Windows Update Error 0x800705B4 in Server 2016

When you try to install the latest updates on a Windows Server 2016 computer, you may encounter the error code 0x800705B4. The WindowsUpdate.log file, generated using the Get-WindowsUpdateLog PowerShell cmdlet, may contain the following lines:

4496  19980 ComApi          ISusInternal:: DisconnectCall failed, hr=8024000C
1336  21200 DownloadManager BITS job {357215D2-8F21-41D2-B9DE-AABAB9DBC6AD} hit a transient error, updateId = {668E6257-694D-4A96-9947-0A66143C1FFE}.200 , error = 0x800706D9
1336  21200 DownloadManager Error 0x800706d9 occurred while downloading update; notifying dependent calls.

Downloading updates may get stuck at 0%, especially in Windows Server 2016, where the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) service is the default Download Manager.

Cause

Windows Update error codes 0x800705B4 and 0x800706D9 occur when the Windows Firewall service is turned off or set to Manual startup.

Resolution

Follow these steps to resolve the issue.

Step 1: Enable the Windows Firewall service.

1. Launch the Services MMC (services.msc).
2. Double-click Windows Firewall.
   Note: On Windows client systems, the service appears as Windows Defender Firewall.
3. Set its startup type to Automatic.
4. Click Start to see if the service starts correctly.
5. Open Settings and check for updates.

Step 2: Reset the Windows Update cache

On some systems, you need to clear the Windows Update cache to fix the error 0x800705B4. To do so, open Command Prompt (admin) and run these commands:

net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
cd /d C:\Windows
rd SoftwareDistribution.old /s /q
ren SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
net start wuauserv
net start bits

For more information, please see “Reset the Windows Update Cache” in the article Fix Windows Update Issues.

The error 0x800705B4 should no longer occur.