System Restore fails: AppxStaging %ProgramFiles%\WindowsApp 0x80070091

Hi there Capu from SimonFastEddy

I have emailed a software expert from a very well trusted software firm doing a Cleaner ......

In September the problem of Cortana breaking was resolved in a week, after I contacted him. It is not a third-party software issue. No point doing clean installations again. If you would like: contact other Windows 10 users and see if it is a product-wide issue and get back to the Forum.

If John in Arizona can have a think on it then all may resolve soon.

This could be a major problem affecting vast numbers of users and dump national productivity in the ditch if not resolved soon....the epidemiology is certain even if the etiology is unknown.

From SimonFastEddy.

SimonFastEddy said:

[...]

I'm afraid i have not totally understood your message.

Do you advice me to do something?

Hi Capu,

Commercial interest abounds. It will probably take a commercial software producer to lobby Microsoft, if it was Microsoft's intention to deliver Windows 10 with a time limit on it's functionality. Nothing is free!

It is possible that the paid version gets full functionality and freeware gets somthing that doesn't work...like Support.

Of course it could be that Microsoft didn't notice a defect in Restore. Unlikely. Cortana broke and is now resolved.

The internet is loaded with complaint coming from many sources.

We don't know the cause but the impact will be severe, if this an indication of future cyberware. We need a National Agency and Operating System.

Good hunting.....from SimonFastEddy

Capu,
I also had one instance of the error you show. (English version). I experienced it when I deliberately tried to further investigate whether or not System Restore kept working after it was "fixed" by deleting / renaming the WindowsApps directory. I did a full system backup and tested recovery first. I ran into problems related to Antivirus program interference (0x80070005) because I forgot to turn it off. Even when I uninstalled it completely the System Restore error 0x80070005 came up again.

After running the DOS commands in Safe Mode again, mainly to test the simplified commands, I received the error you show. ie: no error code number. "The restore point was damaged or deleted during the restore"

Luckily the recovery from backup corrected several problems throughout the day yesterday.

There is talk in the Microsoft Community that the original problem with System Restore (Error: 0x80070091) is possibly related to the January Update KB3213986. I intend to disconnect my main HDD and run a clean installation of Windows 10 on a spare HDD and check to see if the System Restore issue is there before the update. Then, if it isn't, I'll run the update and test it again.

You may have just triggered something for me though. The command you use to attrib WindowsApps -h is possibly the reason I and others have been unable to rename it, and had to rd instead. I knew it didn't show in the list using the dir command. It is probable that in the Hidden state it can be deleted but not renamed.

To skeetz and others who are getting :the directory is not empty" message. Perhaps, instead of using rd, you should now try to rename \WindowsApps WindowsAppsold after using attrib WindowsApps -h. Either that or you are going to have to go further into the directory structure to the file level and try to target the specified file that is causing the issue.

If the commands work properly, you will get a message after the icacls command "Successfully processed 30000 files. Failed to process 0 files." If you only get 72 files success and 1 fail. There is no point going to the next command. You must fix that problem first.

I restored a backup image from 2017-01-14 to one on my PCs that was impacted by this issue and then tested restore points. I was able to create and restore the system files do whatever update caused this problem on this PC occurred after that date.

SimonFastEddy said:

Hi Capu,

Commercial interest abounds. It will probably take a commercial software producer to lobby Microsoft, if it was Microsoft's intention to deliver Windows 10 with a time limit on it's functionality. Nothing is free!

It is possible that the paid version gets full functionality and freeware gets somthing that doesn't work...like Support.

Of course it could be that Microsoft didn't notice a defect in Restore. Unlikely. Cortana broke and is now resolved.

The internet is loaded with complaint coming from many sources.

We don't know the cause but the impact will be severe, if this an indication of future cyberware. We need a National Agency and Operating System.

Good hunting.....from SimonFastEddy

I still don't understand why you are telling me that. I don't see what it has to do with the subject

Thanks for telling me your experience glivo. Maybe I should try a reset, perhaps it's called "full system backup" like you called it in english?

KB3213986 was about a week earlier, so unless you had a delayed update that may suggest it isn't the culprit.
KB3211320 maybe??? January 24 2017.

How could it be possible to restore the system to cancel a microsoft update? Especially if restore doesn't work ^^'?

Capu said:

Thanks for telling me your experience glivo. Maybe I should try a reset, perhaps it's called "full system backup" like you called it in english?

Full system backup is done via Control Panel / System and Security /Backup Restore Windows 7 (or other 3rd party like Acronis True Image). It creates a File Backup as well as a System Image. I put mine on an External HDD. This is different to a Reset.
Reset Windows puts Windows O/S back to start point either deleting or keeping your data files and programs, by choice.
Factory Reset, if it is available, will put your computer back to the day you brought it home from a shop. This will wipe everything.

Capu said:

How could it be possible to restore the system to cancel a microsoft update? Especially if restore doesn't work ^^'?

I think you can roll back / uninstall updates in Uninstall programs by selecting to view Microsoft Updates. You just uninstall them like you would any other program. But don't rush into that yet. It may not be the problem.