Windows Updates fail to download

Question

Hello,

I have a Windows 11 IoT Enterprise PC version 22H2, that is failing to download and install Windows updates. This PC is meant for conferencing systems, and has some third-party services and drivers built into the image. The manufacturer has provided the image files used in testing. Unfortunately, I have already attempted most of the typical troubleshooting steps and have had no luck repairing the error.

The system will recognize there are ~17 updates available but when pressing 'Download and Install Now', the loading icon appears for a fraction of a second, and nothing else occurs. Please note: this system originally had issues booting until we reimaged the device to the same version in Step 9.

This is my first time needing to post to the forums so please let me know what information I may need to provide to continue troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting Steps taken:

1. Reboot PC, no change
2. Reboot the PC in Safe Mode with Networking, no change.
3. Ran "CHKDSK" command and verified hardware, no issues were found, no change.
4. Ran "SFC /SCANNOW" command, which successfully repaired some 'corrupted system files', although I was unable to locate which files were repaired, no change.
5. Ran "DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /CheckHealth (and /RestoreHealth)" which did not find any errors, no change.
6. Ran 'Windows Update Troubleshooter' which detects 'Check for Windows update issues' with the resolution of 'Resolve Windows Update issues, Completed'.

-- running this troubleshooter again results in the same outcome

7. Checked 'services.msc' to ensure "wuauserv", "bits", "cryptsvc", "msiserver", "appidsvc", (Windows Update Components) were running, restarted, no change.
8. Deleted "Catroot2.bak" folder, and "SoftwareDistribution" folder. Once they were regenerated, tested again and had no change to issue.
9. Contacted manufacturer and received a copy of the image loaded onto the PC, reimaged system via USB. When checking updates after boot, I receive 'Error Encountered' and it asks me to run the Windows Update troubleshooter. Once ran, this will clear the alert but I will still have the same issue listed above.
10. Attempted WinRE recovery, 'Clean Install', 'Remove Everything'. No change.
11. Contacted manufacturer who provided an updated image file, reimaged system again, no change.
12. WinRE recovery with the new image, 'Clean Install', 'Keep my files'. No change.
13. Disabled ALL services excluding Microsoft in 'msconfig.exe'. Rebooted, no change.

While I can default this system to a standard Windows installation, I would need this to be running with the existing image if at all possible. I have not yet ruled out hardware failure, although I would like to see some kind of log to indicate this in greater detail.

Through my hours of perusing the forums, it seems almost everyone who has had similar issues were able to resolve it via resetting the Windows Update Components, reimaging or resetting the OS, or deleting the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2.bak content but this has not resolved my own.

Any additional info, tips, or troubleshooting steps would be greatly beneficial. I can provide any device information or logs necessary to further assist, I would simply need to know where to pull them from. Thank you,

*** Moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Windows update ***

Answer 1

Hello,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

Based on the description, I understand your question is related to update.

Try run below commands to reset windows update component:

net stop wuauserv

net stop cryptsvc

net stop bits

net stop msiserver 

ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old

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

net start wuauserv 

net start cryptsvc

net start bits

net start msiserver

Close Command Prompt and reboot your PC.

Also, temporarily uninstall 3rd party anti-virus software may also help.

Have a nice day. 

Best Regards,

Molly

Answer 2

Hello,

Thank you for your reply.

I just received word from the third-party manufacturer that the image they provided to me had some corrupt system files causing this issue. We are still testing but they have provided an older image which does not contain the errors, and this seems to have resolved the Windows Update issues.

Unfortunately, they did not provide information as to which system files in particular were corrupted.

Answer 3

Hello,

Glad to know the progress on your side. Yes, corrupt system files can cause update failure issues.

Best regards,

Molly