0x8000ffff
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Microsoft · Windows
Catastrophic failure. A severe and unspecified system error indicating significant corruption in Windows components, the update engine, or the system store.
Quick Answer
Error code 0x8000FFFF on your Microsoft Windows means: Catastrophic failure. A severe and unspecified system error indicating significant corruption in Windows components, the update engine, or the system store.. This is usually fixable — see the step-by-step guide below.
Affected Models
Applies to all models
Likely Causes
How to Fix It
1
Run a full malware scan: Use Windows Defender Offline scan (Settings > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options > Microsoft Defender Offline scan) to detect rootkits and boot-sector malware.
2
Run sfc /scannow from an elevated Command Prompt. If it reports 'Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them', proceed to DISM.
3
Run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. If this also fails, you may need to specify a known-good source: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:D:\sources\install.wim (using Windows installation media).
4
Create a new local administrator account (Settings > Accounts > Other users > Add account) and test if Windows Update works from the new account — this isolates user profile corruption.
5
Reset the Windows Update components completely: Create and run a batch script that stops all update-related services, re-registers all DLLs, deletes SoftwareDistribution and catroot2 folders, resets Winsock, and restarts services.
6
Check the Component Store health: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth — if it reports the store is repairable, run RestoreHealth; if it reports the store is not repairable, an in-place repair upgrade is required.
7
Perform an in-place repair upgrade: Download the Windows ISO matching your current version, mount it, run setup.exe, and choose 'Keep personal files and apps'. This replaces all system files while preserving your data.
8
If the repair upgrade also fails, back up your data and perform a clean Windows installation.
Pro Tip
This issue typically requires professional diagnosis. Attempting this fix without proper training could cause further problems.
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