fix windows 10 update error

Fix Windows 10 Update Error – Repair and Prevent!

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Windows 10 update errors have always caused problems when updating the operating system. Nevertheless, experts recommend always keeping the software up-to-date and fix Windows 10 update error. A consistent approach is mainly for your own safety and applies to both the latest versions of Windows 10, extended variants like Windows 8.1 Pro as well as for the inexpensive Windows 7 Home Premium – whereby support for the latter has been officially discontinued as of January 14, 2020.

So what should you do if corrupted files appear or the entire Windows update reports errors? We will show you various solutions that have proven themselves in practice. At this point, we will only deal with the Windows 10 update process, but if you are trying to upgrade your version, we will tackle that in another article about the most common error codes.

How to Fix Windows 10 Update Error!

  1. Check which Windows 10 update is reporting the problem.
  2. Try to connect to another download server or to fix the connection (to the proxy server).
  3. Repair vulnerabilities in your system that may be giving you an error.
  4. Make sure that there is enough disk space available.
  5. Fix basic problems of the update process.

So, first of all, you should clarify on which version the Windows 10 update error occurred in the first place. All further steps as well as important error codes, such as Error 0x8000ffff, are explained below.

Which Windows 10 Update do I have?

Pressing the Windows logo key and the letter I at the same time takes you to the Windows 10 settings. There, you click on Update and Security and are now in the Control Center. If the shortcut does not work, you can find the settings by right-clicking on the Start menu. Or you can follow a few simple steps to change your settings to get your Windows key to activate. Then click Check for updates.

Here you can immediately see if there's a Windows 10 update error

Generally, a hint should already be visible at this point if you need to fix a Windows 10 update error. You can get more information by clicking on Show update history. Windows 10 shows you in detail which updates have been installed recently, including the date of installation. This includes function updates as well as quality, definition and driver updates.

Individual points even redirect you to overview pages of Microsoft

This list should be of great help to you in isolating the problem. For Windows 7 or version 8.1, the procedure is quite similar, except that you will find the Security Center in the Control Panel. There you select the Windows Update tab, where (as with Win 10) also uninstalling updates again is possible.

Microsoft issues a specific code that defines the Windows 10 update error. However, this is difficult to break down without in-depth expert knowledge, which is why we are here to help you. Below, we present the five most common error messages, including a solution so that you can fix your Windows 10 update.

Fix Windows 10 Update – 5 Known Error Codes

1. Windows 10 Update Error 0x80240fff

Especially owners of Windows Pro are affected by the error 0x80240fff. In this case, the download is missing important data, without which your Windows 10 update will spit out errors. As always, you should restart your PC or laptop first, as this will make most of the conflicts disappear. Sometimes, you can quickly fix Windows 10 update errors by doing this.

Next, go to the Windows 10 Update and Security Settings (as described above). At the bottom of the Windows Update page, open the Advanced Options. Under the item Suspend Updates, you decide on a date in the future to which the download will be postponed. This postponement ensures that Windows addresses another server, on which the error 0x80240fff will ideally not occur.

Fix Windows 10 update error in the Advanced Options

However, this method really works exclusively for the Pro version. For Windows 10 Home you’ll have to get more creative. Don’t worry, we have a guide for you that has been proven to work when the 0x80240fff error occurs:

  1. Open the command prompt as administrator. You can find the application by right-clicking on the Start menu or alternatively via Windows logo key + X. Note: In the latest version of Windows 10, the command prompt (CMD) is now called Windows PowerShell.
  2. Here you type the command net stop wuauserv, confirm it with Enter, and add net stop cryptsvc.
  3. The next line should read as follows: ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.OLD. If your folder structure differs from this default, you can also manually delete or rename the SoftwareDistribution directory.
  4. Finally, enter the commands net start wuauserv and net start cryptsvc. After confirming with Enter, you should restart your PC once for safety’s sake.

The download, where the Windows 10 update error occurred, should now start normally.

Fix Windows 10 update error code 0x80240fff

2. Windows 10 Update Error 80072ee2

The download is stuck because your computer couldn’t connect to the update server. Therefore, Windows 10 receives an update error. One way to go about it would be trying to disable the automatic download. Often this step helps to fix Windows 10 update.

Otherwise, the above instructions for deleting the SoftwareDistribution folder can also lead to success with this error. At the same time, code 80072ee2 is closely related to errors 8024400A and 8024400D, so the described solution path applies there as well.

