Windows 10 was launched way back in 2015. Microsoft promised regular security patches, and feature updates, which would make the operating system feeling fresh with the latest features. However, Windows update is not perfect, with many users reporting hundreds of different errors they get while updating Windows 10.
One such error is the Windows 10 update error code 0x80080005, which prevents users from successfully installing the Windows updates available for their computers. Since Windows updates usually carry important security patches, missing out on updates can be very risky for your device.
How To Solve Windows Update Error 0x80080005 On Windows 10 Devices?
These update errors can be caused due to many different reasons. The main reasons include a clash between the Windows update and third party security programs, incorrect data in the software distribution folder, and the computer being denied access due to security descriptors of the BITS service.
Here are some simple solutions that you can use to solve the Update error 0x80080005 on Windows 10 devices.
Solution 1: Disable Third-Party Antivirus Software
Many third party premium software prevents downloads on your Windows 10 device. This is done so that malicious software is not downloaded on your device. Although this is a good feature, this can be irritating if you regularly download materials online, and the antivirus also blocks the Windows update.
Turn off the shields of your antivirus software and then try updating Windows. If the antivirus shields were blocking your Windows updates, the error 0x80080005 should now be solved.
Solution 2: Run The Windows Update Troubleshooter
Windows troubleshooter is a powerful tool. It can be used to solve a variety of errors that pop up within Windows from time to time. If you face errors in downloading updates, or updating Windows after the downloads finish, you can use the Windows update troubleshooter to diagnose and fix these issues.
- Open the Windows Settings You can use the keyboard shortcut Win + I.
- Click on the Update and Security option.
- From the left pane menu, select Troubleshoot.
- From the right pane, locate and click on Windows update.
- Click on the Run the troubleshooter button that is now revealed.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to run the troubleshooter.
The built-in troubleshooter is effective in finding many errors with Windows update and should solve the Windows update error 0x80080005 for your system.
Solution 3: Grant Full Control Of The System Volume Information Folder To Your Computer
Windows uses the System Volume information for system-level features. The system restore points in Windows 10 are also stored in this folder. However, the permissions set for this folder prevents everyone from accessing this folder, even with administrator permissions.
You need to grant the full control of this particular folder to your computer if you happen o face the error ‘Installer encountered an error 0x80080005’ on your computer. To do so, follow these steps:
- Open an elevated command prompt window. To do so, open a Run dialog by pressing Win + R, type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
- Type the following command in the elevated Command Prompt window, and press Enter:
cmd.exe /c takeown /f “C:\System Volume Information\*” /R /D Y && icacls “C:\System Volume Information\*” /grant:R SYSTEM:F /T /C /L - Wait for the command to run the batch of tasks necessary to provide administrator privileges to your computer.
- Restart your computer.
When your computer boots into Windows, you should be able to freely update the operating system as you will have the administrator access to the System Volume Information folder.
If accessing the System Volume Information folder as an administrator did not help you solve the error 0x80080005, here are some other solutions that you can try.
Solution 4: Disable And Re-Enable Windows Update Service
The Windows Update service from Microsoft helps you run the Windows update regularly, thus keeping your system updated. If you see errors while updating Windows, try disabling and re-enabling the Windows update service.
- Open a Run dialog by pressing Win + R.
- Type services.msc and press Enter to launch the Windows Services console.
- Locate the Windows Update service from the list of available services.
- Double click on this service to edit the properties of the Windows Update service.
- Set the startup type to Disabled from the drop-down menu.
- Click on Apply followed by OK.
- Restart your device.
- Once your device reboots, go back to the services console, and set the Startup Type of the Windows Update service to Automatic and start the service.
This should reset the Windows Update service, and you should be able to freely update your copy of Windows.
Solution 5: Reset Windows Update Components
Some users have also reported that certain issues with the Windows update component can cause this issue. To fix this, you need to reset the necessary Windows update components manually for your PC. To do so, follow these steps:
- Open an elevated command prompt window. To do so, open a Run dialog by pressing Win + R, type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
- Type the following command to stop Windows Update Service and press Enter:
net stop wuauserv - Type the following command to stop Windows Cryptographic Service:
net stop cryptSvc - Type the following command to stop the BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service)
net stop bits - Type the following command to stop the MSI server service:
net stop msiserver - Type the following command to rename the Software Distribution Folder:
rename %windir%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old - Type the following command to rename the Catroot Folder:
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old - Type the following command to start the Windows Update service again:
net start wuauserv - Type the following command to start the Windows Crypt service again:
net start cryptSvc - Type the following command to start the BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) again:
net start bits - Type the following command to start the MSI server service:
net start msiserver - Enter the following command next:
pause - Restart your PC.
Resetting the Windows Update components should help you solve the 0x80080005 error on your Windows 10 device. However, if none of the solutions above helped you, there might be something wrong with the Windows system files that are preventing updates to your device.
Solution 6: Run DISM And SFC Scans
An SFC scan can be used to find if some Windows functions are not working on your computer. To run the DISM and SFC scans, you can check out our detailed guide that will help you solve all the problems that occur due to broken system files on your computer.
Once the command prompt has finished repairing the broken system files, reboot your computer.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Now you know how to solve the Windows update error code 0x80080005 using one or a combination of the solutions provided above. Comment below if you found this useful, and tell us how you solved the problem on your device.
