It is crucial to get the latest Windows updates in due time to protect your Windows PC from malicious attacks. However, sometimes you are unable to get these updates due to Windows update errors.

The Windows update error code 8024a000 prevents you from searching and downloading new updates for your OS. This error is common among Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 users.

Even though sometimes you may have to spend a lot of time trying to fix this error, it is very fixable. In this article, I am going to show you how to troubleshoot the windows update error 0x8024a000.

What is Windows Update Error Code 8024a000?

Windows Update error code 8024a000 is one of the most common windows update errors you may encounter. The error message reads Windows could not search for new updates.

This error message means that there was a problem checking for updates. Once this error message pops up on your screen, you need to look for a solution immediately.

1.Run The Windows Update Troubleshooter

For some reason, the updating component could become stuck and unable to install new pending updates. When this happens, you should be able to fix the issue using the Windows Update troubleshooter after implementing the applicable repair strategies.

Here is a guide to help you on running the Windows Update troubleshooter:

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R simultaneously to open a Run dialog box.

Step 2: Type “control.exe /name Microsoft. Troubleshooting” in the text box and hit the Enter button to open up the Troubleshooting tab of the Settings app.

Step 3: Once you are in the Troubleshoot tab, scroll down to the Getup and Running tab and click on Windows Update.

Step 4: Now, from the newly appeared menu, click on Run the troubleshooter.

Step 5: Wait for the initial scan to be complete. Now, click on Apply this fix if you found a viable repair strategy.

Step 6: Once you are done implementing a fix, restart your PC and check if the issue is fixed as soon as the next startup sequence is complete.

If the Windows Update Error Code 8024a000 is still occurring after running the Windows Update troubleshooter, move down to the next solution below.

2.Restart The Windows Update Services

You will encounter the Windows update error 8024a000 when Windows services are neither stopped nor started. When this happens, you should be able to fix the issue by using an elevated CMD prompt to stop and restart all involved services by force.

Here is a guide to help you on restarting the Windows update services:

Step 1: Press the Windows logo key + R simultaneously. This operation will open up a Run dialog box.

Step 2: On the next screen, type “cmd” in the text box and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.  This operation will open up an elevated command prompt.  Once the User Account Control (UAC) prompts you, click on Yes to give administrative privileges.

Step 3: Once you are in the elevated CMD prompt, type in the following commands in order and press the Enter button on your keyboard after each one to restart every Windows Update service:

net stop wuauserv

net stop bits

net stop cryptsvc

Step 4: Once you have stopped all the Windows Update services, type in the following commands and hit the Enter button after each one to restart the services:

net start wuauserv

net start bits

net start cryptsvc

exit

Step 5: Once the process is complete, restart your PC.

Step 6: Check if the error is fixed as soon as the next startup sequence is complete.

If the Windows Update Error Code 8024a000 is still occurring after restarting the Windows Update services, move down to the next solution below.

3.Rename the Windows Update folder

You can try renaming the Windows Update folder by following the steps below.

At the command prompt, type the following commands, and then press Enter after each command:

ren %systemroot%System32Catroot2 Catroot2.old

ren %systemroot%SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old

Do not close the Command Prompt window.

If the Windows Update Error Code 8024a000 is still occurring after renaming the Windows Update folder, move down to the next solution below.

4.Register Windows Update DLLs again

Some affected people have reported that they could fix the Windows Update error code 8024a000 after re-registering the DLL’s associated with Windows Update. You can try this solution by following the steps below.

Step 1: Press the Windows logo key + R simultaneously. This operation will open up a Run dialog box.

Step 2: Type “notepad” in the text box and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter. This operation will open up a Notepad window with elevated access. When the User Account Control (UAC) Prompts you, you can manually type each command at the command prompt