In addition, before starting the update process, you should make sure that your firewall does not block the required servers. You can find the corresponding settings in the Control Panel (Windows logo key + R, run control) under System and Security: Windows Defender Firewall. However, you should refrain from disabling the protection completely, but rather add certain exceptions:

  • http://*.update.microsoft.com
  • https://*.update.microsoft.com
  • http://download.windowsupdate.com
Windows 10 Update problems with error code 80072ee2 causes your firewall

3. Windows 10 Update Error 0x8000ffff

The popular “unexpected” error 0x8000ffff does not have to be directly related to other Windows 10 update errors. The operating systems from Microsoft often fall back on this message in case of conflicts – for example, when installing third-party software or in the course of a system recovery. If you have already ruled out the possibility that error 0x8000ffff is due to a computer virus or malware, please try the following:

  1. Open the Command Prompt / Windows PowerShell as administrator. The fastest way to find the application can be found above at our guide to error code 0x80240fff.
  2. Type the command sfc /scannow into the field. After confirming with Enter a scan will start.
  3. You can then detect specific vulnerabilities by entering Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth.
  4. To fix the Windows 10 update error, the command Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth and finally Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth should help.
Fix the error 0x8000ffff via the DISM command

The abbreviation SFC stands for Windows’ System File Checker. In Windows 8 and Windows 10 this is already pre-installed, only in Windows 7 you need the Automated-Installation-Kit.

4. Windows 10 Update Error 0x800f0831

The previously explained System File Checker can also help if your Windows update was faulty and shows the code 0x800f0831. Moreover, this download problem occurs in connection with your proxy server settings:

  1. Open the Internet Properties window. The easiest way to do this is to use the Run command (Windows logo key + R), which searches for inetcpl.cpl.
  2. Here you switch to the Connections tab and click on LAN Settings.
  3. There should be NO check mark in front of Automatically detect settings as well as in front of Use proxy server for LAN.
  4. Confirm the changes with OK and restart your PC in order to fix the Windows 10 update error.
Change the proxy server settings in case of a Windows 10 update error

5. Windows 10 Update Error 0x8024a203

All methods mentioned so far do not help much with error 0x8024a203. In this case, Windows 10 update displays errors because there is not enough memory available. At least 6 GB must always be freed up, otherwise the download will abort immediately.

One solution would be to move large files and folders, such as your collection of vacation photos, to an (external) hard drive. Or you could empty your cache, since a lot of data garbage accumulates there over time. In our detailed guide on this topic, we explain how you can make Windows run faster again.

At the same time, for you to fix this Windows 10 update error, you can uninstall programs that are no longer needed in the settings (Windows logo key + I) under Apps & Features. Finally, the disk cleanup function will free up even more disk space. In all versions from Windows 7 onwards, this can be executed under the name cleanmgr.exe (Windows logo key + R).

You can get additional options by clicking Clean system files

You are looking for further possibilities to fix Windows 10 update? Many of the conflicts can be prevented in advance, before you have to go through our detailed Windows 10 error code list:

Proactively Fix Windows 10 Update

Exclude Interruptions caused by External Influences

Most apps that run in the background hardly disturb the update process. However, if the execution of a software consumes an excessive amount of resources, this quickly becomes problematic. Especially some of the more advanced antivirus scanners are particularly noteworthy in this regard, where the real-time protection tends to always start at the wrong time. At the very least, you should deactivate any such functions for a short time if a Windows 10 update error keeps popping up. Furthermore, it is a good idea to remove all USB sticks and similar devices from the PC for now.

Use Windows Update Troubleshooter

Microsoft has developed a tool specifically for troubleshooting during a Windows 10 update error. In order to start this process, you first open up the Settings (Windows logo key + I). Via Update and Security, you can access the Troubleshooting tab on the left-hand side. Under Additional Troubleshooting, you will find Windows Update. Start the process, follow the instructions and restart your PC when finished.

Solve your Windows 10 update errors with this all-around approach

Install Windows Update Manually

At the beginning of this article, we answered the question of where you can find out which version of Windows update was faulty. You can search for this name (best with the help of the attached KB number) via the update catalog from Microsoft. If you find it, you only have to download the corresponding package and open it with a double click.

Initiate Operating System Reset

You need another way to fix a Windows 10 update error? Back under Update and Security in Windows 10 Settings (Windows logo key + I), there is a Restore tab. By clicking on Let’s go, you can Reset This PC. Note, however, that even with the Keep My Files option, various things like programs or drivers will be lost.

In Windows 10, resetting your system is easier than ever before

Alternatively, you have the possibility to repair an update by downloading the current version of your operating system via the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft. The exact procedure can be found in our step-by-step guide for reinstalling Windows.

If all these measures do not help you, you should contact Microsoft support. One last chance is to check the date and time against your time zone – if there are differences, how to fix Windows 10 update error can become a problem.