0xc0000005: The Best Ways to Solve the Windows Error

Microsoft achieved a tremen­dous success with Windows: For decades, the operating system has been one of the most popular solutions for the graphic ad­min­is­tra­tion and use of computers. What’s more, not only the in­stal­la­tion but also the res­o­lu­tion of errors has become much easier over the course of time – thanks to automatic trou­bleshoot­ers designed for a wide range of scenarios, which can be started with a single click. But things become rather com­pli­cat­ed when an error occurs for which no ready-made solution exists. And this is the case with the “0xc0000005” error, which can occur when launching third-party ap­pli­ca­tions, as it can’t be fixed using standard repair tools.

The fault as­so­ci­at­ed with the error code “0xc0000005” is one of the more well-known Windows errors. It not only affects Windows 10 users, but also users of older versions such as Windows 8 and Windows 7. Generally, there are three different scenarios in which the error occurs:

1. In­stalling Windows: “Un­ex­pect­ed error when in­stalling Windows. Make sure the in­stal­la­tion source can be accessed and restart the in­stal­la­tion. Error code: 0xC0000005”
2. Starting ap­pli­ca­tions: “The ap­pli­ca­tion could not be started correctly (0xc0000005). Click on “OK” to close the ap­pli­ca­tion.”
3. Access vi­o­la­tions by ap­pli­ca­tions: “0xC0000005: Access violation when reading position ...”

Moreover, the error (without an ad­di­tion­al message) can also appear when updating Windows, thereby pre­vent­ing the in­stal­la­tion of operating system im­prove­ments. In all these cases, it’s advisable to try to solve the problem yourself, since Windows does not provide any specific trou­bleshoot­er here.

Depending on the context in which error 0xc0000005 appears, there can be a wide range of causes. For example, the hardware may not be working properly or it may be con­fig­ured in­cor­rect­ly. Al­ter­na­tive­ly, the error may be due to the executed software, meaning the problem could be fixed with a re­in­stal­la­tion. In most instances, however, the problem is at­trib­ut­able to specific errors or damages to the operating system. Here, the range of errors can include erroneous or invalid registry entries, missing or in­com­plete DLL files (Dynamic Link Library) or damaged system files and con­fig­u­ra­tions. In addition, malware may be re­spon­si­ble for causing the “0xc0000005” message.

We’ve compiled the most promising ap­proach­es to solving the various 0xc0000005 error sit­u­a­tions for you below.

In the case of access violation errors (also known as pro­tec­tion violation errors), these errors always occur when an executed program attempts to access a certain resource (par­tic­u­lar­ly storage space) that’s protected from such access or is un­reach­able. These kinds of errors – as­so­ci­at­ed with the code “0xc0000005” – are always ac­com­pa­nied by the re­spec­tive software crashing.

You can first try to remove the relevant ap­pli­ca­tion from your PC and then reinstall it. If software files or settings caused the access error, this fault will likely no longer appear af­ter­wards. But if re­in­stal­la­tion doesn’t provide the intended outcome, you should try out the following solution strate­gies.

One possible solution to the 0xc0000005 error is to de­ac­ti­vate the AppInit_DLLs function, which allows you to load any selection of DLLs (Windows libraries) in any process executed in the user mode. The use of DLLs enables a more efficient use of storage space, which is why affected programs load faster and take up less hard drive space. However, sometimes the “AppInit_DLLs” entry can cause prob­lem­at­ic access vi­o­la­tions. Provided you have ad­min­is­tra­tor rights, you can de­ac­ti­vate this feature in the Windows Registry. You can open it as follows:

1. Open the “Run” dialogue via the button with the same name in the Start menu or using the key com­bi­na­tion [Windows] + [R].
2. Type in “regedit” and press [Enter].

After you’ve opened the Registry Editor, look for the following key:

Click on “OK” to confirm the change. After restart­ing the system, you can then attempt to start the prob­lem­at­ic software again.

Windows errors like “0xc0000005” can also be the result of harmful software – es­pe­cial­ly if the error occurs in relation to access to certain system resources. Although the Windows security suite provides good pro­tec­tion against viruses, bots, Trojan horses, and other malware, which can be com­ple­ment­ed with third-party tools like Kaspersky, Bit­de­fend­er or Avira Antivirus, even the best programs are unable to offer absolute security. Start your malware scanners manually to actively check the current security situation of your system and clear any dis­cov­ered malware.

