Many Windows users often have problems when trying to perform certain updates on their devices, hence they need help to solve them. For this reason, today we will explain how to correct the update error 0x800f0986 in Windows Update, in a simple way and in a few steps. But before we fix Windows Update errors, let’s discuss why these errors occur when trying to update.
Why does the update error 0x800f0986 appear?
This usually happens when we try to download a cumulative patch update with the help of settings in Windows 10. And instead of downloading the update, the program shows us an “Update error 0x800f0986” message.
Once we understand why the update error 0x800f0986 arises, we will discuss below how to fix update errors in Windows 10.
Fix update error 0x800f0986 on Windows Update
Next, we will help you to correct this error that prevents you from entering, the necessary updates to keep your operating system optimal.
- Make sure that the Windows update service is active:
- Select the Win key + R.
- In the “CMD” command window enter “Services.msc” and then choose “OK”.
- A list of services will appear, from which you must select “Windows Update” and double click on it.
- Then a “Windows Update Properties” window will pop up.
- In the “General” tab, you will need to select where it says “Startup type” and then “Automatic”.
- Then you must choose where it says “Start” and wait for the analysis to be carried out.
- Lastly, select “Apply” and then “OK” for it to close the tab.
- Enable the Windows Update troubleshooter
- We will go to the search engine, which is located in the taskbar of our PC.
- We will copy the following words “Fix Activation Problems”
- Then we select it and it will send us to a “Settings” window.
- In the left bar, we choose “Fix problem” and then where it says “Windows Update”.
- We will get the option “Run the problem solver” and we select it.
- Then a window will appear, carrying out the analysis of the present problems.
- And finally we select, “Apply this review” and that’s it.
Other steps to fix update error 0x800f0986 on Windows Update
To fix Windows Update error when it doesn’t update Windows 10; We must take the following steps, which we will indicate below.
- Do a cleanup of the “Software Distribution” folder
- Go to the “Windows Update Properties” tab.
- Select the “Stop updates” option.
- Then choose “File Explorer” on your task bar.
- Once logged in, copy this path, C:> Windows> Software Distribution> Download.
- Press the keys “CTRL + A”, to get all the content of that file.
- Next, you will have to press “Delete”.
- Then we will click on “Start” from the Windows Update properties tab.
- And finally, we will select “Resume”.
- Let’s reset Windows update
- In the search box on the taskbar, enter “CMD”.
- Where it says “Command Prompt,” select “Run as administrator.”
- Then in the window, enter these commands separately:
- “Net stop wuauerv”.
- “Net stop cryptSvc”.
- “Network Stop Bits”.
- “Net stop mserver”.
- Next, enter the following command, and then select “Return”.
- “Ren C: Windows Software Distribution Software Distribution.old”.
- Then you will have to enter these commands, one by one:
- “Net start wuauserv”.
- “Net start cryptSvc”.
- “Network Start Bits”.
- “net home mserver”.
- And lastly, restart your computer.
- Disable third-party antivirus utilities:
You may be presented with error 0x800f0986, by third-party antivirus utilities, which blocks the updates your Windows Update needs. For that reason, we might disable third-party antivirus software to fix Windows Update error 0x800f0986.
Let’s restart Windows 10
As a last step, we are going to restart our Windows 10, to execute the changes that we have made on our PC, following these steps:
- In the search engine we enter “Reset this computer” and select it.
- It will open a tab in settings that says “Recovery”.
- We select “Start”, then select “Save my files”.
- Then press “Next” and “Restart”.
Done, in this way, you will be able to fix the update error 0x800f0986 from Windows Update in a few steps and in a simple way.
