How to Fix Fix Error 0x80070422 — Windows Service Not Running on Windows
Getting error 0x80070422 "The service cannot be started"? Windows Update, Firewall, or other features failing because a required service is stopped? Fix this service error.
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Main Troubleshooting Guide
How to Fix Windows Update Errors →Complete symptoms, causes, and step-by-step solutions
Symptoms
You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:
- •Windows Update fails with error 0x80070422
- •Windows Firewall can't be turned on — error 0x80070422
- •"The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or has no enabled devices"
- •Windows Defender won't start with this error
- •Microsoft Store downloads fail with 0x80070422
- •Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) not running
Common Causes
- ⚠Required Windows service is disabled or stopped
- ⚠Service dependency chain broken
- ⚠Third-party optimization tool disabled essential services
- ⚠Malware or previous infection disabled security services
- ⚠Registry entries for service startup type corrupted
- ⚠Group Policy or system tweaks disabled the service
Solutions
Solution 1: Enable Required Services
- 1Win+R → services.msc → find the relevant service:
- 2For Windows Update: "Windows Update" service
- 3For Firewall: "Windows Defender Firewall" service
- 4For Store: "Windows Update" + "Background Intelligent Transfer Service"
- 5Right-click the service → Properties
- 6Set "Startup type" to "Automatic"
- 7Click "Start" to start it now → click OK
- 8Retry the operation that was failing
Solution 2: Fix Service Dependencies
- 1Windows Update requires these services running:
- 2Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) — Automatic (Delayed)
- 3Cryptographic Services — Automatic
- 4Windows Update — Manual (Trigger Start)
- 5Windows Installer — Manual
- 6For Firewall: "Windows Defender Firewall" — Automatic
- 7Also: "Base Filtering Engine" — Automatic
- 8Set all to correct startup type and start them
Solution 3: Fix via Command Line
- 1CMD as Admin — enable and start common services:
- 2sc config wuauserv start= auto
- 3sc start wuauserv
- 4sc config bits start= delayed-auto
- 5sc start bits
- 6sc config MpsSvc start= auto
- 7sc start MpsSvc
- 8If "Access Denied": boot into Safe Mode and run commands there
- 9Or check if Group Policy is forcing the service disabled
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Fix Fix Error 0x80070422 — Windows Service Not Running Automatically
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