Application Was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000005 Error

Tech & Gaming
1

Application Was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000005 Error

So I was trying to open an app and got hit with this:

“The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000005). Click OK to close the application.”

Happened out of nowhere. No recent installs, no Windows updates that I noticed. The app had been working fine for months.

Spent a few hours tracking down what actually fixed it. Posting everything I tried in case someone else is dealing with this.

What 0xc0000005 actually means

It’s an access violation error. Basically, the application tried to access a memory address it didn’t have permission to access. Could be caused by corrupt system files, a bad DLL, RAM issues, antivirus interference, or a damaged app installation.

What fixed it for me: Run as Administrator

Right-click the app > “Run as administrator.” Worked immediately. Sometimes the app needs elevated permissions to access certain memory regions and Windows 10/11 blocks it by default.

If this works, you can make it permanent: right-click the .exe > Properties > Compatibility tab > check “Run this program as an administrator.”

Other fixes worth trying

Reinstall the app
Uninstall completely, download fresh, reinstall. Fixes corrupted installation files that can trigger this.

Run SFC scan
Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:
sfc /scannow

This scans and repairs corrupted Windows system files. Takes about 10-15 minutes. Restart after.

Run DISM
If SFC doesn’t fix it:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Repairs the Windows image itself. Run SFC again after DISM completes.

Disable antivirus temporarily
Some antivirus software blocks memory access for certain apps. Temporarily disable it and try launching. If it works, add the app to your antivirus exclusions.

Check RAM
If this error hits multiple apps, RAM could be the issue. Run Windows Memory Diagnostic: press Win+R, type mdsched.exe, restart. It’ll test your RAM on the next boot.

Run as admin was the fix for me. What app are you seeing this on?

2

run as admin fixed it for me too. felt stupid that was all it needed after the hour i spent googling. worth trying that first before anything else.

3

SFC scan is the right move if run as admin doesn’t solve it. Had this error on a different app and it turned out a Windows update had corrupted a shared DLL. The scan caught and repaired it automatically.

4

antivirus was the culprit for me. my security software had silently added a block on the app after an update. no notification, just the 0xc0000005 every time. adding an exclusion fixed it permanently.

5

If it’s hitting multiple apps at once rather than just one, strongly suspect RAM before anything else. The memory diagnostic tool is built into Windows and takes one reboot. Saves a lot of time ruling out a hardware cause early.

6

Worth trying the DISM command before reinstalling Windows entirely. A lot of people jump straight to a clean install when DISM and SFC together would have resolved it in 20 minutes. Run DISM first, then SFC, then restart.