Turn windows features on or off empty

The Windows Features dialog box (optionalfeatures.exe) lets you add or remove additional or optional Windows features. For instance, you can remove Media Features → Windows Media Player using the Windows Features (“Turn Windows Features On Or Off”) dialog box if you no longer plan to use WMP.

Sometimes, the “Turn Windows Features On Or Off” box may be completely empty.

Or, it may stall with the message “Please wait…” as if it got stuck during the enumeration of components.

If the optional Windows features list doesn’t populate even after waiting for several minutes, here is how to fix the problem.

Step 1: Start the Windows Modules Installer service

1. Press WinKey + R to open the Run dialog
2. Type services.msc and press ENTER. This will open the Services console.
3. Double-click Windows Modules Installer service.
4. Set its Start type to Automatic.
5. If the Windows Modules Installer service is not running, click the Start button to start it.

Step 2: Run the System File Checker

The System File Checker is used to scan for missing or corrupted system files and restore them from the component store.

1. Open an elevated Command Prompt window.
2. Type the following command and hit ENTER:

   sfc /scannow

If SFC is unable to restore the missing or corrupt system files due to component store corruption, proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: Repair the Component Store using DISM

Run the following command to repair the component store on Windows 10/11:

On Windows 7 and earlier, you used the System Update Readiness tool to fix the corruption of system files or component store. On Windows 8, 10, and 11, we use DISM for that purpose.

• From the elevated Command Prompt window, type the following command:

  DISM /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

  

  Wait for the operation to complete. This command repairs the Component Store if any corruption is found.

(If the above steps don’t help, you can run the DISM command mentioning the source image (fresh Windows 10/11 Install.wim) from the mounted ISO or DVD media matching the same Windows 10/11 build your system is running.)

Run DISM with the “/Source” argument, if needed

If you encounter an error when running the above command, try running it with the “/source” argument. For more information, check out the article Repair Windows 10/11 Using DISM and SFC. Follow these steps:

1. Download Windows 10/11 ISO and double-click to mount it.
2. Note down the drive-letter for the mounted ISO — e.g., G:
3. Get the indexes available in the WIM file, by running this command:

   dism /get-wiminfo /wimfile:"G:sourcesinstall.wim"

   (For more information on the indexes of a WIM file, check out this article.)

4. Let’s say Index #6 in the WIM file is “Windows 10/11 Professional Edition”, then run this command:

   dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:wim:G:SourcesInstall.wim:6

   

That’s it! DISM should have restored all the missing packages (*.mum and *.cat files) inside the “ServicingPackages” folder and other folders.

The Windows Features dialog should now be functional!

Step 4: Delete the orphaned Package Name in the registry

As a last resort, you may delete the problematic/missing package reference in the registry.

1. Launch OptionalFeatures.exe and close it.
2. Open the C:WindowsLogsCBSCBS.log file.
3. Look for the most recent set of entries, matching the date or timestamp. The CBS.log file should reveal the problem component/package, as in the following example:

   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Info    CBS    Session: 30976591_4001857438 initialized by client Windows Optional Component Manager, external staging directory: (null), external registry directory: (null)
   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Info    CBS    Appl: Evaluating package applicability for package Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.19041.1, applicable state: Installed
   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Info    CBS    External EvaluateApplicability, package: Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.19041.1, package applicable State: Installed, highest update applicable state: Installed, resulting applicable state:Installed
   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Info    CBS    Enumerating Foundation package: Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.19041.1, this could be slow
   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Info    CBS    Store corruption, manifest missing for package: Microsoft-Windows-IIS-WebServer-ServerCommon-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.19041.1826
   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Error   CBS    Failed to resolve package 'Microsoft-Windows-IIS-WebServer-ServerCommon-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.19041.1826' [HRESULT = 0x800f0831 - CBS_E_STORE_CORRUPTION]
   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Info    CBS    Mark store corruption flag because of package: Microsoft-Windows-IIS-WebServer-ServerCommon-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.19041.1826. [HRESULT = 0x800f0831 - CBS_E_STORE_CORRUPTION]
   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Info    CBS    Failed to resolve package [HRESULT = 0x800f0831 - CBS_E_STORE_CORRUPTION]
   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Info    CBS    Failed to check whether this is the real child: Microsoft-Windows-IIS-WebServer-ServerCommon-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.19041.1826 [HRESULT = 0x800f0831 - CBS_E_STORE_CORRUPTION]
   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Info    CBS    Failed to enumerate updates from child package [HRESULT = 0x800f0831 - CBS_E_STORE_CORRUPTION]
   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Info    CBS    Failed to enumerate updates from child package [HRESULT = 0x800f0831 - CBS_E_STORE_CORRUPTION]
   2022-08-07 16:52:08, Error   CBS    Failed to enumerate all updates. [HRESULT = 0x800f0831 - CBS_E_STORE_CORRUPTION]
   

