14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft rolled out several updates for Windows XP as part of this month’s Patch Tuesday cycle but, according to some users, the system cannot deploy the fixes due to a Windows Update error.
“[Error number: 0x8024800A]. The website has encountered a problem and cannot display the page you are trying to view. The options provided below might help you solve the problem,” the displayed message reads.
While several users have already confirmed the issue on Windows XP workstations, there’s no official workaround, but only a quick fix that comes down to restarting the Automatic Update Service and clearing the Internet Explorer cache.
According to a post on Microsoft’s support forums, users are recommended to stop the Automatic Updates Service by typing in “services.msc” in the Run box and right-clicking this particular option in the displayed list.
After stopping the service, you have to rename the “SoftwareDistribution” folder in the Windows directory to “SoftwareDistribution.old.” Simply restart the Automatic Updates Service using the aforementioned steps and you should be all set.