Another Way to Fix Windows Update

This tip is for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users

Microsoft is aware that there are huge problems with the Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 Windows Update. It’s a frustrating problem that most Windows 7 users and some Windows 8.1 users have experienced at least once. Microsoft has issued numerous “Microsoft Fix-its” for Windows Update problems, but alas, we have found most of them don’t work.

Problems with Windows Update can also cause problems for Windows 7 and 8.1 users trying to upgrade to Windows 10. So if you’re one of those, you should try this tip. But only if  you’re an intermediate to advanced Windows user.

This tip will reset your Windows Update. While this tip does not work on 100% of computers, 100% of the time, it works most of the time, and we think it’s worth a try if you’re pulling your hair out trying to get Windows Update working as it should.

The following will reset Windows Update.

You must run the following commands from a command prompt with administrator privileges. On Windows 7, type CMD in the start menu search. When CMD appears at the top of the menu, right-click it and choose “Run as administrator”. In Windows 8.1, press the Windows Key+S and type CMD in the search box – when Command prompt appears in the search results list, right-click it and choose Run as administrator”.

Also, keep in mind, there are serious flaws with Windows Update, especially in Windows 7 and Microsoft’s ultimate “solution” is to reinstall Windows, so there is no guarantee this fix will work for everyone, all of the time. But it is worth a shot because there is a good chance you can fix most Windows Update issues with the Windows Update fix below.

Run the following commands one by one. Press Enter after each command. Spaces count. If you type a command with the wrong spacing, it won’t work, ,so type them exactly as they are written below- and keep in mind you may need to reboot your several times before Windows Update will start working again.

net stop bits

net stop wuauserv

net stop appidsvc

net stop cryptsvc

Rename the software distribution folders backup copies by running the following two commands;

Ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak

Ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak

Now restart the services you stopped … Run the following commands, one by one. Press Enter after each command:

net start bits

net start wuauserv

net start appidsvc

net start cryptsvc

Restart your PC and try Windows Update.

Reminder:  If you’ve been trying to upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, this would be a good tip for you to try. Many of the “Something Happened” errors are caused by Windows Update issues. So, if you’re one of the tens of thousands of people who have tried to upgrade to Windows 10 but have not been successful and gotten the “Something Happened” message, try this tip and then try upgrading to Windows 10 again. Also…keep in mind you may need to reboot your several times before Windows Update will start working again.

If you are having problems installing Windows 10 and the above tip does not help…

If you are using Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and your Windows Update is not working correctly, your chances of upgrading to Windows 10 via the “Reserve a copy” method is not very good. Since “Reserve a copy” uses Windows Update to deliver the Windows 10 Upgrade, it’s just logical that you’ll probably have problems with the Windows 10 upgrade.

So for those of you who have tried and failed to upgrade to Windows 10 the Microsoft “recommended” (via Windows Update)… and the above tip to fix Windows Update does not work for you, we recommend that you visit this page, download the appropriate Windows 10 Download Tool for your device (32 bit or 64 bit) and install the upgrade that way.