One of my physical Windows Server 2022 machines has failed to install the July and August cumulative updates over the past two months. It runs on Dell PowerEdge hardware as an NVR, and several nearly identical servers update normally. The installation fails with error 0x80073701. I have already tried DISM cleanup commands, SFC, stopping update services and renaming the SoftwareDistribution folder, manually installing the August cumulative update, and deploying it through an RMM tool. What should I check next, and has anyone dealt with this error before?
4 Answers
Before considering a reinstall, compare the last successful updates and review the CBS and Windows Update logs for a package that has been failing repeatedly. The logs should give you something more specific than the generic error code and may reveal a known servicing issue or a particular component that needs repair.
Try running DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth followed by SFC /scannow, specifically in that order. If Windows Update cannot provide the repair files, mount an install.wim from a Server 2022 ISO that matches the installed build and use it as the DISM /Source. Make sure the source edition and build match the server.
Error 0x80073701 often points to a missing or damaged component in the Windows servicing store. Check C:WindowsLogsCBSCBS.log and search for the package or component identity that is failing. You can also generate a readable Windows Update log with PowerShell using Get-WindowsUpdateLog, then inspect the entries around the failure.
If the servicing store is badly damaged and a matching repair source does not fix it, back up the NVR configuration and data, document the drivers and installed software, and plan a clean reinstall. Reinstalling should be the fallback after the logs and an offline DISM repair have been checked, rather than the first step.
CBS.log is just a text file, so Notepad, Notepad++, or PowerShell can open it. Search for terms such as error, failed, missing, or the 0x80073701 code, then focus on the timestamps from the latest update attempt.