[FIXED] Error downloading Windows 10 update 0x8024200B (2023)

What is error 0x8024200b in Windows 10? This can occur when trying to upgrade to Windows 10 from a previous version of the operating system. It can also happen when you download or install one or more updates for Windows 10. If you are struggling with this problem, then this post will help you.

What causes update error 0x8024200b on Windows 10?

The cause of error 0x8024200b can be:

• Bad network connection
• Corrupt or missing system files
• Problematic temporary files
• The Windows Update service is corrupted
• Outdated drivers
• Corrupt Windows images

How to fix Windows 10 error 0x8024200b

If you are currently struggling with error 0x8024200b when downloading or installing Windows updates, this guide will provide you with various troubleshooting approaches. The effectiveness of these solutions has been confirmed by other users:

1. Run the system cleaner to remove temporary files
2. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
3. Delete the Software Distribution folder.
4. Reset Windows update components
5. Clear the BITS queue
6. Download Windows 10 update directly from Microsoft website
7. Remove unknown printer drivers
8. Look for malicious files
9. Run SFC /scannow
10. Start system restore
11. Perform a clean boot of the operating system
12. Contact the Microsoft virtual agent

By following the procedures below, you can fix the Windows update error.

Solution 1: Run System Cleaner to remove temporary files

If you're having trouble installing Windows updates, delete the temporary files on your computer. We recommend using itIncrease the speed of Auslogicsto clean the system. It is an industry-recognized tool supported by Microsoft.

Solution 2: Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Your operating system may solve the update problem automatically. The update troubleshooter analyzes the WU component to determine what went wrong. A viable repair strategy is then applied to fix the identified problem.

To run the utility:

1. Open the Settings app by pressing the Windows + I keyboard shortcut.
2. Click Update & Security.
3. In the left pane of the new troubleshooting page, look for the tab and click on it.

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You can quickly get to the Troubleshooting tab by typing "ms-settings:troubleshoot" (without the quotes) in the Run dialog box.

4. In the right pane, click Windows Update.
5. Click Run the troubleshooter and wait for the scan to complete.
6. Click Apply this solution if the tool finds a problem that can be fixed.
7. Restart your computer after the process is complete. Then you can check if the WU error is resolved.

Solution 3: Clean up the software distribution folder

In Windows 10, the Software Distribution folder is located in the Windows directory and is used to store temporary files required to install Windows updates. Deleting the contents of this folder may be enough to fix the WU 0x8024300B error:

1. Open the Run dialog and press Win+R on your keyboard.
2. Type "Services.msc" (without the quotes) in the text box and click OK or press Enter.
3. Scroll through the list of services in the Services window and look for Windows Update. Right-click it and select Stop from the context menu to temporarily disable the service.
4. Close the Services window. Then open File Explorer (press Win + E) and navigate to: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download.
5. Delete all folder contents.
6. Call Services.msc again as shown in step 2.
7. Look for Windows Update. Right-click on it and select "Start" from the context menu to start the service.
8. Restart your computer and try installing WU again.

Solution 4: Reset Windows Update Components

Damaged WU components are likely the cause of the error code you are seeing. In this situation, you need to reset all related Windows components and delete the folders where temporary files are stored.

There are two methods you can use to perform this solution:

• Reset Windows Update from the command line
• Reset Windows Update using the agent script

We'll look at how to use both methods.

Reset Windows Update from the command line

1. Open an elevated Command Prompt window. You can do this by pressing the Windows + X combination and clicking on the “Command Prompt (Admin)” menu.
2. Click Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears. The command prompt will ask you to grant administrative privileges to the Windows command processor.
3. When you go to the Administrator: Command Prompt window, you must first stop all Windows Update-related services, including Windows Update Services, Cryptographic Services, BITS Services, and MSI Installer. Just run each of the following lines individually:

• net stop wausserv
• net stoppt cryptSvc
• Network alloy bits
• Stop mserver network

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Press Enter as you type, or copy and paste each line before moving on to the next.

4. After step 3, rename the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders used by WU by running the following commands:

• ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
• ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old

Renaming folders forces the system to create new folders.

5. Now you need to re-enable the Windows services that we stopped in step 3. Run the following commands:

• Start netto wuauserv
• net cryptSvc starten
• net start bits
• net start msserver

6. Close the elevated Command Prompt window and restart your computer.

Reset Windows Update using the agent script

1. Visit Microsoft Technet at https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Reset-Windows-Update-Agent-d824badc.
2. Download the Windows Update Agent Reset script.
3. Extract the contents of the downloaded ZIP file and double-click the ResetWUENG executable. Follow the on-screen instructions to run the Windows Update component reset script.
4. After successfully completing the process, restart your computer and see if you can download and install WU now.

Solution 5: Clear the BITS queue

Clearing the BITS of current jobs may help:

1. Open an elevated command prompt. You can do this by typing “CMD” (without the quotes) in the Start menu search bar. Then right-click Command Prompt and click Run as administrator.
2. Click Yes when prompted by UAC (User Account Control) to grant administrative privileges to the Windows command processor.
3. Type or copy and paste "bitsadmin.exe /reset /allusers" (without the quotes) and press Enter to run it.
4. Check if the WU issue is resolved.

