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
    2013-10-21T20:47:33+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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  2. 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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  3. Anonymous
    2013-10-22T05:13:37+00:00

    Don't want to spoil your hopes but...

    • I have a PC which was originally clean installed in W8, no windows Old nor anything
    • I have an SSD (Old Intel 160GB) + HDD (1TB), tried to remove the HDD (as well as any other non-essential device) just in case, and no luck.
    • My PC has really nothing more than the strictly necessary for my work:
    • Windows Essentials 2012
    • VLC
    • Notepad++
    • Firefox
    • Visual Studio 2010 with Intel Fortran Compiler
    • Skydrive
    • Silverlight
    • Office 365 (through pro subscription)
    • Adobe Acrobat XI Standard
    • 7-zip
    • CPU-Z
    • McAfee VirusScan Enterprise

    And I keep getting that error, having tried so far everything that has been suggested here.

    If I get time I will try to update after a clean W8 install, just to see if it's HW related.

    The most frustrating being the fact that Microsoft provides no clear guidance for the error they provide...

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-10-22T05:30:34+00:00

    But, despite all I have said above (and still might say) Once it is up and running, it is such a pleasureable environment for the next few years with all my systems (even the Samsung Smart TV) chatting away to each other...

    So, biting the bullit, this shall soon pass!

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  5. Anonymous
    2013-10-22T07:00:43+00:00

    Same happened to me - 0x80004005 numerous times after downloading from the app store. I even tried to update from the original Win8.1 Installation disk, the same happened again! Something smells fishy here...

    In your post I found the first hint this could be related to RAID Operation? I have two Systems running Windows 8, one is RAIDed (RAID 0), the other not - but both use SSD disks. On the non-RAID System upgrade from the app store ran smooth, the RAID System crashed as explained. Could this be the Problem?

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