Error 0xC1900101 – Know Why It Occurs & How To Get It Fixed

If you’ve been trying to update Windows, and the process gets stuck with update error 0xC1900101 for no reason whatsoever, there are things you may try to smoothly re-download and install the updates.

Download the Diagnostic

There are certain situations when missing entries in your registry and registry corruption causes this problem. Try running a registry scan to identify if there are any such issues.

1. Click the button below to download and install the Diagnostic
2. Perform a Registry scan and fix any problems detected.
3. Restart your computer.

Estimated Download Time: 10 Seconds

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Restart Windows Update Service

Windows Update service is crucial for the download and installation of new updates.

Stopping and restarting the Windows Update service can fix error 0xC1900101.

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista/ XP:

1.For Windows Key + R.

2. Type services.msc

3. Click OK.

4. Scroll down the Services window to check for Windows Update or Automatic Updates service depending on your actual Windows version.

5. Right-click it and select Stop.

6. Right-click it again, select Properties.

7. Set the Startup Type to Automatic, and click OK.

8. Exit the Services tool and restart your PC.

Disable Your Antivirus

An Antivirus may cause you to face technical hurdles during updates download and installation.

Disabling the Antivirus might help.

For McAfee Antivirus Plus

1.Click the Show hidden icons on the system tray area of your Taskbar.

2. Right-click your Antivirus, select Change Settings | Real-time Scanning.

3. Hit Turn Off.

4. In the confirmation prompt, select a time interval (for example 60 minutes)

5. Click Turn Off.

For Kaspersky Internet Security

1. Click the Show hidden icons on the Taskbar.
2. Right-click your Antivirus, and select Pause Protection.
3. Select a time interval in the subsequent prompt, and click Pause Protection.

Clear Update Cache

The Windows Update utility creates a special folder to download and store update installation files.

There’s a good chance that the contents of the SoftwareDistribution folder have become corrupted and Windows cannot access the same.

Clearing up the cache will force Windows re-download the files afresh.

For Windows 10:

1.Type CMD in the Search Box.

2. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.

3. Execute the following command:

• net stop wuauserv

4. Double-click This PC icon on your Desktop.

5. Open the following directory:

• C:\Windows\

5. Rename the SoftwareDistribution folder to SoftwareDistribution_OLD

6. Restart your computer.

For Windows 8.1/ 8:

1. Right-click the thumbnail that appears when you move your mouse cursor to the lower left corner of your screen.
2. Select Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Run net stop wuauserv command.
4. Double-click Computer icon on Desktop.
5. Rename the SoftwareDistribution folder in the Windows directory to SoftwareDistribution_OLD.
6. Reboot your PC.

For Windows 7/ Vista/ XP:

1. Click the Start button.
2. Click All Programs, followed by Accessories.
3. Open Command Prompt from the list of tools.
4. Type net stop wuauserv and press ENTER.
5. Double-click My Computer, and navigate to C:\Windows
6. Right-click SoftwareDistribution folder to SoftwareDistribution_OLD.Restart your machine.

Uninstall Broken Updates

If a Microsoft update hasn‘t installed properly because of many reasons including a drop-out in Internet connection, this can cause Windows error 0xC1900101.

It’s a good idea nonetheless to uninstall recent updates from the list of installed updates to check if the issue persists.

For Windows 10:

1.Click Start, and then the Settings icon.

2. Click on the Update & Security icon.

3. Click the link label View Update History. 

4. Click Uninstall Updates. 

5. You’re almost there. Check for the latest Windows updates and uninstall them one by one. (Right click > Uninstall)

For Windows 8.1/ 8:

1. Press the Windows Key to access the Start Screen. 
2. Type Windows Update in the Search Box, and click on Settings. 
3. Click on View Installed Updates from the Search Results. 
4. Uninstall installed updates one by one. 
5. To do so, right-click an update, select Uninstall.

For Windows 7:

1. Click on Start, select Control Panel. 
2. Click Uninstall a Program under the Programs section. 
3. Click on View Installed Updates link label on the left side of your screen. 
4. Select the updates you want to remove and click the Uninstall icon on the toolbar. 

For Windows Vista:

1. Press Windows Key + R together, type Appwiz.cpl and press ENTER.
2. Click on View Installed Updates on the left panel. 
3. Select the update you wish to remove, and click Uninstall. 

For Windows XP: 

1. Click Start, select Control Panel.
2. Click on Add or Remove Programs.
3. Going ahead, check the box Show Updates on the top.
4. Choose an update and click Uninstall.

Troubleshoot Windows Update

Windows provides a set of diagnostic utilities that identify problems, detect failures and show report of potential issues found in your system.

Moreover, these tools are free and already bundled as part of your operating system. They are accessible with just a few clicks.

First of all, you should know these tools may require administrative privileges. Therefore, you will want to log-in as an Administrator.

For Windows 10:

1.Click on Start, select Settings.

2. Type Troubleshoot in the Search Box on top.

3. Open Troubleshoot common problems from the Search Results.

4. Next, look for Windows Update and click it.

5. Click Run the Troubleshooter.

6. The Troubleshooter will try to detect problems in your system and attempt to fix automatically.

For Windows 8.1/ 8:

1. Open the Charms Bar by pressing Windows Key + C.
2. Click on the Search.
3. Type Troubleshooting and open it from the Search Results.
4. In the subsequent page that pops up, click Fix problems with Windows Update under the System and Security category.
5. Click on the Advanced link label, and select Run as Administrator.
6. Check Apply repairs automatically.
7. Click Next.

