Trouble with Windows Update on Windows Vista?

Question

My friend is using an HP computer with Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit edition. When he opens his Windows Update window, he tries to install 4 Microsoft updates, but all 4 of them fail every time that he tries to install them. It gives him an error code of 80070490. I tried to fix the problem, but nothing that I did solved the problem. I tried turning the Windows Updates on and off in the Command Prompt, but that didn't work. I even tried turning the firewall off and changing the DNS server address, but nothing that I did so far solved the problem. He had this problem for a while. What can I do to fix this problem?

Answer 1

Look in the Microsoft knowledge base for each individual update. It has nothing to do with DNS or firewalling - it's not failing to download, it's failing to install.

Answer 2

Reset the following services in this order:

1. BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service)

2. Cryptographic Services - Windows Update)

then restart your system

Answer 3

Update your time and date.



Most of the time its due to that.



Use the automatic updater.

Open CMD (Start>Run>CMD) or (Windows Key + R > CMD) and run w32tm /resync



That will do it for you.



Then try the Windows Updates again.