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
    2014-07-04T08:28:21+00:00

    Hello Wilson,

    Thank you again for replying.

    I appreciate your time, patience and dedication towards resolving the issue.

    It seems that update is not installed properly. I would suggest you to uninstall the other update(which is the same one as you uninstalled earlier), perform clean boot and again try to install the same update.

    It is possible that any third party program or software may be causing the issue.

    Refer this article:

    How to perform a clean boot in Windows

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

    Note: After you have finished troubleshooting, follow these steps from section “How to reset the computer to start as usual after clean boot troubleshooting” to reset the computer to start as usual.

    I hope this helps.

    Thank you

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-07-13T14:02:54+00:00

    Followed those instructions... No joy.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-07-15T08:57:25+00:00

    Hello Andy,

    Thank you for your response.

    Did you try using my response on June 4, 2014?

    Please try those suggestions and reply with results. We will be glad to assist you further.

    Thank you

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-07-15T17:32:50+00:00

    I hate to say it, but sometime last week Windows Update suddenly started working for me. I have been dealing with the 80240442 error (which was the 80244FFF error before the 8.1 Update 1) since sometime last November. Ever since updating to Windows 8.1. 9 months! And suddenly it started working. I've seen others report this over the last few  months and always had my doubts. I don't see how this could just start working after it hadn't for so long. But now it happened to me. If something changed on my system that caused it to start working I unfortunately can't pin-point what changed. I hadn't checked for updates in over a month. I had been applying Windows Updates the last 9 months by using the Internet Explorer - LAN Settings temporary workaround, which knocks you off-line and had become a nuisance that I'd recently been putting off longer and longer.

    Maybe it was a third party program I removed, or a graphics card driver I updated. Maybe it was a Microsoft Security Essentials update I applied, which when done directly through MSE/Windows Defender worked. Maybe it was a change made by my ISP or their DNS.

    After 9 months I really I wish I knew what the fix was. If I discover anything or the problem comes back I'll update this thread.

    Good luck to those of you still dealing with this.

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