The list of error codes for Windows 10 setup

During the upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8, to Windows 10, many users see cryptic error codes. Windows 10 setup does not give much detailed information about the error code. In this article, we will see the most common error codes which the Windows 10 Setup program shows to the end user during an upgrade or clean install.

If you don't want to read the whole article, click the error code to read about what it means in detail. You can also use Ctrl+F to find your specific error code on this page:

Error 0x0000005C


Phase 0 initialization of the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) failed. This might indicate a hardware problem. To fix this issue, try the following:

  1. Update the computer's BIOS.
  2. Make sure that your hardware fits at least minimal system requirements of Windows 10.

Error 0x80070003 - 0x20007


Occurs when the Internet connection is faulty when during the installation of Windows 10.

To fix it, you need to install Windows 10 using the offline setup method. Download the Windows 10 ISO, and then install Windows 10 again.
See these articles:

  1. How to install Windows 10 from a bootable USB stick.
  2. How to create a bootable UEFI USB drive with Windows 10 Setup

Error 0x8007002C - 0x4000D


This error occurs when the operating system has corrupted system files. To fix the corrupted system files, execute the following command in the elevated command prompt:

chkdsk /f c:

Error 0x8007002C - 0x4001C


This error may occur for one of the following reasons:

  • Antivirus software conflicts.
  • Hardware conflicts.

To fix this issue, do the following. If antivirus software is running on the computer, disable it during the upgrade process.
If you have one of the following software programs installed on the computer, temporarily uninstall it, and then try to upgrade to Windows 10 again:

  • SteelSeries engine
  • ESET Smart Security or ESET NOD32 Antivirus
  • Trusteer Rapport

Error 0x80070070 – 0x50011


Occurs when your computer doesn’t have sufficient free space on drive C to install the Windows 10 upgrade.
Free up some space on drive C, and then run the upgrade again. Windows 10 needs 20 GB of free space for the upgrade.
See these articles for further reference:

Error 0x80070103


This issue occurs if the following scenarios are true:

  • Windows Update or Microsoft Update tries to install a driver a second time for an additional piece of identical hardware such as a graphics adapter.
  • Windows Update or Microsoft Update tries to update a currently installed driver to an unsuitable version of that driver.

To fix it, do the following:

  1. Visit the Microsoft Update Web site: http://update.microsoft.com
  2. After the scan for updates is complete, click
    Custom on the Welcome page.
  3. In the navigation pane, click Hardware,
    Optional    . Then, the Update client displays the available updates on
    the Select Optional Hardware Updates page.
  4. Expand the second update for the graphics card, and then
    click to select the Don't show this update again check box.
  5. Click Review and install updates.
  6. Verify that the second update for the graphics card is not
    present, and then click Install Updates.
  7. Click Start, click All Programs, and then click Windows Update.
  8. Click Check for updates.
  9. After the scan for updates is complete, click the Optional updates are available link.
  10. In the Select the updates you want to install section, right-click the update that you want to hide, and then click Hide update.
  11. Click OK.
  12. Click Install Updates to install any additional updates that are selected. If no other updates are selected, close Windows Update.
  13. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Search (or if you're using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), type Windows Updates in the search box, tap or click Settings, and then tap or click Check for updates.
  14. After the scan is complete, tap or click the Optional updates are available link.
  15. Tap and hold or Right click the update you want to hide, tap or click Hide update, and then tap or click OK.
  16. If any other updates are available, save all your work in other programs, then tap or click Restart now to install updates, otherwise, close the Windows Update window.

Error 0x8007025D - 0x2000C


Occurs if the specified buffer contains ill-formed data.
To fix the issue, re-download Windows 10 ISO image and install it again.

Error 0x80070542


Occurs either when a required impersonation level was not provided or when the provided impersonation level is invalid.
Use the Process Monitor app to monitor this error, and to collect and analyze the logs. This tool is meant to be used by IT professionals.

The idea is that if a piece of code works for user "A" but doesn’t work for user "B", user "B" may not have sufficient permissions to access a file, a registry key, or a system object. You can use the Process Monitor tool to collect logs against user "A" and user "B" and then compare the logs to discover the difference.

Error 0x80070652


Occurs when the installation of another program is in progress. To fix it, just wait until the installation of other programs completes, and then install Windows 10.

Error 0x80072EE2


The operation timed out. This may occur if the computer isn't connected to Internet. To fix this issue, following these steps:

  • Start Internet Explorer, and then make sure that the computer has an Internet connection.
  • Go to KB836941, and run the Fixit package.
  • Try to upgrade to Windows 10 again.

