Windows 10 Unable to resintall Windows 10 default apps

[GTXPlayer]

Hi,

I decided that I wanted to remove certain built-in apps from my Windows 10 device by using commands in powershells. Now it appears, I entered the wrong command and ended up messing up all of my apps. Now I can barely use any of them. However, I only need 1 of them that is broken. I can't fix it using the normal commands in Powershell. It simply doesn't work.

The app I want to reinstall is the Xbox app. To make sure I hadn't screwed up it's installation, I used the following code to attempt to uninstall it. However, it said that I had to be admin to uninstall (which I am), or that the program may not be able to be uninstalled even if I am admin.

Code I used to attempt an uninstall:
get-appxpackage *xbox* | remove-appxpackage

I then proceeded to try and install it again, in an attempt to overwrite the current files. that didn't work either.:
Add-AppxPackage -register "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.XboxApp_11.13.6008.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode


It gave me this error in the Powershell window:
Add-AppxPackage : Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CF6, Package could not be registered. An internal error occurred with error 0x80073D05. See Troubleshooting packaging, deployment, and query of Windows Store apps - Windows app development for help.

I did that and found this which matches the error name:
0x80073D05
An error occurred while deleting the package's previously existing application data.
You get this error if the simulator is running. Close the simulator.

End result after reading the clickable link:
The Visual Studio 2015 simulator does not include the geolocation button. This is because the Windows 10 simulator does not include geolocation simulation. If you need to do this kind of simulation, you can use the Visual Studio 2013 simulator on Windows 8.1 or earlier operating systems."

Now I'm stuck. I'm on Windows 10, so I can't have the Simulator running. Even if I did, I don't know what it's name is.

Thanks. Any help is certainly appreciated

- Lewis

 

[Neemobeer]

• Press (Windows Key + e)
• In the address bar type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages
• Locate the three folders with Xbox in there name and rename them (append .old to each of them)
  • Microsoft.XboxApp_8wekyb3d8bbwe
  • Microsoft.XboxGameCallableUI_cw5n1h2txyewy
    
  • Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider_cw5n1h2txyewy
• Press Windows Key and type powershell, right click it and Run As Administrator
• Type Get-AppxPackage "*Xbox*" | Foreach { "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppxManifest.xml" | Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register }

 

[GTXPlayer]

• Press (Windows Key + e)
• In the address bar type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages
• Locate the three folders with Xbox in there name and rename them (append .old to each of them)
  • Microsoft.XboxApp_8wekyb3d8bbwe
  • Microsoft.XboxGameCallableUI_cw5n1h2txyewy
    
  • Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider_cw5n1h2txyewy
• Press Windows Key and type powershell, right click it and Run As Administrator
• Type Get-AppxPackage "*Xbox*" | Foreach { "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppxManifest.xml" | Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register }

I can't. It says that the folders are open in another program, so I can't rename these folders at any time. I guess a service or something is running them constantly?

 

[Neemobeer]

You can look in Task manager to see if the Xbox app is running, or press (Windows Key + r) type services.msc and see if any of the three Xbox services are running and stop them.

The easiest way to find and close the open handles to these folders is to download and run Process Explorer. Click Find > Find handle or dll..., type xbox and search
Click each handle and it should be highlighted in the lower pane of procexp, right click the handle and select Close Handle. You should be able to rename the folders.

 

[GTXPlayer]

You can look in Task manager to see if the Xbox app is running, or press (Windows Key + r) type services.msc and see if any of the three Xbox services are running and stop them.

The easiest way to find and close the open handles to these folders is to download and run Process Explorer. Click Find > Find handle or dll..., type xbox and search
Click each handle and it should be highlighted in the lower pane of procexp, right click the handle and select Close Handle. You should be able to rename the folders.

Do I need to close all of the handles listed for the Xbox search result, or just those associated with the directory location. I tried to close only those in the Dir location and it still wouldn't allow me to rename the folders.

Edit: After closing them, they just re-open again. I also cannot rename the files before they re-open, because closing any of the 3 handles crashes explorer.

 

[Neemobeer]

It could be File indexing service locking them. I was able to remove the Xbox app from a powershell prompt with

Get-AppxPackage "*Xboxapp*" | Remove-AppxPackage

Try removing the Xboxapp then delete the Xboxapp folder and then re-install it with the command listed above

 

[GTXPlayer]

It could be File indexing service locking them. I was able to remove the Xbox app from a powershell prompt with

Get-AppxPackage "*Xboxapp*" | Remove-AppxPackage

Try removing the Xboxapp then delete the Xboxapp folder and then re-install it with the command listed above

Fixed it and ran the installation command and nothing happened. The folder wasn't created.
I tried creating an empty one with the same name and ran the command for a second time and it still didn't work.

 

[Neemobeer]

Confirm the XboxApp is removed.

• Open a powershell prompt
• Get-AppxPackage "*Xboxapp*"
• You should get nothing back

 

[GTXPlayer]

Confirm the XboxApp is removed.

• Open a powershell prompt
• Get-AppxPackage "*Xboxapp*"
• You should get nothing back

Yes I got nothing back, and the "Microsoft.XboxApp_8wekyb3d8bbwe" folder is empty.

 

[Neemobeer]

You'll want to re-install it from the Windows Store application.

 

[GTXPlayer]

The Windows Store application is also inaccessible due to the same issue :/

 

[Neemobeer]

The Windows Store App installer is in a different location but can be installed from an elevated powershell prompt.
Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers "*WindowsStore*" | ForEach { "$($_.InstallLocation)\Appxmanifest.xml" | Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register }

 

[GTXPlayer]

When I ran the command, I got this.

 

[GTXPlayer]

Well... I deleted the contents of the store folder and now I can't place them back because I need to be admin, which I am. It's just that it's a windows folder so it won't allow me to change it.

 

[GTXPlayer]

Fixed this issue. This thread can be closed.