15 Fixes For Windows 10 Update Error 0x80080005

Microsoft keeps releasing updates for Windows 10 OS to improvise its performance, fix bugs, and bring in new security features. It doesn’t take much effort to update your computer. However, getting an error like the 0x80080005 error while trying to update your Windows OS can set you back a few steps.

Multiple things can go wrong while updating your Windows 10 OS. The error 0x80080005 is one such issue. It can come up somewhat like the following:

There were some problems installing updates, but we’ll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact for information, this may help: (0x80080005).

Usually, encountering this Windows Update error means you won’t be able to download the update started on your system. This error can arise due to software glitches, third-party factors, or even both. 

Generally, the 0x80080005 error is caused due to a third-party antivirus, a corrupt Windows update component, or another issue. In this article, we’ll discuss how to fix the Windows 10 update error 0x80080005 in no time. 

windows update error 0x80080005

How To Fix Windows 10 Update Error Code 0x80080005: 15 Solutions

Before we jump into the fixes, creating a restore point for your system is recommended. This will be helpful if you face any additional difficulties while trying to fix the error.

If you have a restore point, you can always roll back to it and save yourself some added trouble. With that being said, here are the top 15 methods to try out to fix the Windows Update error 0x80080005:

  1. Run Windows Update Troubleshooter
  2. Scan Your System For Issues
  3.  By Resetting The Windows Update Components
  4. Taking Ownership Of The System Volume Information Directory
  5. Changing The Registry
  6. Disable The Windows Update Service
  7. Disable Any Third-party Antivirus Software
  8. Clear Windows Update Cache
  9. Enabling Download Of Optional Features Directly From Windows Update
  10. Use Windows Update Diagnostic
  11. Disable Network List Service
  12. Unplug All Peripheral Devices
  13. Run A Clean Boot
  14. Run Bits Troubleshooter To Fix Windows Update Error 0x80080005
  15. Restart Windows Update Service

1. Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

Certain software glitches can prevent you from updating your Windows OS to the latest version. In that case, you can try fixing the problem with the Windows Update troubleshooter. Check out the steps given below to use the Windows Update troubleshooter: 

Step 1. Press the Windows key + I from the keyboard to open Settings

Step 2. Click on Update & Security. From the left pane, click on Troubleshoot.

select update and security from windows settings window

Step 3. Click on Windows Update and then select the “Run the troubleshooter” option`

run windows update troubleshooter

Step 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the troubleshooting

wait till the windows update troubleshooter finishes detecting problems

2. Scan Your System For Issues

  1. Perform An SFC scan

Step 1. Go to the Windows search box and type “command”. Then, click on Run as administrator to open the Command Prompt with added permissions.

Step 2. Now, type in sfc/scannow in the command prompt window and press the Enter button.

running the sfc scannow command

Step 3. Wait till the procedure finishes, and try updating Windows again.

  1. Perform The Dism Scan

Step 1. Press the Windows + X key. A menu will show up. Select PowerShell (admin).

Step 2. In the command prompt window, type the following command and press the Enter button:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Step 3. If your Windows 10 ISO is mounted on a virtual drive or a physical media, you can enter this alternate command and press the Enter button:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /source:WIM:X:SourcesInstall.wim:1 /LimitAccess

Note: Replace the X in the above command with the drive letter where Windows 10 ISO is mounted.

run the dism scan to fix windows update error 0x80080005

Wait till the process finishes (it can take some time) and do not interfere with it until it is finished. Then, check if the problem is gone or not.

  1. Run A Chkdsk Scan

Step 1. Press the Windows key + X and select PowerShell (admin) from the list.

Step 2. When the Powershell window opens, copy-paste the command given below and press the Enter key:

chkdsk /f c

This command is meant to fix all corrupted files on your system and might also get rid of the 0x80080005 Windows Update error. 

3. By Resetting The Windows Update Components

The Windows update error 0x80080005 can occur due to problems with the Windows Update components. You can fix this problem by resetting these Update components manually. Follow the steps given below to do so:

Step 1. Type in command in the Windows search box and click on Run as administrator once the search result appears.

