Microsoft takes great care that all users who use a Windows PC (and also companies and offices) keep the system updated in order to avoid the spread of malware that exploits bugs and vulnerabilities.
Although in some cases they can give problems and even if they sometimes seem to do nothing, there is no doubt that keeping the PC up to date is one of the requirements to keep the computer error-free, protected and with good performance.
Unfortunately, sometimes, Windows updates fail and fail and this can happen in both Windows 7 and Windows 10 and 8.1.
The problem is related to the Windows Update service which is responsible for downloading and installing updates.
Windows Update errors not only leave the PC uncovered by the latest security patches, but also cause annoying reboots and installations that are punctually canceled and restored due to a generic problem that can have an abbreviation such as 0x800F0922 or similar.
When the PC is restarted, a message such as " Windows updates cannot be configured, Undo changes " may appear.
Whenever an unsuccessful update is found in Windows, there are still some ways to try to fix it and get the update installed .
First it is important to be sure that your PC is clean of viruses .
It is therefore worth doing a scan with the Malwarebytes Antimalware program to get rid of any doubts.
The first and easiest step to solve the problem is to reset Windows Update that can be done automatically using a tool published by Microsoft.
The WUReset tool can be downloaded for Windows 10 and for Windows 7 and 8 from this page and should only be run as an administrator (right click on it and choose Run as administrator ).
This script automatically performs three actions:
- Removes folders with previous update files that can annoy new ones.
- Re-register Windows update files.
- Reset the network connection.
If that doesn't work, you can attempt a manual reset of the Windows Update components by running the following commands.
Then open a command prompt as administrator (search for the prompt in the Start menu, press the right button and run as administrator or, in Windows 10, right-click on the Windows key at the bottom left and find Command Prompt administrator ) and type one by one these commands by pressing Enter after each.
net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
These 4 commands are used to stop the BITS, Encryption Service, MSI Installer Service and Windows Update services.
Then continue with these commands which clear the Windows Update cache and delete the files of previous installations
ren C: \ Windows \ SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C: \ Windows \ System32 \ catroot2 Catroot2.old
These commands do not delete folders, but rename them.
Once everything works properly, delete the SoftwareDistribution.old and Catroot2.old folders in the locations where they are located (respectively C: \ Windows \ SoftwareDistribution and C: \ Windows \ System32 \ )
Restart the services by typing the commands
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver
Finally, close the command prompt window and restart your PC.
Now open Windows Update from the Control Panel or, in Windows 10, from Settings> Update and security ), scan for new updates and wait until they are installed correctly.
If there is still an unsuccessful update, then there is one last solution, to restore system files.
Again, open the command prompt and run:
sfc / scannow
When it finishes, run the commands:
DISM.exe / Online / Cleanup-image / Scanhealth
DISM.exe / Online / Cleanup-image / Restorehealth
Restart your PC and try again.
If it still does not work, the problem of the failed update can be linked to the hardware of the computer in use, to a conflict with some drivers or to some installed program or some custom configuration difficult to identify.
In case we are still with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 it may be a good idea to proceed with the installation of Windows 10 in order to resolve the error.
In case we are with Windows 10, it is better to block automatic updates and proceed with the reinstallation of Windows 10 using the Windows 10 Fresh Start.
If it is not possible to do a restore, then it will be better to wait for the release of the next version of Windows 10 (which comes out every 6 months) and proceed with an update that will certainly solve all the errors of Windows Update.
Although in some cases they can give problems and even if they sometimes seem to do nothing, there is no doubt that keeping the PC up to date is one of the requirements to keep the computer error-free, protected and with good performance.
Unfortunately, sometimes, Windows updates fail and fail and this can happen in both Windows 7 and Windows 10 and 8.1.
The problem is related to the Windows Update service which is responsible for downloading and installing updates.
Windows Update errors not only leave the PC uncovered by the latest security patches, but also cause annoying reboots and installations that are punctually canceled and restored due to a generic problem that can have an abbreviation such as 0x800F0922 or similar.
When the PC is restarted, a message such as " Windows updates cannot be configured, Undo changes " may appear.
Whenever an unsuccessful update is found in Windows, there are still some ways to try to fix it and get the update installed .
First it is important to be sure that your PC is clean of viruses .
It is therefore worth doing a scan with the Malwarebytes Antimalware program to get rid of any doubts.
The first and easiest step to solve the problem is to reset Windows Update that can be done automatically using a tool published by Microsoft.
The WUReset tool can be downloaded for Windows 10 and for Windows 7 and 8 from this page and should only be run as an administrator (right click on it and choose Run as administrator ).
This script automatically performs three actions:
- Removes folders with previous update files that can annoy new ones.
- Re-register Windows update files.
- Reset the network connection.
If that doesn't work, you can attempt a manual reset of the Windows Update components by running the following commands.
Then open a command prompt as administrator (search for the prompt in the Start menu, press the right button and run as administrator or, in Windows 10, right-click on the Windows key at the bottom left and find Command Prompt administrator ) and type one by one these commands by pressing Enter after each.
net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
These 4 commands are used to stop the BITS, Encryption Service, MSI Installer Service and Windows Update services.
Then continue with these commands which clear the Windows Update cache and delete the files of previous installations
ren C: \ Windows \ SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C: \ Windows \ System32 \ catroot2 Catroot2.old
These commands do not delete folders, but rename them.
Once everything works properly, delete the SoftwareDistribution.old and Catroot2.old folders in the locations where they are located (respectively C: \ Windows \ SoftwareDistribution and C: \ Windows \ System32 \ )
Restart the services by typing the commands
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver
Finally, close the command prompt window and restart your PC.
Now open Windows Update from the Control Panel or, in Windows 10, from Settings> Update and security ), scan for new updates and wait until they are installed correctly.
If there is still an unsuccessful update, then there is one last solution, to restore system files.
Again, open the command prompt and run:
sfc / scannow
When it finishes, run the commands:
DISM.exe / Online / Cleanup-image / Scanhealth
DISM.exe / Online / Cleanup-image / Restorehealth
Restart your PC and try again.
If it still does not work, the problem of the failed update can be linked to the hardware of the computer in use, to a conflict with some drivers or to some installed program or some custom configuration difficult to identify.
In case we are still with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 it may be a good idea to proceed with the installation of Windows 10 in order to resolve the error.
In case we are with Windows 10, it is better to block automatic updates and proceed with the reinstallation of Windows 10 using the Windows 10 Fresh Start.
If it is not possible to do a restore, then it will be better to wait for the release of the next version of Windows 10 (which comes out every 6 months) and proceed with an update that will certainly solve all the errors of Windows Update.
