Receiving errors on tasks that your PC performs daily and automatically can be irksome and frustrating. Error code 0x800f081f is one such error. In addition to the error, Windows typically displays a message: "There were some problems installing updates, but we'll try again later," which is no help either.
Fortunately, it is also a common error that tends to pop up occasionally. Hence, it is very well documented. Just go through the list of methods mentioned in this guide and try each one of them to eradicate this issue for once and all from your computer.
1. Run Update Troubleshooter
The first and foremost step is to run the troubleshooter to ensure there are no system and/or configuration issues with the system.
First, head to the Start Menu and click the 'Settings' icon.
After that, make sure you have selected the 'System' tab from the left sidebar.
Next, from the right section, click on the 'Troubleshooter' tile.
Afterward, click on the 'Other troubleshooters' tile to proceed.
Now, locate the 'Windows Update' tile and click on the 'Run' button to commence the troubleshooting.
Once the troubleshooting is completed, you can see the list of problems and suggestions to fix them. To understand the problem deeply, click the 'View Detailed Information' option.
2. Reset Windows Update Services
Windows Update services run silently in the background to ensure all the updates are delivered correctly to your system. However, sometimes, a third-party app or service causes hindrances to their functionality.
Now, head to the Start Menu and type Terminal. Then, right-click on the tile and select the 'Run as administrator' option.
Next, a UAC (User Account Control) window will appear on your screen. If you are not logged in as an admin, provide credentials for one. Otherwise, click on the 'Yes' button.
After that, click on the 'chevron' icon and select the 'Command Prompt' option.
After that, type or copy and paste the below-mentioned command to stop the currently running update service. Ensure you press Enter after you insert each command separately to execute them all.
net stop bits
net stop wuaserv
net stop cryptsvc
After that, press the Windows+R keys together on your keyboard to open the Run Command Utility. Then, type or copy and paste the below-mentioned address path and click the 'OK' button to proceed.
C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore
Then, press the Ctrl+A keys to select all the files and folders, followed by the Shift+Delete keys to permanently delete all the files.
3. Run SFC and DISM
Since the issue involves corrupted or damaged system files, running the DISM and SFC scans is recommended, as DISM will fix the image used to diagnose the problems present on your system, and SFC will check and repair your machine.
First, you must run the DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) process. Once that is completed, you must run SFC (System File Checker) to ensure the integrity and error correctness of all system files.
To run DISM, head to the Start Menu and type 'Terminal'. Then, from the results, right-click on the 'Terminal' tile and select the 'Run as administrator' option.
A UAC (User Account Control) window will appear on your screen. If you are not logged in with an admin account, enter the credentials for one. Otherwise, click the 'Yes' button on the window to proceed.
Next, on the Terminal window, type or copy and paste the below-mentioned code and hit Enter your keyboard to execute the command.
DISM/Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth
Depending on your internet connection speed, the DISM command may take up to several minutes. It may also appear stuck at times; this is normal command behavior. Wait patiently till the execution of the command is completed.
Once completed, type or copy and paste the below-mentioned command to invoke SFC (System File Checker), which will scan your currently installed Windows image and fix the damaged or corrupted files using the one you downloaded in the previous step.
SFC /scannow
Once the SFC command is finished executing, head to the Start Menu and restart your PC to check if the issue has been resolved.
4. Clear Update Cache and Restart Components
Windows Update services run silently in the background to ensure all the updates are delivered properly to your system. However, a third-party app or service can sometimes interfere with these services, causing hindrances to their functionality.
Head to the Start Menu and type 'Terminal'. Then, right-click on the tile and select the 'Run as administrator' option.
Next, a UAC (User Account Control) window will appear on your screen. If you are not logged in as an admin, provide credentials for one. Otherwise, click on the 'Yes' button.
After that, click on the 'chevron' icon and select the 'Command Prompt' option.
After that, type or copy and paste the below-mentioned commands to stop the currently running update service. Ensure you press Enter after inserting each command separately to execute them all properly.
net stop bits
net stop wuaserv
net stop cryptsvc
Then, press the Windows+R keys together on your keyboard to open the Run command utility. Then, type or copy and paste the below-mentioned address path and click on the 'OK' button to proceed.
C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore
Then, press the Ctrl+A keys to select all the files and folders, followed by the Shift+Delete keys to permanently delete all the files.
After that, head to the Command Prompt and type or copy and paste the below-mentioned command and hit Enter.
Del "%AllUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\*.*
Then, press Y to confirm the deletion of files.
