applications without leaving any remains, proceed as follows in Windows 10:
Re-disconnect third-party security programs after reboot, and then try to install the program again. This way you can check if the problem 0x8000ffff persists..
If the error code 0x8000ffff appears when trying to set a new system restore point or when trying to use a created point, restart the computer without any startup programs or background services . To do this, proceed as follows:
After restarting your computer, disconnect all third-party antivirus and try creating or setting a system restore point. Then turn on services and startups again and restart your computer.
Corrupted system files can also cause the 0x8000ffff error. In that case, the system can be repaired with the DISM command line tool and the Windows system file checker . Both the tool and the checker are preinstalled tools in Windows 10 and Windows 8 for troubleshooting that are started via the command line and do not have a graphical interface, but work very efficiently. Previously, with Windows 7, you had to download and install a special Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK)..
To resolve the 0x8000ffff error, proceed as follows from the command line:
If the message is displayed that? Could not find source files ?, you will have to load them from a Windows installation DVD or from the corresponding ISO file.
If you don't have a genuine Microsoft DVD on hand, you can alternatively download and generate an ISO file with the Windows Media Creation Tool.
To load the source files for repair from the DVD or ISO file, enter the path of the Windows installation image in the DISM command:
DISM/Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth/Source:wim:X:\sources\install.wim:1/LimitAccess
In that command, you must replace the drive letter X: with the drive letter of your DVD drive or your ISO file.
After successfully completing the repair with DISM, start the system file checker in the same command prompt window :
sfc /scannow
There is a tool that automatically solves most of the problems in the Windows update system and is found in the Windows 10 settings, in the? Update and security ? ? Troubleshoot ? So if the error code 0x8000ffff appears when performing standard updates, this tool promises to be a quick and easy solution.
You can open Windows configuration in the configuration icon in the start menu or with the key combination [ Windows] + [i] .
Launch the troubleshooter by clicking? Run the troubleshooter ?. Then you just have to wait. Afterwards, the system application runs without you having to do anything else. At the end, it will show you if the problem has been solved.
Over time, Microsoft has collected various tools, registry and command line tips for troubleshooting update problems in the Windows support database and put them together in a clear script. These tools will come in handy when simple Windows update troubleshooting doesn't work through the settings menu.
In a clear textual menu you will find tools to restore update components, to delete temporary files, to clean the registry and to check protected system files. The Reset Windows Update Agent script downloads the current tools in their current version and runs them. To do this, simply unzip the ZIP file you downloaded to a folder on your hard drive and start the script file that you will find inside, ResetWUEng.cmd , with administrator rights by clicking the right mouse button.
It is essential that all malware detectors (with the exception of Windows Defender) are disconnected, since security programs from external providers in many cases block accesses that are too close to the system and the scripts react incorrectly to the supposed errors Even if it is not about update system errors, but about unexpected antivirus reactions.
Each of the components of the application set is executed by entering numbers. To resolve the 0x8000ffff error, successively start components 1 through 11. In most cases, the error does not reappear.
The same procedure described above with the DISM and SFC command-line tools can be helpful for troubleshooting the error code 0x8000ffff when running the Windows update.
The fact that the error has been fixed does not imply that an unexpected error with the same code can no longer occur at another point in the system. If this type of error is common, you should uninstall the third-party security programs that you currently have installed and use only the Windows Defender provided by Windows or other suitable alternatives.
