Steps To Fix Windows Update Error 0x8ddd0018

The 0x8ddd0018 update error is often caused by your computer being unable to process various updates from either the “Windows Update” service or from the “Microsoft Windows Update” website. This error can be caused by a number of reasons, but mainly because the “BITS” (Background Intelligence Transfer Service) is either not working or functional. The good news is that you can fix this error very easily if you are able to cure the issues which first cause it.

What Causes The 0x8ddd0018 Error?

The 0x8ddd0018 error normally shows when you’re either attempting to update your Windows PC or are using the Microsoft website to update your system. The error is caused by these following problems:

• The Background Intelligence Transfer Service (BITS) its either stopped or not functioning properly
• The BITS service fails to connect to the Update site

To fix this error, you first need to establish if the BITS service is running, and if so, whether it’s connecting to the update site or not. Alternatively, you could also have a series of different errors which should be addressed – including the likes of virus infections and registry errors.

How To Fix Windows Update Error 0x8ddd0018

Step One – Ensure that BITS is properly configured on your PC

First you will need to ensure that BITS is properly configured on your PC and then try to start it. Please note that when you first try and start BITS you may receive one of several error messages. If for some reason you receive an error message when you try to start BITS then you should follow the steps that correspond to your error message, which will be in the “Troubleshooting Steps” section.

To verify that BITS is configured on your PC correctly you should follow these steps:

1. Click Start > Run
2. Type “services.msc“, then click OK.
3. Scroll down to Services Management Console window, double-click Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
4. In the Startup Type box, click Manual, then click apply.
5. Click Log On tab, verify that the service is enabled in every hardware profile that is listed
6. NOTE – If the service is disabled in one or more hardware profiles then click the hardware profile, then click Enable, then click Apply.
7. Click General tab, then click Start.

If BITS starts successfully without any problems, then visit the Windows Update Web Site to obtain the updates. If you can download the updates without any problems then follow steps 1 to 3 again. Whereas in step 3 click Automatic not Manual.

Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start. (0x8007042c)

If you receive this error message than you should follow these steps to help resolve the error.

For Microsoft Windows 2000

1. Click Start > run
2. Type services.msc, then click OK.
3. If there are one or more following services that are not running then right click the services and then click start:
4. Com+ Event System
5. System Event Notification
6. Windows Management Instrumentation Driver Extensions
7. Right click Background Intelligent Transfer Service, then click Start.

For Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows XP

1. Click Start > run, type services.msc, OK.
2. Right click Remote Procedure Call (RPC), click Start.
3. Right click Background Intelligent Transfer Service, then click Start.

Error: Windows could not start the Background Intelligent Transfer service

Follow these steps if you receive this error message:

1. Click Start > Run, type regedit, click OK.
2. Find the registry subkey “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
   SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup“
3. If you find this registry subkey go straight to step 6 otherwise, create the registry subkey. To do this follow these steps:
4. Right click Backup Restore, point to New, then click Key.
5. Type FilesNotToBackup, then press Enter.
6. Quit the Registry Editor.
7. Click Start >Run, type services.msc, click OK.
8. Double click Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
9. In General tab click Start.

Error 1079: The account specified for this service is different than the account specified for other services running in the same process. (0x80004015)

If you receive this error message then follow these steps:

1. Click Start > Run
2. Type services.msc, click OK.
3. Double click Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
4. Click Log on tab.
5. Click Local System account, click OK.
6. Right click Background Intelligent Transfer Service, click Start.

Step 2 – Clean Out Viruses

– Download This Antivirus Program

Viruses are a huge cause of problems for Windows computers as they cause your computer all sorts of problems and issues. These small software programs install themselves onto your system and then latch onto all the files and settings that your system requires to run. Unfortunately, this means that your computer is slowed down thanks to all these infections, and can develop a lot of different errors as well. To fix this, it’s strongly advised that you use an antivirus program to scan through your PC and fix any of the potentially damaging viruses that are on it. Our preferred tool is a program called “XoftSpy“.

Step 3 – Clean Out The Registry

– Download This Registry Cleaner

The registry is a central database for your computer, which stores vital settings and information for the entire Windows system & your software. The registry is one of the biggest causes of problems for your PC as it’s continually being saved in the wrong way, leading your system to take longer to process the files it wants, making it confused and erroneous. It’s often the case that the 0x8ddd0018 error will be caused by corrupt registry files preventing the BITS service to start on your PC… and to fix this, you should look to use a ‘registry cleaner’ program to fix the various issues that are inside the registry. You can download our recommended registry cleaner below: