How to fix fatal error C0000034 Applying Update Operation − Windows

If you ran into the fatal error C0000034 while updating your device's operating system, run the Startup Repair tool by Windows, following the steps below:

1. Turn on the computer and while turning it on, restart it;
2. An error report will appear and you will be asked to launch the Startup Repair tool. You need to highlight this tool and press enter. If you do not have the repair tool installed on your computer, you need to install it from the Windows installation DVD. Just insert the DVD, boot it and proceed from there;
3. Once the Startup Repair tool runs, click Cancel;
4. In the dialog box that will show up, click on Don’t Send and then on View advanced options for recovery and support;
5. At the bottom of the window that will open, find the Command Prompt (CMD);
6. In the Command Prompt, type %windir%system32notepad.exe and press enter, to open the Notepad.
7. Go to the list of files that Notepad can view and change it from .txt to All Files.
8. Go to this path: C:\Windows\Winsxs;
9. Go to the Winsxs folder, search for the pending.xml file and copy it.
10. Paste the file in the same or a different folder, to have a copy of it in case if something goes wrong with the main pending.xml file.
11. Open the main pending.xml file and wait for it to load;
12. Search for 0000000000000000.cdf-ms;
13. Delete the following lines:
    "<Checkpoint/>
    <DeleteFile path=”SystemRootWinSxSFileMaps_0000000000000000.cdf-ms”/>
    <MoveFile source=”SystemRootWinSxSTempPendingRenamese56db1db48d4cb0199440000b01de419._0000000000000000.cdf-ms” destination=”SystemRootWinSxSFileMa_0000000000000000.cdf-ms”/>"
    
    
14. Save the change and restart your computer.

Another way to fix the fatal error C0000034 is via the Windows Update Troubleshooter tool. In order to be able to access the troubleshooter, you may need to access the Safe Mode first (feel free to check the how to boot in Safe Mode guide, if you are not sure how).

To access the tool, feel free to follow the steps below:

1. Go to Settings and click on Update & Security;
2. Click on Troubleshoot and then on Windows Update Troubleshooter;
3. Run the tool and follow the on-screen instructions.
   
   
   
   

Note: On some Windows versions, you can access the troubleshooter by following the steps below:

1. Go to Settings;
2. Click on Update & Security;
3. Click on Troubleshoot;
4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

The first course of action you need to take, if this fatal error appears, is to turn off your computer and turn it back on. If you use a desktop computer, unplug it from the power cord, whereas if you use a laptop remove its battery and reinsert it after a minute or two.

If you ran into error C0000034 while updating your device's operating system, try to refresh the Windows update so that it installs again. It can be done by following the steps below:

1. Turn on the computer and while turning it on, restart it;
2. An error report will appear and you will be asked to launch the Startup Repair tool. You need to highlight this tool and press enter. If you do not have the repair tool installed on your computer, you need to install it from the Windows installation DVD. Just insert the DVD, boot it and proceed from there;
3. Once the Startup Repair tool runs, click Cancel;
4. In the dialog box that will show up, click on Don’t Send and then on View advanced options for recovery and support;
5. At the bottom of the window that will open, find the Command Prompt (CMD);
6. In the Command Prompt, type the following commands, pressing enter after typing each one of them:
   
   net stop bits
   net stop wuauserv
   net stop appidsvc
   net stop cryptsvc
   
   

Note: The procedure above can be done via the Safe Mode, too, provided that you can access it. Feel free to check the how to boot in Safe Mode guide, on how to access the safe mode.

Consider this option as a last resort, only if none of the other solutions worked. Before you reset your computer, make sure to make a backup of your personal data (pictures, music, videos and other invaluable documents), to avoid losing them in the process.

Check out the how to install an operating system guide to learn how to (re)install your computer's operating system, safely.

Maybe a program installed in your computer is the reason for this fatal error c00000d4 applying update operation, as it may be in conflict with the Windows update. This is especially the case if you have programs that haven't received an update in a while. To avoid this error, you will need to disable that program to start automatically, when you turn on the computer, via the Task Manager, following the steps mentioned below: 

1. Right-click the taskbar (or the start menu icon) and select Task Manager;
   
   

   
   
   

2. Click on the Startup tab;
3. Select the program you want to disable and click on Disable;
   
   

   
   
   

If you didn't get the error, that means that you will either need to uninstall one of the third-party programs, or to update it.