application was unable to start correctly 0xc0000005

Hi, I run windows 7 laptop, and had Basic PAYE tools software running with no issues for a long time but when I downloaded the most recent update (after PAYE tools suggested I do so) I get the following error when I click on the shortcut/application to run it: application was unable to start correctly 0xc0000005 I tried some of the suggestions from the Microsoft website but didn't work. I also tried restoring my computer to prior to updating PAYE tools but when I did that it removed the PAYE tools, so I re-restored it back to the above problem. Any suggestions? I don't mind setting up another computer with Basic PAYE tools but how do I import the most up to date backup? Sadly I did not backup very recently so it might be a quite old - would that be a problem? If so how to resolve that? Thanks.

Alas you are snookered ! The new BPT update assumes you have a Windows 10 or 11 Computer. Thus your old W7 laptop will no longer support the software. I have had the same issue but fortunately have everything backed up to Feb 25. I will have to redo the Mar payroll once I have recovered the past on a different PC. If you have not been backing up your data you may well have to reconstruct the missing data. Best wishes !

I have exactly the same problem. Windows 7. PAYE Tools told me I needed an update which has now made it unable to start with the same message as OP. Great! Restarted windows, no change. Help me please HMRC!

Hi,
Please see the following link for supported operating systems:
Supported operating systems
Thank you

I found the latest submission file under C:\Users\NameOfUser\AppData\Roaming\HMRC\payetools-rti\backups I then restored the file on a Windows 10 computer. Worked. Hopefully this helps someone else!!!

This is because HMRC have dropped support for Windows 7 and not given ANY advance warning, Grrrrrrrrrrrr. I temporarily got around this by uninstalling BPT completely then copying the program files from my last PC backup and pasting them into C:\Windows\Program Files (x86)\HMRC BPT then loaded and I clicked "Remind me later" to the update message. I then restored my BPT data files and everything worked and enabled me to submit the year end final submission. However, for the next tax year an update will be required, and that won't work on Windows 7. So the only long term solution is to upgrade to Win 10/11, but at least that'll be tax deductible!

I've had the same experience, although fortuitously our submission has already been submitted under the previous BPT version. The fact that the latest version fails to save a rollback copy of the previous installation must count as a programming error. My suggestion to the OP is to delete everything under "C:\Program Files \HMRC" and reinstall previous version payetools-rti-24.1.24086.542-win. The database file sqlite3.db will remain unaltered in "C:\Users\Public\HMRC\payetools-rti" together with any database backups. That should do for this year, but we all have the problem going forwards as Windows 10 is no longer straightforward to source, install and activate on an existing system, and everything I've heard about Windows 11 as a business operating system is negative.