Windows Update - Reset

How to Reset Windows Update in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8​

   Information

This will show you how to reset Windows Update view update history, and how to reset and re-register Windows Update Components if you are having a problem updating with Windows Update.

OPTION ONE

To Only Reset Windows Update History

   Note

Resetting Windows Update using this option will clear the view update history details list (cache).

This will not actually uninstall any of your currently installed Windows Update. They will just not be listed anymore. Any new Windows Update installed after the reset will show up in the view update history list as normal though.

1. Click/tap on the Download button below to download this file below.
Reset_Windows_Update_History.bat


Download


2. Save the .bat file to your Desktop.

3. Right click or press and hold on the downloaded .bat file, and click/tap on Run as administrator.

4. If prompted by UAC click/tap on Run, then Yes/Continue (if administrator) or type in administrator's password (if standard user).

5. You will now see an elevated command prompt open and run. When it's finished, it will close automatically.

6. If opened, close and reopen Windows Update to verify that it has been reset.




7. Resetting the Windows Update history will also restore the default language packs being listed in Windows Upate again in the Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions after you check for updates next.

OPTION TWO

To Reset and Re-register Windows Update Components

NOTE: This option is the Windows version of: How do I reset Windows Update components?. It will reset Windows Update Components and re-register the BITS files and the Windows Update files to help fix Windows Update errors. This option will not clear the view update history details list as it does in OPTION ONE above.
1. Click/tap on the Download button below to download this file below.
Reset_Reregister_Windows_Update_Components.bat


Download


2. Save the .bat file to your Desktop.

3. Right click or press and hold on the downloaded .bat file, and click/tap on Run as administrator.

4. If prompted by UAC click on Run, then Yes/Continue (if administrator) or type in administrator's password (if standard user).

5. You will now see an elevated command prompt open and run. When it's finished, it will close automatically.

6. Restart the computer afterwards to apply.

7. If this still does not help, then run the Microsoft Fix it tool here:
How do I reset Windows Update components?

See also: Unable to install updates in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2

OPTION THREE

To Reset and Re-register Windows Update Components AND Reset Update History in One Easy Click

   Note

This option combines OPTION ONE and OPTION TWO above in one .bat file.

1. Click/tap on the Download button below to download this file below.
Reset_Windows_Update_Full.bat


Download



2. Save the .bat file to your Desktop.

3. Right click or press and hold on the downloaded .bat file, and click/tap on Run as administrator.

4. If prompted by UAC click/tap on Run, then Yes/Continue (if administrator) or type in administrator's password (if standard user).

5. You will now see an elevated command prompt open and run. When it's finished, it will close automatically.

6. Restart the computer afterwards to apply.

7. If this still does not help, then run the Microsoft Fix it tool here:

Download



How do I reset Windows Update components?

See also: Unable to install updates in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• Windows Update Error 80246008 in Windows 7 - Fix
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• How to Hide or Restore Hidden Windows Updates in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Create a Installed Windows Updates Shortcut in Windows 7
• How to Create a Windows Update Troubleshoot Shortcut in Windows 7
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• How to Use DISM to Fix Component Store Corruption in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

 

[Brink]

Hello b0ss,

Which option did you use?

What issue did you have that prompted to reset Windows Update? You may still be having an issue with it.

 

[Victek]

I'm having a problem with being unable to check for Windows Updates in Vista x86 Home Premium. I manually updated it to SP1 and then SP2 with offline installers and also installed IE 9, but I still cannot get Windows Update to find and install updates. I have run the batch file from the front page of this tutorial in an elevated command prompt. I observe one error saying that appidsvc cannot be stopped because it doesn't exist as a service, but otherwise the commands run to completion. After rebooting the problem is unchanged; an attempt to check for updates goes on indefinitely without any updates being found. There is an instance of svchost.exe associated with the check which grows until it is using almost a gig of ram. I've tried a Microsoft "Fix it" tool which is also mostly successful, saying only that a problem installing previous updates was unresolved. The Background Intelligent Transfer Service is starting automatically. Any suggestions as to what else I can check will be much appreciated.

 

[Brink]

Hello Victek,

Does it give you an error message when you try to check for updates?

