Press Windows + R keys. In the Search box, type: services.msc & click OK. (Accept any UAC prompt that appears). In Services control panel (at the right pane) find the Windows Update Service. Right-click on Windows Update service and select Stop . Step 2: Delete SoftwareDistribution folder. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to: C:\Windows\ folder. Find and Delete (or Rename) the SoftwareDistribution folder. Step 3: Start Windows Update Service. Now go back to Windows Services control panel: Right-click on Windows Update service and select Start .