I have tried sfc and DSIM, also used the system troubleshooter which cannot determine the fault.

Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you. To be able to assist you better, please clarify the following: Do you have a third-party antivirus installed? If yes, which one? Do you have any VPN software installed? (Even if it's not running at the moment) If yes, which one? Looking forward to your reply.

Follow these steps in order, since System File Checker, DISM, and the Windows Update troubleshooter have already been tried: Reset Windows Update services and cache a. Press Win + R , type services.msc , press Enter . b. Find Windows Update , right‑click, select Stop . c. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution . d. Delete all files and folders inside SoftwareDistribution . e. Go back to the Services window, right‑click Windows Update , select Start . Rename SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders (deeper reset) a. In the taskbar search box, type command prompt , then select Run as administrator . b. Run these commands one by one, pressing Enter after each and waiting for completion: net stop bits net stop wuauserv ren %systemroot%\softwaredistribution softwaredistribution.bak ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak net start bits net start wuauserv c. Close Command Prompt and restart the PC. Repair Windows image and system files again (after reset) a. Open Command Prompt as administrator. b. Run: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth Wait for the confirmation message that the operation completed successfully. c. Then run: sfc /scannow d. After SFC reaches 100%, close Command Prompt and try Windows Update again. Clean boot if updates still fail Perform a clean restart so Windows starts with minimal drivers and startup programs, then run Windows Update again. This helps if third‑party software or drivers are interfering. (See “How to perform a clean boot in Windows” in the referenced article.) As a last resort, perform a clean installation of Windows 10 If updates continue to fail with 0x800f0900 even after the above repairs, back up important data and use the Windows 10 clean installation tool from the software download page to reinstall Windows 10, then apply updates on the fresh installation. References: Troubleshoot problems updating Windows Windows Update Troubleshooter

The AI troubleshooting was useful for background knowledge but the solution came from David M .

Windows 10 update issue 0x00f0900

Answer accepted by question author

David-M 114.8K Independent Advisor

Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

To be able to assist you better, please clarify the following:

Do you have a third-party antivirus installed? If yes, which one?
Do you have any VPN software installed? (Even if it's not running at the moment) If yes, which one?

Looking forward to your reply.

Prachtig 40 Reputation points

2026-05-21T17:40:41.1+00:00

Hello David, thanks for helping, I have Mcafee Total protection and Nord vpn.
David-M 114.8K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-05-21T18:01:07.7033333+00:00
Thanks for the clarifications.

Many factors can cause this error. To avoid a long answer, I will suggest a few procedures. If these do not work, there are other methods.

To begin, temporarily disable all McAfee antivirus modules (Refer to the support documentation provided by the developers for guidance on how to do this) and try also closing Norton VPN completely. If the problem persists, temporarily uninstall Norton VPN and try updating again.

Regardless of the outcome, remember to re-enable McAfee after completing the process.

If the same error occurs with the antivirus modules disabled and without the VPN installed, I suggest you do the following:

Rename the software distribution folders as instructed below:

Open Start and type cmd, right-click on "Command Prompt", and select "Run as administrator".

Run the following commands at the Command Prompt one at a time:

net stop bits net stop wuauserv net stop cryptsvc ren %systemroot%\softwaredistribution softwaredistribution.bak ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak net start bits net start wuauserv net start cryptsvc

After all these commands are completed, close the Command Prompt window, restart (not shutdown) your computer, and then try to update Windows.

If it persists, download and install the update that is having problems manually.

Download the installation package from the link below.

https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/secu/2026/05/windows10.0-kb5087544-x64_a3451b8d6af9df06bd43d1b25ec3985fa0db49c3.msu

Source: https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5087544

If the problem persists, please let me know, and I will provide another method.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Prachtig 40 Reputation points

2026-05-23T14:37:04.62+00:00

I have uninstalled McAfee and Nord VPN, renamed the folders and restarted. The issue was the same. I downloaded the update manually and that fails to install. So I am still in the same position. The key culprits are KB5088863, KB5087544,
David-M 114.8K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-05-24T13:41:29.5166667+00:00
Sorry for the delay in reply. I've been offline.

In this case, I suggest you perform an In-place Upgrade. This procedure reinstalls Windows, which helps to fix problems.

It's a simple procedure, and you have the option to keep files, settings, and apps. Therefore, all your data is kept.

Download the ISO file to perform the procedure:

Access the link below and click "Download now" to download the Media Creation Tool.

https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10

Run the tool and click "Accept" to accept the terms;

Select "Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC" and click "Next";

In the "Select language, architecture, and edition" step, leave the "Use the recommended options for this PC" box checked and click "Next";

In the "Choose which media to use" step, select "ISO file", click "Next", select where to save, and click "Save".

After downloading the ISO, do the following:

Double-click the ISO file to run it.

(After running the ISO, you may need to double-click the "Setup" file to start the procedure.)

On the "Install Windows 10" screen, uncheck "I want to help make the installation of Windows better" and select "Change how Windows Setup download updates";

On the next screen, select "Not right now" and click "Next";

Accept the terms of use;

At the "Ready to install" screen, select "Choose what to keep" and select what you want to keep.

(In this step, select "Keep personal files and apps" so all your data is kept.)

Click "Install" and wait for the procedure to finish. Your computer may restart several times.

The updates may be installed during the In-place Upgrade. Therefore, they may no longer appear in Windows Update. Still, check Windows Update for any pending updates and install them.

If you get any errors, please let me know.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Prachtig 40 Reputation points

2026-05-25T12:48:49.58+00:00

That has worked, there was a slight issue with an update for WSL which I had to install manually. Machine is now up to date! Thank you David.
David-M 114.8K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-05-25T12:51:48.2166667+00:00

Great! Glad to help.

Best regards.

Answer accepted by question author

AI answer

Follow these steps in order, since System File Checker, DISM, and the Windows Update troubleshooter have already been tried:

Reset Windows Update services and cache
a. Press Win + R, type services.msc, press Enter.
b. Find Windows Update, right‑click, select Stop.
c. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution.
d. Delete all files and folders inside SoftwareDistribution.
e. Go back to the Services window, right‑click Windows Update, select Start.
Rename SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders (deeper reset)
a. In the taskbar search box, type command prompt, then select Run as administrator.
b. Run these commands one by one, pressing Enter after each and waiting for completion:
```
   net stop bits
   net stop wuauserv
   ren %systemroot%\softwaredistribution softwaredistribution.bak
   ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak
   net start bits
   net start wuauserv
```
c. Close Command Prompt and restart the PC.
Repair Windows image and system files again (after reset)
a. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
b. Run:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
Wait for the confirmation message that the operation completed successfully.
c. Then run:
sfc /scannow
d. After SFC reaches 100%, close Command Prompt and try Windows Update again.
Clean boot if updates still fail
Perform a clean restart so Windows starts with minimal drivers and startup programs, then run Windows Update again. This helps if third‑party software or drivers are interfering. (See “How to perform a clean boot in Windows” in the referenced article.)
As a last resort, perform a clean installation of Windows 10
If updates continue to fail with 0x800f0900 even after the above repairs, back up important data and use the Windows 10 clean installation tool from the software download page to reinstall Windows 10, then apply updates on the fresh installation.

References:

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Windows 10 update issue 0x00f0900

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