Windows 10 update error 0x8007042B [Fix]

Windows 10 offers various improvements over its predecessors while keeping well-known features. Nonetheless, with more than a few upgrades we encountered a large portion of issues, as well.

Some of those issues are not addressed and are related to Windows update features. As we all know, Windows 10 is highly dependent on updates. And if you can’t obtain a certain update, you can’t expect to have up-to-date protection and features. One of those issues is followed by the error code 0x8007042B. It prevents users from installing the latest build and occurs after second boot phase while migrating data. So, if you’ve encountered the same problem, we’ve prepared possible workarounds to help you resolve this issue.

Update Error 0x8007042B: Fix it now

Error 0x8007042B can interfere with update process and leave your PC vulnerable, therefore it’s crucial to fix it as soon as you can. Speaking of this error, here are some similar issues that users reported:

Windows 10 upgrade failed – Sometimes Windows Update process can fail due to this error. However, you can fix the issue simply by disabling your antivirus.
0x8007042b Windows 10 upgrade – This error commonly occurs when trying to install a new build of Windows 10. If you keep getting this error, you might want to try downloading and installing the update manually.
Windows 10 error code 0x8007042b 0x2000d – In some cases, this error message is followed by an additional error code. If this happens, be sure to try repairing your files and check if that solves the issue.

Solution 1 – Disable or uninstall Antivirus

If you have problems with error 0x8007042B, you might want to try disabling certain antivirus features and check if that solves the problem. If the issue is still there, your next step would be to disable your antivirus entirely.

In some cases, disabling the antivirus won’t help, so your next step would be to completely uninstall your antivirus. Once the antivirus is removed, check if the issue reappears.

If removing the antivirus solves your problem, you might want to consider switching to a different antivirus solution. There are many great antivirus tools available, but one of the best is Bitdefender. This application provides great protection, and it won’t interfere with your system in any way, so be sure to try it out.

Users reported that Avast, Kaspersky, and Comodo Internet Security caused this error to appear, and if you use any of these applications, be sure to remove them and try to perform the upgrade again.

READ ALSO: What do to if Windows 10, 8.1 Update Doesn’t Show up

Solution 2 – Remove additional USB peripherals

If you used the Media Creation Tool to install updates or upgrade your OS, you can have occasional USB conflicts. To prevent that, pull out all other devices except the system drive.

Some users reported this as a solution for this issue. Once they removed peripheral devices, the second boot failure stopped and the system updated as intended.

Solution 3 – Manually download and install the update

If you can’t download or install updates due to error 0x8007042B, you might be able to circumvent this error by installing the update manually. This is relatively simple, and you can do it by following these steps:

Since you’re downloading and installing the update manually you won’t encounter the error message, but the core problem might still be there and appear while downloading future updates.

In Search Windows bar, type Updates. Choose to Check for updates.
Once you see which update should be installed, write down the code of the update.
Open your web browser and search for Microsoft Catalogue.
Type the name of the KB in the search bar.
Download the given update file and save it to a desktop.
Run the file and install it.
You may need to restart your PC in order for the installation to finish.

Solution 4 – Clear Recent items list

According to users, sometimes your Recent items list can cause error 0x8007042B to appear. It seems that Windows might have some issues with Recent list, and in order to fix the problem, you need to clear items from the Recent list.

After doing that, try to install the update again and check if the problem is resolved.

READ ALSO: Fix: “Windows installation has failed” Windows 10 upgrade error

Solution 5 – Perform DISM and SFC scans

According to users, sometimes error 0x8007042B can appear due to file corruption. To fix the problem, you need to perform an SFC scan and repair your files. This is rather simple, and you can do it by following these steps:

Press Windows Key + X to open Win + X menu. Now choose Command Prompt (Admin) or Powershell (Admin).
When Command Prompt opens, enter sfc /scannow.

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SFC scan will now start.

SFC scan can take up to 15 minutes, so don’t interfere with it in any way. Once the scan is finished, check if the problem is still there.

If you were unable to run SFC scan or if SFC scan didn’t fix the problem, your next step would be to perform DISM scan. To do that, you need to start Command Prompt as administrator and run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth command.

DISM scan will now start, so be patient while it repairs your PC. The scan can take up to 20 minutes, so don’t interfere with it. Once the scan is finished, check if the problem is still there. If the problem is still there, or if you weren’t able to run SFC scan before, repeat the SFC scan once again and the issue will be permanently resolved.

Solution 6 – Reset Windows Update components

According to users, if you’re having this issue, you might be able to solve it by resetting Windows Update components. Your system relies on certain services in order to work properly, and if these services are bugged, you’ll encounter error 0x8007042B.

However, you can fix the problem simply by running a couple of commands in command line. This is quite simple, and you can do it by following these steps:

Open Command Prompt as administrator.
When Command Prompt opens, run the following commands:

net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver
pause

After running these commands, check if the problem is resolved. If you don’t want to manually run each and every command, you can always create a Windows Update reset script and run it to quickly reset all Windows Update services.

READ ALSO: Fix: 0xc00001 error code in Windows 10, 8.1

Solution 7 – Perform System Restore

If you keep getting error 0x8007042B, you might be able to solve the problem by performing System Restore. This is quite a straightforward solution, and in order to perform it, you need to do the following:

Press Windows Key + S and enter system restore. Select Create a restore point from the list.
System Properties window will now appear. Click System Restore button.
When System Restore window opens, click Next.
If available, check Show more restore points. Now select the desired restore point and click Next.
Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the restoration process.

Once your PC is restored, try to perform the upgrade again and check if the issue is still there.

Solution 8 – Install update using Windows Media Creation Tool

On the other hand, if any of the previous workarounds haven’t helped you, you should move on to performing a clean install. If there’s corruption or other issues with system files, the only way to get rid of them for sure is to reinstall your system. Once it’s done, you’ll be able to perform updates and resolve the code error. We’ll lead you through the entire process:

Download Media Creation Tool here and install it.
Select Upgrade this PC now and click Next.
Setup will start preparing the necessary files.
Now select Download and install updates (recommended) and click Next.
Wait while the setup downloads the necessary files.
Follow the instructions on the screen until you reach Ready to install screen. Now click Change what to keep option.
Make sure that Keep personal files and apps is selected and click Next.
Follow the instructions on the screen to finish the setup.

Once the setup if finished, you’ll have the latest version of Windows installed, and all your files and applications should be preserved, so you can continue where you left off.

That should be the last workaround for you. In case you have any questions or alternative workarounds, please tell us in the comments.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2017 and has been since completely revamped and updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

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