10 Best Ways To Fix Windows 10 Update Error 0x8000ffff

Regularly updating your Windows Operating System is essential to ensure your system’s efficiency. Microsoft Corporation also releases time-to-time updates of their OS to provide more features and better quality experiences to their users. Since then, Microsoft updated their Windows 10 with KB3159706; many users complained about several issues. Users receive error messages like “Feature update to Windows 10, version 1607 – Error 0x8000ffff“. Due to this Error, the update stops in between or isn’t installed.

Error code 0x8000ffff is a standard error that occurs during Windows updates or when trying to install new software. A corrupted Windows update file, conflicts between the system files, or issues with the Windows registry usually cause this error.

This error message appears during the installation of a program while Windows Update Service is running at the time of Windows startup or shutdown or at the time of installing the Windows Operating System.

Why Does Windows 10 Update Error 0x8000ffff Occur?

The error code 0x8000ffff can occur due to many reasons. So try each of the following causes and methods to ensure the Error disappears and prevent it from recurring.

• This error code 0x8000ffff can occur due to corrupt installation media in your PC.
• Defective apps or programs.
• Corruption in Windows Registry due to a recently changed installation or uninstallation of Windows update-related software.
• Virus or malware that might have corrupted Windows system files or the updated program files of Windows.

• Due to corrupt download or incomplete installation of software.
• Some other program or folder maliciously deleted your Windows update files.

How to Fix Windows 10 Update Error 0x8000ffff?

Below are the solutions available to rectify the issue of error code 0x8000ffff. Although some methods are complicated and time-consuming, they ensure the removal of the error code 0x8000ffff. So try them according to the cause of your problem and get it solved.

Method #1 Scan Your Computer for Any Virus or Malware Infection

Windows 10 often annoys us with errors such as 0x8000ffff, system service exception, or INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE. The error code 0x8000ffff can appear on your screens due to a virus attack or malware infection. This malware infection can corrupt, destroy, damage, or delete your Run-time error-related files. Also, the error code could be a part of the malicious program present on your PC. Unlike other security programs or tools, you can use Windows Defender or Emsisoft Anti-Malware programs as they guarantee to remove malware from your PC. Follow the steps to scan your PC using Windows Defender:

1. First, press Windows+Q together & search for Windows Defender Settings. Click on the search result displayed.
2. Then click on Virus & threat protection under Protection Areas.

   

3. Now, choose Scan Now option under Threat History.

   

4. Afterward, the scanning will take around 15 minutes.
5. Check if the Error has disappeared after the scanning.

Read Also: 

• {Solved} 5 Ways to Fix Windows Update Error 80244019
• 10 Ways to Fix Windows 10 Update Error Code 0x8024a105
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• 3 Ways to Fix Windows Update 0x80070422 Error

Method #2 Use System Restore

Using System Restore, you can return to when your PC is working correctly. This means it will return your computer’s files and programs to when everything worked fine without any error causing trouble. Follow the steps to use System Restore on a Windows XP, Vista, 7, or 8 OS:

1. First, navigate to Start and type “Create a restore point” in the search box.
2. Then click on the search result displayed. Navigate to the System Protection tab and select the System Restore option.

Now, follow the on-screen instructions in the Wizard to choose a restore point. Finally, Restore your PC.

Method #3 Manually Update Using Media Creation Tool

To solve your problem, you can try to install the update manually using the Media creation tool instead of using an upgrade assistant. So if there is any corruption in the updated files, you can remove the error 0x8000ffff using this method. Follow the steps:

1. First, download the Media creation tool from here.
2. Once downloaded, right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
3. Then click Accept on the License page.
4. Afterward, click Upgrade this PC now on the “What do you want to do page?” and then on Next.
5. Now Windows 10 will start downloading. After downloading, it will take you to the update part.
6. You must enter the product key on the Setup page if you are doing this process for the first time. But you don’t need to enter the product key to update or reinstall it.
7. Now, you will see a recap of what you have selected so far and, out of which, what will be kept through the update. Click on “change what to keep” to choose whether you want to keep personal files and apps or personal files only, or you can choose to keep nothing during the update.
8. Click on Install Now. The manual update will be completed soon. Your PC will restart now while the setup process takes place.

Method #4 Switch to Administrator Account

It is recommended to always log in to Windows 10 with an Admin account to prevent error code 0x8000ffff. As the guest account does not get much access to updates so, switch to the administrator account by following the steps:

1. First, navigate to Start Menu > User Picture. Afterward, select Sign Out.
2. Switch to the Administrator account and log in to Windows 10 again. Try to now and check if the Error has disappeared. If not, go through this guide to resolve the sign-in issue.

Method #5 Run sfc or scannow

SFC or System File Checker allows you to scan and restore the corruptions in Windows System files and those related to the error code 0x8000ffff. Follow the steps to run sfc or scannow on your Windows PC:

1. Press Windows+X together & choose Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu.
2. After that, type the following commands in Command Prompt and hit Enter.
   Sfc /scannow
   sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c:\windows

SFC will start scanning to find the error 0x8000ffff and any other system file problems and corruptions. The scanning will take some time to complete, and after that, follow on-screen instructions.

