Windows Update Error 0x80070002 in Windows PCs

While updating Windows many users face this 0x80070002 error of Windows Update in your PC or laptop. But there is nothing to worry about as it is one of those common errors in Windows. This error can be displayed as 0x80070002 or 80070003 also on the basis of the Windows version. But for them, fixes are more or less the same for all Windows versions.

Causes of Error Code 0x80070002

When some files in Windows Update are missing or corrupted and there’s a fault in the driver, then this error can occur. This can happen even after downloading and extraction though this code may vary with Windows versions. For XP it will show 0x80070002 while for Windows 10 /8/7 it will show 80070002.

How to Solve Windows Update Error 0x80070002 in Windows 10

Encountering Windows Update 0x80070002 error is a common error and people have reported to solve them easily. If you are encountering such codes in respective Windows don’t panic here you will find some tested and most rated solutions for this. For a better and quick response, it is highly recommended to follow the sequence properly.

Method 1: Check the Date and Time settings

0x80070002 error can be displayed when the date and time of your computer time is different from each other. This may sound a bit odd but many Windows users have been reported about this reason and if you are facing this 0x80070002 error then do have a check at your date and time once whether it is up to date or not to update your date and time you can follow these steps:

If you are using Windows 7 or Windows 8 then you can follow these steps. For Windows 7/8 Users –

1. Go to the bottom right side and click on the Date and Time option and go to the Change Date and Time Settings.
2. On the option change date and time and ensure that Date and Time is up to date and click on the ok button.
3. Check your time zone as well to ensure that you are getting the correct time zone.
4. Now go to the internet time option and select Change Settings.
5. Here you need to ensure that the checkbox for Synchronize with an Internet time server is marked and then click on Update Now.
6. Now click on the Ok button to save the changes you have made.
7. Now restart your computer and check if it gets solved.

Well if you are Windows 10 user then you need to follow these steps and for Windows 10 users –

1. Navigate to the search box and type cmd there and hit the enter button. Then click on the command prompt to run it as administrator followed by clicking yes
2. In the current window type w32tm/resync, date and time and hit the Enter button after each command.
3. After completion of commands restart your system and check for that error is it is appearing

If still, you are encountering this error then keep calm and scroll down to get other methods.

Method 2: Modify the Windows Update Installation Files

When the system update process fails and Windows Update Installation files get corrupted or missing then this 0x80070002 error can trigger. Many users faced this problem and it can be fixed easily even by deleting or renaming installation folders. But before heading towards this you need to restrict Windows Update Service or else you will not be able to modify the files or folder if they are open in programs. To perform this method you can follow these steps:

Disable the Windows Update service

To restrict Windows Update Service you need to disable the Windows Update service first and for this :

1. Press Windows key and R together on your keyboard to open the run dialog box.
2. In the opened run dialog box you need to type services.msc and hit the enter key from your keyboard.
3. Now if you are using Windows 10 then give a double click to Windows Update and if you are using any Windows XP then double click on the option Automatic Updates.
4. Now in the opened window go to Startup type and change it to Automatic and under the service status category you will find some options and click on the start from them. Now to save the changes click on apply and ok respectively.
5. Now restart your PC and check for Windows Update if it works.

Delete the Software Distribution Folder

In this step, you need to delete the file/folder which is corrupted or missing. For this:

1. You need to go to the drive where your Windows is installed (generally C drive) and hit a double click on it.
2. Now to go folders and from there go to Windows. In the Windows folder, you will find another folder named SoftwareDistribution.
3. You need to delete this folder named SoftwareDistribution ( if you have any administrator password then it will prompt for your password and there in the given area you need to enter your password as a confirmation step)

In this case, if you are not willing to delete this SoftwareDistribution folder, then you can rename this folder as SoftwareDistributionOld.

4. After deletion or rename close all the panels.

Re-enable the Windows Update service

For this step you need to:

1. Press the Windows key and R together to open the Run box.
2. There you need to type services.msc and press enter.
3. For Windows 10 give a right-click on Windows Update and for Windows XP give a right-click on Automatic Updates and click on the start option there.
4. Once it is done restart your computer and try to Update Windows again and check if you encounter this error.

Method 3: Try Windows Update Troubleshooter

Windows Update Troubleshooter will always help you whenever you are in trouble with Windows Update. It is one of the most convincing methods. If all the above-mentioned methods failed then you can use this method. Here Windows Update Troubleshooter helps to resolve problems while Installing and downloading Windows Updates. To perform this method, you can follow these steps :

1. For this, you need to download Microsoft Troubleshooter from Microsoft and ensure to have a safe download.
2. After downloading, you need to run the file.
3. Now click on the Windows Update title and click on the next option.
4. Then it will automatically run to try to fix the problem. After the entire procedure, give a restart to your computer and try for Windows Update and observe if the error persists or not.

If still, you are facing this error, then scroll down to get the next Method.

Method 4: Modify Registry Editor

While Installing Windows upgrade, you can encounter errors like 0x80070002 on Windows. But it also has a way out, and particularly in this case, you can apply this method to get rid of this error. For this you need to :

1. Before heading for this method, you need to ensure that language is set to English (United States) and Windows Media Creation Tool is running as administrator.
2. Now hit a right-click on this and choose Run as administrator.
3. From your keyboard press, the Windows key and R together to open the run dialog box.
4. In the run dialog box type regedit and hit enter from the keyboard. Then if required, give the administrative right to open and to confirm click on Yes.
5. Now from there, you need to navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\OSUpgrade.
6. Now opt for the OSUpgrade key followed by giving a right-click on the empty area of the Registry Editor on the right pane. Click on the button New, and from the list, select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
7. In the current window, you need to set the value name to AllowOSUpgradeand only after that setting you can double click the number under the value data category and can enter 1. Then you need to select the base to Hexadecimal, and to save the changes, click on OK.
8. Now restart your computer and check if this problem is solved or if it is still there!

Conclusion

Those are the most popular (recommended by many users) and tested solutions to overcome Windows Update Error 0x80070002. Being one of the most known errors in Windows, its solutions are Comparatively easy to perform. I hope you find this article helpful, and don’t forget to share which method worked for you. Good luck!