Windows Update Failures: Microsoft’s Cache-to-DISM Repair Order

Microsoft's Windows Update troubleshooting guide starts with the Get Help app​

Microsoft's first instruction is also the most automated one. If you are using a Windows 11 device, start by running the automated Windows Update troubleshooter in the Get Help app. It will automatically run diagnostics and attempt to fix most of the problems. Users on older Windows versions or mobile devices are told to skip ahead to the general steps.

There is a second route in Settings, and you shouldn't mix the two up. On Windows 11, you select Start > Settings > System. Select Troubleshoot and choose Other troubleshooters. Locate Windows Update and select Run. Microsoft's separate Windows Update Troubleshooter page adds two follow-up steps: restart your device when the troubleshooter finishes. Select Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates, and then install any available updates.

Windows 10 puts the tool somewhere else. There, you select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters. Under Get up and running, select Windows Update > Run the troubleshooter. The Settings paths differ between the two versions throughout the guide, so follow the one that matches your installed OS.

If the troubleshooter can't fix things, Microsoft says to select your specific problem from the Most common Windows Update problems section below and follow the provided steps. The rest of the guide is built for that handoff: work through the general checks first, then use the error-code table to decide which heavier repair to try.

The ten-step Windows 11 checklist clears the boring causes first​

Before any repair, Microsoft asks you to back up personal files, either by copying them to a USB drive with File Explorer or by using OneDrive. The guide adds that if you're signing into Windows with a Microsoft account, your system settings will be automatically restored after updating, once you're connected to the internet. That promise covers settings only. It doesn't cover your documents, so the backup step still applies.

The general sequence for Windows 11, in Microsoft's order:

1. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter from Settings.
2. Confirm the PC is plugged in and online. Make sure that your device is properly plugged into a power source and connected to the internet. A stable internet connection is crucial for downloading and installing updates. The status check is under Start > Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi.
3. Confirm you have administrator access. Some updates need it, and Microsoft suggests asking someone who has an administrator account on the device to install the updates.
4. Disconnect external storage, docks and other hardware you don't need for basic use, then try again.
5. Clear the Windows Update cache (details below).
6. Check that Date & time under Time & language has Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically turned on, and use Sync now if needed.
7. If you've added hardware, check the manufacturer's website for driver updates.
8. Free up storage space.
9. Run Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates again, because more updates may be waiting.
10. Restart with Update and restart or Update and shut down from the Power menu.

The storage figure is the one people most often misread. Microsoft says your device requires at least 16 GB of free space to upgrade a 32-bit OS, or 20 GB for a 64-bit OS. The same numbers appear on Microsoft's upgrade-error help page, which fits their wording: they are requirements for an upgrade. They aren't a stated minimum for every monthly patch. If you're short on space, the guide notes that a small drive may need a USB drive attached to finish the update.

Clearing the SoftwareDistribution cache from Services​

Step 5 deals with the most common cause of repeated failures, which is corrupt downloaded files. The graphical method in the guide:

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc and press Enter.
2. Right-click the Windows Update service and select Stop.
3. Go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution and delete everything inside that folder.
4. Go back to Services, right-click Windows Update and select Start.

Delete the folder's contents, not the folder itself, and restart the service when you're done. If the service is left stopped, you've swapped one update failure for another. Several of the error codes below point to exactly that problem.

Windows Update error codes point to a cause, not a verdict​

Microsoft's Windows 11 table matches each code with a potential cause. The support page uses that exact word, and it's worth keeping in mind. A code tells you where to start looking. It doesn't settle what went wrong.

Microsoft's upgrade-error page backs up the driver link for one code: an error that begins with 0xC1900101 is usually a driver error. For that code, the guide sends you to Device Manager. Expand Network adapters or Display adapters, then either choose Update driver and Search automatically for drivers, or choose Uninstall device and restart.

Windows 10 has its own section on the same page, with a partly different code list. It links 0x800f0922 and 0x8007000E to space, 0x800F081F, 0x80073712 and 0x80246007 to missing or corrupt files, 0x80070422 to a stopped Windows Update service, and 0x80070020 to another process blocking the update. Use the table for your version rather than treating the two lists as one.

Two progress-bar problems get their own advice. If an update stalls at 0% or 100%, Microsoft suggests restarting and checking your connection and free space. If it sits somewhere between 51% and 99%, the guide notes that the time required to download updates primarily depends on internet connection speed, network settings, and update size. If the number still won't move, check for updates again or rerun the troubleshooter. Microsoft gives no time limit after which an update counts as stuck.

The "disable your antivirus" advice needs a firm time limit​

For codes 0x800705b4 and 0x80070005, the guide suggests temporarily turning off third-party antivirus or firewall software. You open the security app, find a pause or disable option (often under Settings, Tools or Protection), and choose a short window such as 10 minutes or 1 hour. The same passage also tells you to update the antivirus software.

