Fixing Windows Update Issues: How to Reset Windows Update Components

If your Windows updates keep failing or getting stuck, resetting the Windows Update components can often fix the problem. This process clears corrupted temporary files, restarts update services, and gives your system a fresh start with Microsoft’s update engine.

To reset manually:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Stop services:
   net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
3. Rename update folders:
   ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
4. Restart the services:
   net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver

After this, reboot your device and run Windows Update again. If problems persist, you may want to use Microsoft’s official Update Troubleshooter.

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