[Solved] Fix Error Code 80246005 in Windows 10/8.1/7 – 5 Solutions

To fix Windows Update error code 80246005, you need to apply small fixes.

You need to provide permission to an important system folder.  Then you need to check and restart a few services.

Windows 10 has the inherent advantage of quick updates. But when it’s stalled, your PC or laptop is at risk.

In such cases, you need to fight the root cause of error code 80246005 to make Windows updates work again.

I had two KB Windows updates showing the above problem. It was asking to “Try again”. I did it several times, but the error still remained.

Before you apply the below fixes, make sure your computer if free from firewalls, antispyware software, web accelerators, antivirus programs, and proxy servers kind of errors.

You can make use of Microsoft Defender or Microsoft Security Essentials to run a scan of your system.

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Cause of Error Code 80246005

This can occur in Windows 7 or 8.1 or 10.  You might read that it is because of virus or malware. But it is not. This is a Windows Update error code. So you need to restart services related to Windows Update process.

The Catroot2 folder might not have write permission, which is one of the cause. Then there are two other services which are not running. These are – 1. Cryptographic Services 2. Windows Installer.

Source: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_other/error-code-80246005/94a9434b-948c-4183-986e-ddf062724ae7

These are two main culprits for error code 80246005.

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You can send Windows Diagnostic information to Microsoft Support team for analysis. But this will take time and you need to be an expert to find the key details.

Microsoft has released a document related to Windows Update errors. Some of the commonly seen error codes are – 0x0xc1900223223; 0x80240034; 0x8007000E, 0x80242006​, 0x80244018​, 0x80D02002​, 0x80246017​, 0x80240438​, 0x80070070​, 0x8007000D​, 0x80246008​, 0x80096004​, 0x80070020.

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In this post we are going to see 5 solutions to fix error code 80246005 to make Windows Update work again.

Fix #1:  Restart Windows Installer service

This is the best fix of all the below solutions to fix windows update error.

1. Press Win + R and Run dialog opens.
2. Type services.msc.
3. Click the tab “Standard”.
4. Then sort the services based on name.
5. Go to “Windows Installer” service.
6. Generally, it is set to “Manual” and stopped.
7. You can try to start it. If it is running, stop it and restart it.
8. Then you can set the Startup Type also as “Automatic”.

This worked for me in Windows 7.

Fix #2: Provide Write permission to Catroot2 folder.

If Windows Update process fails to write files to Catroot2 folder, then also this error can occur.

So you need to remove read permission for that folder. Or give access to Windows Update to write to this folder.

This can be done in this way.

1. Press the Win key and type “cmd”.
2. Right-click the command prompt app and run as administrator.
3. In older versions of Windows 10, you can also right-click the Start button and find it.
4. Command prompt window opens.
5. Type the following commands.

attrib -h -s -r c:\windows\system32\catroot2
attrib -h -s -r c:\windows\system32\catroot2\*.*

6. C: is the Windows drive or where Windows 10 is installed.
7. Press Enter after each command.

This will give write access to Catroot2 folder to Windows Update program.

Fix #3: Start, Stop, Restart Cryptographic Service

This is another service which causes the error code 80246005.

1. Open “Services” as mentioned earlier.
2. Find the “Cryptographic Services”.
3. Stop and Restart it, if it is running.
4. Otherwise, just start it.

Fix #4: Start BITS, Windows Update and other Services

In Windows 10, you can find some other services related to Windows Update. These are the following.

1. Background Intelligent Transfer Service
2. Windows Update
3. Windows Defender Firewall

Also make sure your system time is correct. Check whether your CMOS battery is working on your laptop or pc. Otherwise, update to the latest time using Internet services.

These are the two main services connected to update Windows 10 or 8.1 to the latest version. If they are not working, then also error code 80246005 can occur.

You can start them. Otherwise, restart them.

Fix #5: Windows Update Troubleshooter

This can be done in different ways in Windows 7 or 10. I will mention the new method in Windows 10.

1. Press Win + I keys together to open Settings.
2. Click on “Update & Security”.
3. Scroll through, to click on “Troubleshoot”.
4. On the right-hand side, you should see “Windows Update”.
5. Click it. “Run the troubleshooter” button should be available.
6. This will run the Windows Update troubleshooter program in Windows 10.

Many-a-times, it will fix error code 80246005 problems.

Conclusion

The above mentioned 5 methods should work to cure error code 80246005 in Windows 10 or 7. The interface might look different in Windows 7 or 8.1 or 10. But the steps are similar.

You just have to provide write access to Catroot2 folder and restart a few other services.

This should make Windows Update healthy and up and running again.