   It’s now clear that the following package (missing) is the root cause of the Windows Features blank window issue:

   Microsoft-Windows-IIS-WebServer-ServerCommon-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.19041.1826

4. Launch the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and go to the package key here:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionComponent Based ServicingPackagesMicrosoft-Windows-IIS-WebServer-ServerCommon-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.19041.1826

   (Note: The name of the registry key is exactly the same as the missing package name, as shown in CBS.log)

5. First, export the key to a registry (.reg) file.
6. Right-click on the key and choose Delete.
   

   Alternatively, you can change the CurrentState registry value (for the above problematic package) to 0, instead of deleting the key. The value data of 0 for this item means the package is “Absent”. This prevents the Windows Features dialog from enumerating the item.

   See this article to know more about the CurrentState registry value.
7. Repeat the same for every missing component (mentioned in the CBS.log file), if any.
8. Exit the Registry Editor.

Launch the Windows Features dialog now.

Step 5: Delete the “StoreDirty” registry value (Windows

If you’re using Windows 8, run this command. This command may not be necessary (or the Components branch be missing) if using Windows 10/11.

• Open an elevated command prompt, type the following, and hit ENTER:

  reg delete HKLMCOMPONENTS /v StoreDirty

I hope that fixes the Windows Features (“Turn Windows Features on or off”) dialog in Windows 10 and 11.

Contents:

Turn Windows Features on or off Blank Overview

Why is Windows Features Box Empty?

How Do I Fix Windows Features on or off Blank?

Turn Windows Features on or off Blank Overview:

As users reported, upon going to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off, after seconds, you just find this Windows Features window presents an empty dialog box. Or some of you get stuck at Windows 10 turn features on or off please wait.

Normally, in this dialog, you are able to enable or disable some optional features as below like .Net Framework service, Hyper-V, Media Features, Internet Information Services (IIS), Microsoft Paint to PDF, etc. Now you can only see a blank or empty dialog.

In order to recover the black Windows features, there is much need for you to move on.

Why is Windows Features Box Empty?

Like what has been discussed before, these features are optional features for games, Internet Explorer service, Internet Information Services (IIS), and some system components, which entails certain Windows-based files.

Based on this fact, while turn on or off Windows features is black or doesn’t appear at all, it implies that some files on your PC may be corrupted or missing. Here with deep research, this blank Windows feature is caused by the corruption in the file in C:WindowsServicingPackages. Or some related service and Windows update are also to blame, such as Windows Module Installer.

How Do I Fix Windows Features on or off Blank?

You need to troubleshoot this problem from different perspectives. Here follow the ways below one by one until turn on or off Windows features list loads and comes up on Windows 10, 8, 7.

Solutions:

1: Fix Turn Windows Features on or off dialog Blank or Empty Automatically

2: Run System File Checker and DISM

3: Delete StoreDirty Value

4: Change Windows Module Installer Service Settings

5: Create a New User Account

6: Use System Update Readiness Tool

Solution 1: Fix Turn Windows Features on or off dialog Blank or Empty Automatically

First off, to save your time, it is worth a shot to use the professional and reliable tool – Advanced System Care to fix Windows features not working automatically. It has been proved useful to take advantage of ASC to resolve Windows Features on or off blank error.

