Windows Update Error 0x80080005 — Server Execution Failed

Overview

Windows Update error 0x80080005 indicates a DCOM server execution failure preventing the Windows Update service from functioning properly.

Key Details

• Error 0x80080005 maps to SERVER_EXEC_FAILURE in Windows COM subsystem
• The Windows Update COM server cannot be instantiated or executed
• Often related to BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) failures
• Can occur when Windows Update DLLs are not properly registered
• Windows Store and other services depending on COM may also be affected

Common Causes

• BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) not running or corrupted
• Windows Update DLL files not properly registered in the COM subsystem
• Corrupted Windows Update agent components
• Third-party software interfering with COM server execution
• Windows Update service account permissions incorrectly set

Steps

1. 1Re-register Windows Update DLLs: run elevated cmd and execute regsvr32 wuaueng.dll, regsvr32 wuapi.dll, regsvr32 wups.dll
2. 2Reset BITS service: net stop bits && net start bits
3. 3Reset Windows Update components: stop wuauserv, cryptSvc, bits, msiserver then rename SoftwareDistribution and catroot2 folders
4. 4Run SFC /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
5. 5Reset Windows Update agent using the official Microsoft Reset Windows Update Tool

Tags

More in Update

Frequently Asked Questions