How to fix 0x800704dd-0x90016 error on Windows 10?

Microsoft envisioned the Windows 10 upgrade to be a smooth process for everyone, but users experiencing the problem defined by Error 0x800704dd-0x90016 will see things differently. You, like many others, probably ended up on this page because you were unable to install Windows 10 after the error in view appeared.

As far as we know, the Media Creation Tool is supposed to provide a fast and secure platform for users to upgrade to Windows 10. To be fair, things go smoothly for the vast majority of people who use it.

Certain categories of users, though, launch the tool to initiate the upgrade process, accept the End User License Agreement, see the program going on to state that it is getting a few things ready, but they eventually see a message of this form:

We are not sure what happened, but we are unable to run this tool on your PC.  If you continue experiencing problems, reference the error code when contacting customer support: Error code 0x800704DD – 0x90016

We believe the issue in view occurs when users try to upgrade to Windows 10 through an account that lacks administrative rights or privileges. Interference from third-party applications or influence from external devices as well as wrong settings or configuration make up the few other things that might be responsible for the problem.

We have outlined enough details about the problem to ensure you understand everything you might deal with along the way. Now, we must move on to the main business of this guide to show you how to fix Windows 10 Media Creation Tool Error 0x800704dd-0x90016. Well, the solutions make up the primary part of this guide, anyway.

How to fix the 0x800704dd-0x90016 installation error on Windows 10?

Given the established causes of the problem, we strongly advise that you begin your troubleshooting operations with the first fix on the list as it is the most effective of the lot. If it fails to work as expected, then you are free to move on to other solutions. This way, you get to navigate through the list (if necessary) until you find what works perfectly in your case.

Switch to an administrator account:

If you saw Error code 0x800704DD – 0x90016 during your attempt to upgrade to Windows 10, using the Media Creation Tool, then there is a high probability that the account currently logged into your system is a profile that lacks administrative rights or privileges.

The error that appeared is simply a consequence of the tool being unable to carry out certain operations because the necessary permissions cannot be accessed or obtained. Therefore, if you want to stop seeing the error message, all you have to do is log into Windows with the right profile. If you do not have such an account, then you must create one.

Follow the instructions below:

• Launch the Settings app. You can do this by pressing (and holding) the Windows button on your keyboard then following up your action with a tap of the letter I key. After the required program window shows up, click on Accounts to enter its menu.
• From the list of items you see on the left pane, click on Family and other people. On the right pane, click on Add someone else to this PC. Now, Windows will prompt you to input the necessary details for the new user profile.
• We recommend you click on the I don’t have this person’s sign in information. Move on and select Add a user without a Microsoft account. Now, you must enter your preferred username for the profile and other relevant information.
• After you finish inputting the required details, click on the Next button. At this stage, you have just finished creating an ordinary user account. You can now move on to transform it into an administrator account; continue with the instructions below:
• Open the Settings app as you did earlier, navigate through the necessary options and menu to get to the Family and other people screen. You will see a list of accounts available on your PC. Go through them and locate the account you recently created. Click on it to highlight it.
• Click on the Change account type button. Expand the options under Account Type. Select Administrator. Click on the OK button. Now, the new account you created will be equipped with administrative privileges
• You must move on to sign into your computer, using the newly created account, then reattempt the upgrade or installation of Windows 10, using the Media Creation Tool.

An alternative method of doing the same thing:

If you do not want to go through the trouble of having to create a new administrator account to carry out a specific task, then you can take advantage of the hidden administrator account feature available on most versions of Windows.

This way, you get access to the profile equipped with the necessary permissions or powers you need to install Windows 10 successfully; you also do not have to keep it (after you are done using it, you can quickly get rid of it).

Here are the instructions you need to go through to switch to the hidden administrator account on Windows:

• Open an elevated Command Prompt window by pressing (and holding) the Windows button on your keyboard, then tapping the letter X key to bring up the Power User menu, then selecting Command Prompt (Admin) from the list of programs and options you see. You could also launch a PowerShell program window if you prefer working on its platform instead
• Now, you must type in the following code and hit the Enter key to execute it at once: net user administrator /active:yes
• Windows must have enabled the hidden administrator account by now, and you will be able to access it. You are free to exit the Command Prompt window and move on to perform the upgrade to Windows 10.

After your upgrade to Windows 10 is successful, you can follow these instructions to disable the hidden administrator account:

• Open an elevated Command Prompt window once more. We only recently showed you how to do this, so there is nothing for you to see here
• After the required program window shows up, this time, you must type in the following code and follow up your action with a tap of the Enter key: net user administrator /active:no

If everything went well with the operation you just executed, then Windows will remove the hidden administrator account you enabled earlier.

