Windows 11 Update error 0x80073701
So… ’cause of error 0x80073701 I cannot update my Windows 11. Not the latest build, but previously had no problems with updates. And now WU literally doesn’t work as intended. I was trying to install a cumulative update (KB5019961, if I remember correctly). At first everything was fine, but then the aforementioned error appeared. Don’t know what to do. Tried a lot of different things, but nothing worked. Please, help!
Solution
The error 0x80073701 is probably one of the most common problems encountered when upgrading Windows 11. Commonly, it appears during the installation of cumulative updates, but it can also be seen with smaller fixes.
This error is solved by the following set of actions:
1. Running the Windows Update troubleshooter
- press WIN+I;
- go to System→Troubleshoot→Other troubleshooters
- find Windows Update troubleshooter in the list and press Run;
- at the end, click Apply this fix.
2. Installing the update manually
- click the link;
- enter the problematic KB update in the search box and press ENTER;
- find the appropriate version of the update for your PC and click Download;
- download the update file, run it, and follow the instructions on the screen.
3. Resetting Windows Update services and cache
- press WIN+S and search for Command Prompt;
- click MMB on the result and select Run as administrator;
- run the following commands in the console:
- net stop wuauserv
- net stop cryptSvc
- net stop bits
- net stop msiserver
- 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
- restart your PC.
The above solutions should help you to get rid of error 0x80073701.
