Fix: Windows 8.1 Update Install Failed: 80070020, 80073712 and 0x800f081f

One of the biggest problems that Windows is facing is the fact that there are always errors and issues, no matter what. And, of course, with the release of the latest Windows 8.1 Update (1), users have been getting plenty of various error codes.

Luckily for me, I haven’t had any problems installing the latest Windows 8.1 update and right now I’m enjoying all that’s new in Windows 8.1 Update. However, many readers have sent in their complaints and I’ve also seen numerous posts on the Microsoft community forums of Windows 8.1 users complaining of getting various error codes when their Windows 8.1 Update installation process has failed – 80070020, 80073712, 0x800f081f and others. Problems are more often encountered by those who have chosen to install the updates manually on their own, than those who have waited silently to get it via Windows Update.

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Therefore, my immediate suggestion would be to install the Windows 8.1 Update, if you haven’t done it yet, via the Windows Update option. It might sound dumb, but if you have experienced problems by using this method, then try downloading the KB files manually. Of course, to do that, you will need to revert from Windows 8.1 Update to Windows 8.1, and here’s how to uninstall it. Here’s what one affected user is saying about these issues:

I’ve been trying to get the Windows 8.1 Update 1 to install for a couple hours now. I installed a series of files using windows update earlier in the day. Later I tried installing the update file (KB2919355) that popped up in the Windows Update window. The downloading process look over 45 minutes for a 800 MB file even thought I have an internet connection over 20 MB/s. After that it spent 20 minutes installing the update until it failed giving an error code of 80070020. From that I restarted the computer to see if I could try another stab at it, nothing changed or improved.

Now I looked in the Windows update history to see if the other required updates like KB2919442, KB2932046, KB2937592 and KB2938439 were installed and they aren’t in the update history. I thought they were installed already for KB2919355 to be installed. Are all of these update files included in the KF2919355 update that pops up in the windows update? Also, my update history can is only up to date in the control panel and doesn’t show any updates installed in the modern PC settings app. Did windows update fail to properly install updates required before trying to install later updates? What can and can’t I install right now?

Besides the fact that the installation process of Windows 8.1 Update failed, some users have reported that their Modern Windows 8 apps are not working, and even built-in ones like Mail-Calendar-Messaging-People; they crash and the user gets the 0x80070002 error. Also, if you feel like the download or the install takes an awful lot of time, even some few good hours, than just be patient. It’s been reported by others, as well.

Some potential fixes for failed Windows 8.1 Update installation

First of all, what you need to make sure is that you install the KB files in the right order, as follows: KB2919442, KB2919355, KB2932046, KB2937592, KB2938439, and KB2934018. Also, pay attention that KB2919442 is a prerequisite for Windows 8.1 Update and it thus should be installed before trying to install KB2919355. You can try and repair or restore your Windows 8.1 system by following this:

1. Open command prompt – in the search box type “command”
2. Right-click and Run as administrator
3. Type the following commands: dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth; dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth and after that press enter

If this doesn’t work, here’s another solution that has apparently worked for some:

1. Run command primot as admin
2. Type the following command and then press enter:
3. DISM /online /get-packages /format:table | findstr KB2919355 or Package_for_KB2919355~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.3.1.14 if you are on AMD
4. Insert the above command again with this DISM /online /remove-package /packagename:<Name of the package you got from step# 3> 
5. Restart
6. Run the following command: DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
7. Install KB2919355 and restart

An easier fix would be to try the Windows Update troubleshooter, just in case you haven’t done it already. Also, it could happen that you are missing some Windows Update components or they might be broken or corrupt, so follow this tutorial from Microsoft on how you can fix it. If you’re still having troubles, then you can also try and perform a Clean Boot install of the Windows 8.1 Update, just to make sure that there aren’t any software conflicts at all. Another funny fix that has been reported by the community is to create a new Microsoft user account and perform the install by using it.

I guess you have tried this already, but let the suggestion be here for those who might’ve overlooked it – you can  try to fallback to a previous recovery point and then resume the update. As last advice, you can try and performing the following guide, which is apparently what Microsoft support engineers are trying to fix on affected devices.

Let us know by leaving your comment below if any of this helped.

Read Also: How To Uninstall Windows 8.1 Update 1