Everton's hierarchy faced a furious backlash from supporters over the closing days of the window, having pulled out of selling academy prospect Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest following fan outrage, before enduring a chaotic deadline day in which Folarin Balogun walked away from a move to the club at the last moment.
With Beto also departing for Fiorentina, Moyes was left with just one recognised senior striker in Thierno Barry.
"I am disappointed we didn't do more business, things did not go our way in the end," Moyes said. "In football, you have to live with disappointments and move on. In this case, we will."
Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Jack Grealish did arrive at Goodison Park, but Beto, Tim Iroegbunam, Nathan Patterson and Iliman Ndiaye all left on deadline day, with Ndiaye's exit to Manchester City in a deal worth up to £65m stinging the most.
"I don't do the financials here, it's not me who does it," Moyes said. "But I think what you're saying is right, I think we were looking to get some money in and ultimately those things were getting talked about. We lost Illy, someone we definitely didn't want to lose.
"But sometimes it's quite difficult when the likes of Man City come along looking for your players.
"I've lost Wayne Rooney to Manchester United, I've lost Joleon Lescott and Jack Rodwell to Man City over the years. On this occasion unfortunately we lost Illy and we didn't want to lose Illy because we liked Illy a lot."
On the Balogun collapse, Moyes was adamant there was nothing untoward.
"It wasn't anybody's fault. It happens in football a lot. The player had a problem in his medical and that was simply it. There's no other story behind it."
He also addressed reports that Everton's owners were seeking new investors less than two years after buying the club, insisting he had been kept in the dark.
"I've had no conversations with them, and certainly not on any investment. That's beyond my jurisdiction," he said. "If you want success, then you all need to be aligned. I think we've got new owners in who are still finding their way at the club. I think as we get to know each other a bit more, it will be better."
Moyes separately dismissed suggestions that Chelsea had a deadline-day bid for James Garner rejected.
"What was said was completely untrue, so I don't know where that's come from. There's no truth in that whatsoever," he said, while confirming Everton are exploring the free-agent market having been left with only 18 senior players. "We are looking at the free agents market. I am trying to get a team that is going to be at the top end and challenge. I want the players to believe that we are moving forward — for me, that is really important."
Asked how he personally coped with the disappointment of deadline day, the 63-year-old was candid.
"Not very well. I'm getting too old now to be sitting around at the bottom end," he said. "I've said that to the players here when I came in. The job is that we challenge as close to the top end of the league as we can.
"I've got to say, they've done a brilliant job of it last year, and I don't think we were expected to do so well as what we've done. I've got to hope that we can do that again."
Despite the setbacks, Moyes struck a note of confidence about the reduced squad he now has to work with.
"It gives opportunities to some people who have not had them, and sometimes in football you need to be given that chance so that you can show what you can do. Let's see if some of them can do that. I have no concerns. I am sure they will be fully at it."