Win10 update fails with error code 0x80073701

[Quint]

I go to Windows Update and there is an update labelled:
"Windows 10 Version 22H2 08 Culmutive update for x64 based systems (KB5041580)" (excuse any errors Windows is in another language)

It stays at %20 percent for a while then jumps to %100 and fails with the error code in the title then gives a vague message in true Microsoft fashion that doesn't help with anything.

Things I have tried:

• sfc scannow (found corpupt files, supposedly fixed them, issue persists)
  
• Download the update manually through Microsoft Update Catalog (same thing. stops at %20, jumps to %100 then fails with a "Woopsie! We made a ♥♥♥♥♥ wucky! :((((( "
  
• "Restart" Windows Update via a script a MS employee provided in MS Forums. This time it look longer to scan for updates. Then same thing again.
  
• Turn the PC on and off again. (duh)

I suppose this is one of those "it's broken do a clean install" situations, huh?

[smokerob79]

NO you do not need to do a clean install.....you need to clear the windows update cache

try this

https://www.howtogeek.com/how-to-clear-your-update-cache-on-windows-11-and-10/

[Quint]

Originally posted by smokerob79:

NO you do not need to do a clean install.....you need to clear the windows update cache

try this

https://www.howtogeek.com/how-to-clear-your-update-cache-on-windows-11-and-10/

Did that but didn't work. It downloaded the update again and failed the same way.

[A&A]

What about...
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

This should check for problems on image level.
Meanwhile SFC just compares the system files to the stored image level.

[Sigma957]

Ah this I believe is the update that enabled dark mode in Windows Explorer.

[Quint]

Originally posted by A&A:

What about...
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

This should check for problems on image level.
Meanwhile SFC just compares the system files to the stored image level.

It's been a few days and I can't get DISM to work. /CheckHealth and /ScanHealth work fine.

/RestoreHealth says "Source not found"

After some digging around the Microsoft page link that DISM provided, I enabled Windows Update to be used as a source. Tried again and failed again but this time with an error code. Which is:

 Error: 0x800f081f 

Searching around the web, I found many users with the same issue. But also a solution that involves downloading a "Techbench" .iso from Microsoft and pointing that as a source for DISM to make use of. I did exactly that and still failed. Downloaded a few .iso files with different options and used them but still the same issue. There's even an user in Reddit that faced the same issue. Microsoft just came in and said "do an in-place upgrade" and left apparently. Which breaks a lot of ♥♥♥♥.

So, dead end.