Windows Update error 80245003

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 18 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

One of my Windows Vista PCs has been refusing to download updates from Windows Update, reporting that:

Windows could not search for new updates
Error(s) found:
Code 80245003

A bit of googling turned up various forum threads/blog posts about this article but most of them recommend stopping the Windows Update service, renaming/removing the %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution folder, restarting the Windows Update service and attempting an update. That seems to work but Jeroen Jansen’s post on the subject included a very useful comment with this little gem:

“Actually you don’t have to delete the entire SoftwareDistribution folder, just the folders inside it with update cache. This way you can keep the update history.”

I renamed each folder one at a time and it seems that it was WuRedir that was causing the error on my system (that is to say that after that folder was renamed, Windows Update ran successfully, even after restoring all of the other folders, therefore maintaining my history and other configuration).

I’m not sure if it was as a direct result, but I’m pretty sure Vista switched from using Windows Update to Microsoft Update at the same time.

12 thoughts on “Windows Update error 80245003”

  1. I had the same issue, renamed just the WuRedir folder as mentioned above and touched nothing else. Ran Windows update again and it worked. Thank you!!!

  3. install wasnt working on my vista laptop either untill i tried renaming that file………..

    thank you for this!! (and the fact u stopped me from throwing my laptop out the window!!)

  4. haha lol

    i gotta bigg problem i cnt even find this WuRedir folder anywere????

  5. Me too – and I am getting mighty pissed that my new klaptop was preloaded with this vista crap.

  6. Lo Little,
    Look for %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution\WuRedir

    (%systemroot% is an environment variable that resolves to your Windows installation folder – generally, but not always, C:\Windows – so try C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\WuRedir).

    Mark

  7. Bikeman,
    I’m not sure why you think Vista is crap as you don’t give any specifics – but if you don’t like it, install XP, or Linux, or MS-DOS, or whatever your chosen OS is!

    Mark

  10. Sorry. I forgot that have have the exceptional ability to not note the obvious.
    I just RENAMED WuRedir.

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