Windows 8.1 installation error 0x80004005

OK, bit the Bullit!

Managed to get 8.0 to install on another "old" drive, fiddled the Key as per suggestion elsewhere and then installed 8.1 and changed the key to my valid 8.0 key.

Of course my PC is now back at square one and it is possibly a good time to re-install all the apps I really use and get rid of the legacy that accumelated since I built this "Super PC" in 2009/04.

Still knocks the socks off the "High-end" units we get at work! (i7-2600 3.4GHz 4HB HP 8200 Elite's)

Good Luck to all the others still struggling - there does not seem to be an easy way on some systems!

Thanks for your contributions - Learnt a lot - You never learn anything if whatever you are busy with works 1st shot!

It is the boot.  As I noted previously with my dual boot windows 8 Ubuntu I had somehow deleted the mbr sector of the drive.  It still booted  fine but 8.1 didn't like the configuration of no separate windows mbr. 

What worked for me was deleting the windows 8 partition and  a reinstall of windows 8 into the unallocated space .  It automatically recreated the MBR.  The download and install of 8.1 went easily after that.

No Luck!

I see this about .dll fixes - will try that this evening - Can't get into my system remotely anymore!  :(

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-1-Installation-Error-0x80004005-Workarounds-396667.shtml

Basically, the easiest way to fix this problem is to perform a clean install. Make sure you back up all your data, **download the Windows 8.1 ISO** and install the new operating system on an empty partition.

If you’re still planning to determine the cause of the issue, Dell’s support team is pointing users to an official Microsoft advisory claiming that the error occurs if “dynamic-link library files (.dll files) are not registered correctly or if there is a firewall between the computer and the Internet that does not allow HTTPS (SSL) connections.”

To fix this, launch a command prompt window with administrator privileges and run the following commands, one by one:

regsvr32 Softpub.dll

regsvr32 Wintrust.dll

regsvr32 Initpki.dll

Reboot your computer and try to install Windows 8.1 once again.

Of course, make sure you drop us a line in the comment box below if one of these workarounds solved the issues for you or in case you’ve found a new way to deal with the error.

??

Alex is right, it's all about the boot.  The Win 8 install App needs to see a clean boot path back to your Windows 8,0 installation or it throws it's toys out the pram. Sometimes the Win 8.0 install Repair/Automatic fix does not work.  Despair not, just reload your Win 8.0 install CD and choose Repair and then the Command Prompt option.  Key in the following:

 

c: <

cd boot <

bootrec /fixmbr <

bootrec /fixboot <

bootrec /rebuild bcd <

 

This cannot harm your installation and has always worked for me.

 

Harry

 

 

 

Thank you Harry and Alex,

I finally managed to install Windows 8.1.

It seems that the problem was Dual Boot all along.

I have Windows 8 and Windows 7 on the same hard drive.

To overcome the error, I copied the Windows 8 partition on to another drive using Paragon Backup and Recovery.

I then disconnected the original drive and used your 'bootrec' procedure to make sure I had the correct boot data on the Windows 8 only drive .

I booted from this drive and the Windows 8.1 installation then ran with no problems.

Hope this helps others. Good luck.

Did Harryglan's

c:

cd boot

bootrec /fixmbr

bootrec /fixboot

bootrec /rebuild bcd

a few times Last night with then loading from the AppStore, the ISO and safe mode and a few other permutations with NO LUCK!

WHAT I DO now have is OFFICE not wanting to run and with that no mail (On this machine!)

Slowley going nowhere!

:(

"Your Account, Our Priority....." Like ****!