If you still receive the error message, check the firewall settings, and make sure that the following website addresses are allowed by the firewall:

http://*.update.microsoft.com
https://*.update.microsoft.com
http://download.windowsupdate.com

Error 0x80073712


Occurs when a file that's needed by Windows Update is damaged or missing. Download the Windows 10 ISO, and then install Windows 10 again. See these articles:

  1. How to install Windows 10 from a bootable USB stick.
  2. How to create a bootable UEFI USB drive with Windows 10 Setup

Error 0x800F0922

Error 0x800F0922
This error can mean that your computer can’t connect to the Windows Update servers. If you're using a VPN connection to connect to a network, disconnect from the network, disable the VPN software (if applicable), and then try upgrading again.

Alternatively, the same error may appear when the System Reserved partition has run out of space. You might be able to fix this problem by using third-party software to increase the size of the System Reserved partition. Make sure that the System Reserved partition has at least 15 MB of free space.

Error 0x800F0923


Occurs when there is a severe incompatibility with an application, a service, or a driver.
You need to identify the incompatible application, service, or driver by examining the log file at

C:\ $WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\Panther\Setupact.log.

Note The $Windows.~BT folder is hidden.

In the Setupact.log file, look for any logged errors. Here's an error example that indicates that the Windows Sidebar is the incompatible application:

2015-08-06 16:56:37, Error MIG

Error 183 while applying object C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar\settings.ini. Shell application requested abort[gle=0x00000002]

Error 0x80200056


Occurs if the user who started the upgrade of Windows 10 logged off before the upgrade was completed successfully. At the same time, another user who is currently logged on tries to perform the same upgrade. The details of this error can be found in

C:\$WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\Panther\Setupact.log.

Note The $Windows.~BT folder is hidden.
To fix this error, rename the following folders, and then check for updates again. Do not log off Windows before Windows 10 Setup is running.

C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
C:\ $WINDOWS.~BT

Error 0x80240017


Indicates that the upgrade is unavailable for the edition of Windows that's running on your computer. Check Windows 10 system requirements for details.

Error 0x80240020


This error occurs if the session ID of the running Windows 10 setup is invalid. This may occur if the user logged off Windows while setup was running. Rename the following folders, and then check for updates again and you are done. The second folder is hidden.

C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
C:\ $WINDOWS.~BT

Do not log off Windows before Windows 10 Setup is running!

Error 0x80240031


Occurs when the Windows installation file is in the wrong format. Download the Windows 10 ISO, and then install Windows 10 again. See these articles:

  1. How to install Windows 10 from a bootable USB stick.
  2. How to create a bootable UEFI USB drive with Windows 10 Setup

Error 0x80246007


Occurs if Windows 10 hasn’t been downloaded. Rename the following folders, and then check for updates again. The second folder is hidden.

C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
C:\ $WINDOWS.~BT

Error 0x80246017

Error 0x80246017
The download failed because the local user account did not have administrator permissions. Log off, and then log on to another account that has administrator permissions. Then, try to install Windows 10 again.

Error 0x80D02002


Typically occurs when the download of Windows 10 installation file times out. Check your Internet connection, and then try the upgrade after a short wait. Alternatively, download the Windows 10 ISO file and install it from the bootable media. See

  1. How to install Windows 10 from a bootable USB stick.
  2. How to create a bootable UEFI USB drive with Windows 10 Setup

Error 0xC0000001


This issue may occur for one of the following reasons:

  • There are file system errors.
  • A file system virtualization application is running on the computer.

To fix this issue, follow these steps:

To fix the corrupted system files, execute the following command in the elevated command prompt:

chkdsk /f c:

Then, disable any file system virtualization applications.

If you’re using any file system virtualization application, disable or temporarily uninstall the application during the upgrade process.

Error 0xC000021A


The %hs system process stopped unexpectedly with a status of 0x%08x (0x%08x 0x%08x). The computer shuts down in this situation. To fix this issue, contact Microsoft Support. Follow the steps in KB969028 to collect the dump log before you contact Microsoft Support.

Error 0xC0000428


Windows cannot verify the digital signature for INSTALL.wim of the Windows 10 image. A recent hardware or software change might have installed a file that is signed incorrectly or damaged, or that might be malicious software from an unknown source. download the Windows 10 ISO file and install it from the bootable media. See

  1. How to install Windows 10 from a bootable USB stick.
  2. How to create a bootable UEFI USB drive with Windows 10 Setup

Error 0xC1900101 - 0x2000B


In case of this error, Microsoft recommends you to disconnect devices that are not in use when you upgrade the computer.

