When installing updates to a licensed Windows 10 OS in the Update Center, the system may display the message "An error occurred while installing the update" (0x80240023). Also, users may encounter this error after reinstalling the operating system. It is difficult to find the true cause of the malfunction on your own. Next, we will analyze the most effective methods that will help you fix error 0x80240023 in Windows 10.
Update error 0x80240023 in Windows 10
At first glance, it may seem that installing updates is not so important and you can safely do without them. But if you do not pay due attention to updates, the computer will be defenseless against viruses, and its owner will not be able to use a large number of potential features.
Before you start troubleshooting, you need to make sure that your computer is connected to the Internet. You will also need access with "Administrator" rights. It is recommended that you back up your important files or copy them to a USB flash drive beforehand. Another important point is the availability of free space on the disk (C :) for installing updates.
Description of error 0x80240023
In the official "Windows Update Error Codes" guide, this error stands for "The license terms for all updates have been rejected."
How to resolve the error
Method number 1
This method involves using the built-in Windows Update utility. A separate installation is not required, which is very convenient. The sequence of actions will be as follows:
• open the "Control Panel" and go to the "Troubleshooting" section;
then you need to go to the "System and Security" section
and select "Update Center";
• a window will appear, in it you need to click on the "Next" button;
• The scanning process will start and take some time.
After the scan is completed, the operating system will automatically restore itself and correct any errors. Now you need to try installing the updates again.
Method number 2
The user needs to temporarily disable the antivirus and firewall, as they can create obstacles when updating the operating system. You can quickly disable the antivirus in this way: right-click on its icon, then select the “Turn off temporarily” function from the menu.
The firewall is disabled as follows:
• go to the "Control Panel" and run it;
• go to the "System and Security" section, select "Windows Defender Firewall";
• open the menu item "Enable and disable the firewall";
• check the box next to the item "Turn off the firewall" and click "OK".
Now we need to check if the error is fixed.
Method number 3
This method is suitable if the user has reinstalled Windows 10 and after trying to install Microsoft Office in the Update Center, an error message appears. You can solve the problem like this:
• Create a Windows 10 installation flash drive and update your computer from it.
• When the installer prompts you to select an edition of Windows 10 ("Home", "Home for one language", "Professional") - you should choose the one that was on your hard drive.
• If everithing is done correctly, the operating system is activated by a digital license of the computer the first time you connect to the Internet.
Method number 4
If the above methods did not work, you can try to solve the problem by renaming the Software Distribution folder. This folder is a base component of the OS and contains important update-related information. Error 0x80240023 in Windows 10 is sometimes displayed due to the fact that this folder is corrupted. After renaming, the operating system will automatically create a new directory with the same name. After that, the error in the "Update Center" should be fixed.
Renaming the folder is performed after starting the command line on behalf of the "Administrator". You need to enter the following commands in sequence:
• net stop wuauserv;
• net stop bits;
• rename %windir%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak;
• net start wuauserv;
• net start bits.
Instead of an afterword
If after reinstalling Windows 10 or updating the system, an error message 0x80240023 is displayed in the Update Center, you can solve the problem using the Windows Update utility, by renaming the Software Distribution folder, or disabling the antivirus and firewall. You can also download special software from the Microsoft website designed to fix errors in the Update Center. Do not ignore problems with installing OS updates, as this introduces security vulnerabilities.
