How to fix Windows update error 0xc80003f3

The Windows Update installer encountered an error 0xc80003f3 can occur if your computer wasn't turned off properly, before you attempted to update Windows. Usually, users would just put the computer to sleep or to hibernation mode, because after the user wakes up the computer, they would expect all their tasks to appear. For this to be possible, RAM (Random Access Memory) is being used in the background, and if your computer didn't go well to sleep mode, the RAM won't work well when you wake up the computer. To fix this, you would need to restart the computer, which will remove the stuck processes from your computer memory, and let you start afresh.

Turn your computer off, and then turn it back on after a couple of minutes. Then, try updating Windows to the latest version.

Developed by the Microsoft team, the Windows Update Troubleshooter is a powerful tool that can help you fix many Windows update-related errors, with this error being among them. Running the Windows Update Troubleshooter tool may be exactly what you need to fix this error.

To run the Windows Update Troubleshooter, feel free to follow the steps below:

1. Go to Settings and click on Update & Security;
2. Click on Troubleshoot and then on Windows Update Troubleshooter;
3. Run the tool and follow the on-screen instructions.
   
   

   

Your current firewall and antivirus settings can interfere with Windows day-to-day operations, or with other file(s) that are closely connected with Windows. Maybe, error code 0xc80003f3 when updating Windows appears just because of this interference.

To check if this is the case, you can start with disabling the Windows Firewall temporarily.

To deactivate the Windows Firewall:

1. Go to the start menu and type Windows Firewall;Click on Windows Firewall and then Turn Windows Firewall on or off;
2. Click on Turn off Windows Firewall (not Recommended) under Private and Public networks:
   
   

To activate the Windows Firewall:

1. Go to the start menu and type Windows Firewall;
2. Click on Windows Firewall and then Turn Windows Firewall on or off;
3. Click on Turn on Windows Firewall for both Private and Public networks;
   
   

If the error didn't appear, you need to modify the firewall settings. If the error did appear again, then proceed with disabling the antivirus temporarily and see if that would change anything. If the error didn't appear, then you need to reconfigure the antivirus settings, following articles and guides that can be found online, if you are not sure how to do it yourself.

Windows system files can be damaged by malicious software, or poorly developed programs. Consequently, error 0xc80003f3, among many others can occur, depending on the files damaged. Running the System File Checker tool (a powerful utility developed by Microsoft) is a good way to fix this error. It will scan and repair all the system files that can be repaired.  

To run the System File Checker, follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Click on the start menu and type command prompt;
2. Right click on it and select Run as Administrator;
3. In the command prompt type the following command:
   
   sfc /scannow
   
   
4. Wait for the process to complete.

Even though it seems simple, the process of updating Windows is complex. More services are required, in order for the update to be installed. If at least one of those services won't run, this error installation error can occur. In order to fix this error, the Windows service components need to be restarted.

To restart the components, make sure that you follow the steps below, carefully:

1. Go to the start menu and type command prompt. Once it appears, right-click on it and select Run as Administrator (and type the Administrator's password, if asked).
   
   
2. Type the following commands in the same order as displayed here and press enter after you type each command:
   
   
   • net stop bits
   • net stop wuauserv
   • net stop appidsvc
   • net stop cryptsvc
     
     
3. Type the following command and then press Enter, in order to delete the qmgr*.dat files:
   
   Del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\qmgr*.dat"
   
    
4. Type the following command and press Enter:
   
   cd /d %windir%\system32
   
   
5. Type the following commands in the same order as below in order to register the Windows Update files again and press the Enter button on your keyboard, after you type each command:
   
   
   • regsvr32.exe atl.dll
   • regsvr32.exe urlmon.dll
   • regsvr32.exe mshtml.dll
   • regsvr32.exe shdocvw.dll
   • regsvr32.exe browseui.dll
   • regsvr32.exe jscript.dll
   • regsvr32.exe vbscript.dll
   • regsvr32.exe scrrun.dll
   • regsvr32.exe msxml.dll
   • regsvr32.exe msxml3.dll
   • regsvr32.exe msxml6.dll
   • regsvr32.exe actxprxy.dll
   • regsvr32.exe softpub.dll
   • regsvr32.exe wintrust.dll
   • regsvr32.exe dssenh.dll
   • regsvr32.exe rsaenh.dll
   • regsvr32.exe gpkcsp.dll
   • regsvr32.exe sccbase.dll
   • regsvr32.exe slbcsp.dll
   • regsvr32.exe cryptdlg.dll
   • regsvr32.exe oleaut32.dll
   • regsvr32.exe ole32.dll
   • regsvr32.exe shell32.dll
   • regsvr32.exe initpki.dll
   • regsvr32.exe wuapi.dll
   • regsvr32.exe wuaueng.dll
   • regsvr32.exe wuaueng1.dll
   • regsvr32.exe wucltui.dll
   • regsvr32.exe wups.dll
   • regsvr32.exe wups2.dll
   • regsvr32.exe wuweb.dll
   • regsvr32.exe qmgr.dll
   • regsvr32.exe qmgrprxy.dll
   • regsvr32.exe wucltux.dll
   • regsvr32.exe muweb.dll
   • regsvr32.exe wuwebv.dll
     
