How to Fix Windows Update Error 800B0100

Microsoft offers a service, Windows Update, for computers with Windows 9x and Windows NT operating systems. This service provides various updates, including security updates and critical updates, which may be helpful when there are any bugs in Windows.

However, some users report that they encountered Windows update error 800B0100. This problem mainly occurs in Windows 7 and Vista. Let’s see an example:

I’ve tried to install these “important updates” several times with the same result – Windows update failed, error code 800B0100. Thoughts, comments, suggestions, help? Very much appreciated. Thanks.

If you have the same problem, don’t worry. You can find some easy solutions to Windows update error 800B0100 in the following contents.

Solution 1: Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

If you encounter Windows update error code 800B0100 on Windows 8/10, you can use the built-in Windows update troubleshooter to solve the problem.

Here is a step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Press Win + I to open Settings.

Step 2: Choose Update & Security. Then click Troubleshoot from the left pane. In the right pane, select Windows Update and click Run the troubleshooter.

Step 3: Finally, follow the onscreen instructions to finish the process.

Once it’s finished, you can check if the issue has been solved. If you still see the error or if you’re using Windows 7, you need to move on to the next solution.

Solution 2: Use System Update Readiness Tool

If you encounter Windows update error code 800B0100 on Windows 7, you can use the System Update Readiness tool to solve the problem.

System Update Readiness is a tool provided by Microsoft, which is used to verify the integrity of resources related to Windows updates and some registry subkeys. It also creates a log file that captures any found or fixed issues.

Please follow the steps below to fix the error using System Update Readiness tool.

Step 1: Download System Update Readiness tool according to your Windows version by clicking the link or visiting the official Microsoft website.

Step 2: Follow the instructions to install it. In the Windows Update Standalone Installer window, click Yes to confirm the operation.

Step 3: When the System Update Readiness tool is installed, it will run automatically to scan your computer. Usually, the process takes about 15 minutes. Please don’t click Cancel and you need to wait patiently.

Step 4: Click Close when it is complete.

Then you can reinstall the updates which failed before, and there should be no problems.

Solution 3: Install Windows Update Manually

When your Windows update failed with 800B0100, you can also download and install the update manually. It’s quite easy and you can get the detailed steps below.

Step 1: Search for Microsoft Update Catalog in your browser.

Step 2: Input the update number you want to download in the search box and press Enter or click Search. Here I take KB978251 as an example.

Step 3: Select the update which corresponds to your operating system in the search results. Then click Download to download the update.

Step 4: In the pop-up window, click Browse to choose a location, and then click Continue to save it.

Step 5: When the download process is finished, click Close. Then open the update package folder on your computer and double-click the update package to install the update.

Solution 4: Disable Your Antivirus Software or Windows Firewall

Windows Update requires Internet to work for checking updates. However, some security software may prevent the service from accessing the Internet, which leads to Windows update error 800B0100 finally.

To solve 800B0100 Windows update error, you should disable your third-party antivirus software and then check if Windows Update works properly. If you don’t have a third-party antivirus application, you can disable Windows Firewall temporarily to solve the problem.

Step 1: Press Win + R to invoke Run window. Then input control panel in the box and click OK to open Control Panel app.

Step 2: In the pop-up window, select System and Security. Then click Windows Firewall.

Step 3: Click Turn Windows Firewall on or off option from the left pane to customize settings for each type of network.

Step 4: Select Turn off Windows Defender Firewall for both private and public network settings.

Step 5: Click OK to save the changes you have made.

Now you have disabled Windows Firewall, and you can check if you are able to install available updates without Windows update error code 800B0100.

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Solution 5: Delete or Rename the SoftwareDistribution Folder

Another way to solve Windows 7 update error 800B0100 is to delete or rename the SoftwareDistribution folder, where the Windows updates are stored.

The folder is located in your system drive, and if it becomes corrupted, you will be stopped by 800B0100 Windows update error. After deleting SoftwareDistribution folder, Windows will rebuild one automatically later.

Let’s see how to do it.

Stage 1: Stop Windows Update Service

To modify SoftwareDistrubution folder, you need to disable Windows Update service at first.

Step 1: Input services.msc in Run window and press Enter to open Services.

Step 2: In the pop-up Services window, right-click Windows Update and select Stop option from menu.

Then you can exit Services and delete/rename the folder.

