{Solved} Fix Windows Update Error 0x80070005: Access Denied

If you are trying to update your Windows to a higher version, and you get the 0x80070005 error, you are not alone.This error usually occurs during Windows updates or by specific applications, because of some DLL files permissions being denied. Malware infections, issues with administrative rights, and firewall software can also cause this issue.

How to Fix Windows Update Error 0x80070005: Access Denied

Methods below show how to counter these causes and will help you out of this error.

Method 1: Switch To Administrator Account

This error can be caused due to some problems with your administrator rights. To solve this, follow the given steps:

1. At First, Press the Windows key on the keyboard. Now type Control Panel and click on the result.

2. Then View by Category. Click on User Accounts and Family Safety.

3. Afterward, click on User Accounts.

4. Then click on Change your account type. Enter password if required.

5. Afterward, Restart your system.

6. Now you are running your system as the administrator. Finally, Check if error code: 0x80070005 still prevails on enabling Windows Update.

Method 2: Update All Your Available Drivers

The drivers help in communication between your system and all the installed applications and programs. These drivers should always be kept up-to-date. Check if any of your drivers are damaged. To see if they need to be updated, follow these steps:

1. At First, Right-click on My Computer.

2. Then Select Properties from the drop-down menu.

3. Afterward, Choose Device Manager.

4. See through the devices are given. Then Check for any that has a yellow exclamation mark on it.

5. Afterward, right-click on any of these devices. Then choose Update Driver.

After the update is done, restart your PC. Finally, Check if updating your drivers has solved the Windows Update 0x80070005 error for you.

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Method 3: Use Subinacl Tool

Incorrect file permissions or registry permissions can cause the 0x80070005 error. The SubInACL tool can be used to reset the permissions.

1. At First, Download SubInACL from this link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=23510

2. Then Install it in the folder, as instructed within the installer itself.

3. Afterward, open Command Prompt (Admin) on your system.

4. Then Type in notepad reset.cmd and press Enter.

5. Afterward, Copy the data below to the reset.cmd file.

@echo off
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CURRENT_USER /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subdirectories %windir% /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
@Echo –
@Echo Done.
@Echo –
@pause

6. Open Command Prompt again. Then type reset.cmd to run the file. Press Enter.

7. Finally, Restart your computer and check if the problem exists.

Method 4: Allow User Full Control

When any specific application causes the 0x80070005 error, folder permissions may be causing the issue. Follow these steps to grant full control to a user.

1. At First, Press the Windows and R keys simultaneously on the keyboard.

2. Then Run dialog box opens. Within it, type: C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData. You can change the letter “C” as per the drive letter in which Windows is present. Afterward,  Click on OK.

3. Then Right-click on the Local folder.

4. Within Properties, go to the Security tab.

5. Then Click on Edit -> Add. Type “Everyone”. Afterwards, click on Check names -> OK -> Full Control.

6. Click OK. This will save the changes.

Finally, Restart your system. Check if you still receive the error while starting Windows Update.

Method 5: Configure Windows Update Settings

One easy way is to configure the Windows Update settings to allow for automatic updates. Before you start with this, you need to make sure you are logged in as an Administrator. The first method in this article will help you with that.

1. At First, Click on Start.

2. Then type update in the search box and hit Enter.

3. Afterward, From the Search results list, select Windows Update.

4. Then Click Change Settings. Select Install updates automatically (recommended) that is given in the Important Updates section.

5. You can choose a schedule for the updates to be installed. Finally, Click on OK.

Strict Windows firewall settings will still cause the 0x80070005 error even with automatic updates. For this, follow:

1. At First, Click on Start.

2. Type firewall in the search box.

3. From the search list, select Windows Firewall.

4. In the left panel, choose to Allow a program or feature through Windows firewall.

5. Then Click on Change settings->Allow another program -> Browse.

6. Look for the svchost.exe file. Afterward, Click Open then Add.

7. You will find a new program on the list as Host Process for Windows Services. Finally, Click on OK.

Method 6: Uninstall And Reinstall The Program Associated With Error Code 0x80070005

If you know that the error occurs for a specific program, like Comodo Internet Security, reinstalling will help.

1. At First, Bring up the Start Menu.

2. Then click on Programs and Features.

3. In this window, locate the program that is associated with error code 0x80070005. For example, the Comodo Internet Security program.

4. Then Click on the associated program.

5. Afterward, Click on Uninstall/Change on the menu ribbon at the top.

6. Then keep following the instructions on the screen for successful uninstallation.

After you have uninstalled it, reinstall it correctly. Finally, this will likely solve the 0x80070005 issue.

Method 7: Run Windows System File Checker

Running the system file checker helps in repairing corrupt files.

1. At First, press Windows + X keys. Then click on Command Prompt (Admin).

2. Afterward, type sfc/scannow at the command prompt.

3. Then The process will take some time. Finally, replace the corrupt files.

Finally, Restart the system. If files associated with error 0x80070005 had been corrupted, this would restore them.

Method 8: Conduct A Full Malware Scan For Your PC

A malware infection can also be causing the error. It may have damaged, corrupted, or even deleted the Runtime error-related files.

Use your malware protection program to scan the system and resolve the issue.

Conclusion

These were all the methods that can likely help you with the Windows Update error 0x80070005: Access Denied issue.