UPDATE ERROR

Question

UPDATE ERROR

ThisDudeSux 0

my pc has updates that i can install, but when i click install it just gives me an error screen saying it failed and is "installing other updates" when in fact its not...

ThisDudeSux 0 Reputation points

2026-10-25T05:32:05.2866667+00:00

it does this

1 answer

Your answer

ThisDudeSux 0 Reputation points

2026-10-25T05:32:05.2866667+00:00

it does this

Answer 1

Restart the PC from the Windows power menu—not by shutting it down—and then run Windows Update again, because error 80240016 means another installation is active or Windows is waiting for a mandatory restart.^1^

If the error returns after restarting

Restart the Windows Update service:

Press Windows key + X.
Select Command Prompt (Admin).
Run these commands one at a time:

net stop wuauserv
net start wuauserv

Restart the PC once more.
Open Control Panel → System and Security → Windows Update, select Check for updates, and install the updates.

This service restart is the Windows 8-specific next step documented for error 80240016.^2^

If Windows still claims another update is installing

Reset the Windows Update download and catalog folders. These commands rename the existing folders rather than deleting them.

Open Command Prompt (Admin) again.
Run:

net stop bits
net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptsvc

ren %windir%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren %windir%\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old

net start cryptsvc
net start wuauserv
net start bits

Restart the PC.
Check for updates again. Windows will create fresh update folders.

Microsoft’s component-reset procedure stops BITS, Windows Update, and Cryptographic Services before rebuilding the update data.^3^

If a command says that a service was not started, continue with the remaining commands. If a folder already exists with the .old name, rename it to a different backup name, such as SoftwareDistribution.old2.

Important Windows 8 limitation

Windows 8 support ended on January 12, 2016, so it no longer receives normal security and reliability updates.^4^ After clearing the current error, plan to move to a supported Windows version. If the computer cannot meet the requirements of a currently supported release, replacing it is safer than continuing to use Windows 8 online.

References