How to Fix Update Error 0x80070020 in Windows 11/10

Several users reported that they confronted Error 0x80070020 while attempting to perform the latest Windows update. This issue has often been encountered in the latest version of Microsoft’s flagship operating system. The reason for this problem could be many but most presumably it flashes out because of the intervention of the software with the installation process. You must have to settle down this issue asap, as it indicates the system malfunction and may cause further damage if overlooked.

If you’re also experiencing this issue, reach out to the below section and follow the solutions we enlisted below. This Error code is delivered by a message saying – fbl_impressive Enterprise 10130 – Error 0x80070020. In this article, we’ll learn how to solve this problem by implementing a few potential solutions.

List of Contents

Run Windows Update Troubleshooters
Restart Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)
Run DISM Scan and System File Checker
Disable Your Antivirus Temporarily
Reset the Windows Update Services
Windows Update Reset Script
Check Your Disk For Errors
Perform a Clean Boot
Remove SoftwareDistribution Folder’s Contents
Find the problematic services
Use the Windows Media Creation tool

Solve Windows Update Error 0x80070020

To Fix Update Error 0x80070020, use the steps –

1] Run Windows Update Troubleshooters

Windows updates troubleshooter is an inbuilt application that can be used to solve the root cause error associated with the Windows Update. This utility was designed to quickly diagnose and automatically resolve various computer issues. Therefore, it becomes the first choice to settle down some Windows update errors. Here we will show you how to perform it –

Click on the Start button and select the gear (Settings) icon.
Open the Update & Security category and reach out to the Troubleshoot section.
Move to the right side and select Windows Update.
Click on the Run the troubleshooter button.
This will take time to complete the process.
When it finishes, click on the Next button.

Reboot your system to make the changes effective.

2] Restart Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)

BITS is a Windows component that takes idle network bandwidth to execute simultaneous file transfer between devices. It can be used to deliver updates to your computer in the installation process. Therefore, if BITS gets damaged, you will experience problems with receiving Windows updates. In order to make BITS work again, you need to restart it. Here is what you need to do –

Right-click on the Start button and select the Run option.
In the box, type services.mscand hit Enter.
Locate Background Intelligent Transfer Service in the list of services.
Once you find it, right-click on the same and select Properties.
When the new page opens, navigate to the Startup type and set it as Automatic.
Locate Service status and If the service is not running, click Start.
However, if the service is running, click Stop first and click Start again to restart the service.
After that, click OK and Apply to save the changes.

Upon performing the above steps, you can try to update your Windows and check if the error still persists. If nothing is wrong with your BITS, just go to the next method.

3] Run DISM Scan and System File Checker

Click on the Start button and select the Run option.
In the dialog box, type “cmd” and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter together.
When UAC prompts, click on the Yes button.
In the elevated Command Prompt, type the following URL and hit Enter –

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

Once it completes, execute the system file checker to scan the corrupted files in the Windows system and restore them.
Open the elevated command prompt as we explained earlier.
If UAC prompts, click on the Yes button to give your consent.

sfc /scannow

Press Enter and wait for a while as this process will take some time.
When the scan process completes, try to update Windows.

4] Disable Your Antivirus Temporarily to Fix Error 0x80070020

Many users believe in always having a third-party antivirus program, but that isn’t the best solution for today’s security problems. Having this software installed on your computer can actually cause more harm than you’d expect. That conflict can cause failures of various Windows features, including Windows Update. Therefore, here we suggest you uninstall your antivirus program temporarily to ensure that it is not the cause of the error. However, you don’t need to worry as Windows 10 OS has its own antivirus in the form of Windows Defender. Here is how to do it –

Press Win+I together to call Windows Settings.
Choose the Apps category.
On the next page, select Apps & features.
Find the added program that may cause Error 0x80070020.
When you find it, click on it and select the Uninstall option.
In the pop-up menu, again click Uninstall to confirm.
Once it completes the process, try to update Windows.
Visit the manufacturer page, download, and reinstall the application again on a PC.

5] Reset the Windows Update Services

Windows Update relies on various services in order to work properly. However, if there are any issues with Update services, you might be able to fix them by resetting them. This is comparatively straightforward, and in order to perform this, you need to execute a few commands in Command Prompt. To do that, follow the below steps –

Click on the Start button and type “Command Prompt”.
Right-click on the result and select Run as administrator.
When UAC prompts on the screen, click on the Yes button.
On the following page, type the following URL and hit Enter after each one.

net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
ren C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:WindowsSystem32catroot2 Catroot2.old
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver

On performing, check if the problem with Windows Update is resolved.

6] Windows Update Reset Script to fix Error 0x80070020

If the Windows Update Services don’t solve the issue, your device presumably has some more serious problems. To fix this error, you have to make a Windows Update Reset Script by yourself. Here are the following instructions to do it –

Click on the Start button and type “Notepad”.
Select the best match from the list.
Copy and paste the following text into Notepad –

@ECHO OFF
echo Simple Script to Reset / Clear Windows Update
echo.
PAUSE
echo.
attrib -h -r -s %windir%system32catroot2
attrib -h -r -s %windir%system32catroot2*.*
net stop wuauserv
net stop CryptSvc
net stop BITS
ren %windir%system32catroot2 catroot2.old
ren %windir%SoftwareDistribution sold.old
ren “%ALLUSERSPROFILE%application dataMicrosoftNetworkdownloader” downloader.old
net Start BITS
net start CryptSvc
net start wuauserv
echo.
echo Task completed successfully…
echo.
PAUSE

Once you have pasted this in the notebook, click on the File option.
Select Save as and save it as “WUReset.bat” (including quotes).
To run the script, right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
This will save you a lot of time and work.