Step 2. Once the command prompt window opens up, type in the commands given below and press the Enter key:

net stop wuauserv

net stop cryptSvc

net stop bits

net stop msiserver

ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old

ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old

net start wuauserv

net start cryptSvc

net start bits

net start msiserver

pause

reset windows update components

After all these commands have been executed, restart the system and try running the Windows update again.

4. Taking Ownership Of The System Volume Information Directory

Some users have received the Windows update error 0x80080005 while trying to access the System Volume Information directory. So, you can try to change the system permissions and gain complete access to the System Volume Information directory. This might resolve your Windows update issue. Follow the steps given below to do so:

Step 1. Press the Windows + X key and click the Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the list that comes up.

Step 2. Type in the command given below and press the Enter key:

cmd.exe /c takeown /f “C:System Volume Information*” /R /D Y && icacls “C:System Volume Information*” /grant:R SYSTEM:F /T /C /L

5. Changing The Registry

Sometimes, the Windows update error 0x80080005 can come up due to problems with the registry. And to fix such registry issues, you need to have a single value in the registry. To do so, follow the steps given below:

Step 1. Press the Windows key + R and type in regedit. Then, click on OK or press the Enter key.

Step 2. In the left pane’s address bar, type in the following path:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control

Step 3. Now, right-click anywhere in the space on the right-hand side and click on New. Then, select DWORD (32-bit) Value. Change its name to RegistrySizeLimit.

Step 4. Double-click on this file and set its value to: 4294967295

6. Disable The Windows Update Service

The Windows Update service might not be working due to a temporary glitch and you can fix that by simply disabling the service and then enabling it again. Follow the steps given below to know how to disable the Windows update service:

Step 1. Press the Windows key + R and type in services.msc. Then, press the Enter key or click on OK.

Step 2. When the Services window comes up, look for Windows Update service and double-click. Its Properties will open up.

Step 3. Set the service’s Startup type to Disabled. To save the changes, click on Apply and then on OK.

disable windows update service to fix 0x80080005 error

Step 4. Restart your system.

Step 5. When your system restarts, visit the Services window again, open the Windows service properties. Set the Startup Type as Automatic and start the service again.

7. Disable Any Third-party Antivirus Software

Try disabling the antivirus software for some time. It sure is necessary for protecting your computer from virus attacks, but it can give rise to problems as well. Your antivirus can prevent you from downloading certain updated files. It can also delete or corrupt certain files. 

So, disabling your antivirus completely or maybe, disabling only certain features before installing Windows updates will help. 

8. Clear Windows Update Cache

Step 1. Press the Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. In the run dialog box field, type in cmd and simultaneously press the Shift+Ctrl+ Enter keys. This will open up the elevated Command prompt.

Step 3. Now, in the Command Prompt window, type in “net stop wuaserv”. This will stop the Windows Update Service.

Step 4. Close the command prompt and open the Run dialog box again. Enter the following in the Run dialog box:

%windir%\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore

Then, click on OK.

Step 5. Press Ctrl + A to select all the files. Then, right-click on the selection and click on Delete.

9. Enabling Download Of Optional Features Directly From Windows Update

Note: This one won’t work with Windows 10 Home Edition as it doesn’t come with a Group Policy Editor.

Step 1. Press the Windows key + R and then open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Now, enter gpedit.msc in the Run dialog box and click OK.

Step 3. From the left panel, go to Administrative Templates

Step 4. Go to System and from the right panel, double-click on Specify Settings for Optional Content Installation.

Step 5. Check the box beside Enabled from the top-right

Step 6. Mark the checkbox beside Download Repair Content and optional features directly from Windows Update instead of Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).

Step 7. Click on Apply and then on OK to save the changes.

10. Use Windows Update Diagnostic

If the Windows update troubleshooter didn’t do any good, move on to the Windows Update Diagnostic. Microsoft designed this tool specifically for diagnosing and fixing problems with the Windows Update. However, this needs to be installed separately. Here’s how you can use it:

Step 1. Sign in to Windows 10 with an administrator account.

Step 2. Download the Windows Update Diagnostic from the official webpage of Microsoft. 

Step 3. Now, launch the Windows Update Diagnostic app and click on Windows Update in the wizard. Hit the Next button.

Step 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the installation. 

Step 5. Once the installation is finished, relaunch the Windows Update Diagnostic app.

