The Problem: When running a PowerShell script, you encounter the following error message:

3 7971f918-a847-4430-9279-4a52d1efe18d False System.__ComObject
Exception from HRESULT: 0x80240024
At line:45 char:1
+ $Downloader.Download()
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : OperationStopped: (:) [], COMException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.Run

This error indicates a failure in a COM (Component Object Model) operation, specifically related to the HRESULT code 0x80240024.

Problem Analysis: The error message indicates that a COM object operation has failed. The HRESULT code 0x80240024 typically corresponds to a Windows Update error, which suggests that the script is attempting to interact with the Windows Update Agent (WUA) API.

Symptoms:

• The PowerShell script halts execution at the $Downloader.Download() line.
• The script is likely designed to download updates using the Windows Update API.
• The error is categorized as a COMException, indicating an issue with a COM object operation.

Root Cause: The root cause of this issue is generally related to the Windows Update Agent (WUA) API. The HRESULT 0x80240024 translates to WU_E_NO_UPDATE, which means that there are no updates available or the update search criteria did not return any results. This could be due to:

• Incorrect or overly restrictive search criteria in the script.
• Issues with the Windows Update service on the machine.
• Network connectivity issues preventing access to the update servers.

Solution: To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

1. Verify Windows Update Service: Ensure that the Windows Update service is running.

   Get-Service -Name wuauserv

   If the service is not running, start it:

   Start-Service -Name wuauserv

2. Check Network Connectivity: Ensure the machine has internet access and can reach the Windows Update servers.

   Test-NetConnection -ComputerName www.microsoft.com

3. Review and Modify the Script: Ensure that the script's search criteria for updates are not too restrictive. For example:

   $Searcher = New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Searcher
   $SearchResult = $Searcher.Search("IsInstalled=0")

4. Handle No Updates Found: Add error handling to manage the scenario where no updates are found.

   if ($SearchResult.Updates.Count -eq 0) {
      Write-Host "No updates found. Exiting script."
      exit
   }

5. Retry the Download: Implement a retry mechanism for the download operation.

   $Downloader = New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Downloader
   $Downloader.Updates = $SearchResult.Updates
   try {
      $Downloader.Download()
   } catch {
      Write-Host "Download failed: $_.Exception.Message"
      # Retry logic or additional error handling
   }

By following these steps, you can diagnose and resolve the COMException HRESULT: 0x80240024 error in your PowerShell script.