7] Check Your Disk For Errors

Sometimes Error 0x80070020 also hit the devices because of the creation of bad areas in the Hard Disk. Here, we need to use a built-in Windows utility that can identify these harmful areas and eliminate such glitches efficiently. Proceed with the following guidelines and repair some common errors –

Open the elevated Command Prompt as explained above
When UAC prompts, tap Yes to proceed.
On the next window, type the following command –

chkdsk C: /f /r /x

Press the Enter key and the Disk Checking application will start scanning the error causes.
This process will take time therefore, keep patience and wait until it gets over.
Reboot the PC so that changes made come into effect.

Here, all the letters have their specific meanings –

C:– represent the Disk where the OS is installed. 
    You can change this to D:, E: or any depending upon your usage.
f:- implies fixing the scanned bugs.
r:- implies detecting the existing problems in the Disk.
x:- stands for splitting up the disk volume to help the detection process.

8] Perform a Clean Boot

When you open your machine normally, some applications and services will be active and start running in the background by themselves. These programs you have installed including antivirus software and other applications may collide with Windows Update. A clean boot can help you to bypass software conflicts while installing Windows updates. In order to do a clean boot, you need to perform the following steps –

Open the Run dialog box as we explained above.
In the field, type MSConfig, and hit Enter.
When the System Configuration window opens, go to the Services tab.
Mark the Hide All Microsoft Services checkbox.
Click Disable all and then hit the Apply button to save the changes.

Now, navigate to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
On the following page, ensure you’re on the Startup tab.
Select the applications one by one and click on the Disable button.
Now, close Task Manager and click OK in the System Configuration Startup tab.
Eventually, restart the computer to update Windows again.

9] Remove SoftwareDistribution Folder’s Contents

The Software Distribution folder collects the downloaded files required to install new updates. It keeps your device safe and secure and with the latest fixes and improvements. In case of any faulty updates, you can remove the files manually from here. This will force the system to re-download the updates. To complete the process, go to the below section and follow the instructions –

Click on the Windows Search and type “cmd”.
Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
When UAC prompts on the screen, click on the Yes button.
Type the following command and hit Enter after each one –

net stop wuauserv 
net stop bits

This will stop the Windows Update Service, Cryptographic, and MSI Installer as well.
Navigate to the path C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution folder.
Select all the files and then delete them.

In case, some files are in use and you’re unable to remove them then restart your device.
On startup, run the above command again in the elevated command prompt.
After performing, restart your device again.
On Startup, open the Elevated Command Prompt as explained above.
Type the following command and hit Enter key after each one –

net start wuauserv 
net start bits

Now, exit Command Prompt and restart your device.

10] Find the problematic services

As per the users’ reports, certain services can intervene with your system and cause Error 0x80070020 to prompt on the desktop. However, you can find these services by using the Command Prompt. To do that, just perform the following steps –

Open Command Prompt as an administrator as discussed above.
On the following screen, execute the commands one by one –

netstat -aon | find “:80” 
netstat -aon | find “:443”

This will show you a list of information. On the right side of the page, you will see numbers that represent the ID of the processes.
Now, open the Task Manager using Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcut key.
On the following page, go to the Details tab and look at the PID column.
Locate the problematic process, select it and click End task.

Now go to the Services tab and check the PID column for any numbers.
If you find a match, right-click the service with that PID, and select Stop.

Keep in mind that certain services are required by Windows, so be careful while disabling services. This is an advanced workaround, therefore be extra cautious and follow the instructions properly.

11] Use the Windows Media Creation tool

If none of the above workarounds work for you, there is an alternative way to fix Error 0x80070020. Media Creation Tool is one of the best methods to manually keep your system up to date without relying on Windows Update. This process will install the latest version of Windows, also it will keep all your files and applications intact. Here’s how to do it –

Download Media Creation Tool from Microsoft’s website.
Right-click on the downloaded tool and select Run as administrator.
When UAC prompts on the screen, click the Yes button.
Accept the Applicable notices and license terms.
Select Upgrade this PC now and hit the Next button.
Wait for a while as the software prepares the necessary files.
Select Download and install updates and click Next.
Follow the on-screen instructions until you reach Ready to install.
Click on Change what to keep.
Select Keep personal files and apps and then click Next.
The installation will now start, follow the instructions to complete it.

What is Windows Update Error 0x80070020?

0x80070020 is a Windows Update error that appears when you try to download or install the latest updates. Although this error usually occurs in the latest version of the Microsoft operating system, it can also occur in earlier versions such as Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7.

What Causes Error 0x80070020?

This Windows update error can be caused by a few different things. The most common reason for this error to appear is that some programs are conflicting with the installation process. It may also be caused by malicious software, corrupted or missing system files, which may prevent you from installing the latest version of Windows.

Do You Need to Fix Error 0x80070020?

The security of your PC relies heavily on maintaining an updated Windows environment, which you can ignore in some cases. This problem may not need immediate attention, but don’t ignore it for too long or you will put yourself at risk for new vulnerabilities.

That’s all. I hope this guide helped. Please leave a comment if you have any feedback.