Step 6. Now, click on Windows Network Diagnostic and hit the Next button.

Step 7. Once the Windows Update Diagnostic is done applying fixes, restart your system.

Step 8. Now, run the Windows Update again. 

11. Disable Network List Service

The Network List Service available in Windows 10 OS is essential but some users have claimed that it leads to Windows update problems. So, you can try turning it off by following the steps given below:

Step 1. Press the Windows + R key and type in services.msc. Then, hit the Enter key.

Step 2. Now, look for the Network List Service and double-click on it.

Step 3. Change its startup type to Disabled.

Step 4. If the service is still running, click on Stop.

Step 5. Click on Apply and exit from the window.

Step 6. Now, run the Windows Update again.

12. Unplug All Peripheral Devices

Sometimes, any recently plugged-in external device, like a USB drive, webcams, etc., can also cause the update error due to compatibility problems. This usually happens with external hardware with plug-and-play characteristics.

Step 1. Shut down your system and unplug any peripheral devices save the keyboard and the mouse.

Step 2. Boot the OS and run the Windows Update again to check whether the error is gone.

Note: If you need to use external devices, you can have them unplugged while performing Windows updates. Then, you can reattach them once the update is done. Otherwise, you can stop using the external device causing the error.

13. Run A Clean Boot

Running a clean boot can eliminate issues that might have caused the Windows update error 0x80080005. A clean boot will turn off all unnecessary components that can cause software glitches like drivers, services, etc., and then start the computer. Follow the steps given below to run a clean boot on your system:

Step 1. Go to the Windows search bar and type in System configuration. Open the system configuration app from the search results.

Step 2. Click on the Services tab

Step 3. Unmark the checkbox next to Hide all Microsoft services. Then, click on Disable all.

Step 4. Close the System Configuration window and go to the Task Manager

Step 5. Click on the Startup tab and click the Status column to sort the apps by their status 

Step 6. Select any Enabled app and click on Disable. Do the same for all Enabled apps.

Step 7. Restart your system and try running Windows Update again to check whether the error is gone.

14. Run Bits Troubleshooter To Fix Windows Update Error 0x80080005

The Background Intelligent Transfer Service comes with the Windows Update service. It helps to download and upload files to servers like HTTP or SMB.

But, sometimes, there is an issue with the BITS service preventing the Windows update procedure from finishing. In this case, you can use the BITS troubleshooter to find and fix any hidden errors. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Now, type in “control panel” in the Run dialog box, press the Enter key, or click OK.

Step 3. Next, type in Troubleshooting in the search box of the Control Panel. Click on the result that says Troubleshooting.

Step 4. Select the View All option from the left panel.

Step 5. Double-click on Background Intelligent Transfer Service and a new window will open up.

Step 6. Click on Next and now, Windows will start searching and detect errors.

Step 7. Once the troubleshooting is finished and no problems are detected, click on Close to exit the window. If any issue is detected, solutions to fix it will be displayed and you can act accordingly.

15. Restart Windows Update Service

If the Windows update download procedure has been incomplete, that, too can give rise to the Windows Update error. In this case, restarting the Windows Update service might help to fix the issue by reinitializing the entire update process. Here’s how you can do that:

Step 1. Press the Windows key + R on the keyboard to open up the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Type in “services.msc” in the Run dialog box. Press the Enter button or click on OK to open the Services section.

type in services.msc in the run dialog box

Step 3. You will find the services arranged alphabetically in the Services section. Look for Windows Update service. 

Step 4. Right-click on the Windows Update service and click on Restart. Please wait for it to restart.

restart windows update service to fix 0x80080005 error

Step 5. Once the services have restarted, right-click on it and select Properties from the dropdown menu.

Step 6. Make sure the startup type is set to Automatic in the General tab.

set the startup type to automatic

Step 7. Now, ensure that the service status is in Running status. In case it has stopped, click the Start button.

In this article, we have discussed different ways to fix Windows 10 update error 0x80080005. This error can be caused due to multiple reasons but mainly due to third-party software like antivirus.

Some methods to fix this error are disabling your third-party antivirus program, running the Windows Update troubleshooter, performing a DISM or SFC scan, and so on. Hopefully, the solutions explained in this article will help you fix the error.