As we know, Windows 10 releases updates every few weeks to install all the latest protective features and fix bugs to keep the computer safe. The updates are performed automatically. However, sometimes the updates are blocked by some errors.
Tip: Usually we can use Windows backup software to back up the system in advance to restore the PC to a normal state when update issues happen. This is our suggestion.
When we go to the Windows Update window, we can find there is a common error message saying “your device is missing important security and quality fixed”. Sometimes we can see an error code, for example, 0x80073712, 0x8024401f, 0x80070422, 0x8008005, 0x8024401c, etc.
The Windows update error is mainly caused by a broken or incomplete update, the Telemetry level, and more. Luckily, we can easily fix this issue by following the solutions below.
Solution 1: Run Windows Update Troubleshooter
Windows offers us various troubleshooters to detect the system and fix some issues in many aspects including the Internet, Bluetooth, audio, blue screen, Windows Update, etc. When we get the error “your device is missing important security and quality fixes”, we can run the Windows Update troubleshooter to fix issues that prevent us from updating Windows.
Step 1: Press Win + I to open Windows Settings and click Update & Security.
Step 2: Navigate to Troubleshoot, locate Windows Update, and click Run the troubleshooter.
Step 3: Finish the fix by following the wizards on the screen. If this is not useful, try another way.
Solution 2: Repair Corrupted Windows Files
If there are broken/corrupt Windows files, Windows 10 update may be blocked along with the error message. To solve the issue, we can repair the corrupted system files by following these commands.
Step 1: Launch Command Prompt (CMD) with admin privileges.
Step 2: In the CMD window, type DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and press Enter.
Step 3: Then use the command sfc /scannow after the scan finishes.
Solution 3: Download the Most Recent Servicing Stack Update (SSU)
According to users, this way is helpful when the Windows update failing error happens. So, we can also have a try.
Step 1: Also, open the Windows Settings interface and click System.
Step 2: Under the About page, go to Device specifications and we can see System type.
Step 3: Go to the official Microsoft Update Catalog page, download the latest SSU that matches our system version.
Step 4: After the installation, reboot the PC to see if the issue is fixed.
Solution 4: Reinstall Windows Updates
When “your device is missing important security and quality fixes” appears, perhaps the update is broken and we can fix it by uninstalling and reinstalling it.
Step 1: Go to Settings > Update & Security.
Step 2: Under the Windows Update interface, click View update history.
Step 3: Click Uninstall updates and we can go to a new window where some installed updates are listed.
Step 4: Right-click the latest installed update and choose Uninstall.
Step 5: After that, go to check for updates to install the uninstalled and new updates.
Solution 5: Manually Reset Windows Update Service
Windows update error 0x80073712, 0x8024401f, 0x80070422, etc. may be caused by the issue with Windows update service. To fix the issue, we can reset this service manually.
Step 1: Open Command Prompt as administrator.
Step 2: Type these commands in order and hit Enter after each one.
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
If the error “your device is missing important security and quality fixes” still occurs, try another way.
Solution 6: Change Telemetry Level
Some cumulative updates won’t be delivered to the system if the Telemetry level is Security only. So, we should change the level to fix the update error.
Step 1: Open Local Group Policy Editor by typing gpedit.msc to the Run window (press Win + R) and clicking OK.
Step 2: Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds.
Step 3: Click Allow Telemetry > Enabled and set the level to Basic, Enhanced, or Full.
Step 4: Save the changes.
Final Words
These are common solutions to this Windows 10 update failing error. Also, we can enable the Windows Update Advanced option, enable Windows Modules Installer service, etc. to fix the issue.
Fixing Windows update issues is troublesome and it may not be successful. So, we recommend backing up the Windows operating system before installing Windows updates. Once we get an update error, we can use the backup to quickly restore the PC to an earlier state.
MiniTool ShadowMaker, a professional Windows backup software, is designed to back up system, files, folders, disks, and partitions. It can be our good option.
Story by Vera Chen
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