It's not a secret that some of the Windows updates that Microsoft has rolled out in the last 12 months or so actually caused plenty of issues on users' computers just because they failed to install or broke down other apps, so it's no surprise that many prefer to stay away from them.
But some of those who don't are not allowed to install new patches because of an error that blocks Windows Update from running correctly on their PCs.
Whenever users click on “Check for updates,” they are provided with an error displaying the following message: “Windows Update cannot currently check for updates because the service is not running. You might need to restart your computer.”
The error first popped out on Windows 7 in 2012, but it turns out that Windows 8.1 is also affected by the same problem, even though two years have passed since it was first reported.
How to fix the issue
Basically, fixing the problem only comes down to a few steps that you need to follow in order to restart the Windows Update service and reset its settings.
To do this, launch a command prompt window with administrator privileges by typing “cmd” in the Start menu/Start screen and hitting enter.
Once you're there, type the following commands one by one:
ren c:\windows\SoftwareDistribution softwaredistribution.old
net start wuauserv
This particular fix can be used on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, but in case you get this error on other Windows versions, you could also give it a shot and see if it works.
We've also contacted Microsoft for more details on what exactly breaks down Windows Update and will update the article when we get more information.