How To Fix: I Can No Longer Update My Computer – Error(s) found: Code 80070005

This problem is from my own computer a short while ago. I first noticed there was an issue when a little ! mark in a yellowish shield appeared on my Start Menu. When I put my mouse over the shutdown button it states Install updates and then shuts down the computer.

No matter how many times I restart, it never goes away. Then I restarted my computer one day and the Action Center flag pops up with the message Windows could not check for updates automatically (Important). I open up the Update window and it wants me to install an update for Windows Update –

To check for updates, you must first install an update for Windows Update.
Your automatic updating settings will not change.
To install the update, Windows Update will automatically close and re-open.

There is a Install Now button. So I click on it. Windows update closes and then opens again with the error message –

Windows could not search for updates –
An error occurred while checking for new updates for your computer.
Error(s) found: Code 80070005 Windows Update encountered an unknown error.

There is a Try again button that I can click till the cows come home.

Things I tried to no avail:

• Tried a solution that worked for bad updates in the past. That is to stop the update service, rename the C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution folder and restart the update.
• sfc /scannow (the most worthless piece of software embedded into Windows. I’ve been fixing computers for years and have yet to see this fix anything.)
• check disk
• I tried the program Complete Internet Repair – it includes an option to fix Windows update: www.rizonesoft.com/downloads/
• Found a possible solution online involving a program called “subinacl.msi” and creating a reset.bat: answers.microsoft.com/
• Scanned for malware, no issues. Everything else seems to working OK except Windows update.

I also noticed in the Control Panel> Administrative Tools > Services > – I couldn’t change the Windows Update service Startup Type – the entire setting was grayed out and unusable. The error message seemed to indicate that the update utility itself was supposed to be updated but something went wrong.

I went searching online some more and finally came across a solution suggesting two utilities:

• Windows Update Troubleshooter (from Microsoft)
• Fix WU (from The Windows Club)

To be on the safe side I ran both, the Troubleshooter first and then Fix WU, and then restarted the computer…  sure enough, finally it worked. I had 14 updates waiting to download.