When you try to start the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) on Windows XP you get an error 1290: 0x50a.
Step 1:
Reregister the Qmgr.dll and the Qmgrprxy.dll BITS files. To do this, follow these steps:
Click Start, click Run, type regsvr32 qmgr.dll, and then click OK two times.
Click Start, click Run, type regsvr32 qmgrprxy.dll, and then click OK two times.
Restart the computer.
Step 2:
Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
At the command prompt, type the following command, and then click OK:
%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%\inf\qmgr.inf
Note: If you are prompted to insert the operating system CD, type %windir%\ServicePackFiles\i386 in the Copy files from box, and then click OK.
Restart the computer.
UPDATE: Just completed this step on a computer that had an empty C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386 directory. I copied that directory from another XP computer that had SP3 installed. As some have noted in the comments they had to use their XP SP3 CD.
Step 3:
Manually start BITS. To do this, follow these steps:
Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
Double-click Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
In the Service status area, click Start.
If BITS does not start successfully, continue to step 4. (At this point your error will probably be 2 rather than 1290: 0x50a)
Step 4:
Click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK:
Reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BITS\Parameters /v ServiceDll /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /d %windir%\System32\qmgr.dll
Restart the computer.
Step 5:
Try to manually start BITS.
Note: Set the BITS Startup type to “Automatic” instead of “Manual” as soon as you resolve this problem. To change the Startup type, follow these steps:
a.Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
b.Double-click Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
c.In the Startup type box, click Automatic, and then click OK.
This information was sourced from Microsoft Article ID: 916251
Thanks for this. A straight XP SP3 install and nothing but grief with Automatic Updates and then BITs.
This problem bugged me for ages and I tried all sorts of stuff. The above command line didn’t work however I right clicked the inf file and did an Active unsinstall, reboot, Active install, no service showed up so then an install.The service started up.
Thanks for putting me inthis direction.
I have experienced your frustration with Windows Update on XP many times
There are so many things that can go wrong with Windows Update and BITS that you never know which solution or combination will fix the problem. In most cases, for me, the Fixit for Windows Update does not solve the problem. I rarely find the solution on Microsoft’s website but in this instance it was there. It was actually one of the solutions on an IT blog that changed my update problem to a BITS problem. Unfortunately it was late and I did not document that information.
Thanks a million! I tried every fix I could find and nothing solved my BITS problem until now.
Thank you Blizzard Computers!
Awesome! The odd thing is that Microsoft actually has the solution for this but it doesn’t seem to come up when you search for BITS Windows XP Error 1290: 0x50a.
Perfect, followed it step by step and it worked as advertised unlike all the MS fixes I have tried, thank you very much.
Absolutely topnotch! Resolved with pinpoint accuracy the troubles I was having – updating a brand new virtual PC under Windows 7 Pro, Windows XP, SP3 patched, and then no updates would install. I must have looked at and tried dozens of other “solutions”, including Microsoft Fix It packs. I don’t think Microsoft is putting much effort anymore in helping out. I can understand that, or maybe not. And I do know some about computers.
In any case, Kudos and many thanks for taking the trouble to publicize this solution. I’d certainly send customers your way if I were in the area.
Thank you for the information. With so many people having this problem, you would think Microsoft would make information on how to fix it easier to find.
By the way, in case others are in the same circumstance: I didn’t have the XP install disk handy. So I copied the system32/*.dll files to a temporary directory, then told the installer to find the qmgr.dll and the rest there. That worked fine for me.
– Edward
Thanks for the feedback/tip!
Dear Sir
Just to say thank you. I spent days and tried numerous free and paid resource to get my windows update working again. Your free solution did the trick. Thanks!!!
Thank you so much for the straightforward solution to this issue. I have been struggling with it for 3 days and your step by step instructions worked perfectly!!!
That’s great! I really appreciate the feedback, thank you.
Hello David,
Your instructions were brilliant and I think you for taking the effort to make them available.
I have built many computers and wasted half a day on this error – till I found the above.
Clearly MS have broken something with some very recent update – probably something in November 2013.
Regards,
Peter
System: Thinkpad X230, I7, 180GB SSD, winXP SP3.
You might be right about Nov 2013. That’s when I got a call from a customer that Automatic Update service was using 100% CPU. While trying to resolve that issue I found that BITS was not working. In my case I think it was one of the solutions I tried, that was supposed to fix the automatic update service, that actually caused the BITS problem.
Tried to follow Davids instructions step by step, they all got enetered and done and pc restarted but I am still getting error 1290:0x50a. I tried lots of different things over the past month and even got a Microsoft volunteer to help me but nothing worked. I only have MSE so no other anti-virus interfered, I also cant do System Restore. Thanks
Dear David
Thank you so much for this fix, it works! BITS started at last and updates installed. I just can’t believe it after all the hours I’ve spent trying every sort of fix. I think my problem was probably initially down to malware (which must have got past Microsoft Security Essentials and effectively disabled it by preventing updates), but getting things running properly proved impossible until now. Regards, Phil.
Mr. Blizzard,
Thank you so much for posting this. Since MS released their many security updates back in October 2013, I have not been able to download and run updates for anything since.
While trying to find a resolution to this issue with the BITS, I stumbled upon your fix. It resolved the problem. Makes one ask “Why can’t MicroSoft put out fixes that are this simple to perform?”.
Thank you again,
Richard
Thanks to the fix. This helped me restore the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS). When I was able to start BITS then Windows Update started to work again.
Note: To get command
%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%\inf\qmgr.inf
in Step 2 to work I had to create a folder C:\Windows\inf\i386 and place
five files from a Windows XP system that had SP3 installed into the folder. The
files are: qmgr.dll, qmgrprxy.dll, bitsprx2.dll, bitsprx3.dll, and bitsprx4.dll.
These five files were copied from the C:\Windows\system32 folder of the computer I took them from.
That’s great that you were able to fix the problem, thanks for the extra information.
thanks a bunch worked great,
i had to install my XP disc when it asked for it , but no big deal .
all is fixed ,i did get the eror code 2 like you said might happen . lol
This solved my problem. Windows update works. Nasty problem.
Problem fix it. Thank you so much for your support with this problem.
Perfect fix, thanks a lot! This is the only thing that worked after a lot of frustrating mumbo jumbo fix-it nix it from MS. I also had to use an XP SP3 disc, but no worries. I also got code 2, but after step 4 it was all good
Thank you so much for providing this information. I tried so many other things and nothing worked. Your steps were very straight forward, only took a few minutes, and worked perfectly! All is now well.
That’s great! Thank you for the feedback.