Windows Update components help download and install all feature and quality updates, apart from drivers and other security enhancements. But, there are times you may encounter issues with Windows Update owing to corrupt cache or the relevant services running into an error. Whatever be the underlying cause, it can be fixed by resetting Windows Update components.
There are primarily three methods to reset Windows Update components. We have listed them in the sequence of increasing intricacy and time consumption. Hence, follow the methods in the listed sequence for a quick reset process.
1. Reset via Windows Update Troubleshooter
Microsoft offers several built-in troubleshooters to help fix a majority of the issues. It also includes ‘Windows Update Troubleshooter’ which can be used to reset the components that need it.
To reset Windows Update Components via Windows Update Troubleshooter, either right-click on the ‘Start’ icon in the Taskbar or press WINDOWS + X to launch the Quick Access menu, and select ‘Settings’ from the list of options.
In the ‘System’ tab, select ‘Troubleshoot’ on the right.
Next, select ‘Other troubleshooters’ on the right.
You will now find a bunch of troubleshooters listed here Locate ‘Windows Update’ and click on ‘Run’ next to it.
The troubleshooter will now scan for any issues and fix them along the way. If you receive any prompts during the troubleshooting process, choose the relevant response.
2. Reset via Command Prompt
You can also reset Windows Update Components by running quite a few commands in an elevated Command Prompt. This is surely a time-consuming process but is highly effective, unlike the troubleshooter which only resets if there is a need for it.
To reset Windows Update Components via the Command Prompt, search for ‘Windows Terminal’ in the Search menu, right-click on the relevant search result, and select ‘Run as administrator’ from the context menu. Click ‘Yes’ on the UAC box that appears.
Windows PowerShell will launch by default unless you have changed the default profile in Terminal settings. To open Command Prompt, click on the downward-facing arrow at the top and select ‘Command Prompt’ from the list of options. Alternatively, you can press CTRL + SHIFT + 2 to launch the Command Prompt tab.
First, we will stop the BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service), Windows Update service, and Cryptographic service. To do that, type the following commands one at a time and press ENTER after each to execute it.
net stop bitsnet stop wuauservnet stop cryptsvc
The next step is to delete the qmgr*.dat files. You can do this by executing the following command.
Del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\qmgr*.dat"
Note: You can skip this step if this is your first attempt at resetting Windows Update components. However, if it doesn’t work, include this step the next time.
The next step is to rename a few folders on the system. To do that, type the following commands and press ENTER after each to execute them.
Ren %Systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore DataStore.bakRen %Systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution\Download Download.bakRen %Systemroot%\System32\catroot2 catroot2.bak
Note: You can skip this step if this is your first attempt at resetting Windows Update components. However, if it doesn’t work, include this step the next time.
You now have to reset the Windows Update service and BITS. For this, type the following two commands and press ENTER after each.
sc.exe sdset bits D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)
sc.exe sdset wuauserv D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)
Next, enter the following command and press ENTER.
cd /d %windir%\system32
Here comes the time-consuming step. Enter the following commands one by one and press ENTER after each, to reregister the Windows Updates and BITS files. Click ‘OK’ on the prompt that appears after registering each file.
regsvr32.exe atl.dll
regsvr32.exe urlmon.dll
regsvr32.exe mshtml.dll
regsvr32.exe shdocvw.dll
regsvr32.exe browseui.dll
regsvr32.exe jscript.dll
regsvr32.exe vbscript.dll
regsvr32.exe scrrun.dll
regsvr32.exe msxml.dll
regsvr32.exe msxml3.dll
regsvr32.exe msxml6.dll
regsvr32.exe actxprxy.dll
regsvr32.exe softpub.dll
regsvr32.exe wintrust.dll
regsvr32.exe dssenh.dll
regsvr32.exe rsaenh.dll
regsvr32.exe gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32.exe sccbase.dll
regsvr32.exe slbcsp.dll
regsvr32.exe cryptdlg.dll
regsvr32.exe oleaut32.dll
regsvr32.exe ole32.dll
regsvr32.exe shell32.dll
regsvr32.exe initpki.dll
regsvr32.exe wuapi.dll
regsvr32.exe wuaueng.dll
regsvr32.exe wuaueng1.dll
regsvr32.exe wucltui.dll
regsvr32.exe wups.dll
regsvr32.exe wups2.dll
regsvr32.exe wuweb.dll
regsvr32.exe qmgr.dll
regsvr32.exe qmgrprxy.dll
regsvr32.exe wucltux.dll
regsvr32.exe muweb.dll
regsvr32.exe wuwebv.dll
The penultimate step is to reset Winsock (Windows Sockets). Execute the following command to do that.
netsh winsock reset
We stopped three services in the first step, it’s now time we re-enable them. Type or paste the following commands and press ENTER after each.
net start bitsnet start wuauserv net start cryptsvc
Now, restart the PC for all the changes to come into effect. The Windows Update components have now been reset.
3. Reset with Reset Windows Update Tool, an Open-source Third-party Tool
You can also use the ‘Reset Windows Update Tool’ to reset the Windows Update components. This is a fairly lengthy process but by far the best, since it gives you a lot more options and while the installation process does take time, there’s no effort required on your part in the execution phase. You don’t have to enter any commands, the tool takes care of it all.
First, you will have to download the ‘Reset Windows Update Tool’.
To download the tool, go to github.com/ManuelGil and click on the ‘zip’ option under the latest version.
Since it’s a zip file, you will need to extract it. To extract the zip file, navigate to the ‘Downloads’ folder, right-click on it and select ‘Extract All’.
Now, click on ‘Browse’ to choose the destination for the extracted files, and click on the ‘Extract’ at the bottom.
You will now have to download another app, ‘Dev-C++.
To download, go to sourceforge.net/projects, and click on ‘Download’.
After it’s download, again navigate to the ‘Downloads’ folder and double-click on the downloaded file to run the installer.
Next, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.
Once the app is installed, right-click on the shortcut or the app file in the source folder, and select ‘Run as administrator’ to run the app with administrative privileges.
Next, click on the ‘File’ menu at the top-left and select ‘Open’ from the list of options.
Now, browse to the location where you earlier extracted the ‘Reset Windows Update Tool’ files, select the ‘WUReset.dev’ file, and click on ‘Open’ at the bottom.
Wait for a few moments while ‘Dev-C++’ parses the files. Now, click on the ‘Execute’ menu at the top and select ‘Compile’ from the list of options. Alternatively, you can press F9 to compile.
Wait for the compilation to complete. The process is likely to be quick.
Next, again click on the ‘Execute’ menu and select ‘Run’. Alternatively, you can press F10 to run it.
The ‘Reset Windows Update Tool’ window will launch and mention the terms and conditions of use. Go through them, type Y, and then press ENTER.
Next, press 2 and then press ENTER.
The tool will now run for a while making the necessary changes to reset the Windows Update Components. You will be informed of the current task at each stage. Once the reset process is complete, the screen will read ‘The operation completed successfully’. You can now close the window.
These are the three ways you can reset Windows Update Components on Windows 11. You should first try the troubleshooter in case you encounter an error while updating the Windows, but it doesn’t guarantee results. If that’s the case with you, go with either the Command Prompt method or the Reset Windows Update Tool.
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