Fix: Windows 10 Update Error ‘0xc1900101-0x30018’

Windows Update error codes are numerous and they are pretty much impossible to count. Microsoft has made a post where they listed all possible Windows Update error codes along with short descriptions but this information is pretty useless since there are not hints to what might be causing the problem or how to actually approach the solution.

Users are already reluctant enough about starting an update of anything, especially their operating system because that updating process usually slows the computer down, even if it’s only working in the background. However, receiving these errors codes puts people off even more and Microsoft definitely needs to do something in order to prevent these error messages from occurring so often.

0xC1900101 – 0x30018 Error

Upgrading from Windows 8.1 to Windows has always been a painful process, especially when you end up receiving this error message constantly at random intervals during the updating process. The error message manifests itself through a Blue Screen of Death and the real solution to this problem is yet to be announced by Microsoft.

The problem usually appears when you are trying to install Windows 10 to a computer running Windows 7, 8, or 8.1; but it can also appear when you try to install a regular update manually. Let’s find out just how to fix this issue!

Solution 1: Make Sure Your Computer Is Ready For the Update

There are quite a several steps you need to undertake before even running the update yourself. These steps are numerous but it shouldn’t take a long time before you are able to install the update yourself. Make sure you do everything on the list below and try to run the update after accomplishing this.

1. Try temporarily disabling or uninstalling your antivirus software and turning off any 3rd-party firewall software you have running and see if the upgrade will succeed.
2. If you are using a Wi-Fi connection, try switching to a wired connection using a network cable, and disable or uninstall your wireless network card.
3. Remove any connected USB devices (except the keyboard and mouse) when attempting the upgrade.
4. Open a Command Prompt (Admin), and type sfc /scannow to check for any damaged system files. Find out more info on how to accomplish this by reading our article on the topic.
5. Make sure you’ve installed all the latest Windows Updates and latest drivers and updates from your hardware and software manufacturers. Check your motherboard manufacturer’s website for any BIOS updates for Windows 10.  Uninstall any unnecessary hardware or software prior to upgrading to Windows 10.
6. Perform a clean boot and try to accomplish the update process after booting. Find out more on how to perform a clean boot on Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 by clicking here.
7. If you are using a SCSI hard disk, make sure you have drivers available for your storage device on a thumdrive and it is connected. During Windows 10 setup, click the Custom Advanced Option and use the Load Driver command to load the appropriate driver for the SCSI drive. If this does not work and setup still fails, consider switching to a IDE based hard disk.

Solution 2: Disable the Onboard Sound in BIOS Settings

Several users have reported that disabling the onboard sound in BIOS managed to fix their issue and they were able to perform the update without issues. This is not a difficult operation and it can easily fix your problem. However, make sure you have performed all the necessary steps from the Solution 1 before moving forward to other solutions.

1. Turn off your computer by going to the Start Menu >> Power Button >> Shut down
2. Remove the add-on sound card if one has been installed. Many motherboards automatically disable onboard sound when another sound device is detected, and removing it might automatically restore your onboard sound. For desktop computers, you’ll need to open the case and gently pull the sound card out of the card slot; this card could be secured with a screw or locking clips. Laptops could have an expansion card or a USB sound device that should be removed.
3. Restart your PC and enter BIOS by pressing the BIOS key while the system starts. The BIOS key is typically displayed on the boot screen, saying “Press ___ to enter Setup.” Common BIOS keys are F1, F2, Del, Esc and F10.
4. Locate the settings option that changes the onboard sound. This could be under the “Advanced,” “Devices” or “Onboard Peripherals” menu and marked as “Onboard Audio,” “Sound…”.
5. Choose the onboard sound settings and choose “Disabled.”
6. Navigate to the Exit section and choose to Exit Saving Changes. This will proceed with the boot. Make sure you try to run the update again.

Solution 3: Install Windows Using Media Creation Tool

This particular error message is shown if you are updating Windows using the in-built Update Manager and it appears at random percentages during the update process. However, you can Assistant and alternative which goes by the name of Media Creation Tool which let’s you install Windows using the .ISO file you can download at Microsoft’s official page.

You can also use Rufus to perform the update for you by following the instructions from our article on the topic.

1. Select Download tool, then select Run. You need to be an administrator to run this tool.
2. On the License terms page, select Accept if you accept the license terms.
3. On the What do you want to do? page, select Upgrade this PC now and then select Next.
4. The tool will start downloading and then installing Windows 10. This table shows which edition of Windows 10 will be installed on your PC.
5. When Windows 10 is ready to install, you’ll see a recap of what you’ve chosen and what will be kept during the upgrade. Select Change what to keep to set whether you would like to Keep personal files and apps, or Keep personal files only, or choose to keep Nothing during the upgrade.
6. Save and close any open apps and files you may be running and, when you’re ready, select Install.
7. It might take some time to install Windows 10, and your PC will restart a few times. Make sure you don’t turn your PC off.

