To fix this error, try:
Click start-run type services.msc then press enter
Look for the Automatic Updates Service, right click it and choose to stop
Click start->run type %windir%SoftwareDistribution then press enter
Open the DataStorage folder and delete its contents.
Click start->run type services.msc
right click the Automatic Update Service and choose to start
Now try running the Updates again.
Göran Wester
December 27, 2004 at 12:58 pm
Thanks a million.
I was reinstalling an old Win xp from a Dell recovery disk. While doing the myriad security and service pack updates something obviously got corrupted. This advice saved the day.
Great job you are doing.
Göran
Ali
December 28, 2004 at 3:05 am
Most welcome.
Ray Le Couteur
January 24, 2005 at 6:46 pm
Wow ! Saved my life too!!
I was reinstalling an old Win xp from a Packard Bell recovery disk.
I suspect it’s another Microsoft bug rather than a ‘corrupt’ file .
Anyway, your workaround works great!
Thanks.
Ray
jemboy
February 1, 2005 at 12:53 am
Thank you so much for this. It worked
edd
February 5, 2005 at 10:37 am
thanks mate saved me a heap of trouble
Ali
February 10, 2005 at 2:05 am
welcome
ian
March 24, 2005 at 7:37 pm
Thanks mate – nothing in the whole of microsoft.com about 80246005 error… saved my day!
cerabu
April 18, 2005 at 11:59 pm
Thanx man, saved the day..
Tuoppi
May 6, 2005 at 6:18 pm
Thanks a lot, life is so simple when you know what
you are doing…
TechXenia
May 6, 2005 at 11:47 pm
Saved my hide on a clients newly-rebuilt Dell. Thanks much!
Ricky
May 7, 2005 at 2:01 am
It’s funny that Microsoft doesn’t have this solution anywhere. ANYWHERE.
Good work.
Thank you!
Steve
May 15, 2005 at 11:22 pm
Keep up the good work. Bill Gates eat your heart out!!!
Emily
May 17, 2005 at 4:58 am
Install from a Dell recovery CD. Info saved my butt. Thanks, you’re awesome!
uper
May 17, 2005 at 9:54 am
great!thanks~
Jose Rodriguez
May 19, 2005 at 5:22 am
Thanks… better support than the support from the fancy microsoft site
AC
May 20, 2005 at 12:44 am
Thanks Ali that worked a treat!!
A. Y. Kadaif
May 27, 2005 at 1:49 pm
This is most fortunate. Thank you very much indeed. Keep up the good work. I hit my ctrl+d
Josh
May 28, 2005 at 7:47 pm
Yep saved my butt as well!!
Matthew
June 4, 2005 at 6:29 pm
Saved my day as well. Thanks a million!!!
Patrick
June 5, 2005 at 5:53 pm
Great, thanks, it worked!
Brian
June 6, 2005 at 8:45 pm
it seems like you are better that Micro$oft.
thanks for the help
guy
June 8, 2005 at 5:58 pm
Hi,
You are (one of )the greatest – thanks a lot -
Wesley
June 9, 2005 at 1:20 am
Thank you for this tip. I don’t understand why Microsoft didn’t have this at their site. I had to google for an answer when I saw this page (first in the results, btw). Good work Ali!
Eric
June 12, 2005 at 5:45 am
Ali for president!!
Ed
June 12, 2005 at 4:47 pm
You da man!!! Thanks.
Yo
June 14, 2005 at 5:36 pm
thx, great.
david
June 20, 2005 at 11:46 pm
Cheers Ali, sorted it for me after a hour on the microsoft website
Yas
August 20, 2005 at 4:37 pm
Ya’all Get *nix and you won’t have any of these silly problems.
Tkbeat
May 21, 2006 at 7:15 pm
how do fix a freezing screen on my NEC phone???
marcos
May 24, 2006 at 4:22 am
i recieved a windows update file with error,wich dont let me delete from my computer
MIKE
May 9, 2007 at 3:21 pm
HAVE THE SAME ERROR CODE WHEN UPDATING VISTA HOME PREMIUM. WILL TRY THIS FIX AND LET YOU KNOW
Sara
August 25, 2007 at 12:10 am
i am trying to sign up for tagged but it says that my e-mail addy is blocked, please Help!!!
kit
January 24, 2008 at 9:59 pm
my laptop is running on a 64 bit windows vista. since i don’t have ebough resources to purchase an office 2007, my friend installed one for non-commercial use. it lasted for 2 wks but now i can’t even edit anything w/ it.
people are telling me the problem is w/ the 64 bit w/c has a completely different operating system w/ its 32 bit counterpart. maybe coz they don’t have the same problems i’m encountering. how do i solve this problem? really need your advice. thanks
Deb
March 12, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Thank sooooooo much. I’ve been tearing my hair out over this problem during the past few months.
Like other posters, had no joy with MS website and the helpline I pay for monthly didn’t help either.
Will now be cancelling my sub to the helpline and have put this site as a shortcut on my desk top.
Thanks again.
peter a
September 1, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Top Bloke…
now solved a problem whilst trying to update a toshiba laptop
Ddun
December 10, 2008 at 9:36 am
Thanks
gonwk
December 12, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Has anyone tried this solution with Windows Vista Home Premium SP1!?!? And does it work?
I see some folks with Vista reported they will try and post back and never saw anything from them!
Thanks!
G!:)
Vlad
March 11, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Thanks for the help!
Yusuf
March 12, 2009 at 7:28 am
thank for your advice.
tom dobson
March 13, 2009 at 3:09 am
right i did this but it came up with another error saying that it couldnt connect to my network to look for the updates? now it says its never been updated? omg im so pissed off at vista might just get rid and get a laptop on xp
but… seriously i deleted that data folders contents but still no wifi??? if anyone can help me please email me at tom220688@hotmail.co.uk
goober
March 16, 2009 at 3:29 am
Thanks for the help Ali. Yes gonwk, It works well with Vista too.
sleocvreetly
June 6, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Hello, for some reason I don’t have automatic update services, I’m using a Windows VISTA, and it doesn’t have automatic update services, what should I do?
George
July 4, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Yep, this works in XP and VISTA.
–
George
ABYM Consulting
http://www.abym.es
Mia
August 17, 2009 at 8:57 pm
wow! amazing!!!
Tons of Thanks!
Legioner
April 11, 2010 at 5:36 am
Давно искал эту информацию, Спасибо за Вашу работу.
thayes
April 14, 2010 at 9:32 pm
It is doing the same thing for me as tom dobson… doesn’t show any downloads ever occured and can’t get on the network. Did I delete the wrong file? How do I fix?!?
XAKER
April 21, 2010 at 7:28 am
Да уж… После прочтения даже мне эта тема стала интересна.
p90x dvd set
June 23, 2010 at 7:07 am
Thanks for sharing your article.