I was unable to run the Windows Update diagnostic

The Windows Update troubleshooter is meant to resolve issues related to Windows Update. However, we have noticed that it starts throwing an error that says that the Windows Update diagnostic failed to run. This issue appears in the Get Help app, which is the latest iteration of troubleshooters introduced by Microsoft. In this post, we are going to see what you can do if the Get Help Windows troubleshooter says I am unable to run the Windows Update diagnostic.

Checked for Windows Update errors

The Windows Update diagnostic failed to run

I’m sorry. I was unable to run the Windows Update diagnostic. I might need to transfer you to an agent to help solve your problem.

Fix I was unable to run the Windows Update diagnostic

If the Windows Get Help app says that I was unable to run the Windows Update diagnostic, follow the solutions mentioned below.

1. Clear Software Distribution and Catroot2 folders
2. Run the troubleshooter in Clean Boot
3. Reset Get Help app
4. Repair System files
5. Reinstall Windows using Windows Update.

Let us talk about them in detail.

1] Clear Software Distribution and Catroot2 folders

When you run the Windows Update troubleshooter, it tries to check all the update components which includes the Software Distribution and Catroot2 folders. These folders are notorious for getting corrupted pretty easily and causing issues. So, in this solution, we will clean the update cache, stop the services related to Windows Update, delete files in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution, and restart all the services. For that, launch Windows Terminal as Administrator. Then, run the following commands to stop the services:

net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver

Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution. You then have to delete all files and folders in the SoftwareDistribution folder. Alternatively, rename the folders to SoftwareDistribution.old or something else.

Now, we are going to deal with the Catroot2 folder, for that, open the Terminal and run the following commands.

md %systemroot%\system32\catroot2.old

xcopy %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 %systemroot%\system32\catroot2.old /s

You then have to delete all the content of the Catroot2 folder. Once done, run the following commands to start the service we asked you to stop earlier.

net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver

Once done, go ahead and run the Get Help troubleshooter. If the Windows Update error is because of the corrupted Software Distribution and Catroot2 folders, your issue will be resolved.

2] Run the troubleshooter in Clean Boot

If any third-party software is interfering with the Windows Update troubleshooter or Windows Update in general, you should run it in the Clean Boot State. This will turn off any and all third-party applications that can interfere with your utility. To do so, follow the instructions below.

1. Hit Win + S, type “msconfig”, and click Ok.
2. Go to Services, tick Hide all Microsoft services, and then click on Disable all.
3. Now, go to the Startup tab, click on Open Task Manager, and disable all the Startup applications.
4. Finally, go back to System Configuration and click on Apply > Ok.

Once you reboot the system, run the Windows Update and see if the issue persists. You can also run the Windows Update troubleshooter just to be sure.

3] Reset Get Help app

Reset the Get Help app from Windows Settings and then try and see if it helps.

4] Repair system files

If all else fails, we need to try and repair your system files as we suspect that they can be corrupted and in turn, cause this issue. Run the SFC and DISM command-line utilities and see if they help.

5] Reinstall Windows using Windows Update

If your issue persists after clearing out the Software Distribution and the Catroot2 folders, you should consider reinstalling your operating system using Windows Update.

1. Open Settings by Win + I.
2. Now, go to System > Recovery.
3. Go to Fix problems using Windows Update section and then click on the Reinstall now button.
4. A blue window will appear. You may select the Automatically restart my PC 15 minutes after installation check box and click on OK
5. Your PC will start and the repair process will initiate.

You need to follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reinstallation process. Once done, go to Windows Settings > Windows Update, and then check if you are able to install the update. If not, run the troubleshooter again.

We hope you can resolve the issue using the solutions mentioned in this post.

Read: Check for Windows Update issues Detected

How do I troubleshoot Microsoft update diagnostic?

Windows Update diagnostic can be run using the Get Help app. To do so, search for Get Help from the Start Menu, search for “Windows Update troubleshooter”, and then run it. You need to follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Read: Windows Update components must be repaired

How do I fix a corrupted Windows Update?

There are various ways to fix a corrupted Windows Update, you can run the troubleshooter as mentioned earlier, or reset Windows Update components. Additionally, you can clear the Software Distribution and Catroot2 folders by following the steps mentioned below earlier.