The advanced section goes further and describes temporarily uninstalling third-party security software, updating the PC, and then reinstalling it. Microsoft recommends using security software that's compatible with the latest Windows 11 release, and warns that before uninstalling anything you should know how to reinstall it and have any product keys ready.

In both cases the key word is temporary. Use the shortest pause the product offers and turn protection back on as soon as the update finishes. If the problem only goes away with the security product removed, that's worth taking to the vendor. Leaving the product off permanently isn't a fix.

Microsoft's advanced repairs: catroot2, DISM, SFC and chkdsk​

Microsoft puts a warning on the advanced section. It recommends these procedures only for users comfortable with the command line, and all of them need administrator rights. To open an elevated prompt, type command prompt in the taskbar search box, choose Run as administrator and approve the prompt.

Renaming SoftwareDistribution and catroot2​

This goes further than the Services method. Besides the download cache, it sets aside the catroot2 folder, and it stops both BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) and the Windows Update service (wuauserv). Enter the commands one at a time and let each one finish before typing the next:

net stop bits
net stop wuauserv
ren %systemroot%\softwaredistribution softwaredistribution.bak
ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak
net start bits
net start wuauserv

When all six have finished, close Command Prompt and restart the PC. Renaming keeps the old folders as .bak copies instead of deleting them, so this method is less destructive than wiping the folder by hand.

DISM first, then SFC​

For corrupted system files, the order matters. Run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth first. When it works, Command Prompt shows "The restore operation completed successfully" or "The operation completed successfully." If you see neither message, Microsoft says to retype the command and try again. Next, run sfc /scannow, wait for verification to reach 100%, close the window and try Windows Update again.

Two other options are available. Running chkdsk /f C: starts disk repairs and asks you to restart. A clean restart loads Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, which helps rule out software conflicts.

An in-place repair before a clean install​

The guide's last step is a clean installation of Windows 11, using the tool on Microsoft's software download page. Microsoft asks you to read the notes on that page first. A clean install is a rebuild. It doesn't repair the existing system in place, so only use it after the backup step is truly done.

Newer Windows builds offer another Microsoft-documented option that sits between these repairs and a rebuild. According to Microsoft's reinstall guidance, if an update fails because of system file problems, Windows Update in Settings may show a message offering to reinstall your current version, and the reinstall will start downloading a repair version of the last operating system update that was successfully installed on your PC. The same page notes that if your PC is managed by your work or school, Fix problems using Windows Update might be unavailable.

Windows 10 users and managed PCs have different limits​

The troubleshooting guide still includes Windows 10 procedures, but support status is now a separate question. Microsoft states that after October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10. Your PC will still work, but we recommend moving to Windows 11. On an unsupported Windows 10 PC, getting Windows Update working again doesn't bring back ongoing security fixes. The long-term answer is a supported OS.

Business machines add another layer that the consumer guide doesn't cover. Microsoft's IT-focused guidance on Microsoft Learn tells administrators to check that the device's updates for the relevant category aren't paused. It also notes that a device scanning a Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) endpoint might receive different updates. On a PC managed by Intune, Group Policy or WSUS, "no updates available" may reflect the organization's policy rather than a fault. For support escalations, the same guidance recommends collecting diagnostics with Microsoft's TSS tool.

What this means for you​

If you run your own Windows 11 PC, follow the guide's order and stop once updates install. Most people will never get as far as the command line. IT staff can use the same order as a first-line script but should check update policy before blaming the local machine. Windows 10 users should treat any repair as a stopgap.

• Run the Get Help troubleshooter or Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Windows Update first, then restart and check for updates.
• Back up personal files before trying repairs, because Microsoft-account restoration covers system settings, not your documents.
• Use the 16 GB (32-bit) and 20 GB (64-bit) free-space figures as upgrade requirements, and make sure the Windows Update service is running again after clearing the cache.
• Treat error codes as starting points: 0xC1900101 points to drivers, 0x80070005 to permissions, 0x8007000d to the cache.
• Pause third-party security software only for the shortest window offered, and turn protection back on right after updating.
• Run DISM before SFC, and try the in-place Fix problems using Windows Update reinstall, where your PC offers it, before a clean installation.

Microsoft's guide adds no new tools. What it offers is a clear escalation path, from an automated check to a cache reset, then DISM and SFC, and only at the end a reinstall. That's the path most people should follow. Windows 11 users can expect it to fix nearly every stuck update without losing data. For the Windows 10 PCs still running almost a year after support ended, the same steps can get Windows Update working again, but they won't bring back security updates, and upgrading is the fix that lasts.