Missing Windows update services usually cause this error. As such, here are a few troubleshooting steps to help fix this error as quickly as possible.
What Causes the 0x80070424 Error?
Windows update error 0x80070424 has existed since Windows XP. The error code 0x80070424 denotes the specified service does not exist. In this instance, the service in question is the one required to install Windows updates.
To resolve the error, we need to restore the missing services in the registry. Here’s how to do it.
1. Run Windows Update Troubleshooter
Windows Update troubleshooter is a built-in utility to scan and fix issues that may prevent your PC from installing critical updates.
To run Windows Update troubleshooter:
Press the Win + I to open Settings. Go to Update and Security. Open the Troubleshoot tab from the left pane. In the right pane, check if any troubleshooting options are available. If not, click on the Additional troubleshooter link. Under the Get up and running section, click on Windows Update. Click the Run the troubleshooter button. It will scan the system for issues affecting Windows Update services and recommend steps accordingly. Apply the suggested fixes and check for any improvements.
2. Restart Update Services
You will not be able to install updates if a Windows Update service is missing or isn’t running in the background. Microsoft allows you to manually determine the status and restart the service through the Services snap-in. Here’s how to do it.
Press the Windows key + R to open Run. Type services. msc and click OK to open Services. In the Services window, scroll down and look for the Windows Update service. Right-click on the service and select Restart if it is not running. Click Next, double-click on the Service and set Startup type to Automatic. Click Apply to save the changes. Next, look for the Background Intelligent Transfer Service and Cryptographic Service and repeat the steps to restart the services.
3. Restore Windows Update Services (wuaserv)
If the Windows Update service is missing in the Services Snap-in, you can restore the missing registry entries by running a registry file as administrator. Copy and paste the following code in a notepad file, save it with reg extension and then execute it to restore the required Windows Update services. Here’s how to do it.
Type notepad in the Windows search and click on the relevant result to open the app. Copy and paste the following code into the notepad file: Windows Registry Editor Version 5. 00[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv]“DependOnService”=hex(7):72,00,70,00,63,00,73,00,73,00,00,00,00,00"Description"="@%systemroot%\system32\wuaueng. dll,-106"“DisplayName”=“Windows Update"“ErrorControl”=dword:00000001"FailureActions”=hex:80,51,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,14,00,00,\00,01,00,00,00,60,ea,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00"ImagePath"=hex(2):25,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,72,00,6f,00,6f,00,\74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,\00,76,00,63,00,68,00,6f,00,73,00,74,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,2d,00,\6b,00,20,00,6e,00,65,00,74,00,73,00,76,00,63,00,73,00,20,00,2d,00,70,00,00,\00"ObjectName"=“LocalSystem"“RequiredPrivileges”=hex(7):53,00,65,00,41,00,75,00,64,00,69,00,74,00,50,00,72,\00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,\65,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,47,00,6c,00,6f,00,62,00,61,00,6c,00,50,00,72,00,69,\00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,65,00,\61,00,74,00,65,00,50,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,50,00,72,\00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,54,00,63,00,\62,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,\00,41,00,73,00,73,00,69,00,67,00,6e,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,6d,00,61,00,72,00,\79,00,54,00,6f,00,6b,00,65,00,6e,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,\00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6d,00,70,00,65,00,72,00,73,00,6f,00,\6e,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,\00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6e,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,73,00,65,00,51,00,\75,00,6f,00,74,00,61,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,\00,00,00,53,00,65,00,53,00,68,00,75,00,74,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,6e,00,50,00,\72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,44,00,65,\00,62,00,75,00,67,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,\00,00,53,00,65,00,42,00,61,00,63,00,6b,00,75,00,70,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,\00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,52,00,65,00,73,00,74,00,\6f,00,72,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,\00,53,00,65,00,53,00,65,00,63,00,75,00,72,00,69,00,74,00,79,00,50,00,72,00,\69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,54,00,61,00,6b,\00,65,00,4f,00,77,00,6e,00,65,00,72,00,73,00,68,00,69,00,70,00,50,00,72,00,\69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,4c,00,6f,00,61,\00,64,00,44,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,65,00,72,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,\6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,4d,00,61,00,6e,00,61,00,67,00,65,\00,56,00,6f,00,6c,00,75,00,6d,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,\65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,45,\00,6e,00,76,00,69,00,72,00,6f,00,6e,00,6d,00,65,00,6e,00,74,00,50,00,72,00,\69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,65,\00,61,00,74,00,65,00,53,00,79,00,6d,00,62,00,6f,00,6c,00,69,00,63,00,4c,00,\69,00,6e,00,6b,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,\00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6e,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,73,00,65,00,42,00,61,00,\73,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,6f,00,72,00,69,00,74,00,79,00,50,00,72,00,69,\00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,00,00"ServiceSidType”=dword:00000001"Start"=dword:00000003"SvcMemHardLimitInMB"=dword:000000f6"SvcMemMidLimitInMB"=dword:000000a7"SvcMemSoftLimitInMB"=dword:00000058"Type"=dword:00000020[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv\Parameters]“ServiceDll”=hex(2):25,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,72,00,6f,00,6f,\00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,\77,00,75,00,61,00,75,00,65,00,6e,00,67,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,00,00"ServiceDllUnloadOnStop"=dword:00000001"ServiceMain"=“WUServiceMain”[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv\Security]“Security”=hex:01,00,14,80,78,00,00,00,84,00,00,00,14,00,00,00,30,00,00,00,02,\00,1c,00,01,00,00,00,02,80,14,00,ff,00,0f,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,\00,00,02,00,48,00,03,00,00,00,00,00,14,00,9d,00,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,\05,0b,00,00,00,00,00,18,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,\20,02,00,00,00,00,14,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00,01,\01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv\TriggerInfo][HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv\TriggerInfo\0]“Type”=dword:00000005"Action"=dword:00000001"Guid"=hex:e6,ca,9f,65,db,5b,a9,4d,b1,ff,ca,2a,17,8d,46,e0[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv\TriggerInfo\1]“Type”=dword:00000005"Action"=dword:00000001"Guid"=hex:c8,46,fb,54,89,f0,4c,46,b1,fd,59,d1,b6,2c,3b,50 Next, click on File and select Save as. Rename the file as Windows_update. reg. Click the drop-down for Save as type and select All Files. Then, click Save to save the file. Doble-click on the Windows_update. reg file and click Yes to provide the required permission to run the registry file. Once the success message appears, click OK to and restart your PC.
