How to solve Application I/O Error 0xc000009c in Windows 10

In this guide, we will discuss why Application I/O Error 0xc000009c occurs and what are the possible ways to fix it on Windows 10 PC. This error normally occurs due to a buggy update, problematic app installation, or missing system files. In quite a few scenarios, a corrupted HDD or RAM may also cause such issues on your computer. 

When this problem occurs, you won’t be able to perform basic Windows operations. A few users even complained of getting a BSOD screen with an error message that resembles the following –

To solve error 0xc000009c, initiate a hardware and RAM checkup first. Only when both found Okay, try performing the solutions discussed below –

• Uninstall Problematic Apps
• Install Pending Updates
• SFC/DISM Scan

Status_Device_Data_Error 0xc000009c Solutions

If you are not able to open a particular application because of the error code 0xc000009c, try out the suggestions discussed below –

1] Boot into the Safe Mode and uninstall recently installed apps

A few users reported that they start experiencing this bug shortly afterward they install some software on their devices. If this happens in your case as well, boot into the Safe Mode first, and then uninstall the problematic app. 

2] Check and Install Pending Windows 10 Updates

Microsoft releases security/non-security patches every second Tuesday of a month. Since they are continuously working to make the Windows Environment error-free, they might have introduced a fix to this error as well. So, make a habit of regularly updating Windows 10. Here’s how to find and install available updates for your device. 

• First of all, navigate to the path below –

Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update

• Move to the right side and hit Check for Updates.
• The system will automatically install the pending updates that it finds while searching online. 
• In the end, you will receive a prompt asking to restart your PC. Well, do the same. 

3] Run DISM and SFC scans

Errors like 0xc000009c may also occur if your PC lacks important files or a few of them get corrupted somehow. In order to solve this, you must check whether there is any corruption inside the system files or the Windows Image. DISM and SFC are two great tools that you can run to solve this problem in Windows 10 –

Here’s how to perform these scans –

• Press Win & S altogether.
• On the Search window, type “CMD”.
• Right-click on the top result i.e. Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
• When the UAC pops up, hit Yes.
• Copy/Paste the below code and press Enter –

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

• This code will run to check if there is any corruption with the Windows Image or not. If this indeed finds any issue with the system Image, DISM will resolve that. 

Now that you have completed the DISM scan, we advise performing an SFC scan as well. Running this utility will find any repair any missing or corrupt files on Windows 10. 

• All you require is to type the below code and press Enter again.

sfc /SCANNOW

• The System File Checker usually takes 10-15 minutes to repair all missing or corrupted system files. In certain cases, the overall time may increase as well. 
• DON’T close the Command Prompt until the SFC Scan completes 100%. 
• Once this is over, Restart your computer.

4] Check hardware issues via CHKDSK  

Sometimes, a hardware failure may also trigger errors like 0xc000009c in Windows 10. You can never be sure of this unless you initiate the disk checkup. CHKDSK is the best tool to find about the bad sectors on your HDD. To do so, use these steps –

• Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
• On the elevated module, execute the code below –

chkdsk C: /f /r /x

• You will get a message stating “Your device is already in use, Would you like to initiate a disk checkup when your system restarts?”. 
• Type “Y” and hit Enter.
• Restart your PC next and the CHKDSK command will resume when it reloads. 

5] Inspect Random Access Memory 

The Status_Device_Data_Error might also occur due to bad RAM as well. To confirm this indeed is the case or not, go and inspect the current status of RAM installed on your device. Here’s how the process goes –

• Press Win + I to launch the Windows Search.
• Type “Memory” in the text field and click on the top result i.e. Windows Memory Diagnostic.

• On the pop-up window, hit “Restart now and check for problems (recommended)“.
• Doing so will automatically restart your Windows and initiate a Memory checkup when it reloads.
• Wait till this diagnosis completes. 
• Once this is over, you will get a report stating whether there is any problem with the RAM or not. 

In case the error 0xc000009c was due to a corrupted RAM, you need to replace it as soon as possible. I hope you find this article easy to follow upon. Let’s know which one of the above solutions clicks on your PC.