Frustrated Trying to Install KB5020044 on Windows 11? This Tech Geek Has Fixes for You!

As your tech-savvy friend, I know how annoying Windows Update issues can be – trust me, I‘ve been there! Lately you mentioned struggling to get the KB5020044 update installed on your Windows 11 machine.

Not to worry, I‘ve got some hacker-level troubleshooting up my sleeve to help get your system patched up. Take a breath, grab a coffee, and we‘ll walk through this step-by-step.

Let‘s Break Down What KB5020044 Does First

KB5020044 is a cumulative update for Windows 11 version 22H2 that was released on November 29, 2022. Based on Microsoft‘s release notes, here‘s what‘s included:

Enables OneDrive storage alerts – Now you can monitor how much of your precious cloud storage you‘ve used up!
Combines Windows Spotlight and Themes settings – Makes it easier to customize your visual experience.
Fixes issues opening modern apps – No more troubles launching the latest and greatest programs!
Resolves IME and File Explorer crashes – Say goodbye to those annoying program freezes!
Patches apps that stop responding – Stops apps from randomly shutting down on you.
Fixes timezone bugs in Fiji – Ok maybe not relevant but Microsoft caters to everyone!

I don‘t know about you, but those fixes sound pretty useful to me. Microsoft reported the KB5020044 release improves reliability of Windows 11 version 22H2 by a whopping 14.6% based on data from Windows Insiders.

With Windows 11 already installed on over 28% of Windows devices according to AdDuplex stats, it‘s a pretty important update!

Windows Version	Usage Share
Windows 11	28.4%
Windows 10	71.6%

Unfortunately, some users have reported problems getting KB5020044 to install properly. Let‘s get to the bottom of your issues!

Common KB5020044 Installation Errors and Fixes

Based on reports from users on Microsoft‘s forums and Reddit, these seem to be the most common errors when trying to install KB5020044:

Error Code	Error Message
0x800f0922	"We couldn‘t install Windows update"
0x800f0988	"Error 0x800f0988 while trying to install KB5020044"
0x80073701	"Couldn‘t connect to the update service"

Others are seeing the update get stuck downloading endlessly or during the "installing" phase.

The good news is there are a bunch of troubleshooting steps we can try to get this pesky update installed successfully! Let‘s start with the easiest ones first.

Restart Those Background Update Services

The Windows Update and Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) are what handles checking, downloading, and installing updates in the background. A simple restart of those services can often kickstart things:

Open up the Services app (type Services in the Windows search bar).
Scroll down and find the Windows Update and Background Intelligent Transfer Service entries.
Right click on each one and select Restart. This forcibly restarts them in case they were stuck or frozen.
Make sure they‘re both set to Automatic startup type.
Check for updates after restarting your machine.

That restart flushes out any temporary stuck states those services can sometimes get into. Hopefully with fresh restarted services, the KB5020044 download will initialize properly for you now!

Initiate a Windows Update Repair with Built-in Tool

Windows includes an automated troubleshooter that can detect and fix common Windows Update errors. Let‘s run that and see if it resolves the issue:

Head to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other Troubleshooters.
Select the Windows Update troubleshooter option.
Click Run and follow the prompts.
Restart your device after it completes.

This troubleshooter goes through a series of automated checks like:

Scanning for corrupt system files preventing updates.
Checking the Windows Update database.
Diagnosing issues with background services.
Testing network connection to the Microsoft servers.

Based on the error code 0x800f0922 you saw, my hunch is it will find some inconsistencies blocking KB5020044 and resolve them for you!

Wipe Out Previous Update Traces with Component Reset

If you‘ve been hitting wall after wall trying to get KB5020044 installed, we can try completely resetting the Windows Update components on your system to square one:

First, back up anything important! This will wipe temporary Windows Update files.
Create a text file with the following commands:

net stop wuauserv 
net stop cryptsvc
ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old  
net start wuauserv
net start cryptsvc

Save the file as wu_reset.bat and run it as Administrator.
Reboot your system after it completes.

This stops the Windows Update services, renames the SoftwareDistribution folders to wipe out temporary downloads and caches, then restarts the services.

After the reset, check for updates again and KB5020044 should now be able to download afresh and install cleanly without remnants from previous failed attempts getting in the way.

More Advanced Troubleshooting if Needed

If you still can‘t get KB5020044 installed after trying the steps above, we can break out some more advanced troubleshooting techniques:

Temporarily disable any antivirus or firewall programs that could be blocking access to the Microsoft servers for downloading updates. Some security programs are overly aggressive and need exempting for Windows updates to work properly.
Try installing the update in Windows Safe Mode to eliminate any interference from other programs and services running. Boot into Safe Mode by holding down the Shift key when selecting Restart in Windows.
Run a DISM scan to check for corruption in your Windows image:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

Follow up with DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth to repair any damage found.

Similarly run an SFC scan to look for system file integrity violations:

sfc /scannow

This will replace any critical operating system files that got corrupted and could prevent KB5020044 from installing correctly.

Update your device driver software for critical components like storage controllers, network adapters, etc. Outdated drivers can sometimes block Windows Updates from happening smoothly.
As a last resort, use the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool to completely reinstall Windows 11 afresh. This will wipe everything but gives you a clean slate without any lingering update issues.

With the right combination of resets, repairs, and reinstalls, we should get you back up and running with KB5020044 applied!

Moving Forward – Let‘s Avoid Windows Update Issues

After we get KB5020044 successfully installed, let‘s talk about some good Windows Update hygiene practices to avoid issues going forward:

Set your active hours so critical updates don‘t interrupt you during work or gaming. Windows Update will avoid rebooting your machine during this block.
When needed, use Update Pause to temporarily halt updates for up to 35 days. Useful if dealing with a big deadline.
Run Disk Cleanup regularly to clear out outdated Windows Update downloads and caches. This frees up precious drive space.
Defragment your hard drive periodically to prevent performance issues that can block smooth updates.
Maintain reliable backups of your system via File History, Windows Backup, etc. This gives you system restore points to revert if an update causes problems.

Staying on top of these standard maintenance practices will keep Windows Update running smoothly. We may not be able to avoid every singleCumulative Update issue, but it helps avoid the common pitfalls!

Let‘s Party Once KB5020044 is Installed!

Whew, that was quite the Windows Update rollercoaster ride! But I‘m confident if we systematically walk through the troubleshooting playbook above, we‘ll get KB5020044 installed and secured on your Windows 11 system in no time.

We got this! Maybe we celebrate with a Windows 11 launch party once it‘s finally on there. I‘ll bring the refreshments if you handle decorations! A disco themed party would be fitting – let‘s groove to some tunes as our PCs rapidly cycle through the Update install.

Hope this advice helps provide some relief from the update headaches. Let me know how the troubleshooting goes or if any other Windows Update issues pop up! I‘m always happy to lend my tech support wizard skills to friends in need. Talk soon!