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If a Microsoft Configuration Manager task sequence shows 0X800004005, first verify the characters: the documented task-sequence error is usually 0x80004005, so the title or on-screen message may contain an extra zero. Do not apply a generic repair based on that HRESULT alone. Microsoft uses 0x80004005 in more than one task-sequence failure, including policy retrieval and application installation. The reliable fix is to open smsts.log, identify the first meaningful error, note the failed step and deployment phase, and then correct the configuration that the log points to. A specific Microsoft-documented policy-retrieval case is fixed by creating bootable or prestaged media at a primary site, but that remedy applies only when the log shows the matching PKI and invalid-certificate symptoms.
Is 0X800004005 the same as 0x80004005?
Probably, but you must confirm it in the task-sequence log before changing anything. The documented Configuration Manager example uses 0x80004005; the literal string 0X800004005 contains one additional zero after the 8. Transcription errors can occur in tickets, screenshots, and search queries, while the log records the code generated by the task-sequence engine.
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Read the message exactly as displayed, then search the applicable smsts.log for the same value. If the log contains a different HRESULT, troubleshoot the logged value rather than the value copied into a ticket. If both locations show 0x80004005, continue with the workflow below; the code still does not identify the root cause by itself.
Why does 0x80004005 not identify one cause?
0x80004005 is a final, nonspecific failure result in the task-sequence scenarios covered by Microsoft’s documentation. It can appear when the sequence cannot retrieve policy or when an application-install step fails. In both cases, the useful evidence is usually earlier in smsts.log, where Configuration Manager records the component, operation, and preceding error that caused the top-level step to stop.
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Think of the HRESULT as the task sequence reporting that an operation failed, not as a diagnosis. The repair depends on four facts:
- Which task-sequence step is marked failed.
- Whether the computer is in Windows PE, in the newly applied Windows installation, or in the full client phase.
- What error appears immediately before the final HRESULT.
- Whether the deployment uses PKI certificates and HTTPS management points, and how the media was created.
Without those details, changing certificates, recreating media, reinstalling an application, or rerunning the sequence is guesswork. Capture the log context first so that a repair addresses the failing operation instead of masking it.
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Where is smsts.log during each task-sequence phase?
The path changes as the computer moves from Windows PE to the installed operating system. Use the location that matches the point where the sequence stopped. Microsoft also documents the read-only _SMSTSLogPath task-sequence variable, which contains the current log path.
| Phase when the sequence stops | Default location | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PE, before Format and Partition Disk | X:Windowstempsmstslogsmsts.log |
Open this copy before the disk-format step has run. |
| Windows PE, after Format and Partition Disk | X:smstslogsmsts.log, then C:_SMSTaskSequenceLogssmstslogsmsts.log when the destination drive is ready |
Check the current Windows PE path first, then the copy moved to the prepared drive. |
| New Windows installation, before the Configuration Manager client is installed | C:_SMSTaskSequenceLogssmstslogsmsts.log |
Use this copy while setup has completed but the client is not yet present. |
| Windows after the client is installed | C:WindowsCCMLogssmstslogsmsts.log |
Read the client-side task-sequence log. |
| After the task sequence has completed | C:WindowsCCMLogssmsts.log |
Use the final log when investigating a sequence that reached completion but recorded an earlier failure. |
Copy the log before rebooting if possible. A restart can move the sequence into another phase and leave you looking at a newer or incomplete copy. If several copies exist, use the one whose timestamps cover the failure and compare the first error with the final task-sequence result.
How should I read smsts.log to find the real failure?
Start at the end of the log to locate the failed step, then move upward until you find the first meaningful error from the component that performed the operation. The final 0x80004005 often belongs to a top-level task-sequence action; the preceding entry explains why that action failed.
- Confirm the exact HRESULT. Record the code as it appears in the log, including any other values recorded on the same line or nearby lines.
- Record the failed step name. Note whether the sequence was retrieving policy, installing an application, partitioning a disk, applying an image, or performing another action.
- Identify the deployment phase. Mark the failure as Windows PE before partitioning, Windows PE after partitioning, the newly installed operating system, or the client-installed phase. This determines which log copy is authoritative.
- Read backward to the first component error. Look for certificate, policy, network, package, or application-component messages before the task-sequence engine reports the generic HRESULT.
