This problem I probably caused by shutting down my computer in the middle of the new Windows Version 1903 update. An hour after restarting my computer to complete the install, my computer seemed to be hung and never loaded up the operating system. I just stared at a black monitor after an hour had passed since I clicked the Restart button. The hard drive light was flickering, but that doesn’t necessarily prove that my computer was still updating files. My computer had never taken this long after a major update to start the OS and display it’s progress. So I did what all impatient people do. I held down the power button and shut it down. When I proceeded to reboot, a big message appeared informing me they were rolling me back to 1809.
For those that don’t want to read on and just want to try and fix the (0x800705b4) error, click this link, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/10164/fix-windows-update-errors ,and follow the steps. Step 5 – ‘Download the most recent KB’ is what finally did it for me.
For the rest of you that want to know how I ended up with this error, please read on.
I didn’t realize at first that shutting down my computer caused the 0x800705b4 problem. So, I made up my mind that the windows update folders were corrupt and decided to first follow the steps in my other post, http://www.jamesandchey.net/windows-10-windows-update-error-or-loop, and then manually download the update as an .iso file and try again. I don’t have the greatest internet speed so downloading the .iso file would shave off 50% of the time at my second attempt in case it failed again.
After the install process, I restarted my computer and waited. An hour went by and still nothing but a black screen. I was so tempted to again shutdown the computer and try something else when I decided to give it another hour. Good thing I did, because 10 minutes later my monitor finally displayed my computer logo and it began the process of finishing the update.
I was thrilled that it worked, but panicked when I found that my documents were missing. Well, they weren’t missing. They were placed in a new profile that ended with .000. In File Explorer, some of my shortcuts pointed to my old profile, and some to my new profile. Why? Is it possible that my original profile became corrupt when I shut the computer off during my first install?
After doing some research, I decided to just move all the data from my old profile to my new profile.
But wait! There’s more!
I decided to click the Windows Update button to see if there was anything else pending to install. It took over 15 minutes to check when it came back with the 0x800705b4 error. Was this also caused by me shutting down the computer during my first install?
Back to researching, I tried many things to no avail. I am not one that easily gives up and restores my computer to my latest backup image or to factory settings that Microsoft admins seem to always suggest on their forums as the first solution to any problem. I kept on searching until I finally came upon the solution. I was shocked to find that the answer actually came from a Microsoft support site. Why did manually downloading the most recent KB update and installing it fix my Windows Update issue? At this point, I didn’t bother. I was just happy to get my computer running again.
The next time I do a major update, I will:
- Make sure I first do an image backup (Not one that is a month or so old).
- Download the .iso file and install the update manually. This way, I can use the .iso with the 5 other computers in the house and save downloading 4 gig (x 6).
- Be patient and wait it out.