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PandoraShadow's avatar
PandoraShadow
Iron Contributor
Sep 17, 2026

Windows Update stuck with the same error for months – how do I fix it?

Every time I try to run Windows Update, I get the same message and it just won't go through. This has been going on for almost half a year now—I've tried restarting, running the troubleshooter, even clearing the update cache, but nothing seems to work.

I'm honestly out of ideas at this point. Has anyone dealt with this before and actually managed to fix it? Would really appreciate some help.

 

1 Reply

  • maskwill's avatar
    maskwill
    Brass Contributor

    If you’ve already restarted, run the troubleshooter, and cleared the cache, try these next:

     

    Run System File Checker — open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

     

    sfc /scannow

     

    Then:

     

    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

     

    Restart Windows Update services:

     

    net stop wuauserv

    net stop bits

    net start wuauserv

    net start bits

     

    Check the exact error code (for example, 0x80070002 or 0x800f081f). The code is important because different errors have different fixes.

     

    If it has been failing for six months, consider an in-place Windows repair/upgrade using Microsoft’s Windows installation media. This can repair Windows while keeping your files and apps.