Update 30 March 2021: You can also watch the video!
Let’s say you just ran Disk Cleanup to remove old Windows files that you don’t need any more.
Then you notice that Windows Update keeps giving you error messages. No matter how many times you try, the updates keep giving you some cryptic error code.
Well, first of all, you might try my suggestions in:
Windows Update Error: How to make Windows Redownload Corrupted Update Files
The above trick is a simpler version of the Manual Method I present here, but it might work.
If not, don’t worry. We have more tricks up our sleeve…
To start with, see if Windows Update is still working. Just do the following:
- Click Start
- Click Settings
- Click Update & Security
If you’ve got an error message, click the button to retry the updates. If they fail again (usually with the same error code, such as 0x80070bc9), then read on.
Automatic Fix
Microsoft has a lovely tool for automatically fixing Windows Update problems. Unfortunately, it only appears to work for XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t…
To try it out, click here: Automatically reset Windows Update components
If you have Windows 10, you can try the above automatic fixer if you’re brave, but I usually just use the next trick…
Manual Fix
This one is a bit more hairy, but it’s relatively easy, and it’s always worked for me when nothing else did.
First, close Settings if it’s open.
Next, right-click the Start Button, and click on: Command Prompt (Admin)
In the Command Prompt window, you’re going to type the following two commands, and then press Enter:
- net stop wuauserv
- net stop bits
Then, open Explorer (Win-E, or click the yellow folder icon on the taskbar). Navigate to:
- C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution
Select all the files and folders inside SoftwareDistribution, and delete them.
Finally, you can close everything, and reboot!
Once your puter has rebooted, go to Start -> Settings -> Update & Security again, and try to Check for Updates once again.
This time, the update check will probably take a few minutes, but it should re-download the previously wonky updates, and all will be well.
That’s it!
Now, if that doesn’t work because the Windows Update service is missing, then you need to break out the big guns to fix Windows Update!
Here is how it starts
(and this situation lasts already for some 6 weeks and I try all I can find on internet), trying every other day with a different method !!!):
2021-10 cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 21H1 for x64-bit based
Systems (KB5006679)
Status: Pending restart
Here is how it ends, every time, no matter what I do:
Some update files are missing or have problems. We’ll try to download the
update again later. Error code: (0x80070003).
I tried your method (from your video) several times, ends up always in the same way, error 0x80070003. What are the missing files?, Or corrupted? Why it doesn’t say the file names? It surely knows them. Well, that’s Windows I suppose.
What else could I do, any magic ideas? It would really help.
Totally accidentally I found out that I am missing a file
C:\Windows\System32\Spupdsvc.exe
Could this be a problem, please??
Thanks for your help and best regards,
Zdenek
What happens if you open a Command Prompt (Admin) and run:
sfc /scannow
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
And then try again? Sometimes that works.
I tried that several times, it says something like “no errors”, but updates still do not work.
I tried the way in the YouTube video, it downloaded the update I restarted the computer and it started configuring the updates (All is well) then it reaches 99% and I get slapped with the ‘We couldn’t complete the updates Undoing changes’
Im very unsure on what the issue could be. What would you suggest?