How To Resolve Windows Update Stop Error 0x80070002

What is the "Stop 0x80070002? or Windows Update Error?

Stop 0x80070002 is a blue screen error that pops up when Windows updates the operating system. Windows Update installs the updates for all the required components of the operating system on a regular basis. If there is any problem with update process then the blue screen of death pops up.
Operating Systems affected are:

  • Windows XP Home & Professional
  • All versions of Windows Vista
  • All versions of Windows 7 Home

Error appearing on the Screen

?Error Code 0x80070002 Windows Update Error?

What causes the ?STOP 0x80070002? Blue Screen error?

Windows Update downloads a series of files for all software modules present on the operating system. These files are downloaded into a temporary folder and extracted for installation.

The problem starts when updates are partially downloaded. This can happen both at the system end due to internet slowdown issues or file corruptions from the downloading server side. When this happens, initialization of the ?Updates? fails and gives out the blue screen error.

To fix this issue manually we can delete the partially downloaded files from the temporary directory and update Windows again. To do this follow these steps:

  1. Click Start and then click Run.
  2. Type Services.msc and click OK.
  3. Select the Windows Update option from the Services Window that is displayed.
  4. Right-click on it and then select Stop.
    (This will stop the Windows from updating automatically.)
  5. Minimize the Services window.
  6. Click Start and then click Run.
  7. Type cmd and press Enter.
  8. Type cd %windir% and press Enter.
    (This will take you to the Windows root directory.)
  9. Type ren SoftwareDistribution STemp, and press Enter.
    (    This will rename the software distribution folder to Stemp.)
  10. Type exit and Press Enter.

The software distribution folder is the place where all the files are downloaded and extracted. It also maintains a History list of the updated files. When you click Windows Update, it synchronizes the history file with the list on the Windows Update website. This is where the update list is prepared for further downloads. Renaming the folder will create a new copy of the software distribution folder and the update list will be fresh.

After you do this, you can start the Windows Update process again. To do this you can follow the steps below:

  1. Maximize the Services window.
  2. Right-click Windows Update and then select Start.
    (
    This will restart the Windows Update process.)
  3. Close the Services window and restart the system.

This should solve the problem with the ?STOP 0x80070002? error. If it doesn?t solve the problem, then you can look for the installation error code in Windows Update for further troubleshooting. The steps you can follow are:

  1. Click Start, select All programs, and then click on Windows Update.
  2. Click Review update History on the Windows Update website.
  3. In the status column look for the update that has failed to install and is signified by a red X.
  4. Click on the red X and it will give the error code. You can look for the error in the Microsoft Knowledgebase.

For advanced troubleshooting you can visit the Microsoft Support website.