Looking for some assistance with the following error.

Recently i've been unable to update windows computers in my environment due to what seems like a bug in the windows update. Updates on selected machines fail without reason, and once they've failed they will not update without a upgrade in place / repair in place. I'm trying to get to the bottom of the issue but i've basically run out of luck and have no other ideas other than to do the upgrade / repair. The issue is that i have around 80-90 pcs affected by this issue and i don't want to have to do this manually on every machine, it requires coordination in my environment to get the pc's updated.

So far i've tried:

How to fix broken Windows Update - Microsoft Community

I've tried the DISM both Online / offline repairs.

I've removed the antivirus / firewall settings.

I have removed all group policy settings

SFC / Chkdsk don't work.

The error when looked up within the microsoft error tool shows the following:

C:\Tools>Err_6.4.5.exe 2148468767

No results found for hex 0x800f081f / decimal -2146498529

anonymous HRESULT: Severity: FAILURE (1), Facility 0x1fff, Code 0xffff

for hex 0xffff / decimal 65535

CDERR_DIALOGFAILURE cderr.h

1 matches found for "2148468767"

This definitely feels like something in the update breaks and there's no way for me to fix it, but the only solution seems to be reimage / repair in place which is extremely intrusive. Does anyone have any thoughts?

This happens on both Windows 11 23H2 and 22H2.

Thanks!

****moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Windows update***

Hello MMjohns195，

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

The error code you provided, 2148468767 (or 0x800F081F), is a common Windows Update error. This error typically occurs when Windows cannot find the files needed to complete the update process. This can be due to corrupted or missing files.

Here are a few steps you can try to resolve this issue:

Windows Update Troubleshooter

Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter:

1. Go to **Settings** > **Update & Security** > **Troubleshoot** > **Additional troubleshooters**.
2. Select **Windows Update** and run the troubleshooter.

Reset Windows Update Components

Reset the Windows Update components manually:

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Stop the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Windows Update service, and Cryptographic service by running:

   
      net stop wuauserv 
   
      net stop cryptSvc 
   
      net stop bits 
   
      net stop msiserver 
   
   

3. Rename the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders:

   
      ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old 
   
      ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old 
   
   

4. Restart the services you stopped:

   
      net start wuauserv 
   
      net start cryptSvc 
   
      net start bits 
   
      net start msiserver 
   
   

Check System Files

Perform a System File Check to replace any corrupted or missing system files:

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Run the following command:

   
      sfc /scannow 
   
   

DISM Tool

Use the Deployment Imaging Service and Management Tool (DISM) to repair Windows Update components:

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Run the following commands:

   
      DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth 
   
      DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth 
   
   

Group Policy Settings

Ensure that there are no conflicting group policy settings:

1. Open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).
2. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
3. Ensure that settings like "Do not include drivers with Windows Updates" are not causing issues.

Check for Malware

Sometimes, malware can interfere with Windows Update. Run a full system scan using Windows Defender or another reputable antivirus program.

Windows Update Log

Check the Windows Update log for more specific errors:

1. Open PowerShell as an administrator.
2. Run the following command to generate a Windows Update log:

   
      Get-WindowsUpdateLog 
   
   

3. Review the log file (typically saved on your desktop) for more specific error messages.

Manual Download and Installation

Manually download and install the updates from the Microsoft Update Catalog website:

1. Go to the Microsoft Update Catalog.
2. Search for the specific KB numbers of the updates failing to install.
3. Download and install the updates manually.

In-Place Upgrade

As a last resort, you can perform an in-place upgrade to repair Windows without losing your data:

1. Download the Windows 10 or 11 ISO from the Microsoft website.
2. Mount the ISO and run the setup file.
3. Follow the prompts to upgrade while keeping your files and applications.

Automate Repairs Using Scripts

Since you have a large number of PCs, consider using PowerShell scripts or Group Policy to automate some of these repair tasks. For example, you can script the reset of Windows Update components and deploy it across multiple machines.

If none of these solutions work, there might be a deeper issue at hand, such as hardware problems or widespread corruption that indeed require more intrusive methods like reimaging the PCs.

For large-scale deployment of updates or fixes, consider using tools like Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM) or Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to manage and automate the updating process. 

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Haijian Shan

Hi Haijian.

Windows Update Troubleshooter - Tried this first, it did not work

Reset Windows Update Components - I have performed this several times and it did not work

Check System Files - Paired with a CHKDSK / F /R and did not resolve the issue

DISM Tool - Neither Online / Offline repair worked here

Group Policy Settings - Devices were placed in a segmented OU with no GP policies applied and it made no difference

Check for Malware - We use Cisco Amp and it found no issues, uninstalling it made no difference.

Manual Download and Installation - Fails no matter what, just a generic error code in event viewer.

In-Place Upgrade - this works but again, it requires me to do it on multiple devices and scheduling time etc.

Will try running the logs and see what specifically we end up with, but it feels like this is something internal to the OS, it's not creating a dialog box and can't complete the windows update.

Hi Haijian.

Windows Update Troubleshooter - Tried this first, it did not work

Reset Windows Update Components - I have performed this several times and it did not work

Check System Files - Paired with a CHKDSK / F /R and did not resolve the issue

DISM Tool - Neither Online / Offline repair worked here

Group Policy Settings - Devices were placed in a segmented OU with no GP policies applied and it made no difference

Check for Malware - We use Cisco Amp and it found no issues, uninstalling it made no difference.

Manual Download and Installation - Fails no matter what, just a generic error code in event viewer.

In-Place Upgrade - this works but again, it requires me to do it on multiple devices and scheduling time etc.

Will try running the logs and see what specifically we end up with, but it feels like this is something internal to the OS, it's not creating a dialog box and can't complete the windows update.

I have also have around 230 system that have been failing patches since ms24-08 and i have also done all the same you have done and the only fix i have found so far is doing an in place upgrade with the windows 11 update assistant or on my windows 10 systems update them to windows 11 with online update. I didnt know what i was going to do with the 130 23h2 system i have but 24h2 just came out a few days ago. im looking into ways to automate the upgrade as i dont want to have to hand update 230 systems either.

I have also around 500 systems with the same issue. We had this issue before and opened a ticket at Microsoft and the only "solution" was the inplace / repair.

It´s very anoying. The issue begins with different monthly updates, but once it started on a systems none further monthly updates can be installed until an inplace / repair of Windows has been done.