Windows

How To Fix Error Code ‘0x80070020’ in Windows 10

June 8, 2023

Many users facing errors in their systems. These errors are of various types and become troubleshoot to the users and destroyed the user’s time and irritated them. Some Windows systems are facing an Error Code 0x80070020.

This error can be found during the Windows update. But Windows update is an important component of your system Windows. Windows update can be helpful to keep your system up to date and gives better performance.

But while updating the system, it fails to do so, and instead, that causes a lot of problems to the system. Users have reported that they have issues with their system updates. Every user has told that Windows update “failed to installation” these certain updates unable to update during error interference.

They have got an error message with a code, which stops the installing updates in the system. And during the update process, some updates get stuck and paused.

If you cannot update the system and stop it from installing the updates on your system, you can’t solve the errors and unable to fix the security of the system and new features of the updates. But don’t worry about the errors. All Windows update errors can be solved.

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What Causes Windows Update Error 0x80070020

One of the reasons for this error is when users upgraded Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 to Windows 10. Normally, it can occur when users try to download the Windows update website’s updates or simply by upgrading to Windows 10.

After this error occurred, it will cause malfunction of update installs and display the following message:

“The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.

An error (-5006: 0x80070020) has occurred while running the setup.”

Then the Windows update components such as Background Intelligent Transfer Service gets corrupted. And corrupted or missing system files errors can be responsible for the update error. Another reason is that this error is occurred due to interference.

This error occurs mostly when there is an automatic update running, for instance, an antivirus scanning runs in real-time. It can lead to a Windows update that might malfunction.

How to Fix Windows Update Error 0x80070020 in Windows 10

Now we will learn how to fix this error by following a couple of solutions briefly.

Solution 1: Running the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Windows updates troubleshooter is a tool that can be used to fix some update errors with simple steps. This tool was made to quickly diagnose and automatically solve the various problems of the system.

Here there is the procedure to run the Windows Update troubleshooter:

STEP 1: Click Windows + I to open Windows settings.

STEP 2: Now navigate to Update and security > Troubleshoot > Windows Update. Double click on Windows Update to run the troubleshoot.

STEP 3: Wait for some time while the troubleshoot scans for the errors with Windows update to resolve the issues.

STEP 4: Finally, once again, run the troubleshoot to get the confirmation about the error that has been resolved or not.

Method 2: Disable Your Antivirus Software Temporarily

The installed antivirus software like Avast, Macfee, and many more, are third-party software. This antivirus program may interrupt the installation of the Windows update.

It occurs when the operating system is not fully compatible with the installed antivirus or any other security software. Thus, this issue can lead to many errors cause in features of the operating Windows that including the Windows update process.

At first, you have to do disable the antivirus software. Then you can update all updates that your system required. After updating the system, enable the antivirus software. To disable the antivirus software in your Windows, follow the given below procedure:

STEP 1: Open the Windows start menu.

STEP 2: Type the Windows security in the search bar and then click on the enter key.

STEP 3: Click the option Virus & threat protection and scroll the Virus & threat protection settings.

STEP 4: Click on Manage settings. Now click on the toggle button under Real–time protection to turn Off the Windows Defender Antivirus temporarily.

STEP 5: Click on Yes to confirm the changes if it shows a warning.

STEP 6: Check all issues that are cleared or not.

STEP 7: Now, click on the toggle button to abled the Windows Defender Antivirus.

If you do not turn on real-time protection, it can be automatically turn on after once you reboot the system.

Method 3: Restart Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)

Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) is a Windows component. We can use it to deliver updates to your system in the installation process. Once BITS gets corrupted, it may lead to a lot of problems in your system that are related to Windows update issues, which may cause the Windows to update error 0x80070020.

So, the working of BITS is necessary for the system. If it was corrupted, we suggest you restart the BITS once again. The following procedure may help you to restart the BITS:

STEP 1: Open the Windows start menu and click the Windows key + R.

STEP 2: Type services.msc, click the enter key.

STEP 3: Select the option Background Intelligent Transfer Services in the services list and right-click on it.

STEP 4: Select the properties and open the General option.

STEP 5: On the new Window, find the startup type and set it as automatic.

STEP 6: If any service is not running, then click on start.

STEP 7: If the service is running, then click on stop at first and click on start again to restart the services.

If you are still getting Windows update error 0x80070020, then there is no problem with BITS. You can choose another way to solve the error.

Method 4: Restart the Windows Update Services

If your Windows Updates may fail to update your Windows, then it is due to its components are corrupted. These components include the services, folders, and temporary files associated with the Windows Update.

So, you can try to reset the Windows Update services to solve the error. The following steps may guide you to restart the Windows update services:

STEP 1: Click the Windows + R keys to open the Run box.

