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How to Fix Windows Error Code: 0x80072F8F-0x20000

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When you try to upgrade to Windows 10 from a Windows 7/8 PC using Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool, you may encounter the error 0x80072F8F – 0x20000. The full error message:

There was a problem running this tool

We're not sure what happened, but we're unable to run this tool on your PC. If you continue experiencing problems, reference the error code when contacting customer support. Error code: 0x80072F8F - 0x20000

Important: The information in this article (and the registry fix) is for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8 systems only. It does not apply to Windows 8.1 and newer!

Reason #

The error 0x80072F8F – 0x20000 happens because the Media Creation Tool uses the TLS 1.2 protocol, but the protocol is disabled by default on Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers.

Solution #

To resolve Media Creation Tool Error 0x80072F8F – 0x20000 error on Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers, enable TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 protocols. Follow these steps to do so:

Method 1: Easy Fix (only for Windows 7) #

This covers the Microsoft update that enables support for TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 through the package KB3140245. Follow the instructions below:

  1. Download KB3140245. Don’t run it yet!
  2. Download “Easy Fix” executable via the following link (direct download) and run it. The fix will create the DefaultSecureProtocols registry value which is a prerequisite for the Microsoft update.
  3. Now run the KB3140245.msi package that you downloaded in step 1.
  4. Restart the computer.

This will automatically enable TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 on your computer, which will resolve the 0X80072F8F – 0X20000 error message.

Method 2: Activate TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 via registry (Windows 7 & 8) #

  1. Make sure your computer is fully updated.
  2. Open the “Notepad” program.
  3. Copy the following lines to “Notepad”:
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp] "DefaultSecureProtocols"=dword:00000a00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp] "DefaultSecureProtocols"=dword:00000a00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TLS 1.1\Client] "DisabledByDefault"=dword:00000000 "Enabled"=dword:00000001 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TLS 1.2\Client] "DisabledByDefault"=dword:00000000 "Enabled"=dword:00000001
  4. Save the file with the extension “.reg” e.g., enable_tls.reg
  5. Double-click the enable_tls.reg file to apply the settings to the registry. Click “Yes” when prompted for confirmation.
  6. If you are using Windows 7, download KB3140245 package (TLS 1.1/1.2 update) from Microsoft and install it.
  7. Restart the computer.
  • Difficult? Download ready-made registry files here and skip steps 1-4!: If you want to download pre-made registry files, download enable-tls.zip. Unzip and run the attached enable_tls.reg file. To restore/undo the setting to the default settings for Windows 7/8, run the undo.reg registry file.
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