 

[Victek]

Hello Victek,

Does it give you an error message when you try to check for updates?

Unfortunately no error message. The checking phase never times out. There's no problem with internet connectivity. While WU is checking for updates there is intermittent activity on the NIC (network utilization on the Task Manager network tab). I reset IE and have done a couple of scans with MBAM. I've run Chkdsk /f to fix errors and SFC /scannow which found and fixed errors. I also used Tweaking.com Windows Repair to do repairs/resets on a number of features which fixed a problem with System Protection/Restore. The system works well apart from the WU problem. Not sure what else to look at...

 

[Brink]

Did you use the .bat from Option Three?

The only thing that I can think of is that installing IE9 instead of using the default IE11 may have caused an issue.

 

[Victek]

Did you use the .bat from Option Three?

The only thing that I can think of is that installing IE9 instead of using the default IE11 may have caused an issue.

Yes, I used the third bat file. Unfortunately IE9 is the latest version that can be installed on Vista.

 

[Brink]

You might see if doing a repair install may be able to sort it.

Repair Install For Vista

 

[Victek]

You might see if doing a repair install may be able to sort it.

Repair Install For Vista

Thanks for the suggestion, but it's looking like it won't be needed. Yesterday I updated the Windows Update Agent and ran some additional fixes with Tweaking.com Windows Repair (throwing spaghetti at the wall). Today I started Windows Update and left for work. Six hours later I checked and 170 updates had been found. It's installing #66 at the moment. It appears to be fixed though I'm not sure why. It may have been one of fixes I threw at it, or it might have been just leaving it alone to run long enough It's been an interesting journey getting this laptop current. Fortunately I haven't been under any pressure to get it done quickly. Thanks again for your help and support.

 

[Brink]

Great news.

 

[Victek]

Great news.

Yes, after installing over 200 updates it's safe to say Windows Update is fixed There is only one lingering problem which I'd like to try to fix; Windows Update is offering IE9 even though IE9 is already installed and of course the update fails. Any thoughts about how to get this in sync? TIA.

 

[Brink]

If you like, you could hide the update to not see it anymore.

Windows Update

 

[Honestron]

KB3065822 Caused BITS Failure to Start

Just a note to point out a recent problem solution.

My Windows Update was freezing, and it was traced to a failure to start the BITS service.
That is the Background Intelligent Transfer Service. All of the customary solutions failed
and the service properties either remained greyed out or produced errors on attempt to start (Specific error -2147024894). A great deal of time and effort was spend in fruitless and very confusing solution attempts.

The problem was fixed when at last I removed all of the recent updates one by one.
The matter was resolved when KB3065822 was removed. My changes to Windows Explorer had
suggested to the update service that I needed this update for Internet Explorer 10.

The BITS service started by itself on removal of the update, and Windows Update now works, albeit with some confusion about duplicate downloads and that caused by the Microsoft banner about Windows 10.

Regards to all.

 

[Sylveon Fetish]

This isn't working for me on a Toshiba given to me, brand new installation of w7. I got a bunch of 'access is denied' error messages with all three of these options and Microsoft FixIt does nothing, it just says it was processed. Windows update is stuck at "checking for updates" the entire night

 

[Brink]

Hello Sylveon,

Looking at your previous posts, it may be best to clean install Windows 7.

 

[Sylveon Fetish]

This isn't working for me on a Toshiba given to me, brand new installation of w7.

This is a clean install of w7. This is the first time posting about this computer on the forums. My other posts are about my HP computer

 

[Brink]

Where did you get the installation media from? If it's not official, then that could be the issue.

Did you install anything before this started?

 

[Sylveon Fetish]

My friend got it from a torrent and burned a copy. I have used it for years flawlessly. this is the first time an issue occurred like this.

 

[Brink]

Might try doing another clean install then in case something went wrong last time.

 

[Digity]

While this batch script applies to primarily Vista, 7, & 8 systems... I'm wondering if anyone has attempted this on any Server OS's like 2008 & 2012 as they have similar services.

Just curious

 

[Brink]

Hello Digity, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I haven't tested the .bat on the Server OS's, but yeah it should work the same on them as well since they use the same Windows Update.

If you wanted to test it, be sure to create a restore point first to be safe.