Error Code 0x80004005 – 13 Possible Causes and Fixes

Error 0x80004005 is a common error in Windows Operating System and other Microsoft software products.

If you have used any of the Windows OS variations, be it Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10, the chances are that you might have encountered it.

Usually, you may face this error code when trying to install new software. To troubleshoot it, you have to know from where it is originating.

Therefore, we have compiled all possible causes and step by step solutions to guide you in troubleshooting error code 0x80004005.

#1 -Virtual Machine error

Are you operating from a virtual machine and this error popped up? The error 0x80004005 appears on virtual machines when there is something wrong with the registry key. You can handle it by following the steps below;

  1. Open the ‘run dialog’ box easily by pressing a combination of windows key and R. You can also open the run dialog through the longer process by clicking the start button > All Programs and Accessories. Find “Run” in the list then click it to open the box.
  2. Type Regedit in the box and click “OK”.
  3. The Registry editor opens. Check the registry key following the path: [su_note note_color=”#cbd0d5″]HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers[/su_note]In this step, you are checking whether the key exists there, if it does, then delete and restart the virtual machine. If you have trouble deleting the key, disable the antivirus. If it does not work, then try this steps;
    • Uninstall the antivirus and try deleting the key again.
    • Consider replacing your Antivirus with another one, i.e. Security Essentials, AVG.
    • Use Hyper-V instead of Virtual Box.

In most cases, deletion of the registry key should get the error 0x80004005 fixed. If it doesn’t, then it could be another cause, probably the “Shared Folders” problem, read on for how to fix it.

#2 – Shared Folders Problem

The 0x80004005 error code can appear when you try to access shared folders. Try the steps below to troubleshoot;

  1. Follow the steps in part one for opening the registry editor or Regedit and navigate to the path in this line: [su_note note_color=”#cbd0d5″]HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System[/su_note]
  2. If you are running a 32 bit Operating System, create a new DWORD value called LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy. For a 64 bit OS, create a QWORD(64-bit) called LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy. Finally, set the value to numeric 1 and hit OK.
  3. Reboot your PC and try accessing the shared folders.

#3 – Windows XP problem with error code 0x80004005

You may receive the error code 0x80004005 when installing Windows XP or booting up a computer with Windows XP Operating System.

If it is during installation, the problem raising the error could be a missing or damaged Windows Product Activation (WPA) file.

If it is during startup, then it could be due to a third-party software or antivirus blocking the startup process.

You can use the Recovery mode to fix the problem following the instructions below;

  1. Set your PC to boot from CD or DVD instead of the installed system. If you are not sure how to, read the guides that came with your PC or contact manufacturer since configurations are different for every computer brand.
  2. Insert the Windows XP CD into the DVD drive and restart the PC. You will see the prompt “Press any key to boot from CD.” Go ahead and press any key so that it boots from CD. You will see a screen with several instructions, look for: “To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.” Follow the instruction to enter Recovery Console.
  3. When you see the option “1. C:\WINDOWS”, press 1 to access the primary drive installation. You will be asked to enter the administrator password. Type it in if you had set one, otherwise, just press ‘Enter’ to continue.
  4. Type cd C:\WINDOWS\System32 and press Enter. Use the REN command to rename files in the following list by typing REN File_Name.extension File_Name.old.
    • Wpa.dbl
    • Pidgen.dll
    • Actshell.htm
    • Licdll.dll
    • Regwizc.dll
    • Licwmi.dll
    • Wpabaln.exe

    Note that you must replace File_Name.extension in the previous command with the file name from the above list. Furthermore, File_Name.old represents the new file name. For example, use the command: REN Wpa.dbl Wpa.OLD

  5. Type the drive letter of the CD including a colon (like G:) and press enter.
  6. Type cd i386 and hit enter
  7. Type the following commands individually pressing Enter after each.
    • expand licwmi.dl_ %systemroot%\system32
    • expand regwizc.dl_ %systemroot%\system32
    • expand licdll.dl_ %systemroot%\system32
    • expand wpabaln.ex_ %systemroot%\system32
    • expand wpa.db_ %systemroot%\system32
    • expand actshell.ht_ %systemroot%\system32
    • copy pidgen.dll %systemroot%\system32
  8. When you finish the above steps, Type Exit and press Enter to restart the computer.

