Hi Edward.
If the error is related only to a specific update or to a small group of updates, you could manually install each of them as administrator after downloading each installation package either from the
Microsoft Update Catalog or from the
Microsoft Download Center; after completing each installation, restart the system.
The first troubleshooting step for Windows Update is executing the automated troubleshooter tool: read
here to know how to do that.
If the tool cannot solve the problem, reset the Windows Update components as per Microsoft Knowledge Base article
971058.
Bye.
Luigi Bruno
MCP, MCTS, MOS, MTA