If you’ve attempted to run any Windows updates this week, I’m sure you’ve been prompted to install a new version of the Windows Update software. And then I’m sure you’ve encountered the error message that says updates can no longer be downloaded. ReFresh IT discovered the issue during routine maintenance on a client’s office computers and thankfully we found a fix. There are numerous KB articles that provide Fixit tools, but there’s only one that will fix error code 80246002. It affected various Windows 7 machines.

Visit http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058 but do not download the tool in the pop-up window. That is the same as another tool in a different KB article that will not fix the issue. Hit “close” in the lower right of the window. Select one of the other two tools depending on your version of Windows and run it. At the end, it will tell you if it successfully fixed the issues. Try checking for updates again. If it did not work, follow the steps above and restart your computer.

This problem affected almost every computer in our client’s office, but so far we have been able to correct every one of them. The KB article linked above also gives you detailed steps on fixing the registry files if it does not work. Be cautious in altering registry files since it can wreak havoc on your machine if something goes wrong.