Solution 4: Try the DISM Tool

Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM.exe) tool is a useful tool which can scan your Windows image for errors and mistakes you might have caused in it. It can be run easily by using Command Prompt and it can be used also to fix the errors automatically.

After running it, make sure you wait for at least half an hour for it to finish since the tool checks everything regarding your Windows image.

Find out more info on how to fix it by visiting this article we made on how to run DISM.exe.

Solution 5: Try This Simply Registry Hotfix

This particular fix was able to help countless people fix their Windows Update-related issue and it’s worth checking this out before running your Windows Update again.

Additionally, this particle solution was directly linked to solving this error messages by several users so please check this out. It basically gets rid of unused drivers on your computer which is a job your Disk Cleanup tool should take care off but for some reason it doesn’t.

1. Open Command Prompt by typing “cmd” in the Search bar located at the taskbar.
2. Copy and paste the following command and make sure you click Enter afterwards:

rundll32.exe pnpclean.dll,RunDLL_PnpClean /DRIVERS /MAXCLEAN

3. Exit Command Prompt, restart your computer and make sure you run the update again.

Solution 6: Reset your Windows Update Components

This is quite a lengthy procedure but it helps users deal with their errors during their updates and it has proven to solve various error codes, including the one we are dealing with right now. However, make sure you have tried all of the solutions and steps above before trying this one as the ones above are much quicker.

1. Type Command Prompt in the search bar and run it with administrator privileges.
2. Kill the following processes: MSI Installer, Windows Update Services, BITS, and Cryptographic by copying and pasting the commands below. Make sure you click Enter after each one.

net stop msiserver
net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
net stop cryptSvc

3. Rename the Catroot2 and Software Distribution folders. You can do this more easily by copying the following commands in the Command Prompt:

ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old

ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old

4. Start the MSI Installer, Windows Update Services, BITS, and Cryptographic services again by copying and pasting the commands below one after another.

net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver

Solution 7: Using the Built-In Windows Troubleshooters

Windows 10 comes preinstalled with several troubleshooters which can automatically recognize the problem you are having and fix it for you in no time. These troubleshooters have helped a lot of people who are not so experienced in dealing with these issues themselves and the process takes almost no time at all.

1. Open the Settings app by clicking on the Start button and then the gear icon just above. You can also search for it.
2. Open the Update & Security section and navigate to the Troubleshoot menu.
3. First of all, click on the Windows Update option and follow the instructions on screen to see whether there is something wrong with Windows Update services and processes.
4. After the troubleshooter finishes, navigate to the Troubleshoot section again and open the Internet Connections troubleshooter.
5. Check to see if the problem is solved.

Solution 8: Disable Wi-Fi in BIOS

It turns out that disabling Wi-Fi in BIOS helped several users deal with their problem so it’s worth giving this a shot. It’s not time-consuming and it may fix the issue for you as well. This particular solution is mostly for laptop users.

1. Restart or turn on your computer.
2. Enter BIOS by pressing the BIOS key while the system starts. The BIOS key is typically displayed on the boot screen, saying “Press ___ to enter Setup.” Common BIOS keys are F1, F2, Del, Esc and F10.
3. Navigate to the Advanced section and locate your Wi-Fi card. If you are using the Wi-Fi card integrated in your laptop (if it came with the laptop), it should be under the “Integrated WLAN” option.
4. Disable it and navigate to the Exit tab. Choose the Exit Saving Changes option which should save the changes and proceed with the boot.
5. Try installing Windows 10 again.

Solution 9: Modify or Create a Registry Key

This particular registry key is known to be a cause for this particular error message so make sure you either create it or modify it in the following manner. However, you should backup your registry just in case you configure it incorrectly since changing the registry may cause unpredictable errors to your PC.

1. Open the Registry Editor by searching for it in the Search box located in the Start menu or by using the Ctrl + R key combination in order to bring up the Run dialog box where you need to type “regedit”.
2. Click on the File menu located at the top left part of the window and select the Export option.
3. Choose where you want to save the changes to your registry.
4. In case you cause some damage to the registry by editing it, simply open Registry Editor again, click File >> Import and locate the .reg file you exported beforehand.
5. Alternatively, if you fail to Import the changes made to the registry, you can restore your system to a previous working state by using System Restore. Learn how to configure System Restore and how to use it by checking out our article on this topic via this link.

Now what we have created a backup for our registry, let’s get to the fix.

1. Open the Registry Editor by following the instructions above in Step 1.
2. Navigate to the following location in your registry by expanding the menus located at the left side of the window.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\ OSUpgrade

3. If this particular key doesn’t exist, right-click on the WindowsUpdate key, select New >> Key and name it OSUpgrade.
4. In this particular location (OSUpgrade), right-click on the OSUpgrade folder and select New >> DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Name this registry key as AllowOSUpgrade and click ok.
6. Double-click on this new value and type 0x00000001 under the Value data setting and click OK.
7. Restart your computer and check to see if the issue is fixed.