How to Fix File Copy Error 0x80004005 in Windows

There are two types of 0x80004005 errors with Windows. One was a legacy issue with a faulty update in 2015, and the other was related to copying or unzipping a file. The first was related to the presence of one or more faulty update files, and Microsoft resolved it by releasing a fixed update. So if you are looking to fix update errors 0x80004005, just download an updated ISO and install it from there. But if you are encountering 0x80004005 file copy errors in Windows, this is what we are going to tackle right now.

Errors with the designation 0x80004005 are "unspecified errors" according to Microsoft and appear during a range of tasks from upgrading Windows as above to moving or deleting files, extracting files from an archive or other random events. There are simply too many examples of this error to cover them all in one tutorial. Since unzipping, moving and deleting files seems to be the most common occurrence, let's address it.

Fix 0x80004005 File Copy Errors in Windows

As far as I know, in the context of moving, deleting, or extracting files, error 0x80004005 is about permissions. This may mean that the files used are not considered valid by Windows or that you as the user do not have sufficient permissions to perform the action you are trying to perform.

Fix 0x80004005 errors from the command line

As mentioned in Akhil's comments, you can run the chkdsk utility to try and fix the problem for you. If you have time to wait for a built-in Windows utility to do its job, this might be your easiest solution.

Note that if you are having trouble with the error code that appears when trying to extract a compressed file, you should skip this section.

1. Open Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell as Administrator, they will both work the same for this.
2. Now type “C:” and press Enter. Where it says [C:], type the drive that contains the folder or file giving you the error.
3. Then type “chkdsk /f” and press Enter. This will scan your drive for errors and fix them, this will take some time.

If you don't feel like waiting for this program to finish or if the above method didn't work, keep reading.

Fixed 0x80004005 errors when extracting an archive

Extracting an archive or unzipping is something many of us do all the time. File compression makes transporting, sending, or storing larger files much more efficient. Compression is also called compression, because an archive usually has the suffix .zip.

Windows has a built-in zip utility, but what Microsoft won't tell you is that there are certain types of compression it can't handle with the default software. If you encounter one of these file types, it may throw error 0x80004005. So let's take care of that first.

1. Download 7zip or WinRAR remember to select x32 or x64 depending on your system. Both programs are safe and work seamlessly in Windows. 7zip is free, but WinRAR will eventually require you to pay for it.
2. Install the program of your choice and allow it to run with all file associations.
3. Retry the file you are trying to extract.

Fix 0x80004005 errors when moving or deleting files

If you see 0x80004005 errors when moving or deleting files, it's usually a user permissions issue. Even if you use your computer as an administrator, this is not always enough. This means we need to take ownership of the file.

1. Right-click the file or folder in question and select Properties.
2. Now navigate to Safety tongue.
3. Next, highlight your user account in the top pane of the window and click Edit.
4. Highlight your user account again and the boxes in the bottom pane should now be selectable. Check the box next to Total control and click Okay.
5. Finally, try the file you are trying to move or delete again.

If it still doesn't work, try this:

1. Again, right-click on the file or folder in question and select Properties.
2. Navigate to the Safety tab and click Advanced.
3. Then click on the Change text link in Owner line.
4. Type the name of your account where it says "Enter the name of the object to select" and click on Check name. If you typed it correctly, it should be underlined.
5. Select it once more and click Okay. The window should now close.
6. Depending on your configuration, if you edit a folder or drive, you may see "Replace owner of subcontainers and objects" and a checkbox. Check it to modify the permissions of all files and folders in the folder you are modifying so that you do not need to repeat this process for each individual file.
7. Retry the file you are trying to move or delete.

Additional solutions to resolve the error

Some users reported the problem resulting from files starting with a “. which may cause problems on Windows but not on Linux. If you are having trouble with a file or folder and you know how to boot live from a flash drive, you should boot into a Linux distribution and check the name of the file or folder on the drive in question.

Troubleshoot Windows 10 Errors

While the most common causes of 0x80004005 errors have been covered above, they can also be less commonly related to activation issues, device driver issues, or corrupt Windows files.

Did you manage to solve the problem? Do you know another solution? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with 0x80004005 errors in the comments below.