Hi Stew,
Please follow the methods mentioned below.
Method 1: Run these commands in Command
Prompt (Admin).
a. Click on Start and type CMD
b. Right click on Command Prompt and select Run as administratorOn the open Command Prompt window
copy and paste the commands (all at once) –
net stop wuauservnet stop cryptSvcnet stop bits
net stop msiserverren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.oldren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.oldnet start wuauservnet start cryptSvcnet start bitsnet start msiserverpause
c. Wait for the process to complete.
d. Close the Command Prompt.
Check if it helps.
Method 2:
Step 1: Your antivirus software may be conflicting with Windows Updates. You can test this by temporarily disabling your antivirus:
Disable Anti-virus software
**http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Disable-antivirus-software**
Note: Antivirus software can help protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. In most cases, you shouldn't disable your antivirus software. If you have to temporarily disable it to install other software, you should re-enable it as soon as you're done. If you're connected to the Internet or a network while your antivirus software is disabled, your computer is vulnerable to attacks.
Step 2:
Perform a clean boot.
Clean boot- It’s a process wherein you can start Windows 7 by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. A clean boot helps eliminate software conflicts.
Please refer the following link to obtain information on how to configure Windows 7 to start in a "clean boot" state.
**http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135**
Check if the issue persists.
Note: Please go through the section: How to reset the computer to start as usual after troubleshooting with clean boot of the Kb article to boot the computer in normal startup after fixing the issue.
Method 3:
You may refer the following article.
Unable to install updates in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2
**http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2509997**
Note: This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
How to back up and restore the registry in Windows:
**http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Back-up-the-registry**
Important: While performing check disk on the hard drive, if any bad sectors are found and if it tries to repair that sector, any data available on that might be lost.
Please reply us on the status of the issue to assist you further.