Windows 8.1 installation error 0x80004005

Anonymous
2013-10-17T19:35:19+00:00

I tried to update my Win8 Pro via the Win8 Store and it downloaded, proceeded to Applying Changes > Gathering info > Preparing to restart

and than : error 0x80004005; install cancelled.

No explanation why it did not do the restart. I tried it several times because initially I started everything while continuing work in a desktop application. Than I tried it with a restart w/o desktop. Same result.

So I am stuck with Win8 until there is a solution that does not require a clean install where I have to re-install all my software again. No way...

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Install and upgrade

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-10-22T04:18:30+00:00

    :(

    My Drive C is and was my only partition on that drive and is active. I Have a drive D internal and Drive M hidden externally (Hoping that if my PC gets stolen, M will just be un-plugged as a mass of cables). (Although we get killed for a cell-phone here in SA these days!)

    I also had a Windows.old I renamed after disconnected D and M

    No Luck.

    I then pulled all cables except the network, screens and power and left the Mouse and Keyboard wireless in place - No Luck.

    It is at this time that one considers a clean rebuild.....  :(

    Probably coded into the update: IF PC is too full of all other s/w, THEN Display 0x80004005 ad nasium!

    I'll give it till the week-end!

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-10-21T20:47:33+00:00

    With my case it definitely is the Active partition. How do I know? I set the Win8 partition to Active because it was not the active one and I should have known better. When I rebooted I got the blue screen of death.

    No going back, So I booted from my Win8 disk and tried the repair feature. Did nothing.

    So I selected install and the option to keep my files. It almost looked like it might work when I got the message to reboot to finalize the update to 8.1.

    So I rebooted and still got the blue screen. Win was not clever enough to re-establish the boot files on the active drive. It was a loop.

    I finally had to recognize that I lost the gamble and needed to re-install Win8 from scratch with everything else. I am more than pis#@d.

    To add insult to injury, now I do not even get the choice in the Win8 store to upgrade to 8.1. So I am stuck again, worse than before.

    What gives...

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-10-21T15:36:36+00:00

    Thanks harryglan.

    Unfortunately I don't know how to make the changes in the disk partition utility to make the 119gb drive have the bootloader instead of the system partition it's on now. I'll keep researching.

    Thanks again

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-10-21T15:29:29+00:00

    Hi, from what I've gathered the Win 8 boot partition needs to be the first partition on the drive and marked as active.  It also need to be the partition with the boot loader on it and the one you initially boot from.  I think the problem is that the 8.1 App needs to be able to reboot from the Win8 partition to complete the install.

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  5. Anonymous
    2013-10-21T14:21:58+00:00

    You might be on to something. Just to clarify.

    I have a120gb SSD with a 100mb system partition which is currently the active partition with the bootloader. Then a 119gb partition with the OS on it.

    If I were to mark the 119gb partition active and reboot the PC wouldn't find the bootloader. Are you saying mark the 199gb partition active and then run the Win 8.1 upgrade without rebooting?

    And thanks for the lead on this problem.

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