The Windows Feature Experience Pack is a small bundle of shell features — bits of the Start menu, taskbar, and system UI — that Microsoft updates independently of big Windows builds. When it fails to install on your HP laptop, the symptom is usually an entry in update history marked failed, sometimes with error 0x80073D02 or 0x80070005, and occasionally followed by odd taskbar or Start menu behavior.

HP laptops hit this more visibly because HP’s customizations layer over the same shell components the pack updates. A half-installed pack plus HP’s shell extensions can produce a taskbar that misbehaves until the pack installs cleanly.

The fixes below address the pack’s actual delivery path — it arrives through Windows Update but depends on Store infrastructure — in the order that resolves most cases.

Why this happens

  • Corrupted Microsoft Store cache: the pack is delivered via Store-adjacent infrastructure, and a damaged Store cache breaks its install.
  • Windows Update cache corruption: a poisoned SoftwareDistribution cache fails the pack’s download or staging.
  • Permission errors on system folders: error 0x80070005 means the installer could not write where it needed to — often after permission changes or aggressive cleanup tools.
  • Conflicting HP shell customizations: HP utilities that hook the taskbar or Start menu can block the pack’s file replacements.
  • Pending Store app updates blocking the queue: the pack can stall behind other stuck Store updates.
  • Corrupted user profile: profile-specific pack components fail when the user profile’s app data is damaged, while other accounts work fine.
  • System file corruption: damaged servicing components fail the pack’s registration step even when the download is fine.

How to fix it

Work through these in order — diagnose first, then act.

Fix 1: Retry the install from Windows Update first

Sometimes the failure is transient — a server hiccup, a file locked by a background process, or a Store sync that finished halfway. One clean retry with nothing else running rules that out, and it is worth doing because a surprising number of Feature Experience Pack failures never reproduce on the second attempt once the machine has had a fresh reboot.

  1. Close all apps and reboot the HP laptop fresh.
  2. Go to Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates.
  3. If the Feature Experience Pack is offered, install it and watch for the result.
  4. If it fails again with the same code, note the code and continue.

Fix 2: Reset the Microsoft Store cache

The pack’s delivery depends on Store infrastructure. The wsreset command clears the Store cache without touching your apps or data, and it is the single most effective quick fix for this failure because the pack’s payload staging lives in the exact cache locations wsreset cleans.

  1. Press Win + R, type wsreset.exe, and press Enter.
  2. A blank Store window opens and closes on its own — that is the reset working.
  3. Reboot, then check Windows Update for the pack again.
  4. If the Store itself will not open, continue to Fix 3.

Fix 3: Repair or reset the Microsoft Store app

When wsreset is not enough, the Store app’s own repair options rebuild its registration.

  1. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft Store > Advanced options.
  2. Click Repair first, then test the pack install again.
  3. If it still fails, click Reset (this clears Store data but keeps your installed apps).
  4. Reboot and retry the Feature Experience Pack from Windows Update.

Fix 4: Clear the Windows Update cache

The standard cache reset fixes pack failures caused by corrupted downloads just as it does for any other update.

  1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. Run: net stop wuauserv, net stop bits, net stop cryptsvc.
  3. Run: ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old and ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old.
  4. Restart the services, reboot, and check for updates.

Fix 5: Temporarily disable HP shell utilities

HP tools that customize the taskbar or system tray can lock the files the pack needs to replace. A temporary exit removes the conflict.

  1. Right-click HP utilities in the system tray (HP Support Assistant, HP Display Control) and exit them.
  2. Open Task Manager > Startup apps and disable HP shell enhancements temporarily.
  3. Reboot and retry the pack install with the utilities closed.
  4. Re-enable them afterward — and grab fresh versions from HP Support if they are outdated.

Fix 6: Test in a new local user account

This isolates profile corruption: if the pack installs fine on a fresh account, your main profile’s app data is the problem, not Windows.

  1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Other users and add a new local account.
  2. Sign into the new account and run Windows Update there.
  3. If the pack installs, migrate to the new profile or repair the old one.
  4. If it fails there too, the issue is system-wide — continue to Fix 7.

Fix 7: Repair the system image with DISM and SFC

The final software fix: repair the servicing components the pack’s registration depends on.

  1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. Run: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, then sfc /scannow.
  3. Reboot and attempt the pack install once more.
  4. Persistent failure after this is rare — check the Windows support hub for the specific error code if it continues.

Closing

Feature Experience Pack failures on HP laptops almost always trace to the Store/Update cache layer or an HP shell utility holding files open — both fixed without data loss by the steps above. Work them in order and the pack installs quietly in the background like it is supposed to. Once it succeeds, run Windows Update one final time to confirm nothing else was stuck behind it, and keep the Microsoft Store updating itself automatically so the delivery layer stays healthy for the next pack release. For the brand-neutral version of this repair, see our step-by-step Feature Experience Pack guide . If Windows Update itself is unhealthy beneath the pack failure, work through our step-by-step troubleshooter repair next.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Windows Feature Experience Pack?
It is a package of Windows shell features — parts of the Start menu, taskbar, and system UI — that Microsoft updates through Windows Update independently of major Windows builds. It lets Microsoft ship small UX improvements and fixes without a full feature update. It is small, installs quickly when healthy, and is safe to install.
Will a failed Feature Experience Pack break my taskbar?
Usually not permanently. A failed install typically just leaves the old version in place. In rare cases a half-applied pack plus third-party shell customizations can cause taskbar glitches until the pack installs cleanly or the conflicting utility is updated. The fixes in this guide resolve both the install failure and the glitches.
Why does the Feature Experience Pack depend on the Microsoft Store?
The pack is delivered through the same servicing infrastructure as Store-provided system components, so Store cache corruption breaks its install even though you never opened the Store. That is why wsreset and Store repairs — which seem unrelated — are among the most effective fixes for this specific failure.
Should I worry if the Feature Experience Pack keeps failing?
Not urgently — it is not a security update, and your system stays protected without it. But repeated failures often signal broader Store or update-cache corruption that will eventually affect important updates too, so treat it as an early warning and work through the cache repairs in this guide.