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Error 0x80070422 usually appears when the Windows Update service is disabled or stopped. On Windows Server, back up important data, inspect that service in services.msc, set a startup mode allowed by your update policy, start it, and run Windows Update again. If that does not work, continue with the troubleshooter, network and storage checks, cache reset, DISM, SFC, and log-based diagnosis.
What error 0x80070422 means
Microsoft identifies 0x80070422 as ERROR_SERVICE_DISABLED. Microsoft’s description is that the Windows Update service has stopped working or is not running. Microsoft Support similarly describes the code as Windows Update being disabled or stopped.
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The title is sometimes written as 0X080070422, with an extra zero. The documented Windows error is 0x80070422. The first diagnostic target is therefore the Windows Update service, not replacement hardware or a graphics, storage, or network adapter.
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Prepare before changing the server
Microsoft recommends backing up personal or business data before applying troubleshooting solutions. For a production server, use your normal backup or snapshot procedure and record the current maintenance state before making changes.
- Confirm that you have local administrator rights or an approved delegated account.
- Schedule a maintenance window if a restart could interrupt applications, file shares, databases, remote sessions, or clustered roles.
- Note whether the failure affects one update, every update, or only an update initiated by a management system.
- Record the server name, Windows Server edition and build, the time of the failure, and the complete error text.
- Check whether Group Policy or centralized patch management controls Windows Update. A local change can be reversed the next time policy refreshes.
Fix the service in the Services console
1. Open Services with administrative rights
- Sign in with an account permitted to administer services.
- Press Windows key+R, type
services.msc, and press Enter. Approve the elevation prompt if Windows displays one. - In the Services list, locate Windows Update. You can select the list and type the service name to reach it quickly.
2. Check the current state and startup type
- Open the Windows Update service’s Properties.
- Read Service status. Running means the service is already active; Stopped means it must be started before an update can run.
- Read Startup type. If it is Disabled, choose a startup mode permitted by your server’s policy. Automatic starts the service during boot; Manual allows Windows or an update workflow to start it when needed.
- Select Apply. Do not choose Disabled again after applying the change.
There is no universally correct startup choice for every managed server. Some organizations deliberately use Manual startup and let WSUS or another orchestration system trigger updates. If policy specifies Manual, retain Manual rather than forcing Automatic.
3. Start Windows Update
- In the same Properties window, select Start.
- Wait for the status to change to Running, then select OK.
- If Windows reports a dependency, access-denied message, or another service error, record it instead of repeatedly clicking Start. That secondary message is useful for the next diagnostic step.
If the startup setting or service state immediately returns to Disabled or Stopped, check Group Policy, endpoint-management software, and the server’s update policy. A policy-controlled setting must be corrected by the administrator who owns that policy.
Use the command line when the graphical console is unavailable
Server Core and remote administration sessions may not provide the same graphical interface. Open an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell session and inspect the service before changing it.
Command Prompt checks and changes
sc.exe query wuauserv
sc.exe qc wuauserv
sc.exe config wuauserv start= demand
net start wuauservThe sc.exe query command shows whether the service is running. sc.exe qc displays its configuration. The start= demand command sets Manual startup; use start= auto only when that is the approved policy. The space after start= is required by sc.exe. If the service is already running, net start wuauserv reports that state rather than starting a second instance.
PowerShell checks and changes
Get-Service -Name wuauserv
Get-CimInstance Win32_Service -Filter "Name='wuauserv'" | Select-Object Name,State,StartMode
Set-Service -Name wuauserv -StartupType Manual
Start-Service -Name wuauservRun Set-Service only when your policy calls for Manual startup. Replace Manual with Automatic when that is the documented setting for the server. If PowerShell returns a policy or permission error, preserve the message and involve the policy or server administrator.
Run Windows Update after the service starts
Once Windows Update is running, start the update process using the method your server normally uses. On a server with the relevant graphical controls, open the Windows Update page in Settings and select the option to check for updates. On a Server Core or centrally managed installation, use the organization’s approved update-management workflow instead.
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Allow the update check to finish. If the service change requires a restart, reboot during the approved maintenance window and run the check again afterward. A successful service start alone does not prove that an update installed; verify the update history or your management console’s result.
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If 0x80070422 remains
Run Microsoft’s Windows Update troubleshooter where available
Microsoft Support includes the Windows Update troubleshooter in its general workflow. On editions that expose it, open Settings, go to System, choose Troubleshoot, select Other troubleshooters, and run Windows Update. Some Windows Server installations do not expose the same Settings pages or the Get Help workflow. In that case, use the equivalent Microsoft-supported diagnostic tools available for your edition or manage the server from an administrator workstation.
Apply only changes that match your update policy. Rerun Windows Update after the troubleshooter completes rather than assuming that a reported correction installed an update.
