Fix The Windows 7 Updates Fail Error 0x80070057

Microsoft errors can be incredibly annoying. If you have a Windows 7, you have experienced error 0x80070057. This error can be tricky to fix but, in this tutorial article, we will go over the best and most effective methods.

Most computer problems have lots of different fixes, some of them are extremely complex and require a high level of expertise while others are fairly simple and a lot easier to carry out.

Getting to some of the fixes available can take quite some time and a lot of research. If you do not have lots of time to spare researching computer errors online but would like a set of simple instructions on how to fix error 0x80070057, you’ve come to the right place.

Here in Error Codes Pro we have done all the research so you don’t have to!

Before we go into all the best available methods of fixing this error, let’s look at the reasons that it make it happen. I do think that is always a good idea to get to know all you can about an error before attempting to fix it, I also appreciate that not everyone feels the same way.

So, if you are really interested in knowing more about this Windows error and, instead, you would like to get to the fixes, I suggest you skip over the following section and go straight to the sections where I explain how to fix it step by step.

What Is Error 0x80070057 And What Causes It? 

 

If you are reading this section, I am going to assume that you are here because you would like to get into what this error is in a certain amount of depth, at least. So here it is.

As you can imagine, there are many of possible causes that this error happens. So, how would you know this is the problem that is afflicting your Windows 7 computer and not something else?

Well, primarily you will know because you should get an error message confirming it but beware that the exact wording would be different depending on when the problem arises.

So, if you are reading this because you have recently gotten that error, you have come to the right place.

Okay, causes. Why on earth would you get that error?

As you have probably already realized you will often get that error when you are attempting to backup you Windows 7 computer files.

But that is not the only situation in which you will ever get this error. It is also possible that you would encounter the error when you are attempting to install the Windows 7 operating system (OS).

A reason why you might get this error could be that your system reserve partition is damaged. You can also face this error when you are trying to create a new profile on Microsoft Outlook.

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Another common time when this error happens is when either updating or installing the pending updates especially on Windows 10. Because this article is specifically about Windows 7, I will not offer any fixes for this particular situation.

Having said all of that, the fixes will often depend on when, how or why this error occurs. And this is precisely why I think it is a good idea to understand the error before attempting any of the methods to fix it. There is no real risk in trying different tested methods like the ones I am about to go into detail but, if anything, it might save you some precious time to go straight into the fix that is most likely to do the trick for you.

I’d say more: I’d argue that it is always also a good idea to note when the error happens so you can troubleshoot it more effectively.

Because people reading this tutorial article for different reasons and I cannot assume what you were doing when you encountered it, all I can do is to list the most effective fixes I have found in as much detailed as possible and then leave it up to you to find the one that will work out for you.

If you do not know what has caused the error, my advice would be that you try all the possible fixes in this tutorial until you stumble upon the one that will work for you.

Possible Fix # 1

 

If this error happens when you are attempting to backup your Windows computer, you will get the following error message:

“Windows could not find backup devices on this computer. The following information might explain why this problem occurred: The Parameter is incorrect. (0x80070057) Close Windows Backup and try again.”

If that is the case you follow these simple steps:

1. Grab your Window 7
2. Click on Start. This action will cause a search box for programs and files to display on your screen.
3. Type the following text into the box: “Regedit.exe” (no quotation marks).
4. Hit the enter
5. A list of different registries will display. You will need to find the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftSystem.
6. Go to new on the edit menu click on DWORD Value.
7. Then type the following text: “CopyFileBufferedSynchronouslo” (no quotation marks).
8. Hit the enter
9. Then right-click on “CopyFileBufferedSynchronouslo” (no quotation marks) and choose the modify
10. Type “1” (no quotation marks) into the value data box.
11. Click on OK.
12. Finally, exit the registry editor.

There is a big chance that this solution will do the trick for you but if it does not, there is an alternative method that you could try out.

1. Grab your Windows 7.
2. Click Start.
3. Go to the Control panel.
4. Then go to the date, time, language and regional options. Click on the Region and Language option.
5. Then you will need to click on the formats tab.
6. Next, click on additional settings.
7. Find the decimal symbol field and type the following: “.” (no quotation marks).
8. Click on the OK button twice.
9. Restart your Windows 7 computer.

Possible Fix # 2

If this error occurs while you are installing the Windows 7 operation system (OS), you will get the following error message:

“Windows could not format a partition on disk 0. The error occurred while preparing the partition selected for installation. Error code 0x80070057.”

If this happens to you, all you will need to do is to just try to install the Windows 7 operating system.

If you get this error again, then follow these simple steps:

1. Grab your Windows 7 computer.
2. Insert the installation CD into your Windows 7 computer.
3. When you are presented with different options, select the following one: “disk 0 partition 1”.
4. Click on the “delete” option. This action will then delete the system reserved space. Also, a dialog box will be displayed on your screen.
5. Select the following option: “unallocated space” in order to create a new partition. Once you have calculated the new size by your disk, click on the Apply button. Again, there will be a new dialog box displayed on your computer screen.
6. Click on the OK button on the dialog box.
7. Finally, choose the Disk 0 partition 2 and go on with the installation.

If you follow these steps to the letter you will fix the error as long as it relates to the Windows 7 OS installation.

 

Possible Fix # 3

Another possible fix would involve either delete or rename the Software Distribution Folder.

Software distribution folder is the name of the folder where all files related to installation and updates are stored.

This folder can be found in the following location: C:\WindowsSoftwareDistribution.

Just head over there and delete all the files therein and then the whole folder. If, for whatever reason, are no able to delete the files and the folder you could try if renaming the folder fixes the error.

Another thing that you can try out is to disable the inbuilt antivirus or firewall that comes with Windows 7 and see if this fixing the error.

If you are not sure how to do this, simply follow these steps:

1. Grab your Windows 7 computer.
2. Go to Control Panel.
3. Then, go to system and security.
4. From there, go into Windows Firewall.
5. Select the following option: “Turn off Windows Firewall (not recommended)”. Notice that this would be a temporary thing until you have fixed the error. You should always go back and turn it back on once the error has been fixed.
6. Next, right-click on the start button.
7. Then head over to programs and select uninstall a program.
8. Finally, restart your computer.

These methods have been proved effective but, of course, which one will work for you will depend on what is actually causing error 0x80070057. So do not be discouraged if the first method you try does not work. You may need to try a couple of things before you hit gold.

If you have any feedback for us or would like to share your tips on how to fix error 0x80070057 with our readers, please leave us a message in the comments section below!