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11 October 2023  Ashley S. Miller  Specialist of Customer Service Dept.
 

Summary
Some Windows users encountered 0x80073701 error when updating the system, and do not know how to solve it. So this article sorts out several methods that can be used to fix this error, so as to help you solve your current troubles. In addition, I need to remind everyone that if you find data loss in the process of fixing errors, you can easily get it back through the methods in this article. As an article full of dry goods, it is recommended that you save it in advance.



Table of contents

table iconI. Why does Windows update error 0x80073701 appear?
table iconII. How to Fix Windows Update Error 0x80073701?
table iconIII. When important files are accidentally deleted, use Renee Undeleter
error code 0x80073701

I. Why does Windows update error 0x80073701 appear?

Error 0×80073701 usually occurs when the Windows system cannot perform updates normally. Although the appearance of this error will not have a major impact on your computer, it will directly cause you to be unable to install the latest Windows updates normally. Under normal circumstances, the reasons for this error are as follows: system files are damaged, attacked by malware or viruses; network connection failure; Windows Update service is not enabled, etc.
After understanding the relevant knowledge points about error 0×80073701, let’s learn how to fix this fault.

II. How to Fix Windows Update Error 0x80073701?

1. Run the SFC and DISM tools

The SFC (System File Checker) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) tools are Windows built-in utilities that scan system files for errors and fix them automatically. The following is the detailed usage method:
Step 1: Search (cmd) in the search box in the lower left corner, right-click the (Command Prompt) tool and select (Run as Administrator).
run as administrator
Step 2: In the opened command prompt window, enter the command (SFC /scannow) and press the (Enter) key. Next, System File Checker will perform a system scan and fix problematic system files. If the problem is not resolved, please continue to the next step.
Enter the SFC command
Step 3: Type (Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth) in the opened Command Prompt window and press the (Enter) key to repair the corrupted system image file. After the command is executed, restart the computer and check whether the current problem is resolved.
Run the dism command

2. Clear the Software Distribution folder

The Software Distribution folder is used by the Windows operating system to temporarily store files that may be needed to install Windows updates. Sometimes the Software Distribution folder can cause problems with Windows updates. In some cases, resetting it can fix the 0×80073701 error. The specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Run the computer, search (cmd) in the search box in the lower left corner, and select (run as administrator) to open the command prompt tool.
run as administrator
Step 2: In the opened command prompt window, enter the following commands and press the (Enter) key after each command.
net stop bits
net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
Step 3: Next, press the (Windows+R) keys simultaneously to open the Run window, then copy and paste (C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution) into the text box and press the (OK) key to open the Software on your computer Distribution folder.
run software distribution
Step 4: Select all the files listed in the Software Distribution folder, right mouse button on them and delete all files.
delete the files of software distribution
Step 5: After that, enter the following commands in the Command Prompt window and press the (Enter) key after each command. After the command is executed, restart the computer to check whether the problem is resolved.
net start bits
net start wuauserv
net start bits

3. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Windows Update Troubleshooter is a system update troubleshooting tool built into the Windows system, which can help users troubleshoot and fix most of the problems encountered during the system update process. Here are the detailed steps to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter:
Step 1: Run the computer, press the (Windows+I) key on the keyboard at the same time to open the setting interface. Then click into the (Update and Security) option.
windows updates and security
Step 2: Find (Troubleshoot) in the left function bar, then select the “Windows Update” option on the right, and click the (Run the troubleshooter) button. Wait a few moments after troubleshooting is complete to see if the problem is resolved. Some versions of Windows require clicking (Other Troubleshoots) first to find the “Windows Update” option.
run windows update troubleshooter

4. Restart the Windows Update service

The 0×80073701 error may occur if the Windows Update service, Background Intelligent Transfer service, and Workstation service are not properly enabled on your computer. Therefore, you can enable the above services according to the following method, and the specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Run the computer and press the (Windows+R) keys simultaneously to open the Run window. Next, type (Services.msc) and press the (OK) button to open the Services window.
enter services.msc in run
Step 2: Next, find (Windows Update), (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) and (Workstation) services in turn in the “Services” window, and open them one by one by double-clicking the left mouse button.
Windows updates
Step 3: After that, select (Automatic) under the “Startup Type” option in the detailed setting interface of the three services in turn. After that press the (Start) button and press (OK). After setup is complete, restart your computer and see if the problem is resolved.
startup type of Windows update
Above, are several ways to solve Windows update error 0×80073701. If you accidentally delete important files in the process of fixing errors, you can also use the following content to retrieve the lost data, let’s continue to learn.

III. When important files are accidentally deleted, use Renee Undeleter

1. What is Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter is a software specially designed to restore various data files. When you accidentally delete important files, empty the recycle bin, or format the disk/storage, you can use this tool to find the lost data back. This software covers four functional modules, including file recovery, format recovery, partition recovery and image creation, so it can help you solve many data loss problems that may occur during system use in an all-round way, which is very convenient.
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Multiple scan modes Fast partition/whole partition/whole disk scan;

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2. How to recover accidentally deleted files with Renee Undeleter?

Restoring files with Renee Undeleter is very simple, the specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Download, install and run Renee Undeleter on a Windows computer, and select Fast Partition Scan on the main interface.
Note: Do not install the software on the disk that needs to recover data, so as not to cause data overwriting. In addition, after the file is lost, please do not save new data to the same disk partition, so as not to damage or completely lose the lost file.
how to recover photos from sd card select the function fast partition scan in renee undeleter
Step 2: Next, select the partition where the lost data is located and click on Next.
scan disk with Renee Undeleter
Step 3: Select the Fast Scan option and click the Next button to scan.
Tips: The quick scan mode only scans the first 30GB of the remaining space of the selected disk. If the desired file is not found after scanning, you can use the deep scan mode to try to scan the hard disk partition again. It will take more time, but more data can be scanned.
select fast scan mode in renee undeleter
Step 4: Wait for the scan to complete, you can double-click the file to preview, then check the file to be recovered, click the Recover button to restore the file to another disk.
select the target files to recover in fast partition scan