#4 – Corrupt or Missing .dll File

Files with .dll extensions are usually Operating system registry files.

The error code 0x80004005 may occur when some of these files are missing or damaged as a result of not managing the system well.

The most commonly used resolution is cleaning temporary folders. Follow the below steps to achieve this.

  1. Click Start menu then All Programs. Go to Accessories and find System Tools. Then click Disk Cleanup and a wizard will show up which identifies files that you can delete and size of disk space that you can free.
  2. Select ‘Temporary Internet Files’ from the list.
  3. Click the ‘OK’ button. A dialog shows asking if you want to delete the files permanently, click ‘OK.’

#5 – Microsoft Outlook Problem

Microsoft Outlook is a useful program for managing e-mails hence used by many people.

You might get the error message: “Sending and receiving reported error “0x80004005″: The operation failed.” when new messages arrive. You might also see the error code “0x800ccc0d” while trying to send an e-mail.

In most cases, this problem is caused by antivirus software such as Norton that has the script blocking feature enabled, or registry problems as a result of missing or corrupted registry keys.

Error 0x80004005 can be a significant inconvenience as it may prevent your Outlook from sending or receiving emails properly, hence, hampering communication with your clients, friends, and family.

Fortunately, fixing the error is an easy task as you will see from the following two methods.

  1. Disable Anti-virus blocking featureThe antivirus software tries to block scripts that are connecting and retrieving data from the internet assuming they are all viruses. You can fix the 0x80004005 error by disabling the script blocking feature when working with Outlook. It is a disadvantage as your computer may not be well protected.
  2. Disable email notification featureThis method involves disabling the feature of reporting new email in Outlook since the error code 0x80004005 relates to switching off the function. This is a temporary fix as it will only work on the issue of new emails by stopping Outlook from checking for new emails, but it won’t fix the sending problem. To disable the feature follow these steps;
    1. From your Outlook account, find the tools menu and choose Preferences tab.
    2. Select “Email Options.”
    3. Uncheck the item “Display a notification message when new mail arrives.”
    4. Click “OK” twice.

#6 – Windows Update Error 0x80004005

This error mostly occurs in Windows 10 while downloading the KB3087040 update. This update was released to make up the flaws and fix bugs in the recently released Windows 10 Microsoft Operating System.

The update was for rectifying a security flaw in the Internet Explorer Flash Player.

Unfortunately, there are problems in the process of downloading the update and hence a message that contains the 0x80004005 error code appears.

Here is the message: “There were problems installing some updates, but we’ll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact support for information, this may help Security Update for Internet Explorer Flash Player for Windows 10 for x64/x32 based Systems (KB3087040) – Error 0x80004005”.

The good thing is that there is an easy way of tackling it. You can simply download the update manually by searching online then installing as opposed to using the Windows Update Control Panel.

The installation process is straightforward then you will have to restart your computer when the process completes. Your computer will be secure and up to date after that without any vulnerability threats.

#7 – Error When Renaming Folders

This error mostly appears in Windows 7, when you try to change the name of a folder. The message shown is: “0x80004005: Unspecified error”.

When you click “Try Again”, you happen to get past the error.

These might mean “permission denied” for whoever was renaming the folder.

So you need to check the properties of the folder by right-clicking on it and selecting properties.

Then determine the owner and security restrictions under the Permissions tab.

If you have logged in as the Administrator, try changing the ownership of the directory and then you can rename it.

Also, the problem could be as a result of the antivirus software installed on your computer, for example, AVG antivirus. Try to uninstall and reinstall it.

If the above fails, then it means there is a problem with accounts on the computer.

You can fix this by restoring your computer to a previous working state when you might have installed an application software that interfered with the system registries on the computer.

This method may lead to your losing of the latest data on your computer up to before the restore point, so it is advisable you do a backup first.

#8 – Error 0x80004005 in System Center Configuration Manager

The System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) is Systems management software from Microsoft for managing large groups of computers running different operating system.

If you are an administrator, you may experience an error when deploying an OS image using System Center Configuration Manager.

The error returned is generic and does not indicate a specific cause.

