Windows 10: Activation /Update Error 0xC0020036

[German]Windows 10 users occasionally facing the problem that the operating system reports error code 0xC0020036 during an update installation. I have also seen the error code associated with Windows activation. In the blog post I discuss this error code.

The problem description

I recently stumbled upon this error 0xC0020036 while browsing the Microsoft Answers forum. In this post, a user describes the problem for Windows 10 version 1903, but the error also occurred with older builds. Here is an excerpt of his error description

Update error 0xc0020036

Hello,

a week ago (15.9.2019) I got stopcode "System service Exception". Right now its second time this month. First time it was failed installation in Windows update. Hard to find as now…

15.9.2019 I got stopcode (as I wrote up) but everything was updated so I just wait. In Wednesday I found in Your website that in May was update for Windows so I downloaded it because I had my Notebook in "Safe mode" so can't reach Windows update. While I try to run it I got a message "something about I already have this update" so it was good but yesterday I try to restart NB (notebook) and in Windows update was that Im without last update (that one in may :/ 1903 – had 1803). Becuase today I had time I used my downloaded update. Yeah and error 0xc0020036 ….

The user received the stop error 0xC0020036 during restarting Windows, when trying to install a feature update for Windows 10 Version 1903. The last operation failed.

From the description above I can see that the existing Windows 10 version 1803 system of the user was already very 'broken', because he had to work in safe mode. This only as a note.

What does stop code 0xC0020036 stands for?

COM error 0xC0020036 is dropped from the Windows kernel mode (in the FACILITY_DISPATCH area, see this Microsoft document) and is of an informal nature regarding the availability of certain resources. It stands for EPT_NT_NOT_REGISTERED or EPT_S_NOT_REGISTERED.

The full error message is 'There are no more endpoints available from the endpoint mapper'. In the kernel (late-binding IDispatch interface) an attempt is made to assign an endpoint for an operation. But this is impossible because there are no more endpoints available (a search didn't found a required endpoint for a procedure entry, because it isn't registered). The system can no longer perform the operation, then triggers a stop code and stops the last operation.

What can you do?

The error is quite serious because an operation such as installing the update or activating Windows can no longer be performed. The operating system as such will continue to work, but updates cannot be installed. This should also apply to update packages that are not obtained via Windows Update, but are downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog and installed manually.

At this point there is only the vague hope that something can still be 'repaired'. In this MS Answers forum thread you will find the suspicion that the error during the Windows 10 update installation could be caused by defective or missing Windows files. Under this assumption you can try the following repair instructions.

• The user can try the build-in Windows 10 update troubleshooter. This feature can be found in Windows 10 V1903 in the Settings app under Update and Security – Troubleshooting (see screenshot above). If necessary, you should perform the troubleshooter several times.
• If this measure is of no use (which I guess from experience), there is still a precautionary check of the system for defective files and a repair using the commands scf and dism. I have described the steps in the older blog post Check and repair Windows system files and component store.

If the steps above do not help (which I suspect), you should reboot the system to be safe, that a hanging process isn't the root case for this issue.

If the error occurs when activating Windows, you can check the system file for damages and the tip for a special scenario, which is described here in the thread, as well as the hints in this article to exclude faulty or damaged license keys.

If this doesn't help, most users still just have the option to try a repair installation by a so-called Inplace-Upgrade.

• This requires a Windows 10 installation medium suitable for the current installation. This can be downloaded from Microsoft using the Media Creation Tool and then saved as an ISO file, burned as a DVD medium or saved on a USB stick.
• An ISO file with the installation image can be 'mounted' under Windows 10 using the context menu, so that the installation files can be accessed via the 'virtual optical DVD drive' created in this way. If you have created an USB stick, you should copy its contents to a folder on your hard disk (since there is a bug in older versions of Windows 10 Version 1903 that prevents the installation of a function upgrade on existing USB storage media).

If the installation image is accessible, boot Windows 10 and launch the file setup.exe from the install image. Then follow the instructions of the wizard to carry out the repair installation with an in-place upgrade. Windows 10 is simply installed over the existing Windows 10. During the in-place upgrade, however, all data and the installed programs should be retained. With a bit of luck, this will allow the system to be repaired and the error will be gone.

Final note: There remains the question why Windows can break down and eject the above error. I'm guessing collateral damage during the installation/uninstallation of software. It is also possible that third-party virus scanners play a role that interfere with these installation/uninstallation procedures.

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