How to troubleshoot Windows Update patch update failures -

This topic describes the symptoms, causes, and solutions for Windows Update patch update failures.

Problem description

By default, Windows instances have group policies configured to use an internal Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server to install patches. For more information about how to configure group policies for automatic system patch updates, see Configure automatic updates for Windows Update on ECS Windows 2008 instances.

Windows Update may fail to install patches and display various error codes. error message for a failed Windows Update. The message displays the error code "80244022". This error code is an internal Microsoft error tag that indicates "HTTP status 503 - The service is temporarily unavailable."

Causes

Windows Update failures are usually caused by one of the following:

Third-party antivirus software.
Malware or viruses.
Insufficient physical memory or virtual memory on the server.
Issues with file system access permissions on the disk.
Insufficient disk space.
Corrupted system components or dependent services on the Windows Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance.
Windows ECS instances are configured by default to use an internal Alibaba Cloud WSUS server. If this server is busy or stops responding, the update may fail.
Network link or DNS parsing issues.

Solutions

Fix using Cloud Assistant

You can use the following Cloud Assistant automated repair tool:

acs-plugin-manager.exe -e -P ACS-ECS-ResetWinUpdate

After the command runs successfully, the system update configurations are restored to the default Alibaba Cloud configurations for Windows. You must restart the system for the changes to take effect.

Fix manually

Important

This topic is for reference only. The copyright for the Microsoft links in this topic belongs to Microsoft. Take note of the applicable operating systems. Problems may occur because of Microsoft Windows product iterations or outdated documentation. Alibaba Cloud is not responsible for the content of the Microsoft links.

Follow these steps to troubleshoot the issue.

Check whether virtual memory is configured. If it is not configured, configure it. Then, restart the server and retry the update.
For more information, see Configure virtual memory for a Windows system.
Check whether you can access port 80 of the internal WSUS server.
- ECS instances in the classic network
```
telnet windowsupdate.aliyun-inc.com 80
```
- ECS instances in a VPC
```
telnet update.cloud.aliyuncs.com 80
```
If you cannot access port 80 of the WSUS server, stop using the internal Alibaba Cloud WSUS server and use the official Microsoft update server for testing.
For more information, see Configure automatic updates for Windows Update on Windows instances.
Search for a solution on the official Microsoft website based on the error code. Microsoft provides the Windows Update Troubleshooter tool, which automatically fixes some Windows Update issues.
For more information, see Windows Update: FAQ on the Microsoft official website.
Reset the Windows Update components. For instructions, see the Windows Update - additional resources document from Microsoft.
If you still cannot perform the update after you reset the Windows Update components, refer to the manual reset instructions in the Windows Update - additional resources document. Run the specified commands step-by-step, and then test Windows Update again.
Important
This step is high-risk. Before you proceed, create snapshots of the system disk and data disks to back up your data. For more information, see Create a snapshot.