0X8029020E

Fix TBSIMP_E_LIST_NOT_FOUND 0X8029020E Error

Windows Errors Intermediate 👁 0 views 📅 May 28, 2026

This error usually hits during Windows Update or driver installs. Means Windows components can't find a needed list item. Most times a simple SFC scan or DISM fix works.

What is the TBSIMP_E_LIST_NOT_FOUND (0X8029020E) error?

You're trying to install a Windows update or a driver, and bam — you get this error code. It means the Trusted Boot (TB) Simulator can't find an item it expected in a list. Think of it like Windows looking for a file in a directory that's been rearranged or deleted. This happens most often after a failed update or when third-party antivirus has mucked with system files.

The real fix isn't complicated, but you need to go in order. Start with the quick stuff, and only go deeper if you have to.

Fix 1: Run a System File Checker (SFC) scan — 30 seconds

This is the fastest check. SFC scans your protected system files and replaces any corrupted ones from a local cache.

  1. Press Windows Key + X and select Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. Type this command and press Enter:
    sfc /scannow
  3. Wait for it to finish. You'll see one of these messages:
    • "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations." — good, move to Fix 2.
    • "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and repaired them." — restart your PC, then try your update or install again.
    • "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them." — you need Fix 2 to refresh the repair source.

Fix 2: DISM to repair the component store — 5 minutes

When SFC can't fix things, it's because its cache (the component store) is also corrupted. DISM downloads fresh files from Windows Update to restore that cache.

  1. Open Windows Terminal (Admin) again.
  2. Run this command:
    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  3. This takes 5–10 minutes. You'll see a progress bar. If it hangs at 20% for a while, that's normal.
  4. When it finishes, you'll get a message like "The restore operation completed successfully."
  5. Don't skip this: After DISM finishes, run sfc /scannow one more time. This lets SFC use the freshly repaired cache to fix any leftover files.
  6. Restart your PC, then try your update again.

This fixes 90% of TBSIMP_E_LIST_NOT_FOUND cases. If you're still seeing the error, move to Fix 3.

Fix 3: Check and repair the TrustedBoot registry keys — 15+ minutes

This is the advanced fix. The error points to a corrupted or missing registry entry under the TrustedBoot (TBS) component. You'll need to manually inspect and repair it.

Step 3a: Backup your registry first

Seriously, don't skip this. Messing up registry can brick Windows.

  1. Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, press Enter.
  2. In Registry Editor, click File > Export.
  3. Choose a location, name it Backup.reg, and make sure Export range is set to All.
  4. Click Save.

Step 3b: Locate the TBS keys

  1. In Registry Editor, go to:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\TBS
  2. If you don't see a TBS key, the component is missing entirely. Create it:
    • Right-click Microsoft, select New > Key, name it TBS.
  3. Inside the TBS key, look for a subkey called List. If it's missing, create it the same way.

Step 3c: Repair the List entries

  1. Inside HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\TBS\List, you should see entries like 0, 1, 2, etc. Each should be a DWORD (32-bit) value.
  2. If any entry is missing or has a corrupt value (like a string instead of DWORD), you're hitting the error.
  3. Right-click an empty area, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, name it the next number in sequence (e.g., 3 if you see 0,1,2).
  4. Double-click that new DWORD, set the value to 0 (default is fine), click OK.

Step 3d: Rebuild the list from a working PC (if you have one)

If the above doesn't work, the list structure might be wrong. The safest way is to copy the key from a healthy PC on the same Windows version.

  1. On a working PC with the same Windows version (21H2, 22H2, etc.), export the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\TBS key.
  2. Copy that .reg file to your broken PC.
  3. Right-click the .reg file, select Merge, confirm the prompt.

No working PC? You can try this: create a new DWORD named 0 under the List key with value 0. Then create DWORD 1 with value 0. That gives Windows a minimal valid list to work with.

Step 3e: Restart and test

Close Registry Editor, restart your PC, then try your update again.

When none of these work

If you're still stuck after Fix 3, you might have deeper corruption Windows can't fix. At this point, the real fix is a repair install (in-place upgrade) using the Windows Media Creation Tool. It reinstalls Windows while keeping your files and apps. That's your last resort before a clean install.

Note: If this error appeared right after you installed a third-party security tool, uninstall that tool first. Tools like Malwarebytes or Avast sometimes interfere with the Trusted Boot subsystem. Reboot and try again before doing anything else.

The bottom line: Start with SFC. Do DISM. Only crack open the registry if those fail. You'll most likely be fixed by Fix 2 and save yourself the headache.

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