You may receive an error message when you search for available updates on the Windows Update Web site or on the Microsoft Update Web site (883821)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Update, when used with:
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition
    • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
    • Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
    • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
    • Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows Update, when used with:
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition
    • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
    • Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
    • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
    • Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server

SYMPTOMS

When you try to connect to the Microsoft Windows Update Web site or to connect to the Microsoft Update Web site, you may receive one of the following error codes:
  • 0x800A0046
  • 0x80248011
  • 0x80072EE7
  • 0x8024402C
  • 0x8024502D
  • 0x800A01AD

CAUSE

  • The 0x800A0046 error code may occur if one of the following conditions is true:
    • The user logon account belongs to the Guests or Limited account groups.
    • The security descriptor does not let authenticated users run Windows Update or Microsoft Update.
    • The Impersonate a client after authentication policy is missing the Administrator and Service account from the list of Users and Groups.
  • The 0x80248011 error code may occur when there is an issue with the database that stores Windows Update information or Microsoft Update information on your computer.
  • The 0x80072EE7 error code may occur if the client computer cannot find the correct IP address when it tries to resolve a URL for the Windows Update Web site or for the Microsoft Update Web site. This error may occur if the Hosts file contains a static IP address.
  • The 0x8024402C or 0x8024502D error codes typically occur because an incorrect character exists in the proxy override settings.
  • The 0x800A01AD error code may occur if the Wuaueng.dll file is missing or is not registered correctly.

RESOLUTION

0x800A0046 error code

To resolve this error, use one of the following methods:

Method 1: Remove the user account that is experiencing difficulty from the Guests or Limited account groups

  1. Click Start, click Run, type control admintools, and then click OK.
  2. Click Computer Management.
  3. Expand Local Users and Groups.
  4. Select Users.
  5. Open the account that is used to access Windows Update or Microsoft Update.
  6. Click the Member Of tab.
  7. Select the user account that you want to remove, and then click Remove.

Method 2: Set the Security Descriptor

  1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
  2. Type sc sdset wuauserv D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU), and then press ENTER.

    You will receive a "Success" message.

    Note The Sc.exe tool is not available in a default Windows 2000 installation. The Sc.exe tool can be found from the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit.
  3. Type Exit to close the command prompt.
  4. Try Windows Update or Microsoft Update again.

Method 3: Add the Local Administrator and Service accounts to the Impersonate a client after authentication policy

  1. Click Start, click Run, type secpol.msc, and then press ENTER.
  2. Expand Local Policies.
  3. Click User Rights Assignment.
  4. Double-click to open the Impersonate a client after authentication policy
  5. On the Local Security Settings tab, click Add User or Group, and then add the Administrator and Service to the list of Users and Groups.
  6. Click OK, and then restart the computer.

Method 4: Configure the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service to log on as a Local System account

  1. Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
  2. Locate and right-click the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service, and then click Properties.
  3. On the Log On tab, click Local System account, click Apply, and then click OK.

0x80248011 error code

Before you resolve this problem, clear the Microsoft Internet Explorer cache. To do this, following these steps:
  1. On the Internet Explorer Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  2. On the General tab, click Delete Files in the Temporary Internet Files section.
  3. Click OK, and then click OK again.
To resolve this error, recreate the database that stores Windows Update information or Microsoft Update information on your computer. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER: net stop wuauserv
  3. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER: cd /d c:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution

    Where c:\Windows is the folder where Windows is installed.
  4. At the command prompt, type the following command including the quotes, and then press ENTER: rd /S /Q DataStore
  5. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER: net start wuauserv.
  6. Exit the command prompt window.

0x80072EE7 error code

To resolve this error, examine the Hosts file. (This file may also be named Hosts.sam.) Make sure that the file does not list any static IP entries for the Windows Update Web site or for the Microsoft Update Web site.

The Hosts file is located in the C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc folder. To view the Hosts file, you may have to associate the file with Notepad. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Right-click the Hosts file.
  2. Click Open With, and then select Notepad from the list of programs.
If the Hosts file contains a static IP address that is associated with Windows Update or with Microsoft Update, comment the entry by adding the # sign at the beginning of the entry. You can also delete the whole line and save changes to the Hosts file.

Note Programs, such as Web accelerators, DNS accelerators, DNS caching utilities, and Spyblockers, can add static IP entries for the Windows Update Web site or for the Microsoft Update Web site to your Hosts file. This scenario can cause Windows Update or Microsoft Update to fail.

0x8024402C or 0x8024502d error codes

To resolve these errors, remove characters from the proxy exception list, and then clear the proxy cache. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Open Internet Explorer.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  3. Click the Connections tab, click LAN Settings, and then click Advance.
  4. Delete any entry in the Exceptions section.
  5. Quit Internet Explorer.
  6. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
  7. Type the following commands. Press ENTER after each command.
    • proxycfg -d
    • net stop wuauserv
    • net start wuauserv

0x800A01AD error code

To resolve this error, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Register the MSXML program files

To register the MSXML files, follow these steps.

Note You may not have installed the files that are listed in steps 3 and 5 on your computer. If you do not have one of these files, when you try to register the file, you will receive an error message that is similar to the following error message:
LoadLibrary("<filename>.dll") failed - The specified file name could not be found.
You can ignore this error message and go to the next step.
  1. Click Start, click Run, type regsvr32 Msxml.dll in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. When you receive the following message, click OK: DllRegisterServer in Msxml.dll succeeded.
  3. Click Start, click Run, type regsvr32 Msxml2.dll in the Open box, and then click OK.
  4. When you receive the following message, click OK: DllRegisterServer in Msxml2.dll succeeded.
  5. Click Start, click Run, type regsvr32 Msxml3.dll in the Open box, and then click OK.
  6. When you receive the following message, click OK: DllRegisterServer in Msxml3.dll succeeded.

Method 2: Register the Wuaueng.dll file

To register the Wuaueng.dll file, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type regsvr32 Wuaueng.dll, and then click OK.
  2. When you receive the following message, click OK: DllRegisterServer in Wuaueng.dll succeeded.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:5/30/2006
Keywords:kbwindowsupdatev6 kbtshoot kbwindowsupdate kbGPO kbpolicy kbConfig kbprb KB883821 kbAudEndUser kbAudITPRO
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