STEP 2: Now type cmd and click enter key.

STEP 3: Click Ctrl + Shift + enter keys to open an elevated command prompt to grant administrative Privilege.

STEP 4: After the command prompt opens, type the following commands one by one and click the Enter key.

net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msisever
ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver

After running the above commands, check whether Windows Update error 0x80070020 is resolved are not.

Method 5: Run a DISM Scan and SFC Scan

There is a possibility that your Windows update can’t work due to corrupted files on your operating system. Windows has two built-in tools called DISM (Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management) and SFC (System File Checker).

Both are scanned your system and solve the various issues. You can use the following steps to run a DISM and SFC scan:

DSIM SCAN

STEP 1: Open the command prompt (Admin).

STEP 2: Type the DSIM /Online /Cleanup–Image /RestoreHealth command and click enter.

After DSIM scan completion, run the SFC scan to scan the corruption in Windows system files and restore it.

SFC SCAN

STEP 1: Click the Windows + X keys to open the Command Prompt. Select the Command Prompt

(Admin) from the menu.

STEP 2: Type sfc /scannow.

Use the following commands to check for corrupted files:

/CheckHealth – to check for corrupted components or files.

/ScanHealth – to check for corrupted Windows image.

/RestoreHealth – to check for corrupted Windows image and runs an automatic repair.

This process may take some time to finish. After the completion of this process, update the Windows.

Method 6: Check and Fix Your Disk for Errors

In addition to the corrupted files, disk errors also might be a reason for the update error. There is a built-in Windows tool that we can use to check the integrity of your hard disk. It examines disks and corrects many types of common errors.

You can run this tool from the command line or through a graphical interface. In this guide, we show how to run it through Command Prompt:

STEP 1: Click the Windows + X keys to open the Command Prompt. Select the Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu.

STEP 2: In the pop-up menu, type the chkdsk C: /f command and click enter.

(Replace the “C” with the letter of your hard disk that you want to check.)

Here chkdsk C: /f command detects and repairs only logical issues affecting your drive.

STEP 3: Type the chkdsk C: /r command and click enter. It can detect and repairs physical Issues.

Simply you can run both commands at once by typing chkdsk C: /f /. Windows will need to restart your system to complete the scan. Then update your Windows Updates.

Method 7: Delete All Contents of the SoftwareDistribution Folder

The Software Distribution folder is a temporary folder in which Windows stores the update files until they are completely installed. Then Windows starts the update process.

Deleting the Software Distribution folder contents might solve the issues and fix the Windows Update error 0x80070020. You can find this folder by following the given steps:

STEP 1: Open the Windows Explorer.

STEP 2: Then follow the path C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution.

STEP 3: Now select all the contents of this folder and click on the delete key.

After deleting this folder, then try to update the Windows once more.

Method 8: Perform A Clean Boot and Install the Windows Update

When you start Windows using a general startup operation, many services and applications run automatically in the background. These include basic system processes, system utility applications, antivirus software applications, and many more.

These can cause software issues. There is a possibility in third party applications interfering with Windows Updates and preventing them from updating. A clean boot is performed to start Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs.

It helps to eliminate software issues that occur when installing an update.to perform a clean boot, follow the below steps:

STEP 1: Type System Configuration in the Run box and click the enter key.

STEP 2: Now select the Services tab in System Configuration Window.

STEP 3: Now click on the checkbox “Hide all Microsoft Services” to mark, then click on Disable all. And click on Apply to save the changes.

STEP 4: Go to the Startup tab and select the option Open Task Manager.

STEP 5: In Task Manager, select the enabled applications one by one and click on Disable.

STEP 6: After disabled all applications, close the Task Manager and click on OK in the System Configuration Startup tab.

Now restart the system to update the Windows again. During the clean boot state of the system, if Windows update error 0x80070020 does not occur, then there is a problem with any one of the programs.

Method 9: Check if There Are Bad Sectors on Your Hard Disk

If above mentioned, all methods failed to solve the error 0x80070020; probably there is a problem with your hard disk. You need to identify any bad sectors are there in the hard disk.

Here Mini Tool Partition Wizard Free Edition provides simple steps to test the bad sectors in the hard disk. The following steps are:

STEP 1: Select a hard disk, which you want to check.

STEP 2: Now choose the option Surface Test and click on it.

STEP 3: Click the start option to run the Surface test. It can run automatically and display the result of the test.

If your hard disk consists of any bad sectors, it shows the red marks on the blocks. If a large number of red marks appear, it indicates that the hard disk has a lot of bad sectors. If the bad sectors are located in your C partition, it will affect the system seriously.

So, you have to choose a new hard disk. This software can help you to upgrade the hard disk without any information loss.