We have discussed a few issues that show up on your computer and helped you solve them. Most sets of solutions for Windows issues suggest updating the Windows Operating System (OS).
We suggest this step because when the OS is updated to a newer version, there are chances of the update containing the fix to the issue you are facing. Even if it did not, you can always move on to the next solution and have an updated version of the Windows OS.
Have we ever given much thought to what can happen when Windows Updates go wrong after installation on your computer? It can happen and it is a technical nightmare come true.
We are talking about the ‘Your Device is missing important security and quality fixes’ error. Understanding that the OS is one of the most important aspects of the system, it has to be fixed immediately.
This article is primarily about fixing this Windows Updates-related issue and fixing them on your Windows 10 PC.
Solutions for the Your Device Is Missing Important Security And Quality Fixes 0x80080005 Issue On Your Windows PC
If you had not noticed, there, usually, will be an error/stop code at the end of the ‘Your Device is Missing Important security and Quality fixes’ error message. This is an identity that Windows users can utilize to seek more information about why this issue occurred on their computers.
Now, this issue and the error message generally show up after a system update has been downloaded but not installed. When the files necessary for the installation of the update are missing, the system will not be able to proceed with the update.
These are the solutions you can use to fix when your device is missing important security and quality fixes on your system. These solutions are targeted generally to fix all variants of this error.
- Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
- Download and Install the latest Servicing Stack Update (SSU)
- Repair or Remove corrupt Windows System files
- Refresh The Windows Update Service
- Remove And Reinstall Windows updates
- Reset your Windows OS
- Turn The Windows Update Advanced Option On
- Check If The Windows Update Service Is Disabled
- Turn The Telemetry Settings On And Reconfigure Them
- Deactivate The Startup Tasks
- Perform The SFC And DISM Scans
- Kill And Reboot The Windows Update System Services
- Reset The Windows Update Settings
- Use The Media Creation Tool To Update/Upgrade To A New Windows Version
Fixing The Device Is Missing Important Security And Quality Fixes Error On Windows 10
Fix 1: Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
Almost every Windows feature has a troubleshooter that can be used to find and fix it when the Operating System (OS) encounters a problem. We’ll use the Windows troubleshooter because we’re dealing with the Windows Update section. Running the Windows Update troubleshooting is the most basic remedy for this issue.
What you should do to troubleshoot the Windows Updates is as follows.
- Use the gear icon in the Start menu (Windows key) or the keyboard hotkeys (Windows + I) to access the Windows Settings app.
- From the Settings home page, go to the Update & Security settings.
- On the left column, select the Troubleshoot tab, which can be identified by a wrench icon on its left.
- Select Windows Update from the list of troubleshooters. Check the Additional Troubleshooters link if the Windows Update troubleshooter isn’t on this page.
- Expand the Windows Update troubleshooter section and click on the ‘Run the Troubleshooter’ button to run the troubleshooter.
- The troubleshooting wizard will provide you with on-screen instructions. Then, select the Apply this Fix option to fix the issues you’re having while installing updates.
Fix 2: Download and Install the latest Servicing Stack Update (SSU)
Service Stack Updates are the elements of the Windows OS that bring fixes to the Windows Updates service when it is facing issues. If you are facing an issue such as the ‘your device is missing important security and quality fixes’, the SSU will help you. To speed it up and make the SSU prioritize fixing this issue, you will need newer versions of it to handle the load.
The steps to install the newest version of an SSU are given below.
- Open the Settings window and go into the System tile. This page contains tabs and options for modifying the configurations that determine the visual and audio output produced by the system components.
- Scroll down on the left panel and click on the About tab.
- In the Device Specifications section, find the System type category. This is one of the places you can find if the OS installed on your computer is 64-bit or 32-bit. You can also see this in the System Information window, by the System Type category.
- Then, open a browser window and go to the Microsoft Update Catalog page.
- Use the System type as a reference to download the newest, compatible version of the SSU.
- Once the update has been installed, reboot your system to apply the changes and see if the Windows Updates can be installed.
Fix 3: Repair or Remove Corrupt Windows System files
Viruses and other forms of malware can make corruption in the Windows OS. These corrupt system files can attack normally functioning elements of the OS.
One of these corrupt files could have been responsible for the halt in the updates and the ‘missing important files and quality fixes’ error message. This can be fixed with the help of a simple antivirus scan.
Your third-party antivirus can run scans of your system, detect threats to your computer and remove/quarantine them. For most antivirus programs you can buy subscriptions to, and run regular, scheduled scans of the system.
