Error when you download updates using Windows Update or Microsoft Update: 8000FFFF

Error Message Description:

On a Windows Vista-based computer, when you download updates using Windows Update or Microsoft Update, you may receive error code 0x80000FFF. You may also encounter this error when you launch Windows Update from the Control Panel. 

This problem may occur if any of the following values exist in the Windows registry:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\COMPONENTS\PendingXmlIdentifier
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\COMPONENTS\NextQueueEntryIndex
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\COMPONENTS\AdvancedInstallersNeedResolving

Resolution:

To resolve this issue try the following methods in the order that they are listed.

Method 1: 

Restart your computer, and then again try to install the updates

Close all programs that are running, restart your computer, and then try to install updates.

Note Restarting the computer will make sure that all previous installations have completed and that there are no remaining processes that require a system restart before they can be completed.

If the issue is not resolved, go to Method 2.

Method 2: 

Back up and then remove the registry keys that may be causing the issue

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756  How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

To use Registry Editor to back up and then delete the registry values that are listed in the "Error message description " section, follow these steps.

Note These steps are known to resolve this problem that is described in the "Error message description" section. These steps may not resolve the problem if you receive error code 8000FFFF in a scenario that differs from the one that is described in the "Error message description" section.

Click Start.

In the Start Search box, type regedit.

In the Programs list, click Regedit.exe.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or click Continue.

Find and then click the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\COMPONENTS

Right-click COMPONENTS.

Click Export.

In the File Name box, type COMPONENTS.

In the Save in box, click Desktop, and then click Save to save the file to your desktop.

In the details pane, right-click PendingXmlIdentifier, and then click Delete. If this value does not exist, go to the next step.

In the details pane, right-click NextQueueEntryIndex, and then click Delete. If this value does not exist, go to the next step.

In the details pane, right-click AdvancedInstallersNeedResolving, and then click Delete. If this value does not exist, go to the next step.

Restart the computer.