The registry file will restore the Windows Update service registry keys for your system. To confirm, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv in the Registry Editor.
After the restart, press the Windows key + R, type services.msc, and click OK. Next, locate and right-click on the Windows Update service and select Restart/Start.
Next, go to Settings > Update & Security and check if the error 0x80070424 is resolved and you can install pending updates.
4. Scan Your Computer for Malware
A malware infection can corrupt or delete essential system files like Windows Update services and trigger the 0x80070424 Microsoft Store error. If you were able to restore Windows Update files with the registry hack and the services vanished soon after triggering the same error, check for malware infection.
Perform a complete scan to find traces of any virus in your computer. If you don’t have an antivirus installed, download and install Malwarebytes. It is an excellent antivirus and comes with a fully functional trial.
5. Reset Windows Update Services Using a Batch File
If you determine your PC to be clear of malware issues, try resetting critical Windows update services. While you can reset these services manually, using a batch script will expedite this otherwise time-consuming process. Here’s how to do it.
Press the Windows key + R to open Run. Type notepad and click OK to open the app. Copy and paste the following command into the notepad. net stop bitsnet stop wuauservnet stop appidsvcnet stop cryptsvcDel “%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader*. *“rmdir %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution /S /Qrmdir %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 /S /Qsc. exe sdset bits D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)sc. exe sdset wuauserv D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)cd /d %windir%\system32regsvr32. exe /s atl. dllregsvr32. exe /s urlmon. dllregsvr32. exe /s mshtml. dllregsvr32. exe /s shdocvw. dllregsvr32. exe /s browseui. dllregsvr32. exe /s jscript. dllregsvr32. exe /s vbscript. dllregsvr32. exe /s scrrun. dllregsvr32. exe /s msxml. dllregsvr32. exe /s msxml3. dllregsvr32. exe /s msxml6. dllregsvr32. exe /s actxprxy. dllregsvr32. exe /s softpub. dllregsvr32. exe /s wintrust. dllregsvr32. exe /s dssenh. dllregsvr32. exe /s rsaenh. dllregsvr32. exe /s gpkcsp. dllregsvr32. exe /s sccbase. dllregsvr32. exe /s slbcsp. dllregsvr32. exe /s cryptdlg. dllregsvr32. exe /s oleaut32. dllregsvr32. exe /s ole32. dllregsvr32. exe /s shell32. dllregsvr32. exe /s initpki. dllregsvr32. exe /s wuapi. dllregsvr32. exe /s wuaueng. dllregsvr32. exe /s wuaueng1. dllregsvr32. exe /s wucltui. dllregsvr32. exe /s wups. dllregsvr32. exe /s wups2. dllregsvr32. exe /s wuweb. dllregsvr32. exe /s qmgr. dllregsvr32. exe /s qmgrprxy. dllregsvr32. exe /s wucltux. dllregsvr32. exe /s muweb. dllregsvr32. exe /s wuwebv. dllnetsh winsock resetnetsh winsock reset proxynet start bitsnet start wuauservnet start appidsvcnet start cryptsvc Click on File and select Save as. Rename the file as Windows. bat. Click the Save as type drop-down and select All Files. Then, click Save to save the file. Right-click on the Windows. bat file and select Run as administrator. Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control.
Wait for your PC to run the script successfully and then restart the PC. After the restart, open Update & Security to see if the error is resolved.
6. Perform a Windows Factory Reset
Factory resetting Windows 10 will install the OS, restoring missing Windows update service files. You can use the built-in Reset option to reset your computer without affecting your personal files. However, this will remove third-party apps installed on your PC. Refer to our detailed guide on different ways to factory reset your Windows computer for more details.
Fixing the Windows Update Error 0x80070424
The Windows update error 0x80070424 is usually triggered if a critical Windows update service is missing from your PC. Try restarting the services manually to resolve the issue. If the issue persists, execute the registry file hack to restore the essential services and fix the error.
