How to Fix Windows Update error 0x80070003 in Windows 10
If you are trying to run Windows Update but encountered an Error 0x80070003, read on as this post will guide you on how you can fix it. This kind of error in Windows Update can occur when you activate Windows Firewall or download from the Windows Store. This kind of error indicates that the Windows Update service or WUAUSERV is not started or that the Background Intelligent Transfer Service or BITS can’t be started. Aside from that, you can also encounter this error with the other Windows Update components.
To fix the Windows Update error 0x80070003, you can try to run the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter or replace the old Configuration file named “Spupdsvc.exe”. You can also try to reset the Windows Update components or check the status of all the Windows Update-related services, as well as run a System File Checker scan.
Option 1 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter is one of the things you can first check out as it is known to automatically resolve any Windows Update errors like error code 0x80070003. To run this troubleshooter, Refer to these steps:
- Tap the Win + I keys to open Settings.
- From there, click Update and Security and go to the Troubleshoot section.
- Next, select Windows Update and click the “Run the troubleshooter” button and wait until it’s finished, and then try to run Windows Update again.
Option 2 – Try replacing the old Configuration file named “Spupdsvc.exe”
The next thing you can do to fix the Windows Update error is to replace the Spupdsvc.exe file. This is a process file that comes under the Microsoft Update RunOnce service. So when an update becomes available for your computer, the process responsible for performing the upgrade is notified. In addition, the RunOnce entry is also added to the registry for the spupdsvc.exe and this process is executed when your computer restarts and when you log on.
- In the Start Search, type “command prompt” and from the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option.
- Next, execute this command to replace the old configuration of the Spupdsvc.exe file with a new one: c m d (remove spaces on CMD) /c ren %systemroot%System32Spupdsvc.exe Spupdsvc.old
- After that, try to run Windows Updates again and check if the error is now gone.
Option 3 – Try deleting the files from the SoftwareDistribution folder and resetting the Catroot2 folder
The downloaded Windows Updates are placed in a folder called “SoftwareDistribution”. The files downloaded in this folder are automatically deleted once the installation is completed. However, if the files are not clean up or if the installation is still pending, you can delete all the files in this folder after you pause the Windows Update service. For complete instructions, refer to the steps below.
- Open the WinX Menu.
- From there, open Command Prompt as admin.
- Then type in the following command – don’t forget to hit Enter right after typing each one of them.
net stop wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver
- After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic, and the MSI Installer
- Next, go to the C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files thereby tapping the Ctrl + A keys to select them all and then click on Delete. Note that if the files are in use, you won’t be able to delete them.
After resetting the SoftwareDistribution folder, you need to reset the Catroot2 folder to restart the services you just stopped. To do that, follow these steps:
- Type each one of the following commands.
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver
- After that, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer.
Option 4 – Check the status of some Windows Update Services
- Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- Next, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open Services.
- From the list of Services, look for the following services and make sure that their Startup type is as follows:
- Windows Update – Manual (Triggered)
- Background Intelligent Transfer Service – Manual
- Cryptographic Services – Automatic
- Workstation Service – Automatic
- After that, check if the Service status of the listed services above are set to Running. If they’re not, click on the Start button to start these services and then check if the Windows Update error 0x80070003 is now fixed or not.
Option 5 – Run the System File Checker Scan
If manually resetting the Windows Update components didn’t work, you can run a System File Checker scan instead. It is a built-in command-line utility that replaces bad and corrupted system files with good system files that might be the cause why you’re getting the error when you try updating your computer. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.
- Tap Win + R to launch Run.
- Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
- After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow
The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:
- Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
- Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
- Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.
- Restart your computer.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you have just fixed the 0x80070003 error in Windows 10 all by yourself. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit errortools.com daily.
Now that’s how you fix the 0x80070003 error in Windows 10 on a computer. On the other hand, if your computer is going through some system-related issues that have to get fixed, there is a one-click solution known as Restoro you could check out to resolve them.
This program is a useful tool that could repair corrupted registries and optimize your PC’s overall performance. Aside from that, it also cleans out your computer for any junk or corrupted files that help you eliminate any unwanted files from your system. This is basically a solution that’s within your grasp with just a click. It’s easy to use as it is user-friendly. For a complete set of instructions in downloading and using it, refer to the steps below
Perform a full system scan using Restoro. To do so, follow the instructions below.