- Capture related status codes. In Microsoft’s policy-retrieval example,
0x80072f8fandWINHTTP_CALLBACK_STATUS_FLAG_INVALID_CAare more useful than the final0x80004005. - Match the evidence to the environment. Check whether the computer is using HTTPS management points, PKI authentication, bootable or prestaged media, and the site from which that media was created.
Do not treat a line that merely repeats the failing step as the root cause. Microsoft’s Install Application troubleshooting guidance specifically warns that the visible error can be raised by the top-level step while the actual failure occurs in a component it invokes.
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It can, but only in a specific Configuration Manager environment. Microsoft documents a policy-retrieval failure for bootable or prestaged media used with HTTPS-enabled management points in a PKI deployment. The task-sequence wizard reports that it cannot retrieve policy with 0x80004005; smsts.log records WINHTTP_CALLBACK_STATUS_FLAG_INVALID_CA and 0x80072f8f.
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In that documented case, the media was created at the central administration site. The root CA information was not configured there, so the generated media did not contain the information needed to validate the certificate presented by the HTTPS management point. The matching repair is to create the bootable or prestaged media at a primary site instead of at the central administration site.
Apply the media-creation repair only when all conditions match
- The sequence stops while retrieving policy, rather than during an unrelated application or imaging action.
- The log contains the invalid-CA status and the accompanying
0x80072f8fvalue. - The deployment uses PKI and HTTPS management points.
- The affected bootable or prestaged media was created at the central administration site.
If any of those facts is missing, do not assume that recreating media at a primary site will solve the problem. The HRESULT is reused in other contexts, and the certificate/media correction is not a universal fix.
What does Microsoft say about dynamic media?
Microsoft’s guidance distinguishes dynamic media from the bootable or prestaged media in this scenario. Dynamic media intended for multiple sites can be created at any site. That statement does not remove the requirement to match the media type, site hierarchy, certificate configuration, and log evidence to the actual deployment.
How do I recreate bootable or prestaged media at a primary site?
For the documented invalid-CA policy-retrieval case, create a new copy of the affected media from a primary site rather than reusing media generated at the central administration site. The purpose is to produce media with the root CA information available to that primary-site configuration.
- Confirm in
smsts.logthat the failure is policy retrieval and that the invalid-CA and0x80072f8fsignatures are present. - Identify the primary site that serves the target deployment and HTTPS management point.
- Use the Configuration Manager media-creation process from that primary site to generate new bootable or prestaged media.
- Replace the old media at the deployment location so that technicians cannot accidentally boot the copy created at the central administration site.
- Run the task sequence again and collect a fresh
smsts.logif policy retrieval still fails.
This procedure changes the source and embedded configuration of the media; it does not prove that every 0x80004005 is a certificate problem. If the new media produces an application-install or another component error, return to the first meaningful log entry and troubleshoot that operation instead.
What if the failure occurs during Install Application?
An Install Application failure needs application-specific evidence, not the policy/media correction above. Microsoft’s troubleshooting guidance notes that the task-sequence step may report 0x80004005 even though a component it invokes generated the original error.
Trace the application action in the log
- Find the Install Application step that the task sequence marks as failed.
- Read earlier entries for policy evaluation, content lookup, command execution, and the application component that returned an error.
- Record the exact preceding status code or message rather than replacing it with the final HRESULT.
- Check whether the failure occurs before content is available, while the installer runs, or while Configuration Manager evaluates the application’s requirements.
- Use the checks associated with that specific signature in Microsoft’s Install Application troubleshooting guidance.
For example, a policy-evaluation message points to a different investigation than an installer-component message. Recreating PKI media cannot repair an application command that fails after policy and content have already been received.
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Why a retry can mislead you
Rerunning the sequence may produce a different visible step while leaving the underlying configuration unchanged. A retry is useful after you have corrected a confirmed cause, but a successful second attempt does not establish that the original 0x80004005 had a single universal cause. Preserve the original log before retrying so that the first failure remains available for comparison.
Which tool should I use to view the log?
Configuration Manager logs are plain text. Microsoft identifies CMTrace, OneTrace, and Support Center Log File Viewer as suitable viewers; you do not need to purchase a separate log-reading utility to inspect smsts.log.
CMTrace in Windows PE
CMTrace is included on Configuration Manager source media in the \SMSSetup\Tools folder and is added to boot images. When the computer is in Windows PE, use the copy on the boot image to open the phase-appropriate smsts.log. Keep the raw text copy as well, because a viewer is only an interface and does not change the evidence recorded by the task-sequence engine.