1. Download, install and run Advanced SystemCare.

2. Under Toolbox, and then hit WinFix. ASC will immediately install this toolbox for you automatically.

3. In IObit Win Fix, locate Advanced Fix > Security > Fix ‘Turn Windows Features on or off’ dialog box is blank or empty > Fix.

Upon Advanced SystemCare finished its fixing, check if Windows Feature list will appear now.

Solution 2: Run System File Checker and DISM

Or, you can also make use of the system embedded tools to detect what files are corrupted, causing Windows features not to turn on or off.

Perform SFC:

Use System File Checker to figure out and then fix problematic files.

1. Search Command Prompt in the search box and then right click the result to Run as administrator.

2. In CMD Command-line, input sfc/scannow and then hit Enter to run SFC.

If needed, restart your PC and you can see Windows 10 has corrected the corrupted files. After that, try to turn on or off Windows features to see if it loads properly.

Run DISM:

You can also use Deployment Imaging Servicing Management to repair the erroneous Windows images, which is rather foolproof and useful in dealing with this issue.

In Command Prompt with administrative privileges, run the commands below one by one.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Whatever error it detects out, manage to fix it as soon as possible. You will notice turn on Windows feature on or off gone has been recovered.

Solution 3: Delete StoreDirty Value

Especially for users who hit upon turn on or off Windows features blank on Windows 8, you would better get rid of this StoreDirty value. This registry value may be the culprit for your missing Windows feature list.

In Command Prompt with an administrator account, copy and paste the following command and then press the Enter key to remove the problematic StoreDirty value.

reg delete HKLMCOMPONENTS /v StoreDirty

You can restart your PC to take effect if possible. After logging on again, go to control panel to turn Windows features on or off. This time you may find the Windows Feature window elevated and all the optional features are showing up.

Solution 4: Change Windows Module Installer Service Settings

This Windows Module installer is in charge of enabling the installation, modification, and removal of Windows updates and optional components. Therefore, if you carelessly disabled this service, it is likely that turn Windows features on or off is blank on Windows 7, 8, and 10. You need to start it automatically.

1. Type in Services in the search box and then hit Enter.

2. In Services, scroll down to find out Windows Module Installer and right click it to open its Properties.

3. Under Startup type, set Windows Module Installer startup type as Automatic and Service status Start.

4. Click Apply and OK to save changes.

With this critical service enabled, there is a high probability that Windows 10 optional features blank won’t come to you.

Solution 5: Create a New User Account

In case any account corruption resulting in turn Windows features on or off not loading on Windows 10, 8, 7, you are supposed to create a new user account and then sign in again.

For some clients, the new account will not bring forth optional features empty to your PC.

Solution 6: Use System Update Readiness Tool

For some users, perhaps SFC failed to fix the file issue so as to make the Windows feature not load so far. Here the System Update Readiness Tool from Microsoft may be helpful as it will regain the corrupted file in C:WindowsServicingPackages.

1. Navigate to Microsoft Support.

2. Scroll down to Download the right System Update Readiness Tool fit for your system like Windows 7 32 bit.

3. Hit Open or Run to directly install this Microsoft tool.

4. In the popup of Windows Update Standalone Installer, hit Yes.

5. Then this tool will Download and Install Updates with the files necessary for optional features.

Open Windows Features window and check if Turn on or off Windows features will load correctly.

All in all, all the solutions in this post are powerful in fixing turn Windows features on or off blank or empty on Windows 7, 8, 10. Be patient to deal with Windows features gone effectively.