regsvr32 c:\windows\system32\vbscript.dll /s

regsvr32 c:\windows\system32\mshtml.dll /s

regsvr32 c:\windows\system32\msjava.dll /s

regsvr32 c:\windows\system32\jscript.dll /s

regsvr32 c:\windows\system32\msxml.dll /s

regsvr32 c:\windows\system32\actxprxy.dll /s

regsvr32 c:\windows\system32\shdocvw.dll /s

regsvr32 wuapi.dll /s

regsvr32 wuaueng1.dll /s

regsvr32 wuaueng.dll /s

regsvr32 wucltui.dll /s

regsvr32 wups2.dll /s

regsvr32 wups.dll /s

regsvr32 wuweb.dll /s

regsvr32 Softpub.dll /s

regsvr32 Mssip32.dll /s

regsvr32 Initpki.dll /s

regsvr32 softpub.dll /s

regsvr32 wintrust.dll /s

regsvr32 initpki.dll /s

regsvr32 dssenh.dll /s

regsvr32 rsaenh.dll /s

regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll /s

regsvr32 sccbase.dll /s

regsvr32 slbcsp.dll /s

regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll /s

regsvr32 Urlmon.dll /s

regsvr32 Shdocvw.dll /s

regsvr32 Msjava.dll /s

regsvr32 Actxprxy.dll /sregsvr32 Oleaut32.dll /s

regsvr32 Mshtml.dll /s

regsvr32 msxml.dll /s

regsvr32 msxml2.dll /s

regsvr32 msxml3.dll /s

regsvr32 Browseui.dll /s

regsvr32 shell32.dll /s

regsvr32 wuapi.dll /s

regsvr32 wuaueng.dll /s

regsvr32 wuaueng1.dll /s

regsvr32 wucltui.dll /s

regsvr32 wups.dll /s

regsvr32 wuweb.dll /s

regsvr32 jscript.dll /s

regsvr32 atl.dll /s

regsvr32 Mssip32.dll /s

Step 3: Once you are done pasting the commands, from the ribbon menu at the top, go to File and click on the Save As option.

Step 4: In the Save As window, name the file whatever you want but ensure that you set the File Name extension to .bat. For instance, you can call it WindowRegister.bat. Now, select a conveyable location and click on Save.

Step 5: Now, double-click on the newly created BAT file and click Yes at the confirmation prompt. Once the User Account Control (UAC) prompts you, click on Yes to give administrative privileges.

Step 6: Once all the DLL files have been re-registered, restart your PC.

Step 7:  Check if you have fixed the issue once the next startup sequence is complete.

If the Windows Update Error Code 8024a000 is still occurring after re-registering the DLLs associated with Windows Update, move down to the next solution below.

5.Perform SFC and DISM scans

The Windows Update Error Code 8024a000 could occur due to system file corruption. In this scenario, you will be able to fix it by performing SFC and DSIM scans.

Here is a guide to help you run an SFC and DISM scan from an elevated Command Prompt:

Step 1: Press the Windows logo key + R to open up a Run dialog box.

Step 2: Type “cmd” in the text box and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter. This operation will open up an elevated Command Prompt. When User Account Control prompts you, click on Yes to give administrative privileges.

Step 3: Once you are in the elevated Command Prompt, type the following command and hit the Enter button immediately to start the SFC scan:

sfc /scannow

Bear in mind that you can’t stop it without running the risk of producing even more disk errors when you start this process. Don’t close the CMD window or try to restart your PC.

Step 4: Once the process is complete, safely close the elevated command prompt. Now, restart your PC to see if you resolved the error at the next system startup.

Step 5: If the same error is still occurring after performing the SFC scan, perform the operation in step 1 again. Then, type the following command and hit the Enter button to perform a DISM scan:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

DISM requires a stable Internet connection to be able to download fresh copies of the files that are affected by corruption.

Step 6: When the scan is finished, restart and check if the error has been resolved.If you have done all these solutions and couldn’t fix the error, visit this website.

Why Does My Windows 10 Update Fail?

Some users have noticed that even after a successful Windows update, the upgrade fails to work. If you are one of these windows users experiencing this, there is no need to panic. Even though this issue can be frustrating, it can be easily resolved.

We have detailed possible causes for this Windows 10 update issue and different ways to tackle it below. Keep reading this article to find out.

What Causes My Windows 10 Update to Fail?

Even though the Windows 10 update process is streamlined, there can still be issues with it. Some of these issues may cause your update to fail. A few of these causes of Windows 10 update failure are

Malware attack resulting in corrupted files

Incorrect installation codes

Insufficient disk space

What Are the Quick Fixes I Can Use to Tackle Failed Windows 10 Update?

The saying that the easiest route is most times the best route is true in this case. With this in mind, we advise you to try the quick fixes below before moving on to the harder solutions. They might help you tackle the issue of the failed windows 10 update effectively.

Reboot your Computer Device

This fix is tried and tested; it is the simplest way to fix the update issues you experience.

Once you encounter the windows 10 update problem, you should first reboot your computer. Depending on your last successful Windows update, you may need to reboot your system several times. Here are the steps to help you reboot your computer easily.

Step 1: Click on the start menu. At the bottom of the screen, you will see the power icon. Please select it

Step 2: Then select Restart from the power options

Step 3: Alternatively, you can access the power menu on your device by holding the Windows and X keys.

