From superuser.com

Windows update service cannot start even after manually restarting the service.

"Apparently, the problem is with a corrupted windows log file. Thank you Bill Gates.

In order to get Window Update running again, you have to:

  1. Go to Services, and temporarily Stop the "Windows Update" service
  2. Go to c:\windows\softwaredistribution\datastore\logs\
  3. Find the file edb.log
  4. Rename or delete the file
  5. Once the file is renamed or deleted, go back to Services, and Start the "Windows Update" service
  6. Try to run Windows Update again. It will work normally.

So far, I have not had any problems with this solution. I have successfully installed updates on one of the PCs. Please feel free to comment on this with any improvements that could be made, and let me know if this has been helpful for you."