Fix Google Drive 0x80070079: Semaphore Timeout Period Has Expired Windows 11

The Error 0x80070079, commonly known as “Semaphore Timeout Period Has Expired,” is associated with storage devices. These storage devices can include your local hard drive, network drive, Google Drive, or other cloud storage services. When you encounter the error 0x80070079, it indicates that there is an issue with copying or moving a file between your PC and the storage media.

google-drive-error

In this article, I will explain how you can fix the Semaphore Timeout Error (0x80070079) specifically on Google Drive, as well as provide general solutions for other storage media.

Error Message:
An unexpected error is keeping you from copying the file. If you continue to receive this error, you can use the error code to search for help with this problem.

Error 0x80070079: The semaphore timeout period has expired.

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How to Fix Google Drive 0x80070079: The semaphore timeout period has expired Error?

If you are encountering the above error when attempting to sync with Google Drive, you can apply the following solutions on your computer.

Solution 1: Sign-out and Sign-in

If you are facing this problem during working with Google drive, Sign-out and sign-in again. Here’s how to do it.
 

Sign Out
Step 1: Sign out from Google drive. Go to the Notification area → Select Google Drive Icon → Click on setting gear icon and Select Preferences.

1_launch_google_drive_settings

Step 2: Click on the Gear icon beside your profile photo to open Settings.

2_Open_Google_Drive_Settings

Step 3: Click on Disconnect account to Sign out from the Google Drive.

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Step 4: It will ask your confirmation. Click Disconnect to Sign out.

3_Disconnect_Google_Drive_2

Sign In
Step 1: Double click on Google drive icon on your Desktop. Click on Sign in through your browser.

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Step 2: Please complete the sign-in process on your browser. Once the sign-in process is finished, the Google Drive Sync error ‘0x80070079: Semaphore Timeout Period Has Expired’ will no longer appear on your Windows 8, Windows 10, or Windows 11 computer.

5_Sign-in-google-drive

Solution 2: Avoid large files.

The “Semaphore Timeout Period Has Expired” error most commonly occurs when encountering a large file during uploading or downloading. If there are any large files within a group, it is advisable to avoid them.

Solution 3: Repair bad sector on your HDD/SSD.

There might be bad sector in your HDD/SSD, thus you are encountering the Semaphore Timeout error. You can check drive for errors and optimise them as follows.

Repair your computer using SFC.exe, DISM, and CHKDSK commands.

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

open command prompt as administrator in Windows 8, 10 & 11

Step 2: Now run the following commands one by one.
i. System File Checker tool

sfc /scannow

ii. Run Dism command

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

iii. Run Disk checking utility.

chkdsk /f c:

Solution 4: Run Hardware and Device Troubleshooter.

It is also very useful to run Hardware and Device troubleshooter to fix the above error. You can run this troubleshooter as follows:

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

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Step 2: Paste the following command in the Command Prompt and press Enter.

msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

Step 3: Hardware and Device troubleshooter will open. Click Next to start Diagnosing problem.

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Step 4: Let the scanning finish. Go with the troubleshooting wizard to fix hardware errors.

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You can also try some other fixing methods as turning off antivirus/firewall, performing clean boot mode, updating windows and drivers, etc.

Summary

To fix 0x80070079: Semaphore Timeout Period Has Expired error on Google drive or another storage media, you can try signing again, avoid large files to upload/download, run hardware diagnostic tools etc.