Windows Update is a Microsoft cloud-based service that helps keep Windows PCs and other related software such as Windows Defender etc up to date. The patches and updates normally include feature enhancements and security updates that can protect Windows from malware. In this article, I will be showing you “how to fix 0x800f0831 error when installing Windows update”. Please see these exciting articles: How to fix Out-of-Band Security Update for PrintNightmare. Learn Active Directory Forest – Trees and Domain and Sites.
Windows Update Result Codes
Apart from 0x800f0831, there are a lot of Windows Update errors (e.g., 0x80070103, 0xC1900101, or 8007001F – 0x4000D). These errors can all be resolved. Please see this link for Windows 10 upgrade resolution procedures and result codes. See How to update the BIOS on your Dell system. Please see how to fix “The version of Windows is expired: How to upgrade Windows Server Evaluation to Full Version“.
Some of these errors are triggered by updates requiring the manifest of a previous update package, Windows Store cache, inaccessible Windows Update service, antivirus software, or some damaged update files.
The root cause for 0x800f0831 Error when installing Windows update
There can be several reasons why you cannot install the latest updates on the system due to the 0x800f0831 error code. This issue typically occurs when the update you attempt to install requires a manifest file of an older update package. This was the reason for this error in my case.
Note: When you install an update package on Windows, it comes with a manifest file that contains the update components and other relevant settings. In some cases, the update package you are trying to install requires the manifest file of an older package, but that update is not present in the system. This results in issues like the one at hand.
When you try to install a Windows update, especially a cumulative update, you get the following error message in WindowsUpdate.log.
This problem is more likely to occur if you don’t have access to Microsoft Updates or have not applied updates for a long period of time as it is in my case as this is a Lab VM. Please see the image below for the error that was prompted.
Resolution
The solution is to manually install the relevant update or run DISM RestoreHealthTo repair the component store. To fix the issue, use one of the following methods. Please see Pass-Through Authentication: Azure AD Connect Tool status displays inactive, Fix Error code 15601: How to resolve DISM unspecified error when removing preinstalled packages, and how to fix Windows cannot check for updates in Windows 8, 7, and 10(Opens in a new browser tab)
Method 1: Repair the Component store with DISM commands
Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) is a tool that allows administrators to prepare, modify, and repair system images, including Windows Recovery Environment, Windows Setup, and Windows PE (WinPE).
However, you can also use it with the local recovery image to fix system issues. Here are some related articles: How to remove OneDrive from Windows via DISM, and how to add Registry keys via DISM in Windows. Also, see how to Add Packages to Windows image the DISM Tool, and Remove Windows 10 Apps with DISM: How to remove pre-provisioned apps from Windows Image.
Corruption errors within the system
Your system might be corrupted or infected by malware, preventing the update services from working properly. To repair the component store using the DISM RestoreHealth command, follow these steps.
Run the Windows Command Prompt as an Administrator. Scanhealth checks the image to check for corruption. This operation will take several minutes
DISM /ONLINE /CLEANUP-IMAGE /SCANHEALTH 
Check the image to see whether any corruption has been detected.
DISM /ONLINE /CLEANUP-IMAGE /CHECKHEALTH 
Use the RestoreHealth argument to repair the image.
DISM /ONLINE /CLEANUP-IMAGE /RESTOREHEALTH 
Please see how to Get lists of installed Microsoft Windows Updates, How to get the Windows 10 Version 22H2 Update, How to apply Windows Updates with PowerShell, and Windows 10 and Windows 11 updates will now expire for better performance.
The System File Checker scans the critical operating system files for underlying issues. If a problem is discovered, the tool with replace the file with its functional cached counterpart.
Sfc /Scannow
Restart the device, and do not switch it off.
Please see What is ADK, MDT, Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM), Intune, Autopilot, and WSUS, How to Start, Stop and Restart Windows Server Update WSUS Services via PowerShell and CMD, How to check if Windows Updates were installed on your PC, and how to disable the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Task Sequence property sheet.
Once the process completes, try running Windows Update again and see if this fixes the problem. As you can see the updates are running again.
The System has been patched and now the LAPS can protect Local Admin Passwords as the devices is running the required update. Please see how to configure Windows LAPS.
If you still haven’t solved the error code with the instructions above, the “Windows Update” function may be corrupted. In this case, we recommend a repair with method 2 below.
Download the missing package from the Microsoft Update Catalog
We’ll walk you through the steps to browse the Windows Update catalog to find the updates you want. You can then download the updates to install themto your Microsoft Windows-based devices. Go to Microsoft Update Catalog.
In the Search box, enter the KB number and click ” Search “. Please see how to fix Error 183: The specified image is currently being serviced by another DISM operation, and Fix unable to Extend Volume on Windows protected by BitLocker.
Find the update that applies to your operating system appropriately in the search results, and then select the Download button.
I recommend also to use the Windows Event Viewer to confirm the KB number of the update that is causing the problem. For this, you can open the Event Viewer and navigate to the following location:Applications and Service Logs\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdateClient\Operational
In the Microsoft Update Catalog window, select the link of the file to download the update. Select close after the download process is done. Then, you can find a folder that contains the update package in the location that you specified.
Open the folder, and then double-click the update package to install the update.I hope you found this blog post helpful on how to Fix 0x800f0831 Error when installing Windows update. Please let me know in the comment section if you have any questions.