Microsoft Store - Download and Installation issues - Advanced Troubleshooting

See also:

Download & Installation issues (Microsoft Store) Part I - Checklist

Download and Installation issues (Microsoft Store) Part II - Basic Troubleshooting

When you are experiencing any of the following issues:

• The app suddenly stops working
• The mandatory app update doesn't appear in the Microsoft Store
• A pop-up or error message appears after clicking the "Play" button

Check your Windows 10 License, search for the specific error code, run the Windows App Troubleshooter to scan and fix any issues that may prevent the app from working properly or run the sfc /scannow command to scan all protected system files and replace corrupted files with a cached copy. 

WINDOWS 10 LICENSE

Please also ensure that your Windows license is active. To check your activation status, please refer to this article: Activate Windows 10

SPECIFIC ERROR CODE (example 0x8007005, 0x8007014) 

To find the solution for your specific error code:

• Go to https://answers.microsoft.com/
• Type the error code in the "search the community" field

A list of the relevant questions and answers will appear. Follow the instructions from the Microsoft Community.

If the error code doesn't appear in the list:

• Ask a question
• Go to Windows help

RUN THE WINDOWS APP TROUBLESHOOTER

• Select the Start button, and then select Settings

• Go to Update & Security  

• Select Troubleshoot
• Click on Additional troubleshooters

• Scroll down and from the list select Windows Store apps 
• Click on Run the troubleshooter.  

PERFORM SYSTEM FILE CHECK

To run the sfc /scannow command:

• In the Windows Search Bar, type cmd
• Select "Command Prompt" then “Run as Administrator”.
• Select "Yes" if prompted

• Type sfc /scannow and hit enter

If the download or the update fails with an error message or freezes mid-way, reset the installer, use Disk Cleanup to remove temporary, cache and log files created by the operating system and other programs or manually delete the files in the installation folder.

RESET THE INSTALLER

• Bring up Task Manager (CTRL + SHIFT + ESCAPE)
• Select the Services Tab
• Find the Microsoft Store Installer
• Right-click it and select Restart
• Notification will appear to state Microsoft Flight Simulator is ready to play.

USE THE DISK CLEAN UP TOOL TO REMOVE ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS

• Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, select Disk Cleanup. In the menu, select "Run as administrator"Delete temporary files:

• When prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then select OK.

• In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, on the Disk Cleanup tab, select the checkboxes for the file types that you want to delete
• Select OK.
• To remove data from a previous installation of Windows, check the Windows Update Cleanup check box.

• Next, select Delete files and wait for the system to complete the task.

• Reboot the computer, and try again

REMOVE WINDOWS STORE LOCAL CACHE FILE AND TRY AGAIN

• Download Microsoft Flight Simulator from the store and wait for it to error
• Go to the default installation folder:

 C:\Users\User_name\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache

• Manually delete the files
• Reboot your PC.
• Restart your device, and try to install or update Microsoft Flight Simulator again.

CORRUPTED OR MISSING WINDOWS 10 UPDATE

If your issue is caused by a missing or corrupted Windows 10 update, you might need to reset your PC or remove an update.

To do so, simply following the instructions detailed in this article: Windows 10 recovery options

CONTACT MICROSOFT SUPPORT

The Microsoft Flight Simulator team can only provide basic support in line with the steps above. If you need in-depth assistance with the Microsoft Store app or Windows 10 we advise contacting Microsoft Support directly.