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Verify the code before troubleshooting
Error codes are digit-specific. Microsoft documents 0x80070422 as a Windows Update service condition, while the longer string 0x800070422 is not identified in the Microsoft references for this problem. The extra zero may come from a typing mistake, OCR, or a copied screenshot. Applying a fix for 0x80070422 to a different error could waste time or hide the real cause.
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Read the original Windows message
- Open the Windows Update page or the dialog that reported the failure.
- Zoom in or copy the code exactly, including every zero.
- Compare it with
0x80070422. The documented code has eight hexadecimal characters after the0xprefix:80070422. - If you have only a screenshot or a typed note showing
0x800070422, return to the original dialog and confirm it before following the steps below.
If the confirmed code is not 0x80070422, stop here and use the exact code to find the matching Microsoft troubleshooting instructions. The procedure in this guide is specifically for the documented Windows Update service error.
What 0x80070422 means
Microsoft’s error table associates this condition with ERROR_SERVICE_DISABLED and directs you to check whether the Windows Update service is running. In practical terms, Windows Update cannot perform its work while that service is disabled or stopped. The first repair therefore changes one service setting rather than modifying system files or reinstalling Windows.
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This is a relatively reversible change. You can inspect the service, change its startup type, start it, and return to the same Properties window if you need to review the setting. Use an administrator account if Windows asks for elevated permission.
Fix 0x80070422 by enabling Windows Update
Open the Services console
- Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
- Type
services.msc. - Press Enter. If User Account Control asks whether to allow the console to make changes, choose Yes.
Set the service to Automatic and start it
- In the Services list, locate Windows Update. The list is alphabetical, so scrolling to the entries beginning with “Windows” can be faster than browsing randomly.
- Double-click Windows Update to open its Properties.
- Open the Startup type menu and choose Automatic.
- Look at Service status. If it says Stopped, select Start.
- Select Apply, then OK to close the Properties window.
If the service was already running, still confirm that its Startup type is not set to Disabled. Do not close the Services console until the new setting has been applied.
Restart and check for updates
- Restart the computer from Start > Power > Restart.
- After signing in, open Windows Update. In Windows 11, use Settings > Windows Update. In Windows 10, use Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
- Select Check for updates.
- Allow the scan to finish. If updates are offered, install them and restart when Windows requests it.
A restart matters because it reloads the service configuration and clears a pending service state. If Windows Update now scans normally, the disabled or stopped service was the immediate cause.
Run the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter
Use the troubleshooter if the service change did not clear the error, if the service stopped again, or if Windows still reports that it cannot install updates. The path differs by Windows version.
| Windows version | Settings path | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 | Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters | Find Windows Update, select Run, and follow the prompts. |
| Windows 10 | Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters | Select Windows Update, then choose Run the troubleshooter. |
- Close work that could be interrupted by a restart.
- Open the path for your Windows version.
- Run the Windows Update troubleshooter and apply any recommended action it presents.
- Restart when the troubleshooter finishes, even if it does not report a dramatic change.
- Return to Windows Update and select Check for updates again.
The troubleshooter is a lower-risk step than command-line component repair: it uses Windows’ own diagnostic workflow and does not require you to type a repair command. It can, however, report that it found no problem; that result does not prove that every Windows Update component is healthy.
Repair Windows components with DISM
If Windows Update remains broken after the service and troubleshooter steps, Microsoft places the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool (DISM) in the repair path for possible Windows component or file corruption. DISM requires an elevated Command Prompt.
Open an administrator Command Prompt
- Open the Start menu and type Command Prompt.
- In the search results, select Run as administrator.
- Approve the User Account Control prompt.
Use Command Prompt rather than an un-elevated window. Without administrator rights, DISM may fail before it can inspect or repair the Windows image.
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Type the following command exactly, including spaces and forward slashes, then press Enter:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth/Online tells DISM to work on the Windows installation currently running. /Cleanup-Image selects image servicing, and /RestoreHealth asks DISM to detect and repair component-store corruption. Let the operation finish; interrupting it by closing the window or powering off the computer can leave the repair incomplete.
