Windows Update failed to check for updates with error 0x80248015

Question

Symptoms:

When 'Check for Updates' is clicked, the following error appears:
Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running. You may need to restart the computer.
In the WindowsUpdateClient Operational log, the following error appears:
Windows Update failed to check for updates with error 0x80248015

windows-update

windows-7

1 Answer

Stop the Windows Update service.
Services Manager
1. Press WinR to open the Run dialog.
2. In the "Open" field, type services.msc and click OK.
3. Right click on "Windows Update" and select "Stop".
Comand Line
This command must be run as Administrator.
```
net stop wuauserv
```
PowerShell
This command must be run as Administrator.
```
Stop-Service wuauserv
```
Delete the folder C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\
Windows Explorer
1. Press WinR to open the Run dialog.
2. In the "Open" field, type C:\Windows\ and click OK.
3. Right click on the SoftwareDistribution folder and select "Delete".
Comand Line
This command must be run as Administrator.
```
rmdir /S C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution
```
PowerShell
This command must be run as Administrator.
```
Remove-Item --path C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution --recurse
```
Restart the computer.
Open Windows Update again and click on "Check for Updates". The system should successfully find the updates, or report that none are available without any errors.

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