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
• How to Create a "Windows Update" Shortcut in Windows 7
• How to Change the Windows Update Settings in Windows 7
• How to Enable or Disable Windows Updates from Automatically Restarting the Computer
• How to Uninstall a Windows Update in Windows 7
• 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
• How to Enable or Disable Uninstalling Windows Updates in Windows 7
• How to Enable or Disable Access to Windows Updates in Windows 7
• How to View Windows Update History Details in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Reset the Common Log File System (CLFS) Logs
• How to Enable or Disable the Windows Update "Who can install updates" Setting
• How to Download the Standalone MSU Installer File of a Windows Update
• How to Restore Default Services in Windows 7
• How to Trace what Windows Update a Manifest File Originated From
• How to Use DISM to Fix Component Store Corruption in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

 

[Ex_Brit]

Have you tried Control Panel > Troubleshooting and using the Windows Update troubleshooter? Reboot and usually everything is back to normal.
The easiest way to find the troubleshooter is to use the View as Small Icons in the "View by" selector in the top right of the Control Panel.

 

[torchwood]

Hi Snugglebugs,

thats quite a specific error - Out of memory

Can you start a thread in the Updates/activations sub-forum please.


checking on something will update shortly - DONE see below

WHICH machine does this relate too, will also need specific OS/Machine details

Roy

 

[Snugglebugs]

Re CP troubleshooting suggestion - I have gone to that and after the Detecting problems/ checking for updates online message and searching bar appeared I got "Troubleshooting couldn't identify the problem, so no help there.
The Report stated "no issues detected"

Roy's "see below" note doesn't seem to refer to anything. Where below?

Start a new thread suggestion - I will do that soon and send link.

Tony

 

[Snugglebugs]

By the way, where did you get the error description "out of memory" message from? I never found that comment in my searches!

 

[torchwood]

Hi Snugglebugs,

The see below comment i meant i'd add the next line, was looking at your system specs previously and saw you had 2 showing.

As for the error code meaning - i've got one of the MS error code tables, doesn't come up directly from a google search.

Roy

 

[Snugglebugs]

I followed up the memory comment and had a look at the virtual memory settings. There was only one partition set to allocate any of a small amount. So I increased the total amount to 6000 MB over two partitions.

After restart, I still got the same error message!

 

[Snugglebugs]

I restarted Windows using the Repair Computer from the install DVD after I had added to the virtual memory settings. Your comment about the error referring to memory have me the idea to dig deep.

Then I tried Update again, and lo and behold, at last it went through the complete sequence and recommended I make 191 updates!!! No wonder my 3 GB RAM (normally leaving very lttle for the massive 1043.9 MB all those updates needed!) was not enough.

Through most of today I have been updating and then restarting. Each time some have failed and new ones popped up. The present situation is that I need to restart again to check the 7 updates that failed on the last cycle. I will keep cycling round until no more updates are reported.

But it looks like the problem is solved. I will check again tomorrow and hopefully be able to conclude this thread as solved.

Tony

 

[Snugglebugs]

Yes, that fixed it

This has taken me 1t least 6 hours computing time to solve my problem. Altogether I had to install at least 220 updates and now I have the task of finding all my programme downloads. Luckily most of those (and their licenses/passwords etc) are on a partition that was unaffected by the upgrade from XP/P to Win 7/P.

The solution has never been suggested by Windows troubleshooter and the error code always comes up like, Duh!

All that has decided me - upgrade to Win 10 ASAP. I am going to buy a cheap refurb Lenovo with Win 10 already installed and run that alongside this 10 year old Acer/Win 7 until I have made all the transfers and got used to it. The cost is almost the same as buying an MS license alone!
My monitor has got switchable inputs and I have spare HIDs so can keep both going easily enough.

 

[fegsdc]

Step 1 and 2 don't work for me and i can't do step 3 because the file has been removed...Anyone can help?

 

[Brink]

Step 1 and 2 don't work for me and i can't do step 3 because the file has been removed...Anyone can help?

Hello,

I've updated the download for step 7 in option 3 to hopefully help.

 

[DKenn]

Windows Update Reset batch file

I have just downloaded and used your Windows Update Reset batch file. I haven't used it for years, but it's a real time saver - thanks!

 

[Brink]

I have just downloaded and used your Windows Update Reset batch file. I haven't used it for years, but it's a real time saver - thanks!

 

[Southskies3]

Hi Shawn,

I've tried Option 1 and Option 3 without any luck.

After each Option, the results were the same. It got through to the 99% mark and then decided to revert all changes.

I've read through the entire thread to see if there was another step I was missing, alas no.

Some details:
- running Windows 7 Ultimate
- I've checked to make sure that all the required Services are active
- I've disabled all firewalls and antivirus
- When I run the Microsoft Fix It routine, I get an error 80072F8F - error in trying to contact the server (I've checked that I'm running the correct version of TLS)
- after each attempt, the only updates that so successfully installed are the Malicious software removal tool), everything else fails with a 800F0826

Where to from here?

 

[Brink]

Hi Shawn,

I've tried Option 1 and Option 3 without any luck.

After each Option, the results were the same. It got through to the 99% mark and then decided to revert all changes.

I've read through the entire thread to see if there was another step I was missing, alas no.

Some details:
- running Windows 7 Ultimate
- I've checked to make sure that all the required Services are active
- I've disabled all firewalls and antivirus
- When I run the Microsoft Fix It routine, I get an error 80072F8F - error in trying to contact the server (I've checked that I'm running the correct version of TLS)
- after each attempt, the only updates that so successfully installed are the Malicious software removal tool), everything else fails with a 800F0826

Where to from here?

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

Options are limited considering Windows 7 is no longer supported.

You could try manually installing the update via MSU or ISO file.