If the access problem with the error code “0xc0000005” persists despite following these solution sug­ges­tions, you’ll have to check whether there is a hardware defect – specif­i­cal­ly in the form of damaged RAM storage. In this case, the solution is to replace the defective working memory with a new one.

Once the check process is completed, Windows will start up as normal. In the info bar (in the bottom right), you’ll receive a message about the results of the check. This tells you whether memory problems were detected or whether the RAM is working properly.

As with access violation errors, it’s just as annoying and frus­trat­ing if the 0xc0000005 message is displayed when running one or more ap­pli­ca­tions. In this case, it’s not even possible to launch the relevant software. The attempt is usually aborted with the text “The ap­pli­ca­tion could not be started correctly”. Re­in­stalling the programs affected by the problem can be a quick fix. Any important program files lost during in­stal­la­tion or an update can be restored in this way. A malware scan (see Solution 3 for access errors) can also resolve the issue.

If neither malware nor the software itself are re­spon­si­ble for the error “0xc0000005”, the following specific solutions offer the best chances of success.

Another possible cause of the ap­pli­ca­tion launch issue with the error code “0xc0000005” is erroneous boot con­fig­u­ra­tion data – usually as a result of a malware infection. Here, it’s not enough to simply remove the relevant malware, as the false entries would still remain in the boot database. Specif­i­cal­ly, this concerns the boot loader paths xOsload.exe and xNtKrnl.exe, which also have to be deleted to fix the problem.

To remove the erroneous boot paths and reset the boot con­fig­u­ra­tion data to the original condition, you’ll need a Windows in­stal­la­tion medium (CD, DVD or USB stick). This allows you to start the command prompt outside regular system operation. Boot your PC from the medium of your choice and then follow the steps below:

1. Click on “Next” in the language settings and then on “Computer Repair Options”.
2. In this order, press the buttons “Trou­bleshoot­er”, “Advanced Options”, and “Command Prompt” (in Windows 10 and 8) or “Use Recovery Tools...”, “Next”, and “Command Prompt” (in Windows 7).

Now enter the following commands in the command line – you can change the drive letter D: if necessary (Windows in­stal­la­tion drive):

Next, restart your PC and enter your Windows key or digital license (Windows 10) if you’re prompted to re­ac­ti­vate Windows.

Thanks to the user-friendly assistant, in­stalling Windows poses no major challenge even for non-techies. But if the 0xc0000005 error occurs during this process, sound advice will almost certainly be necessary. One possible cause of this issue is that the in­stal­la­tion medium used is damaged. If you have an al­ter­na­tive to hand, you should first try to install Windows again from this data medium before applying the following two solution strate­gies.

Damaged or in­com­pat­i­ble par­ti­tions on the hard drive, which are intended for in­stalling the operating system, are a potential source of the 0xc0000005 error when in­stalling Windows (par­tic­u­lar­ly for new in­stal­la­tions). You can fix this problem by deleting the par­ti­tions and creating them again. To do so, select the user-defined in­stal­la­tion type (for advanced users) and proceed as follows:

1. Select the partition intended for Windows (type: “Primary”), click on “Delete”, and confirm this step.
2. Repeat this process for the partition with the de­scrip­tion “System reserved” as well as for all other par­ti­tions belonging to older Windows in­stal­la­tions.
3. As soon as you’ve deleted all par­ti­tions, the in­stal­la­tion assistant will show the entry “Non-allocated storage space on drive 0” in the list. Select this entry and press “New”.
4. The setup will au­to­mat­i­cal­ly calculate the maximum storage space. Confirm this change via the “Apply” button. At least two new par­ti­tions will be created as a result.
5. Ignore the partition with the attribute “System reserved” and instead click on the al­ter­na­tive partition (with far more storage space) to define it as the in­stal­la­tion drive for Windows.
6. Begin the in­stal­la­tion by clicking on the “Next” button.

Also when in­stalling Windows, the cause of the 0xc0000005 error can be defective hardware. In this case, you should first check the working memory using the Windows Memory Di­ag­nos­tic mentioned earlier – at least for a new in­stal­la­tion to replace a running Windows system (see Solution 4 for access errors). Besides RAM, the hard drive on which Windows is to be installed is also a likely candidate for the source of the error. If it doesn’t work properly, it’s highly probable that the in­stal­la­tion will fail. Here, other error codes than “0xc000005” are also possible.

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