How to fix Error 995 on Windows 11

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Windows Error 995 Troubleshooting Guide

Why This Error Happens

Error 995 (“The I/O operation has been aborted because of either a thread exit or an application request”) occurs when an ongoing input/output operation—such as a network transfer, disk read/write, or device communication—is forcibly terminated before completion. This is typically triggered by a network timeout, an application or service being closed/crashed mid-operation, a driver conflict (especially network adapter or USB drivers), or antivirus/firewall software interrupting the data stream. It’s commonly seen in Windows Update, network file transfers, backup software, and USB/peripheral communication.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

  1. Update Network and Chipset Drivers
    Open Device Manager (devmgmt.msc), expand Network Adapters, right-click your active adapter, select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers. Also check Windows Update > Optional Updates for driver updates.

  2. Reset Network Stack (if error occurs during network/file transfer operations)
    Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

   netsh winsock reset
   netsh int ip reset
   ipconfig /release
   ipconfig /renew
   ipconfig /flushdns

Restart your PC after running these commands.

  1. Temporarily Disable Antivirus/Firewall
    Go to Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Manage settings, and toggle off Real-time protection temporarily. Retry the failing operation to see if third-party security software is intercepting the I/O request.

  2. Check Event Viewer for Correlating Errors
    Open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc), navigate to Windows Logs > System and Application, and filter for events occurring at the same timestamp as Error 995. Look for related driver, disk, or service failures (e.g., Disk, Ntfs, or Tcpip source events).

  3. Run System File and Disk Checks
    Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

   sfc /scannow
   chkdsk C: /f /r

Restart the PC to allow chkdsk to complete the disk scan on reboot.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • Verify the fix: Repeat the exact operation that triggered Error 995 (e.g., file transfer, backup job, or device sync) and confirm it completes without interruption. Check Event Viewer to ensure no new Error 995 entries appear.
  • Alternative fix: If the issue persists on a specific USB device or peripheral, try a different USB port/cable, or update the device’s firmware—Error 995 is frequently tied to unstable USB communication rather than software alone.