Getting Exception “HRESULT: 0x800708C5” with ADMembershipProvider change password method

Symptoms:

• You keep getting the exception HRESULT: 0x800708C5 with the Active directory membership provider change password indicating that the password used does not conform to the domain password policy.
• As an admin, you are able to update the user password using that same password.

Probable cause:

• The active directory policy can be set to allow a “minimum password age”, i.e. users cannot change their own password before it is at least X days (default 1). The Administrator though does not have such restrictions when trying to update a user’s password.
• This can be checked at Start->Administrative tools->Group policy Management->Navigate the tree to the domain-> default domain policy –>right click edit->computer configuration –>policies –>windows settings->security settings-> account policies->password policy->check the entry for “minimum password age”
• If you want to reset it (mainly for development/testing purposes), just change it to zero. then go to command line gpupdate /force to apply the new policy