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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWindows Update error 0x80073701 means Windows could not find a referenced assembly. Microsoft associates it typically with component-store corruption, often when a component is only partly installed. Start with the built-in repair sequence: run DISM, then System File Checker (SFC), restart, and try the update again.
What error 0x80073701 means
The code maps to ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING: a referenced Windows assembly could not be found. Microsoft says component-store corruption is a typical cause, including a component left in a partially installed state. The code alone does not identify the missing component or establish that every failure has the same cause. Microsoft’s error-code guidance describes the error and its repair approach.
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Run DISM, then SFC
Use an administrator Command Prompt. Let each command finish before starting the next; interrupting servicing can leave the repair incomplete.
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Open Start, type
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Run
Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealthand wait for it to complete. DISM repairs the Windows component store; by default, it ordinarily obtains repair files through Windows Update. -
After DISM completes, run
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Restart Windows, then retry the update that failed.
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Microsoft recommends this order—DISM before SFC—in its instructions for repairing missing or corrupted system files, as well as in its error-code guidance. These are first-line repair steps, not a guarantee for every update or package-specific failure.
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If DISM cannot get repair files through Windows Update
If Windows Update is unavailable or its client is not working, DISM can use suitable repair files from a running Windows installation or a Windows side-by-side folder on network storage or removable media. Microsoft documents this form:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:RepairSourceWindows /LimitAccess
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C:RepairSourceWindows is an illustrative path, not a location that exists on every PC. Replace it with the path to your actual repair source, and make sure that source is suitable for the Windows installation being repaired. /LimitAccess prevents DISM from using Windows Update as a repair source. See Microsoft’s repair-source guidance before using this option.
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If the repair fails or the update still will not install
Check %windir%LogsCBSCBS.log for servicing details. A log entry may help identify the component involved, but the error code by itself is not enough to choose a package-specific repair.
Microsoft notes that a component-store repair may require manually supplying payload for the partially installed component. That is a targeted troubleshooting step: identify the failing component first rather than running an assumed repair command. If you need help diagnosing it, retain the CBS log details along with your Windows edition and build, the failing update’s KB number, and the complete DISM and SFC results.
Should you run StartComponentCleanup?
Microsoft documented dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup as a workaround for recurring 0x80073701 errors affecting Windows 10 versions 1809 and 1903. In that version-specific guidance, the sequence is to retry the update, run the command in an elevated Command Prompt, wait for it to finish, restart, and check for updates again. This is a historical workaround for those versions, not a universal instruction for every current Windows release. See Microsoft’s version-specific article.
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