Fix NTE_NO_MORE_ITEMS (0X8009002A) Error on Windows 10/11

The Short Fix: Rebuild the Certificate Store

You're staring at the 0X8009002A error—NTSTATUS NTE_NO_MORE_ITEMS. It's cryptic, annoying, and usually shows up after a Windows update or when you try to open something signed or encrypted. I've seen this on machines ranging from Windows 10 21H2 to the latest Windows 11 builds. The fix is straightforward: rebuild the certificate store using the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). No third-party tools needed.

Step-by-Step: The MMC Fix

1. Press Windows + R, type mmc, and hit Enter. Grant admin rights if prompted.
2. In the console, go to File > Add/Remove Snap-in (or press Ctrl+M).
3. Find Certificates in the list, click Add >.
4. Choose Computer account, then Next > Local computer, then Finish.
5. Click OK to close the Add/Remove Snap-ins window.
6. In the left pane, expand Certificates (Local Computer).
7. Expand Trusted Root Certification Authorities.
8. Select Certificates—you'll see a long list of root CAs.
9. Press Ctrl+A to select all certificates, then right-click and choose Delete. Yes, all of them. Windows will automatically recreate the root store from a trusted Microsoft list.
10. Close MMC—don't save the console settings. Reboot your machine.

Don't panic. Deleting those certificates sounds scary, but Windows stores a backup copy. After reboot, it regenerates the store. Had a client last month whose entire certificate chain went corrupt after a Windows 11 23H2 update. This fix brought his VPN and Outlook back within ten minutes.

Why This Works

The 0X8009002A error is NTSTATUS for "no more items." It's a low-level NT kernel error that bubbles up when the certificate store is missing entries or has duplicate, corrupt entries. The store is a database of trusted certificates Windows uses to validate signatures. When it's busted, Windows can't walk the chain—there's literally nothing left to look at. Rebuilding it from scratch clears out any bad entries and lets Windows download fresh ones from Microsoft's trusted root program.

Less Common Variations

Variation 1: The Registry Workaround

Sometimes MMC won't open or the store won't delete. In that case, try this registry-based rebuild. But only if MMC fails—otherwise it's overkill.

reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SystemCertificates /f
reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\Services /f

Reboot after running these commands. This blows away the entire certificate system, including service certificates. Windows rebuilds everything on next boot. I've used this on a Domain Controller that refused to authenticate after a failed update. Worked perfectly, but be careful—it wipes custom certs installed by your IT admin.

Variation 2: The SFC + DISM Approach

If the fix above doesn't work, the corruption might be in system files, not the store itself. Run these commands as admin:

sfc /scannow
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

Then reboot and try the MMC fix again. I've seen systems where the store was fine, but the crypto provider DLLs were corrupted. SFC caught it in about 30 seconds.

Variation 3: The Clean Boot Test

If you're still stuck, a third-party service might be interfering with certificate enumeration. Do a clean boot:

1. Run msconfig as admin.
2. Go to Services > Hide all Microsoft services > Disable all.
3. Go to Startup > Open Task Manager, disable all startup items.
4. Reboot. If the error's gone, enable services one by one to find the culprit.

I once traced a recurring 0X8009002A error to a misconfigured backup agent that was scanning and locking the certificate store. Clean boot isolated it in ten minutes.

Prevention Tips

• Keep Windows updated. Microsoft has patched certificate store bugs over the years. Running an older build increases your risk.
• Don't install custom root certs from shady sources. Every time you do, you're adding raw material for corruption. I've seen fake Adobe flash installers drop bad certs that caused this error for weeks.
• Run a monthly check with certutil -store. If you see entries you don't recognize or get errors during the listing, you've got a problem brewing. Fix it before it breaks something.
• Back up your certificate store if you manage a server. In MMC, right-click the store and pick All Tasks > Export. Saves you a headache if you have custom internal CAs.

This error is rarely a hardware problem. Nine times out of ten, it's a corrupt store from a botched update or a bad cert install. The MMC fix is your first and best move.