Method #6 Install Windows Updates

Microsoft continually works on improving, developing, and updating Windows System Files that could be related to the error code 0x8000ffff. Sometimes users can fix this issue by merely updating all the latest available updates of Windows. Follow the steps for this:

1. Navigate to Start Menu & search for Check for Updates in the search bar.
2. Click on the result displayed. Click on the Check for Updates button.

If there are any available updates, click on the Install Updates button.

Method #7 Reinstall Windows Update Program Related with Error 0x8000ffff

If the error code 0x8000ffff is occurring with a specific program, reinstall the Windows Update-related software to get it solved. Follow the steps to do this on your Windows 8 computer:

1. Navigate to Control Panel>>Programs & Features.
2. Look for Windows Update Agent Installer Error 0x8000ffff-associated program. For instance – Windows Update under the Name Column.

3. Afterward, select Windows Update-associated entry & choose Uninstall.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the removal of the error code 0x8000ffff related program.

5. At last, reinstall this program according to the instructions on the Microsoft website.

Method #8 Run Disk Clean Up

With time, your computer collects and stores junk files and data due to web surfing and other activities. You must constantly clean out these junk files as it causes the Windows Update to work slowly or results in error 0x8000ffff due to any file conflicts or overload of the hard drive. You can use Disk Cleanup to clean up these temporary and unwanted junk files to remove the Error and increase your PC’s speed and performance.

Remember that Disk Cleanup cannot clean all temporary files on your PC, specifically those related to MS Office, Firefox, Google Chrome, Live Messenger, etc. Follow the steps to run Disk Cleanup on your Windows computer:

1. Press Windows Key+R to open the Run box. Afterward, type “cleanmgr” in it and press Enter key.
2. Disk Cleanup will start calculating how much-occupied space can be cleaned. The dialog box of Disk Cleanup will appear with a list of checkboxes. Select the ones which you want to empty. Usually, the Temporary Files folder occupies most of the space that can be reclaimed.

Checkmark the boxes you wish to clean up and click the OK button.

Method #9 Update Your Device Drivers

The corrupt or outdated drivers in your PC can lead to errors like 0x8000ffff, AMD Radeon graphics error 43, unidentified network issues, etc. Also, drivers can sometimes stop working suddenly due to different reasons. In such a case, you should immediately update your drivers to solve all the problems. You can use a bulk driver update tool like DriverEasy to automatically download and install the correct drivers for your PC.

Finding the exact driver for your PC is a little tricky, even if you consider it on Microsoft’s website. The process of manually updating device drivers is very time-consuming and frustrating. And if you mistakenly install a wrong or incompatible version of a driver on your PC, it can make things worse for you.

So it is recommended to use DriverEasy for this purpose. It will update all your computer’s drivers and not only those related to the error 0x8000ffff. DriverEasy assures you of installing the correct driver for your PC as it is a highly trusted and successful software developed to download device drivers automatically. It also creates a backup of the older versions of your drivers in case you need to go back to the previous version. The updated drivers will open new hardware features, thereby increasing the efficiency and performance of your system.

Method #10 Reset Windows Store Cache

Sometimes, Windows Store Cache restricts the update and installation of a few apps. Follow the steps to solve this:

Press Windows Key + R simultaneously & type “wsreset.exe.” Hit Enter after that.

This will clear the Store Cache for you. Now check if you can update or install apps without any errors.

See Also:

• 13 Ways to Fix Windows Update Error Code 0x80070643 [Quick Fix]
• 3 Ways to Fix Installer Encountered With an Error 0x8024001e
• {Solved} 10 Ways to Fix Windows Error Code 0x80070570
• {Solved} 7 Ways to Fix Windows Update Error 0x80070057

FAQS

How can I fix Windows 10 Update Error 0x8000ffff?

You can fix Windows 10 Update Error 0x8000ffff by running the Windows Update Troubleshooter, resetting the Windows Update components, or performing a clean boot.

Can Windows 10 Update Error 0x8000ffff be prevented?

Windows 10 Update Error 0x8000ffff can be prevented by ensuring that your system files are up to date, keeping your drivers up to date, and avoiding any actions that might disrupt the Windows Update process.

How do I run the Windows Update Troubleshooter?

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Windows Update > Run the troubleshooter to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter.

How do I perform a clean boot?

To perform a clean boot, open the System Configuration tool, go to the Services tab, select 'Hide all Microsoft services,' and then click 'Disable all.' Next, go to the Startup tab and click 'Open Task Manager.' Turn off all startup items and restart your computer.

How do I update my drivers?

To update your drivers, go to Device Manager, right-click on the device you want to edit, and select 'Update driver.' You can also download the latest drivers from the device manufacturer's website.

How do I run a System File Checker scan?

To run a System File Checker scan, open Command Prompt as an administrator and type 'sfc /scannow.' Wait for the scan to complete and restart your computer.

Conclusion

I hope this article will solve your problem of error code 0x8000ffff. Try any of the solutions above and resolve your PC errors permanently.