Error 0x80070103: How to Fix It During Windows Update

Error 0x80070103 occurs during Windows updates and is usually related to driver issues or incorrect installation of updates. It’s not a critical error and can be fixed using several methods. Here are some steps that may help:

1. Restart your system
Sometimes a simple reboot can resolve the issue, especially if it’s caused by temporary system glitches.

2. Hide the problematic update
If the error occurs when trying to install drivers via Windows Update, you might want to hide the update:

  • Go to Control Panel → Windows Update.
  • Click on View available updates.
  • Find the problematic update, right-click on it, and select Hide update.

This won’t solve the driver issue itself, but it will stop the update from being offered again.

3. Manually update the drivers
Sometimes the error occurs because Windows is trying to install a driver that’s either already installed or incompatible. In this case:

  • Go to Device Manager (right-click This PC → Manage → Device Manager).
  • Find the device that has the driver update causing the error.
  • Manually update the driver by downloading the latest version from the manufacturer’s website.

4. Use the troubleshooter
Windows has built-in tools to fix issues with updates:

  • Go to Settings → Update & Security → Troubleshoot.
  • Select Windows Update and run the troubleshooter.

5. Clean installation of the driver
If the error is related to a specific driver, you can try uninstalling it:

  • In Device Manager, find the device with the problematic driver.
  • Uninstall the driver and reboot your computer.
  • Afterward, manually install the updated driver from the manufacturer’s website.

6. Check for corrupted system files
You can use the command line to check the integrity of system files:

  1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. Type the command sfc /scannow and press Enter. The system will begin scanning your files, which may take some time.
  3. If corrupted files are found, they will be repaired automatically.

7. Clear the SoftwareDistribution folder
Sometimes, the error is caused by corrupted update files stored in the SoftwareDistribution folder:

  1. Stop the update service:
    • Open Command Prompt as administrator and enter these commands: net stop wuauserv
      net stop bits
  2. Delete the contents of the C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution folder.
  3. Restart the services: net start wuauserv
    net start bits

8. Reinstall Windows Update
If none of the above methods work, you can try reinstalling Windows Update using tools like Windows Update Assistant or Media Creation Tool.

These steps should help resolve error 0x80070103 when installing updates.