     
6. Reset the Winsock by entering the following command and pressing Enter:
   
   netsh winsock reset
   
   
7. Reset the proxy, by typing the following command:
   
   netsh winhttp reset proxy
   
   
8. Type the following commands to start the Windows components, and press Enter after you type each of them:
   
   
   • net start bits
   • net start wuauserv
   • net start appidsvc
   • net start cryptsvc
     
     
9. Update the Windows Update agent to the latest version (read this thread by Microsoft to learn how);
   
   
10. Restart the computer.
    
    

Note: If the method above didn't work, repeat the same procedure, but do the following before proceeding to step 4:

1. Rename the software distribution folders backup copies, by typing the following commands:
   
   Ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak
   Ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak
   
   
2. Reset the Windows Update and BITS services, by typing the following commands:
   
   sc.exe sdset bits D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)
   
   sc.exe sdset wuauserv D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)

Maybe the Windows Update service froze and causes error 0xc80003f3 to occur. What you need to do is to restart the service, by following the below-mentioned steps:

1. Go to the start menu, type services.msc and click on the Services icon once it appears;
2. Right-click on the Windows Update service and click on Properties;
   

   

3. Click on Stop and as Startup type: select Disabled;
   

   
   
   

4. Restart your computer;
5. Repeat steps 1 and 2, enable Windows Update, and try installing the updates.

Updating Windows won't take place if all the services needed aren't activated. The solution in this case is simple - set the services to start automatically, when you turn on the computer. You can do that from the command prompt (CMD), by following the steps mentioned below:

1. Open the start menu and type cmd;
2. Right-click on the Command Prompt icon and select Run as administrator;
3. Type the following commands, one at a time, pressing the Enter key on your keyboard;
   
   SC config trustedinstaller start=auto
   SC config bits start=auto
   SC config cryptsvc start=auto
   
   
4. Restart the computer.

A virus that has infected your computer can cause the Windows installer encountered an error 0xc80003f3 to occur, as it may have infected Windows system files. In this case, all you need to do is to install an antivirus software and remove the viruses from your computer. After removing the virus, make sure to adopt the habits below, to stop new viruses from invading your computer:

• Don't install programs from other websites than the developer's;
• Don't open emails from suspicious senders - always check the sender's email;
• Don't visit websites which offer almost unrealistic content, and attention-grabbing titles (e.g. cure for cancer, etc.).
  
  

You can also try refreshing the Windows update, i.e. reinitialize the updating process, in order to fix error 0xc80003f3 when updating Windows. This course of action will remove possibly corrupt update files and download clean ones. Before refreshing the update, make sure to connect to a stable Internet connection, to prevent corruption again.

To refresh the Windows update, feel free to follow the steps below:

1. Turn on the computer and while turning it on, restart it;
2. An error report will appear and you will be asked to launch the Startup Repair tool. You need to highlight this tool by pressing the arrow up or arrow down buttons, and press Enter. If you do not have the repair tool installed on your computer, you need to install it from the Windows installation DVD. Just insert the DVD, boot it and proceed from there;
3. Once the Startup Repair tool runs, click Cancel;
4. In the dialog box that will show up, click on Don’t Send and then on View advanced options for recovery and support;
5. At the bottom of the window that will open, find the Command Prompt (CMD);
6. In the Command Prompt, type the following commands, pressing enter after typing each one of them:
   
   net stop bits
   net stop wuauserv
   net stop appidsvc
   net stop cryptsvc
   
   

Note: The procedure above can be done via the Safe Mode, too. Feel free to check the don't know how to boot in Safe Mode guide, on how to access the safe mode.

If none of the other solutions worked, what you can do is to reinstall Windows, and install the Windows update before you install anything else.

Before you reinstall Windows, make sure to backup all your personal data stored on the computer (photos, music, videos and other invaluable documents) to an external hard drive, or to online backup platforms like Google Drive, OneDrive, and more, to avoid losing them in the process.

If you feel insecure when it comes to reinstalling Windows, do check out the don't know how to install an operating system guide on how to (re)install your computer's operating system, safely.