Windows 10: Error when trying to rename catroot2 folder: "open in another program"

When trying to rename catroot2, you get an error message that the folder is open in another program.I have actually solved this, but every time people ask this they get bad advice and the thread is locked. The problem is that Microsoft's official advice here is incorrect. Windows cryptsvc is keeping the file locked.The actual process should be: net stop bits net stop wuauserv net stop cryptsvc ren %systemroot%\softwaredistribution softwaredistribution.bak ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak net start cryptsvc net start bits net start wuauserv You can just copy that entire block a

:)

 

Can't rename Catroot2 folder for fixing windows update error

Hello, I'm having problem updating the windows so i'm trying to fix it but now i'm stuck on the step which is renaming the folders.

It says "a duplicate file name exists, or the file cannot be found", i went and checked and realized there is a catroot2.old file already exist.. is this the reason that i can't rename the catroot2 folder? what should i do next?

 

cryptsvc is always turned on automatically whenever catroot2 folder is touched (deletion or rename)

Hello MS experts,

I hit a very strange problem when I tried to rename catroot2 folder (because windows update 1803 hits the problem time to time, cannot be installed).

as people suggested, i first turned off cryptsvc and window update service via command line or via services GUI interface. then i tried to rename catroot2 folder, it showed error message that other application still opened it, I was wondering who still occupied
it. therefore, i checked cryptsvc again, it was turned on by himself automatically (status turned "Running"). I even tried to disable it completely, it still behaves like that, turned on automatically as long as I touched catroot2 folder (if i don't touch
catroot2 folder, cryptsvc kept being turned off). I repeated stop and rename procedure many times without any luck.

any idea what happened and how to fix it?

many thanks

best regards

John

 

Can't rename Catroot2 and SoftwareDistribution folder in Windows 10

Hi ShahzebHussain,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

Could you please help me with the below information:

1. What is the make and model of the computer?
   
2. What is the version of Windows installed on your computer?
   (To check, type: winver in start menu and hit enter.)
   
3. Dou you receive any error message while updating the computer?
   

Software Distribution and
Catroot2 are Windows operating system folders that are required for the Windows Update process. The update service like Cryptographic Windows update and BITS makes
use of the C:\Windows\System32\catroot2\edb.log file for the updating process. I suggest you to first stop these services and then rename the folders.

1. Tap on the Windows key on your keyboard.
   
2. Type Command prompt, right click on the search result and run as Administrator.
   
3. Copy and paste the following commands.
   

Net stop Wuauserv

Net stop cryptsvc

Net stop bits

4. Go to the file location and try to renaming the folder.

5. Once it is done, restart the update services by going back to command prompt window. (Refer step 2)

6. Type :

Net start cryptsvc

Net start bits

Net stop wuauserv

7. Exit the command prompt.

If that doesn’t work, you can ‘Reset
the Windows update components’.
These steps will rename the folders you have mentioned and fix most of the issues with Windows update.

Note: The above article
contains the steps related to registry. Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can
restore the registry if a problem occurs. To backup and restore registry key, refer Microsoft article on
How to back up and restore the registry in Windows.

For more information about Windows update issue, refer the Microsoft article on
Fix Windows Update issuesand
Troubleshoot problems updating Windows 10.
If you would like me to provide additional advice, simply respond to this thread. I will get notified and I’ll reply to you as soon as I can.

Note: The above article
contains the steps related to clean installation. While performing these steps there might be a risk of data loss. You may take a backup of the data before performing the steps.

Hope it helps.

Tick ‘Yes’ if it was helpful, this can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Roohi Taj S

Microsoft Community – Moderator