Fix 0XC0150017 STATUS_SXS_INVALID_IDENTITY_ATTRIBUTE_NAME

I know this error is infuriating. You click your app—maybe Photoshop, maybe a game, maybe some enterprise tool—and instead of launching you get a popup: STATUS_SXS_INVALID_IDENTITY_ATTRIBUTE_NAME (0XC0150017). The app dies instantly. This tripped me up the first time too, back when I was running a help desk blog. The fix isn't obvious, but it's not rocket science either.

What Actually Triggers This Error

This error pops up when Windows can't process a side-by-side (SxS) assembly manifest. A manifest is just an XML file that tells the OS which version of a DLL or COM component the app needs. The identity part of the manifest has attributes—things like name, version, publicKeyToken. When one of those attribute names is malformed (e.g., contains invalid characters like a space or a special symbol), Windows rejects the whole assembly.

Common triggers I've seen:

A botched Windows Update (especially cumulative updates for Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 23H2).
An incomplete or corrupted install of a Visual C++ Redistributable (say, the 2015-2022 package).
A third-party installer that modified the WinSxS folder directly (some antivirus tools do this).
Uninstalling a program that left behind a broken registry key pointing to a defunct manifest.

Root Cause in Plain English

Think of the WinSxS folder as a library where Windows stores every version of every system DLL. Each DLL comes with a manifest—a card that says "I'm this DLL, version X, signed by Microsoft." If that card has a typo in the name (like name= instead of name=""), the librarian (Windows) can't find it and gives you error 0XC0150017.

The fix: repair the corrupted manifest files and re-register the affected assemblies. You won't edit XML manually—too risky. Instead, you'll use built-in Windows tools and a clean reinstall of the redistributables.

Fix 1: System File Checker + DISM

These two commands are your first line of defense. They scan and replace corrupted system files, including manifests in WinSxS.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Press Win + X, click "Terminal (Admin)" or "Command Prompt (Admin)".
Run this:
```
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
```
This checks the component store for corruption and fixes it using Windows Update. Takes 10-15 minutes. Let it finish.
After DISM completes, run:
```
sfc /scannow
```
This scans and replaces any corrupt system files. Another 10-15 minutes.
Restart your PC. Try launching the app that gave the error.

If the error persists, move to Fix 2.

Fix 2: Reinstall Visual C++ Redistributables

The error often comes from a borked VC++ redistributable package. These packages contain SxS assemblies with manifests. A bad update can corrupt them.

Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps (Windows 11) or Apps & Features (Windows 10).
Search for "Microsoft Visual C++". You'll see multiple entries like 2015-2022, 2013, 2012, 2010.
Uninstall every version of Microsoft Visual C++ you see. Yes, all of them. Don't worry—you'll reinstall them next.
Download the latest all-in-one package from Microsoft's official site: vc_redist.x64.exe (for 64-bit systems) or vc_redist.x86.exe for 32-bit.
Run the installer, select Repair (if you see that option), or just do a normal install.
Restart. Test the app.

My take: I've seen this fix work for people who ran a Windows Update that broke the 2015-2022 redistributable. The repair step is key—don't skip it.

Fix 3: Clean the WinSxS Store (Advanced)

If the error still shows up, the manifest corruption might be deeper. You can clean up the WinSxS store using the built-in Component Cleanup tool. This is safe—it only removes superseded updates, not current ones.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

Run:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

After it finishes, run:
```
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore
```
This shows you how much space you'll free up. Then run:
```
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ResetBase
```
This removes all superseded versions, which can resolve manifest conflicts.
Restart and test.

What to Check If It Still Fails

Windows Update: Go to Settings > Windows Update and install all pending updates. Some cumulative updates include fixes for SxS corruption.
Event Viewer: Open Event Viewer, go to Windows Logs > Application and look for errors with source "SideBySide" or "MsiInstaller". The event details often point to the exact manifest file path.
Reinstall the App: If the error only happens with one specific app, uninstall it completely (use Revo Uninstaller to sweep leftover registry keys), then reinstall from the official source.
System Restore: Roll back to a restore point from before the error started appearing. It's a dirty fix, but it works.

This error is annoying but not dangerous. Start with DISM and sfc—that fixes 80% of cases. If not, the redistributable reinstall is your best bet. Don't waste time editing manifests manually; you'll break something else.