In many ways, Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system provides tons of improvements. It allows users to quickly download apps from the Windows Store and install them without having to worry about them being dangerous. It also allows users to instantly purchase new apps to use on multiple devices.
This is a landmark change for Windows and something the Windows ecosystem has needed for ages. Installing apps on a Windows device has always been a kind of gamble. Even installing applications from legitimate services such as Downloads.com can contain unwanted utilities and changes to a system that the user did not intend. Worse, downloading an app from the wrong source can leave users with viruses or spyware.
Although the Windows Store tries to fix most of these problems, this is still Windows. This means strange things can happen and devices may suddenly stop behaving the way they should. This is exactly what happened to Windows 8.1 users who received the 0x8020002e error.
What is causing this error is not always obvious. However, its symptoms are direct. Users who get the error cannot install Windows Store apps no matter how many times they reboot or try to install different apps. For most Windows 8 devices, the 0x8020002e error is something users may experience. After all, these users can install apps directly from their web browser. For users of devices running Surface, Surface 2, and Windows 8 RT, this issue is compounded by the only real difference between these devices and other devices running Windows 8 only. Windows 8 RT devices fail to install desktop apps and effectively abandon those users If they are getting error 0x8020002e go upstream.
So how do users fix error 0x8020002e in Windows 8.1? For now, the news is pretty bleak.
There are tons of methods to fix this bug floating around. Several users noted on Microsoft’s own Answers forums that running a new utility fixed the error for them. However, many people have concluded that using the utility does not fix the error. Really, the only surefire way to fix the error is to refresh your Windows 8 or Windows 8 RT device, and it’s relatively easy. Here is how to refresh your Windows 8 PC and fix error 0x8020002e.
To confirm you’re getting the error, go to your Windows Store app and try installing a random app. Select an app in the Windows Store and hit Install. If you get the same error code, continue.
Press the Windows key on your keyboard or the Windows button at or near your device’s touchscreen.
Mouse users must place their cursor in the upper-right corner of their device’s screen to open the Charms Bar. Touch users must place their finger on the right edge of their screen and swipe left to reveal the Charms Bar. Now tap or click Charm.
Tap or click on the pop-up menu.
Tap or click in the menu on the left side of your screen. It is the bottom menu item.
Inside Update & Recovery, tap or click .
Now, you have three options on the right. The first lets you do it. This option keeps your files and settings in place but reinstalls Windows around them. If this is your first time troubleshooting the 0x8020002e error, this is the option you want to use.
If you haven’t tried to refresh your device because of the error and it didn’t work, do everything and reinstall Windows 8. Choosing this option will definitely clean everything on your device and this can be a serious problem if you don’t have backups. Again, only choose this option if you’ve tried it before and it didn’t work.
Windows 8 will now check if your device has enough space to perform the Refresh. If so, tell him to continue. If not, you need to move your media to a USB flash drive or hard drive.
Now your device is finished. Return to the Windows Store by tapping or clicking the Windows Store app on your screen. It is the application represented by a shopping bag.
Type the name of the Windows Store app you want to install from the Windows Store. In our example, we’re setting up Twitter.
Tap or click Install from Twitter’s Windows Store. Now wait to see if the app is installed correctly. If not, you’ll get a notification at the top right of your screen.
That’s it, more than that if the app was installed you fixed the 98×000 error. All the rest of your pictures, music, and videos should be exactly where they were before the refresh. If that didn’t work, you should back up all your information to an external hard drive and restore your PC instead of refreshing it. Note that resetting your device will also get rid of any programs you have installed. It is best to use this option only as a last resort.