Verify network access and the update source
- Confirm that the server has the expected network connection and can resolve the hostnames required by its update source.
- Check the configured proxy, firewall, and outbound filtering rules. A service can be Running while downloads fail because the server cannot reach Microsoft Update or the organization’s WSUS endpoint.
- Confirm that the server is pointed at the intended update source. A policy-managed server should not be redirected to a different source without approval.
- Review the update-management console for authentication, approval, or communication errors that are not visible in the local service status.
Do not disable security controls broadly to test connectivity. Have the network or security administrator create a narrowly scoped, documented exception if a required endpoint is blocked.
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Windows needs working space to download, unpack, and stage update files. Check the volume that contains the Windows directory and the volume used for update-management caches. Free space should be sufficient for the specific update workload; Microsoft’s guidance treats inadequate storage as a reason to check before repeating the update.
Remove only files approved by your retention and backup policy. Do not delete the Windows Update database or arbitrary system folders while troubleshooting.
Reset a damaged update cache
If the service runs but repeated downloads or installations fail, an administrator can rebuild the local download cache. This causes update files to be downloaded again and should be performed during a maintenance window.
net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
ren %windir%SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
net start bits
net start wuauservWait for each stop command to complete. If a service refuses to stop because another process is using it, record the message and investigate rather than deleting the folder while it is active. After restarting the services, run the update check again. Keep the renamed folder until the server has completed a successful update cycle and your retention policy allows its removal.
Repair Windows components with DISM and SFC
When service configuration, connectivity, storage, and cache checks do not resolve the problem, Microsoft’s broader repair guidance uses Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) and System File Checker (SFC). Run these commands from an elevated Command Prompt, and allow each one to finish.
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1. Repair the component store
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealthOn an online server, DISM repairs the running Windows image. The command may need access to a valid repair source; a server that cannot reach its source can return a source or connectivity error. Do not claim that the image is repaired unless DISM reports completion without an error.
2. Check protected system files
sfc.exe /scannowSFC checks protected files after the component-store operation. If it reports files that it could not repair, save the result and continue with log collection or Microsoft-supported escalation rather than repeating the command indefinitely.
3. Restart and test
Restart if DISM, SFC, or your change-control process requires it. Then confirm the Windows Update service state, initiate an update check, and record the result. A repair command can complete successfully while the original update still fails for a separate network, policy, or package reason.
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A failure to start is different from the original disabled-state error and should be diagnosed from its exact message.
- Startup type reverts: Group Policy or endpoint-management software may be enforcing the setting. Ask the policy owner to verify the Windows Update configuration.
- Dependency error: Inspect the Dependencies tab in Services or the output of
sc.exe qc wuauserv, then check the named dependency services. - Access denied: Reconnect with an approved administrator account and check whether security software or policy prevents service changes.
- Service starts and stops immediately: Review Windows event logs and update-management logs for the timestamped failure. Do not infer that the service is healthy merely because Start briefly succeeds.
- Pending restart: Complete the approved reboot if another servicing operation has left the server waiting for one, then test again.
Collect evidence before escalation
When the code persists after the documented checks, collect the exact error, service state, startup type, command output, update history, DISM and SFC results, free-space measurements, and the time range of the failure. In Event Viewer, inspect the Windows Update operational log under Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > WindowsUpdateClient > Operational when that log is available on the server.
Include relevant network or WSUS communication errors and any Group Policy result that shows a forced setting. Escalate through your organization’s Windows Server or patch-management support path with this evidence. Avoid deleting logs, repeatedly resetting caches, or changing several unrelated services at once; those actions make the original failure harder to isolate.
Quick Recap
Windows Server troubleshooting paths at a glance
| Situation | First action | Next escalation |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Update is Disabled or Stopped | Inspect wuauserv in Services or with sc.exe; set the policy-approved startup mode and start it. |
Check policy enforcement if the state changes back. |
| Service is Running but updates cannot download | Verify update source, DNS, proxy, firewall access, and free disk space. | Run the available troubleshooter and review update-management logs. |
| Downloads or installations repeatedly fail | Reset the SoftwareDistribution cache during maintenance. | Run DISM and SFC, then collect logs. |
| Server Core or remote session | Use elevated sc.exe, net, or PowerShell commands. |
Use the organization’s central update-management tools and server support process. |
Final verification checklist
- The error is recorded as
0x80070422, not the mistyped version with an extra zero. - The Windows Update service has the startup mode required by policy.
- The service remains Running long enough for an update check.
- The server can reach its approved update source.
- The Windows volume has adequate working space.
- The troubleshooter, cache reset, DISM, or SFC steps used were recorded with their results.
- The update history or management console confirms whether an update actually installed.
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