error code 80070003

[James]

I can't install some updates and I keep getting this
error code 80070003. Help

[Torgeir Bakken (MVP)]

James wrote:

> I can't install some updates and I keep getting this
> error code 80070003. Help

Hi

You receive error message 0x80070003 when you try to update Windows
from the Windows Update Web site
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=836949

When you attempt to update Windows XP from the Windows Update Web site,
you receive error 0x80070003?
http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBQ/tip8000/rh8024.htm

If the above doesn't fix your problem, try this as well:

If the directory "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network"
does not exist, you will get this error.

%ALLUSERSPROFILE% is normally "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users"

To verify existence/create this folder, you can do like this:

Press Start/Run, and fill in this:

"%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft"

Press OK, and the Microsoft folder will open.

If no Network folder is found there, create it (File\New --> Folder).

--
torgeir, Microsoft MVP Scripting and WMI, Porsgrunn Norway
Administration scripting examples and an ONLINE version of
the 1328 page Scripting Guide:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/default.mspx

[Ezekiel]

Hi, I am getting the same error. I click "Install Now" to get the latest
Windows Update Software. It downloads, copies, and gets to 72% done
regestering it, and then fails. All it says is "Windows Update has
encountered an error and cannot display the requested page. You may find the
following resources helpfull...." and it has " [Error number: 0x8007003] "
in the upper right hand corner.

I have tried both fixes you suggested, and neither worked. In both cases,
the files were present on my computer.

The problem may have to do with the fact that I recently had to reinstall
windows. Bofore this, I had XP Pro installed, with SP1, and everything
worked fine. Then I screwed something up, and ended up doing a repair
install of Windows. Now I am stuck with this error. I have yet to install
SP1 again, as I can't get the Windows Update to work.

If anyone knows any other way to fix this, or any other problem I might
check, I would appreciate it.

[bu11d0zer]

After trying 100 things to fix my error code 80070003 and 80070057
problems, I finally tracked it down to a few missing directories in my
%windows%\softwaredistribution folder. Instead of having sub-folders
there, I had files of the same name (don't ask me why). The fix was to
delete those files and create directories with those names:

For me, those folders were:

c:\windows\SoftwareDisribution\DataStore\
c:\windows\SoftwareDisribution\Download\
c:\windows\SoftwareDisribution\EventCache\
c:\windows\SoftwareDisribution\SelfUpdate\
c:\windows\SoftwareDisribution\WebSetup
c:\windows\SoftwareDisribution\WuRedir

Three of the 6 were there already as folders, but the other 3 were
files, which I believe was causing the downloads to fail since they
were trying to be stored in a directory that did not exist. Following
the advice from this article, I cleared the data store as well:

http://v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v5consumer/showarticle.aspx?articleid=11&ln=en