Disable your antivirus:

Your antivirus probably does a lot of good work to protect your PC or keep you safe from threats. However, it is fair to question its importance in times like this when there is a good chance that it is involved in some operations that cause Error 0x800704DD – 0x90016 to appear, resulting in you being unable to install or upgrade to Windows 10.

To be fair, the installation of a newer operating system involves top-level operations, which your antivirus might erroneously recognize as activities of malicious programs, and therefore, it often moves to block or undermine them.

For example, we know that a good number of your system files are going to be modified during the upgrade process, and many security programs often associate such operations with the work done by viruses or malware.

Generally, most experts advise users to disable their antivirus when they are about to upgrade to a new operating system or engage in a similar top-level activity. Well, you too are going to move against your antivirus, but we recommend you take things a bit slow to negate the risks or downsides that could result from your action. These instructions will guide you through everything:

• Open your antivirus app and enter its settings, options or configuration menu. Identify the most important features or functionalities it relies on to do its work. Disable all of them. In fact, you must disable your antivirus altogether if there is an option that allows you to do precisely this.

(Here, you are taking away or limiting your antivirus’ powers in the hope that it will become weakened enough to prevent it from interfering with the Windows 10 upgrade process to cause Error 0x800704DD – 0x90016.)

• Exit the program windows you opened, restart your PC, and reattempt the upgrade to Windows 10. If the problem in view persists as before, then you are left with no option but to escalate things by uninstalling your antivirus.

(You reduced its powers with the hope that your action would be enough to ensure that the upgrade process went smoothly so that you could restore the privileges later on. Things turned out differently, however)

• After you uninstall your antivirus, you will do well to check that no leftover component (from its uninstallation on your PC) is there to cause trouble for you. Check its program folders to get rid of unnecessary items; navigate through the contents of your registry to delete redundant entries or keys (if you know what you are doing).
• Restart your PC to let the changes become effective. Try to upgrade to Windows 10. We believe everything will go smoothly this time.

After you successfully install Windows 10, you must move on to address the security issue that resulted from the action you took against your antivirus. After all, your PC is in a poor state—it is running a fresh operating system without any credible form of protection.

You will do well to check out a top security program like Auslogics Anti-Malware. This application will do more than enough to provide reliable protection for your PC with it rarely ever having to work against your interests. Well, this quality of the recommended app should mean a lot to you, considering the behavior of your antivirus in the buildup to your upgrade to Windows 10.

Do a clean boot:

If you are still struggling to get your PC to upgrade to Windows since Error 0x800704DD – 0x90016 continues to appear, then a clean boot should provide you with a platform that allows you bulldoze your way through the problems regardless of what they might be.

Besides your antivirus, we know of numerous third-party applications well capable of interfering with the installation of Windows 10 to cause it to fail. Understandably, it will be impractical for you to go on a mission to find out what apps, in particular, are working against you. There might be so many of them, and there is no guarantee you can identify all of them correctly.

A better move will be to isolate the apps entirely or ensure that they are unable to interfere with your work. Since a clean boot is a way of starting a computer with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, you, undoubtedly, can see how the environment it provides works against the interference from third-party applications.

Follow these instructions to perform a clean boot on your device:

• Open the Run app. You can do this pressing (and holding) the Windows button on your keyboard, then tapping the letter R key. Type in the following keyword into the text field present: msconfig

Hit the Enter key to run the inputted text

• The System Configuration program window should be up and running by now. Navigate to the Services tab. Now, tick the checkbox for Hide all Microsoft services to reduce the list you see
• Click on the Disable all button. Now, you must navigate to the Startup tab. Continue by clicking on Open Task Manager. Now, you should see a list of the applications Windows runs at startup
• To disable an app, right-click on it and select Disable from the short menu list that appears. You must perform this action on every startup application you see.
• After you finish disabling all the required apps, you must return to the System Configuration window, then click on the OK button. You have to restart your computer to enter the clean boot environment, and there, you must reattempt the upgrade to Windows 10, which should be a success this time.

Other things you could try to resolve the problem defined by Error 0x800704DD – 0x90016 during the Windows 10 upgrade process.

If you are yet to resolve the 0x800704dd-0x90016 error on your Windows 10 laptop or device, then you will be glad to see this list of additional fixes that could help.

Disconnect all external devices (especially those peripherals you connect through USB ports).

Cut off all wireless connections (especially those that provide access to the internet).

Enable Windows Firewall (through services).

Run Windows Update troubleshooters (the built-in tool on your device and the special program on Microsoft’s support page).

Download a fresh ISO file on a different PC and use it instead to install Windows 10 on your device.

Surely, by now, you must have fixed Error 0x800704dd-0x90016 to ensure that nothing stands in your way to upgrade to or install Windows 10 on your computer.