Problem checking for updates - Code 80240442 - Windows Update ran into a problem

Anonymous
2014-04-08T19:18:08+00:00

Just updated to 8.1 update 1 manually hoping that it would clear an issue I'm having with Windows update, but to no avail.  (Oh - and the error message before the Win8.1 Update 1 was 80244FFF.  I think it's the same issue, just a new number.)

I've not been able to connect to Windows Update for over a month, and nothing I've tried has managed to reset it. 

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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Anonymous
2014-08-13T22:37:43+00:00

bizarre, my update is working after months of failure. i am not joking. BUT only automatically. if i try to check for updates manually i receive the same error code and no updates

AND i believe i have the solution for all of these problems...

i needed to restart my modem. as soon as it had restarted, automatic updates worked. i think all who are suffering from this problem should at least give this a try. just unplug your modem, wait 30 seconds then re-plug in your modem or push the restart button. it is worth a try. 

paz from mexico

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-09-02T20:46:31+00:00

    I usually go with oldest first, unless I see something somewhere about an order.  If yours still boots, it is probably fine.  I heard it was a collection of updates, and it got pulled on the downloads too, just took longer.  At least one issue was related to fonts getting installed in the wrong spot, which could have just been from some program you installed that did that.

    The update issue either looked like bad update servers on Microsoft's end or some issue with UEFI BIOS and some OEMs that handle UEFI different from Microsoft.  I found a post with a workaround for the UEFI issue(http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/526163/uefi-secure-boot-may-cause-windows-updates-to-fail-with-error-code-0x800f0922/), but it doesn't work with 8.1 update 1.  Looking up the post again, I see a comment with more updates that have UEFI issues.  I haven't tried removing those yet, but that may fix my issue..  I run about 5 or 6 machines with almost the same software, and just one of them has the update issue.  It is also the only machine I have with UEFI that isn't Microsoft hardware too, so that makes sense as a cause of the issue, at least in my case.  I also noticed a difference in network traffic for machines that work vs machines that don't.  I sent the logs of each to their tier 2 and tier 3 support, but they could never figure it out.  All the way up the support chain, they insist that the issue isn't them...

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-09-02T20:23:56+00:00

    Thanks Korn 1699, but what other alternative is there??  I guess I should install the oldest ones first.  Do you know which was the August patch that caused machines to stop booting into Windows?  Or where I can find the information?

    And, why the people in MS, who are the "experts", do not tell us what to do?

    I just went back into the Win update from Control Panel and the same error appears.  Clearly it has to be a "glitch" in the software.  Why MS doesn't fix it?

    Thanks for sharing.

    CEC

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-09-02T19:26:40+00:00

    Sometimes the order that you install them matters, so you do want to be a little careful when you install them from there.  Also, if a bad update is pulled from windows update before it is taken off there, you could end up installing it (like the patch from August that would cause some machines to stop booting into Windows).  Those are just some things to be aware of.  I have been going there, since WSUS offline only seems to catch about half the updates I need...

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-09-02T19:18:02+00:00

    Hi, after many months without updating my PC Windows 8.1 I was finally able to download and update some files.  This is the place I went:

    http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/search/DownloadResults.aspx?FORM=DLC&ftapplicableproducts=%5e%22Windows%22&sortby=-availabledate&q=&first=311&ftfreeandpaid=Free

    Why the people in MS did not direct us there????

    I did download several updates my PC did no need, but that was easily resolved when I opened and ask the installer to proceed.  It informed me of the ones not needed and the ones not appropriate for my PC vs the ones that were important.

    I was directed to that page through "Ancestry.com" while trying to fix a bug with their Family tree maker software.

    Hope this helps other people too.

    CEC

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