Error 0xC1900101 - 0x20017


This issue occurs because a driver bug check occurs during the Windows 10 upgrade.
Make sure all that drivers have been updated.
Open the Setuperr.log and Setupact.log files under the %windir%\Panther directory, and then locate the problem drivers.
Update or uninstall the problem driver.

Error 0xC1900101 - 0x30018


Means that the Windows upgrade failed after the first restart. Some of the drivers in the driver set of the image are incompatible during the PNP Specialization phase. Update the drivers and firmware on the computer to the latest versions. To do this, go to the computer manufacturer's website, or contact the computer manufacturer's support line. If you have any device installed that you're not regularly using, you need to remove the device drivers from the computer. To do this, open Program and Features, find the entries that are related to the driver, and uninstall them.

Error 0xC1900101 - 0x40017


These errors mean that the Windows 10 installation failed after the second system restart. They’re likely caused by faulty drivers or software. Here are the known drivers and software that cause these errors:

SteelSeries - Mouse and keyboard manufacture. The SteelSeries Engine is not currently supported in Windows 8.1. This causes issues when you try to upgrade to Windows 10. For more information, see the SteelSeries FAQ.

NVIDIA - Video card manufacture. Make sure that you have installed the latest video driver.

ESET - Antivirus and security-related products. See the ESET knowledge base to learn how to safely upgrade to Windows 10 with ESET products installed.

Trusteer Rapport - Credit card fraud protection software. Trusteer recommends that you install the available Windows 8.1 updates before you upgrade to Windows 10.

McAfee - Antivirus and security-related products. McAfee AntiVirus 8.8 Patch 3 is confirmed to be incompatible with Windows 10.

The following solutions can be used:

  1. Clean boot into Windows, and then upgrade to Windows 10.
  2. Run Setup.exe for Windows 10 together with the /DynamicUpdate parameter. This parameter lets the Windows 10 setup program check for available driver updates during the setup process. See Windows 10 setup.exe command line switches.

Error 0xC1900200 - 0x20008


This error might mean that the computer doesn’t meet the minimum requirements to download or install the upgrade to Windows 10. Check Windows 10 system requirements for details.

Error 0xC1900202 - 0x20008


This error indicates that the computer does not meet the minimum requirements to download the update. This issue occurs when Windows Update cannot download the installation media because of corrupted Windows Update client components. Check Windows 10 system requirements for details. You can create a bootable media on some other PC and try to install it without downloading. See these articles:

  1. How to install Windows 10 from a bootable USB stick.
  2. How to create a bootable UEFI USB drive with Windows 10 Setup

Error 0xC1900208 - 0x4000C


An incompatible application that's installed on the computer prevents the upgrade process from completing. If Setup prompts you about any incompatible installed applications, uninstall these applications.

Error 0xC1900208 - 1047526904


This error message indicates that the computer does not pass the compatibility check for installing Windows 10. To fix the issue, uninstall incompatibile software or hardware. To do this, follow these steps:

If Setup prompts you about any incompatible applications, uninstall these applications.

Check whether there's any incompatible hardware from the "C:\$WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\DuHwCompat.TXT" file.

Download the Windows 10 ISO file.

Extract the installation files from the ISO. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, double-click the downloaded ISO file to mount the disk on your computer.
  2. If you are using an earlier version of Windows, you have to use a file extraction tool, such as WinRAR, WinZip, or 7-Zip to extract the setup files from the ISO.
  3. Press the Windows key to open the Start screen or Start menu, search cmd, right-click cmd and then click Run as Administrator to open a command prompt.
  4. Browse to the folder for the extracted files. Type setup.exe, and then press Enter.

Error 0xC1900106


The installation process was ended. Installation failure: Windows could not install the update. This indicates that Setup ended unexpectedly. Do the following:

  • If antivirus program is running on the computer, disable it during the upgrade process.
  • Run Windows Update to make sure that Windows is updated.
  • Make sure that the latest drivers and firmware are installed. To do this, go to the computer manufacturer's website, or contact company support.

Error: We could not Update System Reserved Partition

The System Reserved Partition (SRP) may be full. The System Reserve Partition (SRP) is a small partition on your hard drive that stores boot information for Windows. Some third-party anti-virus and security apps write to the SRP, and can fill it up. To resolve this issue, see KB3086249.

That's it.

Source: Microsoft.

Support us

Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options:

If you like this article, please share it using the buttons below. It won't take a lot from you, but it will help us grow. Thanks for your support!

Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

4 thoughts on “The list of error codes for Windows 10 setup”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Exit mobile version
Using Telegram? Subscribe to the blog channel!
Hello. Add your message here.