For Windows 7:

1. Click on the Start, select Control Panel.
2. Click on System and Security | Find and Fix Problems.
3. Alternatively, click on the Troubleshooting icon if you‘re in the icons view mode.
4. Click on Fix problems with Windows Update.
5. Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions to automatically repair Windows Update error 0xC1900101.

For Windows Vista:

Visit the Microsoft Support page and follow the instructions laid down for the Windows Vista operating system.

Scan System Files For Corruption

Your operating system keeps a cached compressed copy of protected operating system files for diagnostic purpose.

One way to fix 0xC1900101 and many other update errors is to replace the corrupted protected OS files with their appropriate cached versions. Here’s how:

For Windows 10:

1.Type CMD in the Search Box on your Taskbar.

2. Right-click Command Prompt, select Run as Administrator.

3. Type the following command:

• sfc /scannow

4. After the scan and verification process finishes, execute the following command:

• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

5. Restart your computer.

For Windows 8.1/ 8:

1. Right-click the thumbnail that appears when you move your mouse cursor to the lower left corner of your screen.
2. Select Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Type sfc /scannow and press ENTER.
4. Wait for the scan process to finish.
5. Now, execute the following command:
   • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

For Windows 7/ Vista/ XP:

1. Click the Start button.
2. Click All Programs, followed by Accessories.
3. Open Command Prompt from the list of tools.
4. Execute the following command:
   • sfc /scannow
5. After verification finishes, you may want to run another command:
   • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Uninstall Malfunctioning Devices

The possibility of faulty or incorrectly installed devices cannot be ruled out.

You’ll want to check for a triangular yellow color exclamation mark to identify faulty hardware.

For Windows 10:

1.Press Windows Key + X simultaneously, and select Device Manager.

2. In the subsequent screen, click View, followed by Show hidden devices.

3. If you find devices with a triangular yellow color exclamation mark, uninstall them straightaway.

4. To uninstall a device, right-click it, choose Uninstall. 

5. Quit Device Manager and reboot your machine.

For Windows 8.1/ 8:

1. Right-click the Computer icon on your Desktop.
2. Select Manage.
3. Going ahead, expand Computer Management (Local) | System Tools.
4. Select Device Manager.
5. Go to View, select Show hidden devices and check for devices with a yellow color exclamation mark.
6. Uninstall such devices (Right click > Uninstall).
7. Restart your machine.

For Windows 7/ Vista/ XP:

1. Click the Start button, type Device Manager and open it from the Search Results.
2. Click Show hidden devices option in the View menu.
3. Uninstall incompletely installed/ faulty devices showed with a yellow exclamation sign.
4. Reboot your PC.

Check Disk For Errors

Several reasons such as power outrages, incorrectly shutting down Windows, poor maintenance and dust can cause your hard disk to fail miserably.

When the hard disk fails, any data stored on those sectors cannot be retrieved and you encounter different sorts of error messages.

Luckily, it is easy to detect and fix disk sector issues using a pre-build utility called Disk Check-Up.

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8:

1.Double-click This PC or Computer icon depending on your Windows version.

2. Right-click your system drive, select Properties.

3. Click the Tools tab, followed by Check.

4. Click Scan Drive.

For Windows 7/ Vista/ XP:

1. Open the elevated Command Prompt.
2. Type the following commands: chkdsk c: /r
3. If the volume is in use and Disk Check-Up cannot be performed, you’ll be asked to reboot.
4. Type Y and press ENTER.
5. Restart your machine.

Check For Registry Problems

Windows Registry is a large database that contains tens of thousands of entries about the computer hardware, software programs installed in it, and configurations of each user profile.

Error 0xC1900101 occurs when some installed applications or users have made incorrect changes to the Provisioning sub-key in the Registry.

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista/ XP:

1.Press Windows Key + R simultaneously, and type RegEdit

2. Click OK or press ENTER.

3. Open Registry Editor from the Search Results.

4. Locate the following Registry key:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft

5. Right-click the sub-key Provisioning, and select the Rename option.

6. Specify a new name: Provisioning_backup

7. Exit the Registry Editor and restart your machine.

Upgrade Your BIOS

It is important to point out that installing an incorrect BIOS version can ruin your entire computer.

Not only your operating system may become non-bootable, but your computer also may not start at all.

If your computer doesn‘t start up, there is no way to get back to the BIOS Settings for Windows reinstallation or other diagnostic procedures.

Microsoft has a comprehensive guide to help Windows users backup their data before making significant changes to their PCs/ laptops.

I strongly recommend that you read Microsoft‘s guide and backup all your data to a removable storage drive or free cloud accounts such as OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox.

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista/ XP:

1. Press Windows Key + R and type msinfo32 

2. Click OK. 

3. Note down the BIOS Version/ Date from the right-hand side panel of your screen.

4. Navigate to the website of your computer manufacturer and visit the Drivers & Downloads section. 

5. Select your model and download the newest BIOS version. 

6. Close all running programs, including your Antivirus software and double-click the BIOS Setup.

What Do I Do If My Computer/ Laptop Does Not Start After BIOS Update?

If anything goes wrong after the BIOS update, flush the CMOS Battery settings to system defaults.

Contact your nearby local computer technician and ask him to disconnect the power cord from the AC power source and remove the computer/ laptop cover.

1. Safely remove the CMOS Battery, typically connected to the system board using connectors, and wait for half an hour to factory reset it automatically.
2. Plug the battery back into the connectors of your system board and re-connect the cover.
3. Plug in the AC adapter and start your computer.