Here is the error message: “Failed to Run Task Sequence – An error occurred while starting the task sequence. 0x80004005”

There may be many unforeseen reasons as to why this SCCM error 80004005 occurred; the good thing is the fix is simple.

You need to check the clock in the BIOS of the affected machine and ensure that it matches the time at the location of the server. After this change, the deployment should continue without fail.

#9 – Error 0X80004005 in Visual Studio

When working with Microsoft Visual Studio and are trying to create a new Asp.net web application you might encounter this error with the message: “Unspecified error (Exception from HRESULT: 0X80004005 (E_FAIL)) has occurred”.

The error 0x80004005 may also appear when you open files in Visual Studio designer. The problem’s cause is mainly wrong configurations in the IIS Express.

You can resolve this by fixing the IIS Express simply by downloading and reinstalling the IIS Express fresh from the Microsoft website.

If you are stuck at the creating new web application step, then follow the steps below;

  1. Go to Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Turn Windows Features on or off -> Internet Information Services -> Web Management Tools -> IIS 6 Management Compatibility -> IIS Meta Base and IIS 6 Configuration Compatibility.
  2. You need to edit the web application’s project file using a text editor and change the line below from True to False:
    [su_note note_color=”#cbd0d5″]<UseIIS>True</UseIIS>[/su_note]
  3. Grant IIS AppPool identity permissions to the %systemroot%\inetsrv\config
  4. Open Command Prompt and run[su_note note_color=”#cbd0d5″]aspnet_regiis –i or aspnet_regiis.exe –ga[/su_note]

#10 – OLE DB error 0x80004005 in SQL Server 2005 Integration Services (SSIS)

When you have scheduled a Microsoft SSIS package to run as an SQL Server Agent job, you might receive error messages containing the 0x80004005 error code.

The error 0x80004005 occurs because the SQL Server Agent proxy account lacks permission for the Temp directory of the startup account of the SQL Server Agent Service.

How do you fix the error 0x80004005? You simply change the permissions for the Temp directory of the SQL Server Agent Service startup account. Grant the SQL Server, 2005 Agent proxy, Read and Write permissions for this directory.

#11 – 0x80004005: Unspecified Error During Unzipping

You might see the error code 0x80004005 when trying to unzip files. The chances are that some system files in your computer may be corrupt. To fix this error, you need to check some of the system files using the following steps.

  1. Go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Command prompt (Right click on command prompt and select ‘Run as Administrator.’
  2. Type [su_note note_color=”#cbd0d5″]sfc/scannow[/su_note] and hit Enter. Let it run so that it scans and tries to fix any bad sectors on your hard drive. If that is the cause, it will be fixed.

If the above fails, you will need to do a system repair/upgrade using the genuine Windows Vista Installation Disk. Although this procedure may not cause any data loss, still you need to back up your files, just in case something goes wrong.

#12 – Virtual box error NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005)

A similar error with 0x80004005 code appears in Linux/Ubuntu Operating Systems. It prevents you from getting into the Virtual box.

NS_ERROR_FAILURE may happen after installing some updates. You can resolve this error by entering the following command in the terminal:

[su_note note_color=”#cbd0d5″]sudo /etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup[/su_note]

If this procedure fails to resolve the error, then it means you have mismatched kernel modules. Download the Linux installer from Sun’s website. It will recompile the modules for you.

#13 – e_fail 0x80004005 Runtime in Windows 7 Host

You might have seen such an error in virtual box on client’s network. It just means there is a problem with the network configurations between the host machine and the virtual box images.

A quick fix to this error is going into the settings of each of the virtual boxes, Disable the network adapters then start the virtual machines with the network disabled. Shut them down then enable the network again.

If the above fails, try fixing the error by following these steps;

Navigate to the following path depending on your computer name: [su_note note_color=”#cbd0d5″]”C:\Users\COMPUTER_NAME\.VirtualBox\Machines\VM_NAME\”[/su_note]

You should notice the following files:

  1. VM_NAME.xml-prev
  2. VM_NAME.xml-tmp

Apparently, the error is raised because the VirtualBox does not find the VM_NAME.xml as it technically doesn’t exist. So rename the “VM_NAME.xml-prev” to “VM_NAME.xml” Then restart the VirtualBox and it should work fine.

I hope these guides helped you troubleshoot the Windows error code 0x80004005.