Rename the Catroot2 and SoftwareDistribution Folders

If you are experiencing issues with the Windows Update troubleshooter, one solution to consider is renaming the catroot2 and SoftwareDistribution folders. These folders contain data pertaining to Windows updates and renaming them has been known to resolve issues that prevent the troubleshooter from functioning properly.

Simply follow these steps to rename the folders:

1. Launch the Command Prompt app as administrator.
2. Input four commands, pressing Enter after each, to stop update services: net stop cryptsvc, net stop wuauserv, net stop bits, and net stop msiserver.
3. Next, input this command > hit Return to rename the SoftwareDistribution folder: ren c:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
4. Enter this command for renaming the catroot2 folder and press Return: ren c:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
5. Restart services by entering and executing these commands: net start cryptsvc, net start wuauserv, net start bits and net start msiserver.