Step 4: Once the power menu is displayed, click on shut down and then select Restart.

Once your system is done with the reboot, restart it and see if the error continues. If Windows 10 still fails to update, try the next quick fix.

Sometimes, the failed updates may be the work of malicious software. You may have unknowingly downloaded malware while surfing the internet. This malware can corrupt important files and affect Windows 10 services.

To check, run your malware scanner. It will help you detect embedded malware and fix the issues caused by it. If you do not have an antivirus, install one using these steps.

Step 1: Visit this link to download and install an antivirus

Step 2: After the installation, go to the antivirus software and click open

Step 3: Next, click on start device assessment to initiate a scan of your system. The scan process may take a while.

Step 4: once the scan is complete, fix the bugs and restart your system.

Disable Your Antivirus software

If you have an antivirus previously installed, it may be the cause of Windows failing to update. In this case, you will be required to uninstall your antivirus and remove the firewall. To remove the firewall on your computer, do the following.

Step 1: Go to the power menu and open the control panel.

Step 2: From the control panel, select System and Security. Once you expand the System and Security section, you should be able to see several options. Select Windows Firewall

Step 3: On the left-hand corner of the screen, you will see options to turn the firewall on or off. Please turn it off. Then select Ok to implement the change.

Now that you have disabled both the firewall and antivirus try the windows update again. If you try these quick fixes and the error message still pops up, please continue to the other steps we have detailed below.

Solution 1:Use an Automated Service From CMD

One way to tackle this error is to automate all the relevant processes using the command prompt window. To do this, follow these steps.

Step 1: Hold down Windows and R keys on your keyboard to launch Run

Step 2: Input Cmd then presses ctrl + shift + enter keys simultaneously. This command helps you run a command window with Administrative rights.

Step 3: You can program the system to start when you reboot your system automatically. All you need to do is to copy these codes and input them

sc config wuauserv start=auto

sc config cryptSvc start=auto

sc config bits start=auto

sc config trusted installer start=auto

Be sure to copy the above codes one by one, and don’t forget to enter after each code line.

Step 4: After you have inputted all the lines of code and executed the commands, restart your computer

Step 5: Next, try to update your Windows 10 to see if this was helpful. If this step did nothing to resolve the update issue, continue to the next solution.

Solution 2:Set your Windows Update Service to Update Automatically.

Setting your windows update service to update automatically may help you get rid of the Windows Update Failed problem. You can do this yourself easily. Just follow the sequential steps we have laid out for you below.

Step 1: Hold down the Windows key. A search icon will pop up. In the search bar, type in Services.

Step 2: A result of your search will appear. Click on Services to open the Services window.

Step 3: In the open Service window, scroll down and look for the Windows Update option. You should double-click on it to expand the update options.

Step 4: Select the update option that says Startup Type. Select the Automatic update option.

Step 5: Then click on Start to start the process if it says “service status is not running”. Next, click on Ok to save the update settings to your system.

Step 6: Once you have saved the update settings, go back to Services. Then right-click on the Windows update option.

Step 7: from the update menu, go back to the power menu. Then restart your computer device and implement the service on your system.

Once you are done with these steps, carry out a test run to confirm the update error has been fixed.

Solution 3:Empty Your Download Folder in Safe Mode

If all the previous solutions do not seem to work for you, try emptying your download folder manually. To do carry out this process, do this.

Step 1: First, you will need to do is to boot your system in safe mode. For this, press the Windows, and I key simultaneously on your keyboard. Doing this opens your Settings window.

Step 2: Next, click on Update and Security. Then on the left side of the panel, select Recovery.

Step 3: Now, then select Troubleshoot. Next, under the Advanced StartUp menu, click on startup options, then Restart.

Step 4: The restart option will come with popups on how you want to restart. Choose Safe mode to reboot your computer in safe mode, then proceed to the next steps.

Step 5: To empty the download folder’s contents, launch Run by holding down the Windows and I keys on your keyboard. Next, open the download folder by inputting this line: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download.

Step 6: Once it opens, remove everything from the Software Distribution folder and close the File Explorer window.

Step 7: Restart your computer and try updating Windows 10 to confirm if this helped solve the update error.

Conclusion

Windows Update error code 8024a000 is a common windows update error encountered by many users. It is quite easy to fix. Sometimes you would have to restart Windows Update services to fix it.

In this article, I have provided you with the solutions to help you fix it. Now it’s your turn to perform these solutions and conquer this error.

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