“One or more Windows Update services are disabled”, or error 80070426 (“The service has not been started”), occurs when services used by Windows Update are disabled or missing.
The following services are required to use Windows Update:
- Automatic Updates (Windows 2000 and XP) or Windows Update (Windows Vista and later): Provides the Windows Update service.
- Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS): Responsible for downloading update files.
- Event Log: Keeps a record of updating activities to help with troubleshooting.
- Software Licensing Service (Windows Vista and later): Allows Windows Update to determine updates applicable to your Windows license.
- Windows Installer: Handles installation of updates to .NET Framework, Office, SQL Server, etc.
To make sure these services are running:
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Close Legacy Update and any other programs using Windows Update.
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Press Win+R to open the Run dialog.
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Type
services.msc, and click OK.
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If a User Account Control dialog appears, click Continue or Yes.
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In the Services window, find Automatic Updates (Windows 2000 and XP) or Windows Update (Windows Vista and later).
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Confirm that the startup type is Automatic. If not, select Automatic and click OK.
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Repeat steps 5 - 6 for the remaining services listed above.
If any of the above names are missing from the list of services, you are running a modified version of Windows where they have been removed entirely. It is not possible to use Windows Update on a system modified in this way.