0x80240437 Windows 8 Store error while installing apps

Here is what worked for me:

1. Log in with an Administrator account
2. Stop the following services via Computer Management > Services and Applications > Services:

• Application Experience
• Background Intelligent Transfer Service
• Windows Store Service (WSService)
• Windows Update

3. Once those services are stopped, open up Windows Explorer
4. Go to: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution
5. Delete the contents of this folder
6. Restart the following services via Computer Management > Services and Applications > Services:

• Application Experience
• Background Intelligent Transfer Service
• Windows Store Service (WSService)
• Windows Update
• OR -

Restart your machine 7. Head over to Windows Store and everything should work. Also run Windows Update as it will need to rebuild its 'check list' of patches.

I hope this helps...

This worked for me as well. It's a great solution. I think what we are all having is a corruption of C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution. It seems to have happened in the last week. Given that so many of us are having this issue it could have happened because of an app update that was sent out -that's a theory anyway.

Anyway we now have a solution that seems to work in most cases.

Here is what worked for me:

1. Log in with an Administrator account
2. Stop the following services via Computer Management > Services and Applications > Services:

• Application Experience
• Background Intelligent Transfer Service
• Windows Store Service (WSService)
• Windows Update

3. Once those services are stopped, open up Windows Explorer
4. Go to: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution
5. Delete the contents of this folder
6. Restart the following services via Computer Management > Services and Applications > Services:

• Application Experience
• Background Intelligent Transfer Service
• Windows Store Service (WSService)
• Windows Update
• OR -

Restart your machine 7. Head over to Windows Store and everything should work. Also run Windows Update as it will need to rebuild its 'check list' of patches.

I hope this helps...

Same issues here on two computers.

This has also happened to me. I was notified (in windows store) that there were updates to finance, sports, news, travel, Kindle. None of them will update and now I cannot install any new apps. It just says it could not install the update and uses error code: 80240437. As far as I can tell that is MS speak for "I don't know what happened!" It has also happened this week to my daughters new dell tablet. I am running Windows 8 Pro and she is running Windows 8 RT. We have run the troubleshooter, the wsreset, checked the proxy, and are both using the MS virus checker. Based on the recent flurry of posts across the web I am beginning to think it is an update MS sent out. Short of completely stripping and reloading the machine, anyone have any more ideas? I have the same issue and cannot find a fix anywhere on the web! Windows 8 is junk! I have had my machine for 5 days and everything worked fine until yesterday 8/29/13 and no matter what I try I cannot fix this error. MS doesn't know their **** from their elbow! I am seriously considering taking this machine back and going to an Apple. Why people are forced into buying a non functioning OS rather than having the option to have Win7 is madness!!!! I hate you Bill Gates!!!!! I have been a loyal PC guy my entire life and this is what I get? A busted **** OS that MS employees cannot fix!!!! Figures! You would think this would be priority for them, but I guess pocketing my $$$ for a OS that doesn't work is more important. The world should work on freeware!!!!

Did you follow the link from "I aim to misbehave"? It is what fixed my Windows 8 Pro.

• Go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/836941 and scroll down to the "Resolution" section and click on Microsoft Fix It. Once you run the scan it will tell you that you need to restart your computer. DO NOT restart it. Do a hard shut down by pressing down on your power button. This just worked for me and I hope it works for you as well. Very frustrating issue.

As I said in another post I just did a refresh on my daughter's Dell and it works fine now.  I hope that helps. Good luck.

For my daughters Win 8 RT on an ARM I just did the Refresh You PC in PC settings under general. Since it is an RT machine you can only install from the Windows Store anyway and all that gets put right back on. It worked great and no personal data was lost other than saved passwords for Netflix and the like. I did have to connect to the wireless after it was done. It took forever and I was a little afraid it hadn't worked but about 7 minutes (which felt like an eternity) it came back and has not had a problem since.