Solution 6: Download Windows update directly from Microsoft website

You can download the cumulative update manually and apply it to your system. First you need to find the latest update number. Then you can look for it in the update folder.

Follow these simple steps to get your KB number:

1. Open the Settings app. You can do this by going to the start menu (press the Win key) and clicking on the gear icon that represents Settings. Alternatively, you can also quickly open the Settings app with the keyboard shortcut (Win + I).
2. Click Update & Security. Then click View update history.

Once you have the KB number, the next step is to manually download and install the standalone package. Here's how:

1. Launch a browser and visit the Microsoft Update Catalog website at https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/
2. Enter the previously determined KB number in the search field.
3. Find the patch that fits your build and Windows architecture.
4. Click the Download button if you find a pending cumulative update for your operating system.
5. Click on the link above.
6. Browse to the location on your computer where you saved the downloaded installation file.
7. Run the installation file by double-clicking on it. Then wait for the process to complete.

Solution 7: Remove Unknown Printer Drivers

Some users reported that the event logs indicated that error code 0x8024200B is related to multiple printer drivers. Some outdated printer drivers that are not fully compatible with Windows 10 are migrated to the new operating system after a system update. Drivers regularly cause update errors.

You can fix the problem by installing other pending Windows updates except the update that keeps failing. If that doesn't work, go to Device Manager and remove the incompatible drivers:

1. Open the Run dialog box, type Devmgmt.msc (without the quotes) and click OK to open Device Manager.
2. Expand the Print Queues drop-down list and right-click a driver with a yellow exclamation mark.

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You can also find an incompatible driver in the Other Devices category.

3. In the context menu, click Uninstall Driver.
4. Then restart your computer.

Solution 8: Scan for malicious files

According to some users, error 0x8024200B has appeared on their computer due to Trojans and other malware. Run a full system scan with Windows Defender to detect malicious elements hiding on your PC and causing unexpected problems.

If you have a third-party antivirus program installed on your computer, temporarily disable it and try running WU again. If your antivirus program is causing compatibility issues on your computer, we recommend that you purchase Auslogics Anti-Malware instead. Microsoft supports the application. It was developed by a certified Microsoft Silver application developer. Auslogics Anti-Malware is a powerful and reliable tool that can detect and eliminate even the most stubborn viruses.

Solution 9: Run Sfc /Scannow

You may be dealing with corrupted/missing system files. To check if this is the case, run the System File Checker:

1. Turn on your internet connection.
2. Right-click the Windows icon to open the power user menu. Alternatively, you can also press the Windows key + X.
3. From the menu, click Command Prompt (Admin).
4. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes to confirm that you want to grant the Windows command processor administrative rights to your computer.
5. When the Administrator: Command Prompt window opens, type (or copy and paste) "sfc /scannow" (without the quotes) and press Enter on your keyboard.

Annotation:If you want to enter a command, note that there is a space between "sfc" and "/scannow".

6. It may take some time for the scan to complete. This can take up to 15 minutes. So make sure you have enough battery power or plug in your computer to charge.
7. If SFC finds problems it can't fix, run a DISM scan. Just type "Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth" (without quotes) and press Enter to run it.
8. Once the DISM scan is complete, run sfc /scannow again.
9. Restart your computer and see if you can now download and install Windows updates.

Solution 10: Run System Restore

Performing a system restore returns the operating system to an earlier state where no problems were encountered. Here's how:

1. Sign in to your computer with an administrator account.
2. Go to the start menu and type "system restore" (without the quotes) in the search box.
3. Click the same option in the search results.
4. Click the "System Restore" button when the "System Protection" window opens. Then click OK.
5. Click Next and select a restore point.

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Initiating a restore point invalidates system settings, installed applications, and other changes made after the restore point was created.

You can click "Scan for affected programs" to see which apps will be removed once recovery begins.

6. Click Next and confirm the selected restore point. Then click Finish.
7. After the process is complete, restart your computer. Then check if the WU issue is resolved.

Solution 11: Clean boot the operating system

Conflicting applications can cause error 0x8024200B. Perform a clean boot to check if this is the case and to identify the culprits:

1. Open the Run accessory (press Win + R).
2. Type "Msconfig" (without the quotes) in the text box and press Enter to open the System Configuration window.
3. Go to the "Start" tab and click on "Open Task Manager".
4. Close each running application individually.
5. Then close Task Manager and restart your computer.

Solution 12: Contact the Microsoft Virtual Agent

You can always contact the Microsoft Virtual Agent for assistance. They can diagnose the cause of the error that occurred and help to solve it. Go to https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/contact/virtual-agent/?partnerId=smc&flowId=twitter-va-deeplink&userInput=windows%20update%20error.

We hope the solutions in this guide will help you to bypass Windows 10 update download error 0x8024200B. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let us know in the comments section below.