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Restart after DISM
- When DISM returns to the command prompt, close the window.
- Restart Windows.
- Open the Windows Update page for your version.
- Select Check for updates and test the update process again.
DISM is a deeper and less easily reversible step than changing a service startup setting. Use it after the simpler checks, and type only the command shown above. If DISM itself displays an error, record that separate code; it may require a different repair path than 0x80070422.
Choose the next step by risk, access and diagnostic depth
| Step | Risk and reversibility | Required access | What it checks or changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect Windows Update in Services | Low; the startup setting can be changed again. | Services console; administrator approval may be requested. | Whether the Windows Update service is disabled or stopped. |
| Run Windows Update troubleshooter | Low; Windows applies its own recommended actions. | Standard Settings access, with permission prompts if needed. | Common Windows Update configuration and service conditions. |
| Run DISM | Higher; it repairs the Windows component store and should be allowed to complete. | Administrator Command Prompt. | Possible corruption in Windows components or files used by update servicing. |
This order keeps the least invasive, most reversible checks first. It also separates a service-state problem from a broader component-repair problem instead of changing several variables at once.
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Recheck the digits
Return to the original failure message and verify whether it says 0x80070422 or the title’s 0x800070422. If the latter is confirmed, this guide does not establish what that code means. Search using the exact string from the dialog or consult Microsoft’s documentation for that specific code rather than assuming the extra zero is harmless.
Confirm the service state again
- Open
services.mscagain. - Open Windows Update.
- Check that Startup type remains Automatic.
- Check that the service status is Running. If it is stopped, select Start, apply the setting, restart, and test Windows Update once more.
If the setting repeatedly returns to Disabled or the service stops immediately, note exactly what happens and any message Windows displays. That behavior is no longer a simple one-time startup-state correction and may need version-specific support.
Run the sequence once, in order
When troubleshooting has been interrupted by several reboots or partial changes, use a clean sequence: verify the code, set Windows Update to Automatic, start it, apply the change, restart, run the version-appropriate troubleshooter, restart again, and use DISM only if the earlier steps fail. Testing after each stage shows which change affected the result and avoids running deeper repair commands unnecessarily.
Windows 10 support context in 2026
Microsoft states: After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10.
That date has passed. A Windows 10 computer may still display Windows Update errors, but the end of free support changes what “success” means: some update expectations are no longer applicable to the retired support period.
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For a Windows 10 user in 2026, first decide whether the computer should remain on Windows 10 or move to a supported Windows 11 installation, if the hardware and edition qualify. Fixing 0x80070422 can restore the update service, but it cannot extend Windows 10’s ended free support or create security fixes that Microsoft no longer supplies through that channel.
Safety and recovery notes
- Changing the Windows Update startup type to Automatic is the documented first-line correction for 0x80070422; record the original setting if you are troubleshooting a managed work computer.
- Do not disable Windows Update as a workaround. That recreates the service condition associated with this code.
- Use an elevated Command Prompt only for the DISM command shown here. Avoid pasting unrelated commands from unverified sources.
- Keep the computer connected to power during DISM and during an update installation so an interruption does not leave either operation incomplete.
- If the machine is managed by an employer or school, an administrator policy may control service settings. Contact that administrator rather than repeatedly overriding a setting that reverts.
Final checklist
- Confirm whether the dialog says
0x80070422or0x800070422. - For
0x80070422, openservices.msc. - Set Windows Update to Automatic.
- Start the service if it is stopped, then select Apply and OK.
- Restart and select Check for updates.
- Run the Windows Update troubleshooter for Windows 11 or Windows 10 if the error remains.
- Run
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealthfrom an administrator Command Prompt if component corruption is suspected. - Restart and test Windows Update again.
- If Windows 10 is involved, account for Microsoft’s October 14, 2025 end of free updates, technical assistance and security fixes.
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The Bottom Line
For the documented Windows Update error, verify the digits first, enable and start the Windows Update service, restart, run the built-in troubleshooter, and use DISM only if the simpler steps fail. The string 0x800070422 is not established as the same error, so confirm it from the original Windows message before proceeding.
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