How to Open Windows Update and Fix Its 3 Common Issues? [MiniTool Wiki]

About Windows Update

Windows Update refers to a Microsoft service for the Windows 9x and Windows NT families of operating systems, which is generally used to provide upgrades and updates for vulnerabilities, drivers, and software. Timely and effective updates for these objects make our experience much smoother and safer.

How to open Windows Update? There are 3 ways to access Windows Update.

Method 1: For the high version of the operating system, you can directly click Start, All programs, and Windows Update in order.

Method 2: Click Settings and Update & securityin order to access Windows Update.

select Update & security in Settings window

Method 3: Press Windows logo key and I key on the keyboard simultaneously. Then click Update & security.

Note: If you turn on the Automatic Update feature, Windows Update can notify high-priority updates to your computer as soon as possible.

Common Windows Update Issues

When you run Windows Update, you may encounter the following issues, such as Windows Update service not running.

Issue 1: Windows Update Service Not Running

Have you ever met this error? Don’t worry. You can try the following methods.

Method 1: Check for malicious software

This issue may result from interference from malicious software. In this situation, you should scan your computer in advance.

Some common malicious software:

Virus: it is the most common type of malware which can execute itself and spread by infecting other programs or files.
Ransomware: it is designed to infect your system and encrypt the data.

Tip: You can click here to learn about how to prevent it.

Trojan horse: it is designed to appear as a legitimate program in order to gain access to your system.

Method 2: Restart your Windows Update associated services

Step 1: Press Windows and R keys on the keyboard.

Step 2: Type services.msc and click OK to open the Services snap-in.

Step 3: Find Background Intelligent Transfer Service and give it a double click.

find Background Intelligent Transfer Service among the options

Step 4: Set the startuptype is Automatic. Then click the Start button and OK button to close the pop-up window.

Note: If the Start button is grayed out, please click the Stop button and then click the Start button.

set the Startup type as Automatic and click OK

Step 5: Double click Windows Update.

Step 6: Set the Startup status as Automatic. Then click Start button and click OK to close the window.

set Startup status as Automatic and click OK

Step 7: Close the Services snap-in and restart your computer to check this method fix to the issue or not.

Issue 2: Meeting Various Windows Update Error Codes

Common Windows Update Error Codes are 0x80242006, 0x80244018, 0x80D02002, 0x80246017 and so on.

How to solve these errors? Here take Windows 10 as an example.

method: run windows troubleshooter

Troubleshooter in Windows is designed to quickly diagnose and automatically resolve various computer problems.

Please carry out the following steps to solve the issue by using Windows troubleshooter.

Step 1: Go to Settings and type troubleshoot. And select Troubleshoot under the searching box.

type troubleshoot in Windows Setting window

Step 2: Find Windows Update and select it. Click Run the troubleshooter.

Step 3: Wait for the tool to fix the code error. If the errors are fixed, you are able to update windows without problems.

Issue 3: Windows Update Stuck

Generally speaking, Windows Update works silently in the background. However, sometimes it breaks and stops working. Let’s see how to fix Windows Update stuck.

Method: Run Windows Troubleshooter

Step 1: Type Control Panel in the lower left corner.

Step 2: Type troubleshooting in the searching box like the following image. Click the Troubleshooting.

search troubleshooting in Control Panel window

Step 3: Click Fix problems with Windows Update under System and Security.

Step 4: Click Advanced.

Step 5: In the advanced settings, check the box next to Apply repairs automatically. Then click Run as administrator to give this toll privileges to delete files in the download cache. Finally, click Next button.