ERROR_SXS_XML_E_INVALID_HEXIDECIMAL (0X000036E0) Fix

When You'll See This Error

You're installing a program or running a Windows update. Midway through, you get a pop-up: "Side-by-side configuration is incorrect" or "Manifest parse error: Invalid character for hexadecimal digit" with error code 0X000036E0. The install fails. Maybe you're on Windows 10 version 22H2 or Windows 11 23H2. It's a real headache because it stops everything cold.

Root Cause in Plain English

Windows uses XML files called manifests to tell programs which version of a DLL to load. These manifests have hex codes (like 0x30) that define version numbers or flags. The error means one of those hex codes has a character that isn't valid — like a letter G instead of A-F, or a space where a number should be. It's a typo in a file Windows trusts. The real fix is finding that file and either repairing it or replacing it.

What You Need Before Starting

• Administrator rights on the machine
• About 10 minutes
• The exact name of the app or update that failed (write it down)

Fix 1: Find the Bad Manifest Using Event Viewer

1. Press Win + R, type eventvwr.msc, hit Enter. This opens Event Viewer.
2. On the left, expand Windows Logs > Application.
3. On the right, click Filter Current Log. In the box that pops up, under Event sources, check SideBySide. Click OK.
4. Look for events with Level Error and Event ID 33 or 59. Double-click one. You'll see a description like "Manifest parse error: Invalid character for hexadecimal digit..." with a file path like C:\Windows\WinSxS\manifests\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.2600.5512_none_2b...manifest. Write down the full path.
5. Repeat for any other SideBySide errors around the same time. You want the exact manifest file each time.

After this step, you'll know which manifest is broken. If no SideBySide events show, skip to Fix 2.

Fix 2: Repair the Manifest Using Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM)

This is the nuclear option. It rebuilds all system files, including manifests. Skip this if you found a specific file in Fix 1 — use that file path instead.

1. Open Command Prompt as admin: right-click Start, choose Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and press Enter. This scans your component store and replaces any corrupted files. It downloads fresh copies from Windows Update, so you'll need internet.
3. Wait. This takes 5–15 minutes. You'll see a progress bar: "Starting" then "Progress: 20%" etc. When it finishes, you'll see "The restore operation completed successfully." If it fails, note the error code and run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\RepairSource\Windows /LimitAccess where C:\RepairSource\Windows is a mounted Windows ISO — but that's an edge case.
4. After DISM finishes, run sfc /scannow and press Enter. SFC checks all protected system files and fixes mismatches. That includes manifests. It'll take another 5–10 minutes. When it's done, it'll say "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations" or "found corrupt files and successfully repaired them."
5. Restart your computer. Try running the installer or update again.

Fix 3: Manual Replace (If You Found the Bad File in Fix 1)

1. Get the manifest file path from Event Viewer. Example: C:\Windows\WinSxS\manifests\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.2600.5512_none_2b...manifest.
2. Open Command Prompt as admin.
3. Type takeown /f "C:\Windows\WinSxS\manifests\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.2600.5512_none_2b...manifest" and press Enter. This gives you ownership. You'll see "SUCCESS: The file (or folder) now owned by administrator group."
4. Type icacls "C:\Windows\WinSxS\manifests\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.2600.5512_none_2b...manifest" /grant Administrators:F and press Enter. This gives you full control. You'll see "processed file: ... Successfully processed 1 files."
5. Now rename the bad file: ren "C:\Windows\WinSxS\manifests\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.2600.5512_none_2b...manifest" bad.manifest.old. Press Enter. No message means it worked.
6. Copy a good manifest from another system. If you have a healthy Windows install on another machine (same version and build), navigate to the same WinSxS path, find a manifest with the same name (except the hash), copy it to a USB drive, then paste it into your broken machine's WinSxS folder using Command Prompt: copy D:\good.manifest "C:\Windows\WinSxS\manifests\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.2600.5512_none_2b...manifest". If you don't have a clean copy, run DISM /RestoreHealth as in Fix 2 — it'll regenerate the file.
7. Restart and test.

If Nothing Works

Sometimes the manifest isn't in WinSxS — it's in the app's install folder. Check C:\Program Files\AppName\app.manifest or C:\Program Files (x86)\AppName\app.manifest. Open it in Notepad, look for hex strings like 0x[0-9A-Fa-f], and fix any invalid characters (e.g., 0xG1 becomes 0x01 — guess the intended value from context). Save, restart, try again. If you're not comfortable editing XML, use a Windows system restore point from before the error. Type rstrui in the Start menu to launch System Restore. Pick a point dated before the problem started. That reverts any manifest edits you made.