If you’ve uninstalled a program in Windows Vista or 7 from Control Panel, perhaps you’ve noticed “Turn Windows features on or off” in the left pane. When you click on it, the Windows Features dialog will appear asking you to “Please wait” and it will start searching for a list of windows features such as games, indexing service, internet information services (IIS) and other system components that you can turn on or off. Vista and 7’s Windows Features list is actually pretty much the same as Add/Remove Windows Component in Windows XP. You can also run Windows Features by typing “optionalfeatures” at the run dialog or command prompt.

One of the most common problems that many people are facing with the Windows Features dialog is the window comes out empty or blank and the features list doesn’t appear. You can see “please wait” initially as it tries to make up a list but then it totally blanks out.

Microsoft of course is well aware of this problem and they’ve created a knowledge base article 931712 to acknowledge the problem and also provided 2 solutions to resolve this issue. The first method is to run the sfc /scannow command to scan all protected system files and replace incorrect versions with the correct Microsoft versions. If that didn’t work, they recommend a System Restore.

There’s also another method on Google that claims to fix it by running the command “reg delete HKLMCOMPONENTS /v StoreDirty”. We can assure you that all these above solutions don’t work. One of the only known recommended solutions that will fix the blank Windows Feature is to re-install Windows but that’s rather overkill just to fix a blank window.

Don’t worry though, because we’ve found a REAL fix for the empty Windows Features problem without re-installing Windows. What we’ve found is that this problem is most often caused by missing or corrupt files in a folder called C:WindowsServicingPackages. The reason why SFC or System Restore don’t work is they don’t restore anything in the Packages folder and therefore miss the problem altogether. Here’s how to get your features window populated again.

1. Download the System Update Readiness Tool from Microsoft. Expand the Download Center by using the “+” and download the correct version of the tool according to your operating system. For convenience, the links to the Vista and 7 Readiness Tool are provided below.

Download System Update Readiness Tool for Windows Vista 32-bit
Download System Update Readiness Tool for Windows Vista 64-bit
Download System Update Readiness Tool for Windows 7 32-bit
Download System Update Readiness Tool for Windows 7 64-bit

2. Once you have finished downloading the file, close all running programs and run it, the Readiness Tool has an extension of .msu. Click OK to install the KB****** update for Windows. You will see that it looks as though an update is being installed, but actually it’s trying to fix any problems that it finds on the system in the background using checksur.exe. This will take a while, up to 10 or 15 minutes is possible, so be patient and let it finish.

3. When installation has completed, click Close and restart your computer. Once Windows has booted, try running Windows Features (optionalfeatures.exe) again and see if the list loads into the window or not. IF not, continue to the next step.

4. Go to C:WindowsLogsCBS and open the CheckSUR.log file with notepad. The following steps are possibly going to be a little tricky because everyone gets different results in the log file.

5. Take note of the section that says “Checking Package Manifests and catalogs” in the CheckSUR.log file. If there are errors, you will see a line starting with (f) followed by an error code and path. If you see (fix) on the next line below the (f), it means the tool managed to fix that particular error.

As you can see in the image above, the fourth and eighth (f) lines highlighted in pink don’t have (fix) on the next line and are therefore not fixed as the checking continues. You need to make a note of all the unfixed “MUM” entries in your log file (line 4 above is a MUM error that wasn’t fixed).

6. Now you will need to manually delete the related registry keys according to what you see in the CheckSUR.log file. Run regedit and go to the following location.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionComponent Based ServicingPackages

As an example, the fourth line error in the CheckSUR.log file above shows the file:

Package_2_for_KB2757638~31bf3856ad364e35~x86~~6.1.1.2.mum

So you’ll need to look for that key in the registry at the location stated above and then delete it. There won’t be a need to use the .mum extension in the registry. As long as the whole name matches without the extension, you can delete it.

7. You WILL need to set full control permission before you can delete the corrupted registry key. Refer to this article on how to set the permissions for the key.

After deleting all the corrupted registry keys, the Windows Features should start to show in the list. The good thing about running the System Update Readiness Tool is it might fix some other problems which you are probably not aware of.