Stage 2: Delete/Rename the SoftwareDistribution Folder

Step 1: Open File Explorer.

Step 2: Navigate to C:Windows folder.

Step 3: Locate SoftwareDistribution folder and then delete it, or rename it to something else (for example: SoftwareDistributionOLD).

After deleting or renaming the target folder, you can enable Windows Update Service again. You just need to go to Services control panel, right-click Windows Update and select Start from the menu.

Then you can check for updates and the 800B0100 Windows update error should disappear. If the error still exists, you can try the next method.

Solution 6: Run System File Checker

If there are some corrupted or missing system files, you may also receive Windows update error code 800B0100. Don’t worry, you can run Windows System File Checker (SFC), a built-in utility which enables you to scan and restore the problematic system files, to solve the problem.

Step 1: Click Start menu. Then type cmd in the search box. Right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.

Step 2: When you get into Command Prompt, input sfc /scannow and press Enter.

Step 3: Then Windows will scan for system file issues. You need to wait until the process is 100% completed.

Now exit Command Prompt and restart the computer. 800B0100 Windows update error should disappear.

Solution 7: Update Your Drivers

Outdated or faulty drivers could be another reason for 800B0100 Windows update error. When your Windows update failed, you can try updating your drivers to fix it.

To figure out the problematic driver, you might need to check all the drivers one by one. It will take you a long time. You can use Device Manager with the steps below or use reliable third-party software to update your drivers.

Step 1: Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Device Manager.

Step 2: Double-click a category to expand it. Then right-click a device and select Update Driver Software.

Step 3: In the pop-up window, click Search automatically for updated driver software. Then Windows will search for, download and install the latest driver for your device. Just follow the onscreen instructions to finish the process.

Once it’s finished, you can refer to the steps above to update other drivers. Then restart your computer and check if Windows 7 update error 800B0100 has been fixed.

Solution 8: Free up Disk Space

In addition to the reasons above, low disk storage space could also be a factor which causes Windows update error code 800B0100. You can check your disk space in Windows Explorer or Disk Management.

Here are two methods to help you free up disk space.

Method 1: Run Disk Cleanup

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as administrator.

Step 2: Input cleanmgr and press Enter to run Disk Cleanup.

Step 3: Select a partition in the pop-up window and click OK to open Disk Cleanup. Then Disk Cleanup will take some time to calculate how much space you can free up.

Step 4: Check the categories you want to delete and click OK.

Then you can try updating Windows again and check if the problem has been removed. Or, you can try the next method to free up your disk space.

Method 2: Use MiniTool Partition Wizard

To delete useless files/folders and free up disk space, you can use a space analyzer tool, MiniTool Partition Wizard. With the help of this tool, you can analyze the disk usage and delete the files that take up much space.

Let’s see how to use this wonderful tool.

Step 1: Download and install the tool by clicking the following button.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2: Launch it and select Space Analyzer from the tool bar.

Step 3: Select the target partition that is running out of space and click Scan.

Step 4: You can choose Tree View, File View or Folder View to check the items stored on your disk. Then right-click the useless files or folders and choose Delete (to Recycle Bin) or Delete (Permanently).

Then you can check for Windows updates and it should work without any problems. You can get fixes from the following post if your hard drive is full without reasons: Best Fixes: Hard Drive Is Full Without Reason in Windows 10/8/7

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Solution 9: Re-register Wintrust.dll File

If you still failed to install Windows updates after trying all the solutions above, you may be able to fix the problem by re-registering the Wintrust.dll file.

Please follow the tutorial step by step.

Step 1: Run Command Prompt.

Step 2: Input the following commands one by one and remember to press Enter after each:

• regsvr32 wintrust.dll
• net stop cryptsvc
• ren %systemroot%system32catroot2 oldcatroot2
• net start cryptsvc

After executing all the commands, you can try updating your Windows and check if the issue has been solved.

Here is how to solve Windows 7 update error 800B0100. Hope the solutions mentioned in this post are helpful for you!Click to Tweet

Bottom Line

It’s annoying to receive an error stop code while updating Windows. This post introduces Windows update error 800B0100 and some solutions to it. If you have the same problem, don’t hesitate to troubleshoot it now!

For any ideas and questions, you’re welcome to type them in the following comment section. And if you have any problems with MiniTool Partition Wizard, you can contact us via [email protected].

Windows Update Error 800B0100 FAQ