If you do not have an antivirus, there is nothing to worry about, as Windows Defender does the same. You can also prompt scans on your computer through the Antivirus or the Windows Defender Settings any time you want.
If your system or the antivirus detects a threat when a storage device is inserted or a file is downloaded from the internet, you will receive a notification that the suspicious file has been removed or quarantined.
Fix 4: Refresh The Windows Update Service
Updating Windows on a Windows PC is handled by a system service called the Windows Update service. If this service is reset or refreshed, it might get rid of the elements that stop you from installing an update.
This is the procedure to refresh the Windows Update service.
- Bring up the Services (services.msc) window on your system. This can be done through the search bar menu or the Run tool (Windows + R).
- All the services are listed in alphabetical order by default. Look for the Windows Update service in the W section.
- Right-click on the Windows Update service and choose the Refresh option, from the context menu.
Once this is complete, try installing the updates by restarting the system.
Fix 5: Remove And Reinstall Windows updates
If the previous solution failed to work, you can try rolling back to a previous version of the Windows Update and reinstalling it again. Now, this is conventionally impossible on a Windows PC. But we can try to remove the current Windows update to force it to a previous version of the OS.
- Open the Control Panel and set the view type to Large icons.
- Click on the Programs and Features option.
- On the page that appears, go into the View Installed Updates link on the left panel of the menus.
- You will see a list of various updates. Here, locate the most recent Windows OS update.
- Right-click on it and select Uninstall.
- Reboot your PC and then, check for updates and install it. This should install the update that you deleted.
Fix 6: Reset your Windows OS
Resetting the Windows OS can set all the system configurations back to default, remove extra files, add missing files, and repair corrupt files. This will give you a freshly installed OS on your computer, with the latest version of the OS if chosen.
- To open the Windows Settings application, press the Windows and I keys together or go to the Start menu and click on the gear symbol.
- Go to the Update & Security tile > Recovery tab > Get Started button, in the Reset this PC section.
- You will be given the option of either keeping or deleting your files. Select one of these two possibilities.
- Then, decide whether you want to re-download the OS or keep it just the way it is. If you download the OS again, you will get the latest version of it.
This will start the process of resetting the device. Resetting the OS is a very long process and can take about two to three hours to end. You will have to set up/reinitialize your computer after the system reboots one last time during the reset process.
Fix 7: Turn The Windows Update Advanced Option On
There is an option available for Windows users that allows them to receive notifications when updates are available for other apps developed by Microsoft. This includes the applications that are built in with the computer. The steps to enable this option are –
- Open the Windows Settings (Windows + I) and click on the Update & Security tile.
- Go into the Advanced options link.
- On the page that appears, find and check the Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows checkbox.
Fix 8: Check If The Windows Update Service Is Disabled
If the Windows Update service on your system is disabled, you will not be able to receive update downloads for the next version of the OS. There are many reasons why this feature can be disabled automatically, without user interaction. You can check if this process is enabled or disabled in the Services window.
- Open the Services window through the Run tool (services.msc command) or just by searching for it in the search bar (Windows + S).
- Locate the Windows Update service. Once you are there, check the Status of the service which is parallel to the service, and one column away from the name of the service.
While you are on the Services page, check the Stopupdates10 guard service’s status. It should be disabled. If it isn’t, you can disable it through the service’s properties window.
The status should be Running and not blank or disabled. If you see Running, in the Status column, the Windows Update service is not causing the device to be missing important security and quality fixes issues on your computer.
Fix 9: Turn The Telemetry Settings On And Reconfigure Them
The automatic acquisition of diagnostic data by the OS for reporting and reference is referred to as Telemetry. These settings may interfere with the installation of the Windows Updates when they are misconfigured. You might have to take a look at them and change the settings manually, in an attempt to fix this issue.
- Launch the Windows Run tool (Windows + R) and run the gpedit.msc command.
- When the Group Policy editor settings launch, follow this path – Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds
- Open the Allow Telemetry option and click on the Enabled button.
- When the Options menu appears, select either Basic, Enhanced, or Full.
- Once these changes are done, select Apply and OK to save these changes.
Fix 10: Deactivate The Startup Tasks
Running only selected tasks to launch while the system boots up can help eliminate the device’s missing important security and quality fixes issues. These are the steps that can be used to disable startup services on your computer.
- Type in ‘System Configuration’ in the search box placed on the left side of the taskbar.
- Click on the System Configuration option to open this window.
- You will be taken to the General tab, at first. Here, check the Selective Startup radio button.
