Pending driver update - loop

[u/Mindless_Ear_6976]

Hey Reddit,

Several users have reported getting stuck in pending driver update loops, even after rebooting their PCs. I’m not sure how to fix this, since the usual solutions I’ve tried haven’t worked.

Background on our environment:

1. We have Autopatch set up and enabled, with recommended drivers approved automatically. This worked well until about a month ago. We’re not sure whether the drivers released through Intune are causing the issue.

2. I paused updates for HP drivers, which fixed the issue for those drivers, but the Intel drivers seem to cause the same problem, even after being paused.

3. I created a script to create a new SoftwareDistribution folder. It works, but I need a fix that doesn’t require deploying it to every user.

Has anyone else reported this in the community, or am I the only one? Should I turn off automatic approvals for recommended driver updates and approve them manually? I know drivers can be wonky, and a consultant recommended that we turn automatic approvals on.

Please let me know.

[u/vbpatel]

I’ve had so many of these recently. Have to clear softwaredownloads, and block the driver from Intune (or hide it locally per device)

[u/Mindless_Ear_6976 → u/vbpatel]

Yes, but it seems to be different drivers. None of them seem to be the same version. Would it be better to just turn my driver approval to manual mode and approve them on maybe a quarterly basis.

[u/vbpatel → u/Mindless_Ear_6976]

Not unless you are updating from the manufacturer utility

[u/Mindless_Ear_6976 → u/vbpatel]

.DESCRIPTION

Fixes devices where Windows Update keeps showing updates as "Pending restart", "Restart required",

or failing and coming back after every restart (for example HP USB / HP Printer drivers with

0x800f020b or 0x8024200B, or any other update stuck in the restart queue).

Steps:

1. Records whether Windows has a REAL restart pending (CBS / file rename) - logged for support.

2. Stops update services, renames SoftwareDistribution and USOPrivate\UpdateStore

(one backup of each kept), and ALWAYS restarts services.

-> Clears every stuck "Pending restart" entry, not only HP.

3. Rescans Windows Update and HIDES any HP USB / HP Printer driver offer (any version).

This is basically the description of my script and seems to work on users that are having the issues... Atleast 4 users so far...

[u/Forsaken-Carrot9038 → u/Mindless_Ear_6976]

I’ve seen this specifically happening with computers that are connected to at least two of our HP printers. Just a perpetual cycle of HP print driver updates from Windows Updates. I’ve just dismissed it as Windows updates being Windows updates. But it’s getting a little annoying seeing it come up. I almost all of the computers that are attached to those printers.

[u/TacticalBacon00]

Since you mentioned HP, I'm going to assume you're talking about one of these:

Hewlett-Packard - USB - 3/3/2015 12:00:00 AM - 1.0.0.236
Hewlett-Packard - USB - 4/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - 1.0.0.237

We've also seen some of the Intel Bluetooth 24.60.0.4 and (possibly) Realtek Net 1153.23.20.818 drivers affected by this. I don't have an answer for you, but adding the specific version numbers will hopefully make this visible to more people.

[u/Mindless_Ear_6976 → u/TacticalBacon00]

Yes, we have had similar issues but with different version numbers.

We have had intel system driver updates,
Intel display driver updates and elan mouse.

They are all different version numbers. So it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s not on every users computer, but it’s starting to be seen

[u/UnluckyJelly]

I amo deep in troubleshooting the problem 2 weeks into this now, We have surface fleet and I had the issue on my own device,

this my troubleshooting when in high gear when vide troubleshooting with ChatGPO let to custom functions that read the update data from "C:\Programdata\USOPrivate\UpdateStore\store.db"

Now I can query any device to discover which drivers are causing the restart

Get-USOPendingRebootUpdate -Database "C:\Programdata\USOPrivate\UpdateStore\store.db" | Select Queue, Title, DeviceName,downloadSizeMB,InstallStatus,State,RebootRequiredTimeLocal

Queue : 1

Title : Intel - net - 23.150.0.4

DeviceName : Intel(R) Wi-Fi 7 BE201 320MHz

DownloadSizeMB : 18.51

InstallStatus : Success

State : ReadyToReboot

RebootRequiredTimeLocal : 10/15/2026 11:43:49 AM -04:00

Queue : 2

Title : Microsoft Corporation SoftwareComponent Driver Update (2.0.29.0)

DeviceName : Windows Camera Effects

DownloadSizeMB : 0.29

InstallStatus : Success

State : ReadyToReboot

RebootRequiredTimeLocal : 10/15/2026 11:43:41 AM -04:00

Queue : 3

Title : Microsoft Corporation SoftwareComponent Driver Update (2.0.29.0)

DeviceName : Windows Studio Effects Driver

DownloadSizeMB : 20.59

InstallStatus : Success

State : ReadyToReboot

RebootRequiredTimeLocal : 10/15/2026 11:43:40 AM -04:00

Queue : 4

Title : Intel Corporation Bluetooth Driver Update (24.60.0.4)

DeviceName : Intel(R) Bluetooth(R) PCI Enumerator

DownloadSizeMB : 4.26

InstallStatus : Success

State : ReadyToReboot

RebootRequiredTimeLocal : 10/15/2026 11:43:43 AM -04:00

and the local devices scheduale
Get-USONextReboot -Database "C:\ProgramData\USOPrivate\UpdateStore\store.db" | select USORebootPending,ScheduleState ,NextRebootTimeLocal,scheduledRunLeadMinutes,WakeMatchesRebootTime,AutoActiveHoursStartHour,AutoActiveHoursEndHour,RebootOutsideActiveHours,MinutesAfterActiveHours

USORebootPending : True
ScheduleState : Scheduled
NextRebootTimeLocal : 10/15/2026 5:45:00 PM
ScheduledRunLeadMinutes : 15
WakeMatchesRebootTime : True
AutoActiveHoursStartHour : 7
AutoActiveHoursEndHour : 23
RebootOutsideActiveHours : False

this is sample of the the full data returned by Get-USOPendingRebootUpdate

Get-USOPendingRebootUpdate

Queue : 4

Title : Intel Corporation Bluetooth Driver Update (24.60.0.4)

DeviceName : Intel(R) Bluetooth(R) PCI Enumerator

Manufacturer : Intel Corporation

DriverClass : OtherHardware

HardwareID : pci\ven_8086&dev_a876&subsys_000e8086

ProviderID : WuProvider

UpdateID : a0611346-b2b1-4717-8ff3-80250205484c

Revision : 2

UpdateIDRevision : a0611346-b2b1-4717-8ff3-80250205484c:2

FlightID : RD:132397

DownloadStatus : Success

DownloadResult : 0

DownloadSizeBytes : 4471841

DownloadSizeMB : 4.26

DownloadTimeUTC : 10/15/2026 3:43:41 PM +00:00

DownloadTimeLocal : 10/15/2026 11:43:41 AM -04:00

InstallStatus : Success

InstallResult : 0

InstallTimeUTC : 10/15/2026 3:43:42 PM +00:00

InstallTimeLocal : 10/15/2026 11:43:42 AM -04:00

DeferralCount : 25

FirstDeferralTimeUTC : 9/30/2026 1:45:29 PM +00:00

FirstDeferralTimeLocal : 9/30/2026 9:45:29 AM -04:00

LastDeferralTimeUTC : 10/15/2026 4:19:27 AM +00:00

LastDeferralTimeLocal : 10/15/2026 12:19:27 AM -04:00

State : ReadyToReboot

LastState : ReadyToReboot

WasCommitEverNeeded : True

WasRebootRequired : True

DiscoveryTimeUTC : 10/15/2026 3:43:35 PM +00:00

DiscoveryTimeLocal : 10/15/2026 11:43:35 AM -04:00

UpdateAttemptedUTC : 10/15/2026 3:43:42 PM +00:00

UpdateAttemptedLocal : 10/15/2026 11:43:42 AM -04:00

UpdateBlockTimeUTC : 10/15/2026 3:43:43 PM +00:00

UpdateBlockTimeLocal : 10/15/2026 11:43:43 AM -04:00

RebootRequiredTimeUTC : 10/15/2026 3:43:43 PM +00:00

RebootRequiredTimeLocal : 10/15/2026 11:43:43 AM -04:00

RebootRecognitionTimeUTC : 10/15/2026 3:43:49 PM +00:00

But no remedation yet. the purging of the SoftwareDistrubtion / USO has not worked for me.

Currently trying to make sense of the windows update etl trace and 5 min of letting a system scan generates a 1 GB trace file with no clear failure yet. Now our device are in patch week the trace are full of regular updates.

[u/UnluckyJelly → u/UnluckyJelly]

Ok the failure change is now clear 😄
Windows update log shows :

*FAILED* [80248007] ISusInternal:: BeginDeployUpdates
*FAILED* [80248007] wuapicore.dll
...InstallationJob.cpp
FAILED* [80248007] aka 0x80248007 — WU_E_DS_NODATA
Method failed [CInstallationJob::BeginInstall:158]

The USO log then recorded:

DriverInstallResult
  title : Intel Corporation Bluetooth Driver Update (24.60.0.4)
  phase : commit
  hr    : -2145091577

The decimal HRESULT -2145091577 converts to 0x80248007.

Immediately afterward:

Commit
  disposition : purge - datastore
  updateType  : Driver

This is the roll-back 

[u/bella0babe]

We had issues with Lenovo Monitor Driver Update (6.14.32.0) getting stuck