As someone who always likes to keep their system up to date, it can be frustrating to encounter bugs or glitches that keep you from doing so. Many people have reported the error code 0x80070020 while installing Windows Updates and if you are one of them, keep reading as we’ll be showing you exactly how to fix this error.
Similar to other Windows errors like 0xc19001e1, 80072f8f, 0x8e5e03fa and 0x80070424, the download error – 0x80070020 also occurs while updating & installing Windows, and is usually caused by a program that’s interfering with the Automatic Update Process. Fortunately, there are some straightforward and effective methods that you can follow to get rid of the error 0x80070020. Let us assist you in this easy-to-follow guide.
The Windows 10 upgrade error 0x80070020 can occur when installing the downloaded Windows Updates. Sometimes, it can also occur when you are upgrading to Windows 10 from an older version. It’s important to know what’s causing the error, and the most probable causes are one of the following:
Now that you know what might be one of the factors responsible for the error code 0x80070020, it’s time to resolve the issue by following the methods below.
It’s best to eliminate these errors as soon as you encounter them, since letting them hang in there for too long can result in slower performance or other avoidable issues. Make sure you follow the steps correctly, and it’s also a good idea to back up your important data before proceeding.
As mentioned above, one of the most common causes of the 0x80070020 error is when a third-party antivirus software like Norton, McAfee or Kaspersky is affecting Windows Updates. To ensure that this is not the case, you need to disable it temporarily, and then try installing the Updates to see if it works.
To disable your Antivirus software, all you have to do is locate the antivirus icon on the taskbar (if you can’t find it on the taskbar, click on the arrow near the notifications area). Then right click on the icon and select disable option. After you’ve done that retry Windows Update to see if the error code 0x80070020 still persists.
If disabling the antivirus works, we suggest that you switch to a different antivirus software or reinstall the same. Note that antivirus can help protect your PC against viruses and threats, so if you have to temporarily disable it for some reason, you should enable it back as soon as you’re finished.
Windows 10 has a built-in Update troubleshooter that can help diagnose and resolve problems related to updates. We suggest you run this troubleshooter to check if the issue is with Windows Update in your PC.
Follow these steps to run the Update Troubleshooter:
Resetting the Windows Update Components will configure registry keys and Windows Update services to their default settings. Please note that this might be risky if you don’t know what you’re doing, and we recommend creating a System Restore Point to avoid serious problems if anything goes wrong.
Carefully follow these instructions on how to rest Windows Update Components manually.
net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver
Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) is one of the Windows Updates Components. If it is corrupted your system will have trouble fetching Updates from the servers, which might cause Windows 10 upgrade error 0x80070020. Simply restart BITS by following these steps:
A Clean Boot refers to when you start Windows with a limited set of programs and drivers, so that you can determine if there is any background program that’s causing any problem. As this keeps third-party software and antivirus from automatically starting when you boot up, you are able to pinpoint the cause of the error.
To perform a clean boot, use the following steps:
We just showed you the most effective ways to fix the download error – 0x80070020. Hopefully you’ve succeeded in updating your Windows PC normally after performing the methods listed above. If you have any other solution to the error 0x80070020 or are stuck in any of the steps we discussed, feel free to reach out to us in the comments section below.