- Check the Load system services from the set of checkboxes below.
- Now, go into the Services tab and click on the Hide all Microsoft services option at the bottom of the screen.
- Finally, in the lower-left part of the screen, select Disable all.
- Then, click on Apply and OK to save the changes.
Fix 11: Perform The SFC And DISM Scans
For any problem with the Windows operating system, we recommend running two scans. They are capable of repairing any corrupt file found on the computer’s storage discs. They eliminate update errors, by repairing missing or corrupted system files.
The SFC and DISM scans are shown and executed below. You’ll need an admin-authorized command prompt window to run them.
A System File Check scan (SFC) is a scanning utility that detects file damage and replaces it with a fresh and compatible copy of the same file so that the machine functions smoothly.
The Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) utility is a built-in system scanning tool that may be used to make changes to the installation media for the Windows 10 OS, as well as to detect and repair issues with the Windows image file.
- Launch the Command Prompt window with administrator privileges. You can do this by right-clicking on the cmd application in the file location or the start menu and choosing the Run as administrator option. As an alternate option, you can also search for this tool and select Run as administrator in the search results.
- Once this window is up, execute the following commands in the stated order.
- sfc /scannow
- DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth
- DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Checkhealth
- DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
Press the Enter key after you type in each command to execute them one at a time. By the end of these command execution processes, your system will be
- Scanned for corruption
- Checked for the level of file damage (measured in percentage)
- Replaced with new files, instead of the previous existing corrupt system files
- Cleansed the file damage
We recommend running the SFC scan two or three times to completely get rid of all the damaged files on your computer.
Fix 12: Kill And Reboot The Windows Update System Services
If refreshing the Windows Update service did not help you, you can try killing the process and restarting it again. This is a form of resetting the Update service’s configuration and can help with the process of fixing the device that is missing important security and quality fixes errors on your system.
- Launch the Services window with the help of the above-mentioned methods.
- Scroll down to the Windows Update service and right-click on it.
- Choose the Stop process and the running service will be instantly killed. Make sure no update is being downloaded or scanned while you stop this.
- Count to 10 and then, open the same context menu again.
- This time, click on the Start option.
A lot of users reported that rebooting the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) also helps with the smooth downloading of the issue.
This will restart the service, getting rid of any incomplete changes or unwanted, temporary additions to the Update service.
Fix 13: Reset The Windows Update Settings
The initial solution (Fix 4) was to refresh the Windows Update service. This fix is to reset the Windows Update service altogether so that you can have a newly configured version of this service.
This is not a good idea to use when your system is downloading updates. Under normal circumstances, you can use these steps and commands to manually reset the Windows Update service.
- Use the methods in Fix 11 – Step 1 to launch the Command Prompt window with administrator privileges. This is essential because the user has to be an admin in order to make changes in the Operating System’s configurations.
- Once the cmd.exe window appears on your screen, you can start executing the below-given commands one by one –
- net stop wuauserv
- net stop cryptSvc
- net stop bits
- net stop msiserver
- Ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\ SoftwareDistribution.old
- Ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2\ Catroot2.old
- net start wuauserv
- net start cryptSvc
- net start bits
- net start msiserver
Restart your system once all these commands are executed. If there is an error executing a command, try a few times. If the command is still stubborn, you will have to skip the entire set.
Fix 14: Use The Media Creation Tool To Update/Upgrade To A New Windows Version
Using the same Media Creation program that you use to install OSes on machines is your final option. This is a very effective step that can nearly always deliver the desired effects.
However, it has a small catch to it. You may lose the data you have in your storage unit. If you are willing to face this consequence, make a backup of all the important files onto an external storage drive or online cloud storage.
- To do this, you just have to download the Media Creation Tool from the Microsoft site and run the setup.
- In the setup, you have to click on the Next button > Upgrade this PC now > Next button.
- Once all the required files have finished downloading, restart the system to save these changes.
You can also try upgrading the Windows OS to a newer version. This is going to be a common solution for a lot of configurational Windows issues since Windows 11 has been just released.
It not only has a new interface but also newer features and a good-looking interface. There could be some bugs and glitches, that, we believe, will be fixed as soon as more users move to the Windows 11 OS.
Note: Some people can claim the free Windows 11 upgrade on select devices, as of now. You can upgrade it by clicking on the small, blue pending updates icon near the task tray and downloading it from the page that opens.
These are the solutions that can help you fix most variants of the ‘Your device is missing important security and quality fixes’ issue on your Windows PC. If you cannot fix it with these methods, try contacting the Windows support team. Happy Updating!