Hi EdwinFJ,
Welcome to Microsoft Community.
Thank you for your selfless sharing of your problem-solving process. Sometimes, the accumulation of cached data does produce some strange phenomena.Just as a supplement, a script to reset Windows Update components summarized by a community member is described in this link.How to:Reset Windows update components in Windows - Microsoft CommunityThe script content is based on this document. Additional resources for Windows Update - Windows Client | Microsoft Learn
Thanks for your patience and understanding!
Best Regards,
Kyo - MSFT | Microsoft Community Technical Support