Type or copy and paste the below-mentioned command and hit Enter. This will clear the Windows Update cache and enable the operating system to re-download the updates. Make sure to press Enter after each command.
rmdir %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 /S /Q
Then, insert the following command and execute it. This command will reset BITS and Windows Update services to their default security descriptor. Also, make sure to hit Enter after each command.
sc.exe sdset bits D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)
sc.exe sdset bits D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)
After that, execute the below-mentioned command to change the directory to the 'System32' folder.
cd /d %windir%\system32
Next, type the below-mentioned commands and hit Enter after each command to execute them all. This will update BITS and Update DLL files on the registry.
regsvr32.exe /s atl.dll
regsvr32.exe /s urlmon.dll
regsvr32.exe /s mshtml.dll
regsvr32.exe /s shdocvw.dll
regsvr32.exe /s browseui.dll
regsvr32.exe /s scrrun.dll
regsvr32.exe /s msxml.dll
regsvr32.exe /s msxml3.dll
regsvr32.exe /s msxml6.dll
regsvr32.exe /s actxprxy.dll
regsvr32.exe /s softpub.dll
regsvr32.exe /s wintrust.dll
regsvr32.exe /s dssenh.dll
regsvr32.exe /s rsaenh.dll
regsvr32.exe /s gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32.exe /s gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32.exe /s slbcsp.dll
regsvr32.exe /s sccbase.dll
regsvr32.exe /s cryptdlg.dll
regsvr32.exe /s oleaut32.dll
regsvr32.exe /s ole32.dll
regsvr32.exe /s shell32.dll
regsvr32.exe /s initpki.dll
regsvr32.exe /s wuapi.dll
regsvr32.exe /s wuaueng.dll
regsvr32.exe /s wuaueng1.dll
regsvr32.exe /s wucltui.dll
regsvr32.exe /s wups.dll
regsvr32.exe /s wups2.dll
regsvr32.exe /s wuweb.dll
regsvr32.exe /s qmgr.dll
regsvr32.exe /s qmgrprxy.dll
regsvr32.exe /s wucltux.dll
regsvr32.exe /s wuwebv.dll
Finally, head back to the elevated Command Prompt window, type or copy and paste the following commands individually, and hit Enter to start the services you disabled earlier.
net start bits
net start wuaserv
net start cryptsvc
After that, restart and check if you can update your PC.
5. Re-enable .NET Framework 3.5
Your PC will probably already have this version of the framework installed. However, re-enabling the framework can potentially resolve the issue.
To do so, head to the Start Menu and type Windows Features in the menu to perform a search. Then, from the search results, click on the 'Turn Windows Features On or Off' tile.
After that, from the separately opened window, locate the '.NET Framework 3.5' option and click on the preceding checkbox to select the option. After that, click on the '+' button to expand the section.
Now, click each checkbox, pricing the option listing in the expanded section. Similarly, click the checkbox preceding the '.NET Framework 4.8 Advanced Services' option. Now, again, click the '+' button to expand the section.
Finally, click the checkbox to select all the options in the expanded section. Now, click on the 'OK' button to apply the changes.
Once all the features are installed, restart your PC and check if you still face the update error.
6. Delete Registry Files
First, head to the Start Menu and type 'Registry'. Then, from the search results, click on the 'Registry Editor' tile.
After that, navigate to the below-mentioned address by entering it into the address bar.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
On the right section of the address bar, locate WUServer and WIStatusServer DWORD files. Right-click on one of them and select the 'Delete' option. Repeat the same process for the other file as well.
Make sure you also remove the files from the Recycle Bin.
If the registry files mentioned are unavailable, you are ready to move on to the next method.
7. Tweak Group Policy Settings
First, head to the Start Menu and type 'Group Policy.' Then, click on the 'Edit group policy' tile.
After that, select 'Computer Configuration' and then select 'Administrative Templates' from the left sidebar.
Next, from the right section of the window, click on 'System' to proceed.
On the right section, locate and double-click on the 'Specify settings for optional component installation and component repair' policy. Now, select the 'Enabled' option and click 'Apply' and 'OK'.
Once done, restart your PC and check if you are still facing the problem in updating.
8. Manually Download & Install Updates
Downloading Windows 11 update packages manually is as plain sailing as it gets once you know where to look for them.
To do so, head to the official Microsoft Catalogue website catalog.update.microsoft.com. Then, enter the KB (Knowledge Base) number of the Windows update you wish to download in the 'search' bar present on the page and hit Enter on your keyboard or click the 'Search' button.
All the available downloads for the searched KB number will be populated in the list on the web. Click on its tile to get more information on a particular update package. This will open a separate browser window on your screen.
You can also get information on 'Installation Resources,' 'Package details,' and the languages the package supports by clicking on their perspective tabs.
Once you have identified which package you wish to download, click the 'Download' button on the far right edge of an individual package row. This will open a separate window on your screen.
After that, right-click on the link under the update package title and choose the 'Save link as' from the context menu.
Then, choose your desired directory on the system and click the 'Save' button.
To install the downloaded package, double-click on it to run the installer.
The Windows Update Standalone installer will prepare the system for installation, which might take a few minutes or so.
Once the update is ready to install, a prompt will appear on the screen to confirm the installation. Click on the 'Yes' button to start installing.
You should now see the update package being installed on your system. It might take a few minutes to install.
Once installed, you will see a message stating so on the window. Depending on the type of update, you might be prompted to restart your machine.
Though update errors can be tricky as they provide little to no information about what is causing them, this guide will help you rectify the Install Error 0x800f081f properly.
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