OneTrace and Support Center Log File Viewer
After Windows is running, OneTrace or Support Center Log File Viewer can help you navigate the plain-text log. Regardless of viewer, identify the failed step, the first preceding component error, and the deployment phase before selecting a fix.
What should I check before running the task sequence again?
Use this evidence checklist to prevent a generic retry from hiding the cause:
- The exact code is confirmed in both the displayed message and the relevant log.
- The log path corresponds to the phase in which the sequence stopped.
- The failed step and the first meaningful preceding error are recorded.
- Any secondary status code, such as
0x80072f8f, is retained. - The deployment’s use of PKI and HTTPS management points is documented.
- The media type is identified as bootable, prestaged, or dynamic.
- The site that created the media is known.
- A new log will be collected after each configuration change.
These checks separate a policy-retrieval problem from an application-install problem and prevent applying a site-hierarchy repair to an unrelated failure.
What common troubleshooting mistakes should I avoid?
Searching only for the final HRESULT
Search results for 0x80004005 combine unrelated Configuration Manager scenarios. Use the failed step and the preceding log signature to narrow the case before following a repair.
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Assuming the extra zero is harmless
The title’s 0X800004005 and Microsoft’s documented 0x80004005 are not the same string. Confirm which value exists in the actual log; otherwise, you may troubleshoot a code that was never generated.
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Creating media at a primary site is the documented resolution only for the PKI/HTTPS policy-retrieval scenario with invalid-CA evidence. It is not a general repair for every task-sequence failure that ends in 0x80004005.
Reading the wrong log copy
The path changes after disk partitioning, Windows installation, client installation, and task-sequence completion. A log from a previous phase may not contain the operation that failed during the current attempt.
Replacing the component error with a generic conclusion
If Install Application reports the HRESULT, continue reading into the invoked component’s entries. The component error is the actionable detail; the task-sequence summary is not.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is the complete repair workflow?
Follow these steps in order when a task sequence stops with the code described in the title:
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0x80004005or another HRESULT. - Determine the phase and open the matching
smsts.loglocation. - Locate the failed task-sequence step and read backward to the first meaningful component error.
- If the failure is policy retrieval, check for
WINHTTP_CALLBACK_STATUS_FLAG_INVALID_CA,0x80072f8f, PKI, HTTPS management points, and media created at the central administration site. - When every condition in that documented scenario matches, create bootable or prestaged media at a primary site and replace the old copy.
- If the failure is Install Application, follow the preceding policy-evaluation or application-component error instead of applying the certificate/media repair.
- Run the sequence again only after recording the original log and correcting the confirmed cause.
- Collect a new log if the sequence still fails, then compare the new first meaningful error with the original one.
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What should I ask next about this task-sequence error?
Can a certificate-chain problem produce a different code than 0x80004005?
Yes. In Microsoft’s documented policy-retrieval example, the log includes 0x80072f8f alongside the final 0x80004005. The secondary value and the invalid-CA status are what connect the failure to certificate validation.
Should I delete the old media before creating a replacement?
Keep the original media and its creation details until the new attempt is verified. Retaining it lets you compare site source, media type, and logs if the replacement behaves differently.
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Is the log still useful if the task-sequence wizard closes?
Usually, yes: the task-sequence engine writes a plain-text log to the phase-specific location even when the wizard is no longer visible. Check the paths for the last known phase and preserve the file before starting another deployment attempt.
Can I diagnose the issue from the wizard message alone?
No. The wizard’s final HRESULT does not identify whether policy retrieval, application installation, or another component failed. The failed step and preceding entries in smsts.log are required to select a defensible repair.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a certificate-chain problem produce a different code than 0x80004005?
Yes. In Microsoft’s documented policy-retrieval example, the log includes 0x80072f8f alongside the final 0x80004005. The secondary value and the invalid-CA status are what connect the failure to certificate validation.
Should I delete the old media before creating a replacement?
Keep the original media and its creation details until the new attempt is verified. Retaining it lets you compare site source, media type, and logs if the replacement behaves differently.
Is the log still useful if the task-sequence wizard closes?
Usually, yes: the task-sequence engine writes a plain-text log to the phase-specific location even when the wizard is no longer visible. Check the paths for the last known phase and preserve the file before starting another deployment attempt.
Can I diagnose the issue from the wizard message alone?
No. The wizard’s final HRESULT does not identify whether policy retrieval, application installation, or another component failed. The failed step and preceding entries in smsts.log are required to select a defensible repair.
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