The Windows Update Service helps in updating your Windows 11/10 system to the latest version and it is necessary because it pushes updates required by the operating system. The service is managed through the Service Manager. However, some users have reported a case where the Windows Update Service missing in services.msc in Windows 11/10. At times you may see error code 0x80070424.
Windows Update Service is missing (0x80070424)
While the basic cause is a missing file, a user reported that it was apparently removed by malware. Thus, it is advisable to perform a full system anti-virus scan on your system before proceeding with any troubleshooting mentioned below:
- Run the Windows Updates Troubleshooter
- Run an SFC scan
- Use DISM to fix Windows Update files
- Re-register or reset Windows Updates components
- Use Registry fix
- Reset your computer
- Repair Windows using external media
Try the following solutions sequentially to resolve the issue in discussion.
1] Run the Windows Updates Troubleshooter
The Windows Update Troubleshooter can resolve a lot of problems related to Windows Updates. It can be helpful if you encounter the problem in the discussion. The procedure to run the Windows Updates Troubleshooter is as follows:
Click on the Start button and go to Settings> Updates and Security > Troubleshoot.
Select the Windows Updates Troubleshooter and run it.
2] Run an SFC scan
The System File Checker or sfc.exe is a utility in Microsoft Windows located in C:\Windows\System32 folder. This utility allows users to scan for and restore corrupt Windows system files. Since the main cause of the issue is missing files, you can consider running an SFC scan on your system
3] Use DISM to fix Windows Update files
If a generic SFC scan doesn’t work on your system, you could try a Windows Updates specific DISM scan.using the following command:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
This procedure will check for missing and corrupt files associated with Windows Updates and replace them.
If your Windows Update client is already broken, you will be prompted to use a running Windows installation as the repair source or use a Windows side-by-side folder from a network share, as the source of the files.
You will then be required to run the following command instead:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\RepairSource\Windows /LimitAccess
Here you have to replace the C:\RepairSource\Windows placeholder with the location of your repair source.
Once the process is complete, DISM will create a log file in %windir%/Logs/CBS/CBS.log and capture any issues that the tool finds or fixes.
4] Re-register Windows Updates service/Reset Windows Updates components
If the above-mentioned solutions failed to bring any result, you could consider resetting the Windows Updates components. This is a long a complicated process but works well when done step by step. Usually, this solution should resolve the problem with Windows Updates, no matter what, but if it doesn’t help, you might have to consider resetting your system.
5] Use Registry Fix
Back up your Registry and also create a System Restore Point first and THEN download this file from our servers and extract its contents. It will contain a Fix-WUS.reg file. Double-click on it to add its contents to your Registry.
Check if it has solved the issue. If yes, good; if not, restore your Registry or your Windows using the created backups.
6] Reset your computer
Resetting your Windows system comes with two options: the first is to delete all files and programs on the system start new and the second is to reset the settings to default while keeping your files intact. It is advisable to start with the option to keep the files intact and if that doesn’t work, you can consider wiping data from your system after a proper backup.
7] Repair Windows 11/10 using external media
While resetting Windows 11/10 should clear most of your problems, if that doesn’t work, you could consider repairing Windows using external media. This would require a DVD or USB drive with a Windows ISO. The problem is that unlike previous versions of Windows, the recovery media usually doesn’t come with the package when you buy a computer. You could either order it separately or create it on your own.
We hope this guide helps in resolving your problem.
How do you reset service registration in Windows?
You must stop services such as wuauserv, cryptSvc, bits, msiserver, then delete or rename the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders. Once done, restart the services, and wait for the process to complete. The deleted folder will be automatically created. You must execute all the commands using Windows Terminal with admin permission.
What is the command to restart the service?
The service can be stopped using the command—net stop [service name] and started again using net start [service name]. This will restart the service. You can also execute them together, but it’s best to have a time gap between both so the service can complete their work.
