Moreover, you may encounter this error message if there is corruption in the Software Distribution folder. This folder stores the Windows Update files downloaded from the server. If these files become corrupted, you won’t be able to update your Windows until you clear the Software Distribution folder.
1. Configure the Windows Update Services to Start Automatically
As we know, this error arises due to stopped Windows update background services; a good start is configuring the Windows update services to start automatically.
2. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
You can also run the Windows Update troubleshooter to fix the issue. Troubleshooters are designed to resolve problems automatically. Running the troubleshooter is a straightforward way to fix various issues, including Windows update errors. The Windows update troubleshooter helps to restore corrupted registry files, restart necessary services, and check for pending restarts.
3. Reset the Windows Update Component
Resetting the Windows update component includes clearing the Software Distribution and Catroot folders, restarting the Windows update services, and registering the Windows update DLL files. The Software Distribution and Catroot folders store the Windows update files that are downloaded through the Windows update utility. When these files get corrupted, Windows displays various error messages, just like this one.
4. Download the Update from Microsoft Catalog
If you are still facing the error, you can try downloading the update from the Microsoft Catalog. The Microsoft Catalog is essentially a store for all Windows updates released so far. You will find every update that has been released by Microsoft on this website. Since we’ve tried every method that could potentially fix this error, it is possible that the issue is due to a problem with the Windows update. Therefore, we recommend downloading the update from Microsoft Catalog if nothing else works.
5. Update Windows Via Update Assistant or Media Creation Tool
You can also update your Windows to the latest version using the update assistant or the media creation tool. Both programs can update Windows to the latest version. If you have Windows 10 or an older version, download the Media Creation Tool. Otherwise, you can download the Windows Update Assistant.
6. Ignore the Windows Update
It is not necessary to install every Windows update. You can skip the update by configuring Windows using the Microsoft Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter, which you need to download to ignore the update.
