Fix Windows Update Issues in Windows 10/11

Sometimes, you may encounter errors such as 0x80244007, 0x8024a105 or other errors when installing updates via the Windows Update channel. Here are some sample error messages:

Note: Especially for error 0x8024a105, restart Windows and attempt to install updates. Also, try a different internet service provider just in case if this is a DNS issue or a problem reaching out Microsoft Update’s CDN in your region.

Here are some other error messages that may occur when attempting to install updates.

This article has the troubleshooting steps required to fix most of the Windows Update errors in Windows 10 and 11.

Resolution

1) Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

Run Windows Update troubleshooter and let it automatically fix the problems. The troubleshooter checks for various problems and attempts to fix them automatically.

2) Check your Services configuration

Launch the Services MMC (services.msc) and make sure that the following services are configured correctly:

Also, make sure that each of the above services is able to start. Click on the Start button in the service’s properties to see if they can start correctly.

References

• Windows 11 Default Services Configuration
• Windows 10 Default Services Configuration

3) Rename the SoftwareDistribution & Catroot2 folders

The SoftwareDistribution folder is a temporary storage location for updates. Sometimes, renaming the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders works. Open an elevated Command Prompt window. Type the following commands one by one and press Enter after each line:

net stop bits
net stop wuauserv
net stop appidsvc
net stop cryptsvc

This stops Windows Update, Application Identity, and Cryptographic Services temporarily.

Then, type the following commands:

rd /s /q %systemroot%\softwaredistribution.bak
rd /s /q %systemroot%\system32\catroot2.bak
ren %systemroot%\softwaredistribution softwaredistribution.bak
ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak
net start bits
net start wuauserv
net start appidsvc
net start cryptsvc

4) Remove Windows Update Policies

From admin Command Prompt, run the following commands to remove all the Windows Update registry-based policies:

reg.exe delete "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate" /f
reg.exe delete "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\WindowsUpdate" /f
reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate" /f
reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\WindowsUpdate" /f
reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Servicing" /v "RepairContentServerSource" /f
reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Servicing" /v "LocalSourcePath" /f
reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Servicing" /v "UseWindowsUpdate" /f
net stop wuauserv
net start wuauserv

See if you can now install updates via Windows Update.

Workaround: Download Standalone Update from MU Catalog and Install it

If the error occurs only for a particular update, you can download the standalone version of the update (.msu or .cab) directly from Microsoft Update Catalog and install it rather than installing it from the regular Windows Update channel.

I hope one of the above fixes helps you resolve Windows Update errors.