Share via

Error Code 0x80070246

Anonymous
2018-04-27T12:05:26+00:00

Hi, I have problems in updating Microsoft. When I click update, it will load for a while and then it will pop up saying that something went wrong and the error code is 0x80070246. Other than that, when I want to open the Windows Update at Settings it just keep loading and won't show me any info. Thus, my Microsoft word, power point, sheet etc can't open because of this problem, when I open them, they keep saying that it has run into an error preventing it from working correctly and it need to be closed to repair it, but this situation have happen many times. Can someone help me to solve this problem ?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

4 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2018-04-29T18:27:26+00:00

    page loyout

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. lmacri 2,500 Reputation points
    2018-04-28T13:22:05+00:00

    Thanks, Bill. Typo corrected so that end of extended support for Vista SP2 correctly states "11-Apr-2017"

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2018-04-27T21:44:32+00:00

    FYI:

    You have a typo in "end of extended support" year:

    Windows Vista Service Pack 2 29/04/2009 10/04/2012 11/04/2017

    Cheers.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. lmacri 2,500 Reputation points
    2018-04-27T20:20:09+00:00

    Hi Joyee91:

    What is the make/model of your computer, Windows operating system (including whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit system), MS Office version, antivirus program(s) and default browser?

    If you have a Vista SP2 computer, please note that there is a known issue where Windows Update can hang on "Checking for updates..." for several hours (or even days) and cause serious performance issues - see the FAQ How to Fix Vista SP2 "Checking for Updates..." Hangs and Slow Windows Updates in the VistaForums. If you have have a Vista SP2 computer and are able to open your IE9 browser go to Help | About Internet Explorer and let us know the Update Versions of this browser, since the KB number should give us a good idea of the last time Windows Update ran to completion on your computer.  Extended support for Vista SP2 ended on 11-Apr-2017 so if your Vista SP2 OS and IE9 browser are fully patched you should have Update Versions 9.0.60 / KB4014661 (Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 9: April 11, 2017).

    Unfortunately, the "Checking for updates..." hangs many Vista SP2 users are currently experiencing just cause Windows Update to run very slowly and hog an entire CPU core, but affected users usually don't see an error message.  The 0x80070246 (ERROR_ILLEGAL_CHARACTER) error code you are seeing usually points to a more serious problem with a damaged system component, but if this turns out to be the case this is one of the common Windows Update error codes that can often be fixed on Vista SP2 machines by the System Update Readiness Tool (a.k.a. SURT or DISM) - see the MS support article Fix Windows Update Errors by Using the DISM or System Update Readiness Tool.

    If you have a Win 7 SP1 or higher OS the Windows Update Troubleshooter (https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/4027322/windows-update-troubleshooter) or the support article Fix Windows Update Issues at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/10164/fix-windows-update-errors might be able to fix your error.

    32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.7.3 * Norton Security v22.14.0.54

    HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments