The aim of
this article is to help you solve this 0x800A138F problem and have you updating your
Windows XP Professional
 or Home Edition computer as soon as possible!
(This is also a known issue with some installations of
Windows 2000 Professional
 AFTER applying Service Pack 3)
As usual all advice is offered as-is without warranty of any kind....
What Is The 0x800A138F problem?
I do NOT want to get too technical in this support article. Simply because most
 of you reading this, want a solution and not a technical briefing! Also, many of
you are new(ish) to Windows XP and I am not here to confuse you either...
Essentially when your computer communicates with the Windows Update website. It uses
TWO technologies called:
Active X
 -  to interact with the Microsoft site.  The first time you visit the Update website,
using your profile, you are asked if you will accept the Windows Update Control Package
(the Active X control) onto your machine.
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) - A method of data encryption used by Internet Explorer.
Now this general error message
0x800A138F
, that some folks get when they visit Windows Update, has been around for a while.
BUT, when the
MSBlast
 virus was unleashed Microsoft changed a few things at the main update website. One
of them was to
use Akamai for additional bandwidth and this connectivity is exclusively using HTTPS
(SSL) for the downloading of the update catalogue. It is since then that we have
seen an escalation in the number of
0x800A138F error messages!
TIP:
The following steps will help many of you... BUT
What would be
REALLY helpful to anyone trying to support you, is if you go to the "
Windows Update Log
" and look for any "Errors". This gives a clearer indication as to the exact nature
of the problem. (The
0x800A138F error message is a "General" error THE real error number is in the log.
A list of possible error messages is in a table at the bottom of this page.)
The windows update log is in the following places:
C:\Windows\Windows Update.log (Win XP & Win98/Me)
C:\WINNT\Windows Update.log (Windows 2000)
Just copy and paste the above in Windows Explorer to open the log file...
Some of the steps here may seem a little odd. But hang in there with me! One of them
should work for YOU! (
error 0x800A138F...)
Let's start with the
basics and then move forward one step at a time
If you are using or have been using any form of Anti Spy/Advert software try
STEP 11
 first!
          Also MANY folks have resolved this issue using STEP 5...
Step 1)
Delete Temporary Internet Files
There is a possibility of some
corrupted
 files in your Temporary Internet Files (TIF) storage... So we need to clear out
this folder.
To do so:
Start Internet Explorer.
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the General tab.
Under Temporary Internet files, click Delete Cookies.
Click OK when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.
Click Delete Files.
Click OK when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.
Under History, click Clear History.
Click Yes when you are prompted to delete your history of visited Web sites.
Click OK.
Close Internet Explorer
Start Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update Site again.
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 2
Step 2)
Check Security And Content Settings In Internet Explorer
a) Check the security settings for the Trusted sites zone in Internet Explorer.
To do so:
Open
Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the
Security tab.
Click Trusted sites, and then click Default Level. (This should be Low, these are
sites you trust!)
Now click the Sites button.
Clear the check box "Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone."
Type the following URL's EXACTLY as follows:
http://Windowsupdate.microsoft.com
http://V4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com
https://v4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com
  (Note: The https is correct)
http://Download.Windowsupdate.com
Type each one then, click
Add, and repeat until they all show in the bottom box. Now click OK
, and then click
Apply.
TIP: It is also worth checking to make sure NONE of these URL's appear in the "Restricted
Sites
" section.... Some of the popular spy blocker type software can automatically place
any URL in this section..
Clear the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) state and AutoComplete history.
To do so:
(Windows XP Only...)
Open Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click
the Content tab.
Under Certificates, click Clear SSL State.
Click OK when you receive the message that the SSL cache was successfully cleared.
Under Personal information, click AutoComplete.
Under Clear AutoComplete history, click Clear Forms. Click OK
 when you are prompted to confirm the operation.
Click Clear Passwords. Click OK
 when you are prompted to clear all previously saved passwords, and then click
OK two more times.
Close
Internet Explorer
Start Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update Site again.
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 3
You can test your ability to connect to Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) websites by using
this
SSL
 test site...
Step 3)
Verify that Internet Explorer is configured to use SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0.
To do so:
Open
Internet Explorer
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab.
In the Settings box, under Security, click to select the Use SSL 2.0 and Use SSL
3.0
 check boxes (if they are not already selected), and then click
OK.
Now Close Internet Explorer
Now open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again.
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 4
Step 4)
Please
uncheck "Check for server certificate revocation":
Open Internet Explorer
Click on Tools
Click on Internet Options
Click on the Advanced tab
Scroll down to the Security Section
Unselect "Check for server certificate revocation"
Reboot the machine
Now
open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again.
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 5
Step 5)
Verify that the
Date and Time Settings on Your Computer Are Correct
You are most likely seeing the error code
0x800C0008 in the update log. This usually
 indicates a date error. Another symptom will be not being able to visit checkouts
online, login to secure banking etc...
Because
SSL
 certificates have an expiry date, if the date on your computer isn't correct, it
may prevent you from connecting to secure sites. To verify that your computer is
configured with the
correct
 date and time settings:
Click Start
Click Control Panel
Click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options,
Click Date and Time
Select the Date & Time tab
Check to make sure that the date and time settings are configured to use the current
 date and time, and then click
OK
You could also check your date/time in the CMOS - on start up.....)
Now
open
 Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again. You may be surprised to
hear that this is the
NUMBER ONE reason folks tell me was stopping them accessing the site!!!
If you have error
0x800C0008
and the date is NOT your problem, then copy and paste the following into your browser,
hit enter, let the page load then close and reboot, then try the Update website again:
https://a248.e.akamai.net/v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 6
Step 6)
Now I said earlier that some of the suggestions were a little odd... Well...
The error may occur because the
language-setting in Internet Explorer is missing.
To add a language, in Internet Explorer:
Open Internet Explorer
Click on Tools
Click on Internet Options
Click on the General tab and click the "Languages" button.
Add a language to the list if empty.
Now click OK and then OK and close Internet Explorer
Or.....
In some reported cases you have to add a second language,
English-United States,
 and move it to the top of the list!
Side Note:
For those of you wondering why this may happen. Well the file that contains your
Update History is called
iuhist.xml, and there is a known
 bug where the Send method of XMLHttp on XML 2.6, or later, fails with error code
0x800A138F
if there are no languages specified in Internet Explorer.)
Error 0x800A138F
When updating my Windows XP I got Error 0x800A138F. Through Google
Step 6 did the trick for me (language setting)
As You said in the article, I is indeed odd. as the standard language is Dutch.
Afer adding Duch in the empty list I was able to Update again.
REBOOT Then open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again!
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 7
Step 7)
Temporarily disabling antivirus and firewall programs while you use Windows Update
may solve this problem. Be sure to enable them again when you complete the update
process...
It is also worth noting that the new Active X control, used by V4 of Windows Update,
collects patch information and sends/receives that information over
port 443, instead of port 80 as in the past...
If you have port 443 blocked at your router/firewall then try unblocking it.
Now open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again.
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 8
Step 8)
You might also be able to resolve this issue by deleting all of the content in:
Program Files\Windowsupdate
and
Program Files\Windowsupdate\V4 (except for the iuhist.xml
 file located in Program Files\Windowsupdate\V4)!!!
Now
open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again.
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 9
Step 9)
Verify that Internet Explorer Is Using 128-Bit Encryption
Internet Explorer High Encryption comes with Internet Explorer 5.5 and above. It
provides you with 128-bit encryption, the highest level of protection Microsoft can
offer for your Internet communications,
including
 credit card use and financial transactions.
There have been some occasions when the Cipher Strength appears as 0 in Internet
Explorer. This can occur if the
Schannel.dll, Rsabase.dll, or Rsaenh.dll
 files are missing, damaged, or of the incorrect version.
To check you have 128-Bit:
In Internet Explorer, on the Help menu, click About Internet Explorer
The level of encryption on your computer appears next to the words
Cipher Strength
. Verify that the Cipher Strength value appears as
128-bit
If it does then close the window.
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 10
Step 10)
Verify that Internet Explorer Proxy Settings
If YOU are using a Proxy Server to access your Internet content, or even if you are
not sure.
Do this:
Open Internet Explorer
Click on Tools menu
Click on Internet Options
Click on the Connections tab and click the LAN settings button
Click Advanced and make sure there is a tick in the box next to:
"Use proxy server for all protocols."
Click OK and close Internet Explorer
Now
open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again.
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 11
Also, if you are using some software called SPYBLOCKER
, disable it and try windows update again..
AOL users Tip:
If you use
AOL. Try minimising the AOL browser (once connected) and then open Internet Explorer
and visit Windows Update!
I had already got my system sorted by
 removing a248.e.akamai.net from the Hosts file via
Spyblocker but it became obvious there was a lot more going on than simply
 that. 

I have
Norton System Works
 and I went into that program to delete my cookies, 
I then went to the Update website and it prompted me to download
a security warning and then it scanned my system and gave me my updates to choose
from.....
It's finally fixed.

That did the trick... I deleted the security certificate as you suggested and visited
the address you gave me. It asked if I wanted to accept the certificate and I said
yes. I then restarted Internet Explorer and Windows Update worked!
Step 11) New!
Check The Hosts File...
There is a small file on your machine that MAY be causing you a problem...
Lets check it out:
Go To The
Hosts File::
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\etc   (Windows XP)
C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\etc        (Windows 2000)
C:\Windows\Hosts                              (Windows 98)
Use Notepad to view contents of the Hosts file.
(The Hosts file is a editable using notepad)
The lines at the beginning with # in the first column - IGNORE
If there are ANY entries in there that refer to Microsoft or to Akamai DELETE them!
Now close notepad accepting the changes.
Now
open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again.
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 12

Many of the current "Anti Spy" and "Ad-Aware" software CAN update your hosts file
and BLOCK access to the Windows Update site. This is because Microsoft are now using
servers at Akamai for load balancing of the service. However, Akamai servers have
also been known to host the services of companies that "Anti Spy" software seeks
to block. So we have a problem now Microsoft are using Akamai....!
ALSO at least one of these software programs will add the  Akamai  URL to the Restricted
Sites in Internet Explorer - so this may be a problem too...
So delete any references to Akamai there also:
Open Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click
the
Security tab.
Click Restricted sites, Now click the Sites button.
REMOVE any URL's that have akamai in the address.
Step 12) New!
??? An Un-related Internet Explorer 6 Issue...
Internet Explorer 6 (and 6 SP1) has been known to suffer from an issue where a new
windows will not open.
I have now seen TWO reports where this has
fixed
the Windows Update issue, (sadly I do not know the error message in the windows update
log), and so offer it here:
Click
Start menu, and then click the Run icon.
In the small box that Opens, type the three letters:  cmd  then click the OK button.
In the command prompt window that just opened (a black background and white text),
type the following commands, pressing the
ENTER key on your keyboard after each line:
regsvr32 urlmon.dll
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
regsvr32 msjava.dll         (Some of you may not have this one... That's OK)
regsvr32 mshtml.dll
regsvr32 browseui.dll
Now type the word:
exit  and the window will close.
Now Reboot and try and Microsoft Windows Update again....
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 13
Step 13) New!
Delete The Akamai Certificate...
There is a possibility of the Akamai security certificate
 causing problems.
Follow this:
Start Internet Explorer.
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Contents tab.
Click Certificates, click the Other People tab.
Click on the certificate called a248.e.akamai.net, click the remove button.
(If not there then this is not your problem - close all windows.)
Click OK when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.
Now Close the open windows and Internet Explorer.
Start Internet Explorer and paste the following into the address:
https://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp
When the Security Warning window appears click View Certificate.
On the the General tab, click Install Certificate
Click Next when the wizard window appears, keep the default setting ticked "Automatically...."
Click Next, Click Finish.
Close the open windows, accept the Security Alert that is still displayed by clicking
Yes
Close Internet Explorer
Start Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update Site again.
If it fails with the
0x800A138F error again try Step 14
--------------------
On a brand new build of Windows XP Professional SP1 I visited the Windows Update
site for the first time - via Internet Explorer > Tools > Windows Update.
I got the message about the Windows Update control and ALL was fine! No problems
with Windows Update at all... I was upset! I wanted it not to work, so how to break
it.
Well many posts in the various newsgroups mention that their Windows Update log files
have been containing error messages referencing "
akamai.net"
So i decided to point my browser at the secure site:
https://V4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com
and not the default:
http://V4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com
that I was always being taken too....
THAT DID IT!
Error
0x800A138F on the first try..
My Windows Update log showed the entry:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Error IUENGINE Querying software update catalog from https://a248.e.akamai.net/v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp
(Error 0x800C0008)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now
ALL I had to do was fix it :-)
Well I tried ALL the steps above and NOTHING worked!!! Not a single step!
So I then thought about the
cryptographic service
 error issue that I have previously written about. So I ran the
batch file I had made for that and I was
FIXED...!!!
So, you could try:
Click
Start menu, and then click the Run icon.
In the small box that Opens, type the three letters:  cmd  then click the OK button.
In the command prompt window that just opened (a black background and white text),
type the following commands, pressing the
ENTER key on your keyboard after each line:
net start cryptsvc
regsvr32 softpub.dll
regsvr32 wintrust.dll
regsvr32 initpki.dll
regsvr32 dssenh.dll
regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32 sccbase.dll
regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll
Now type the word:
exit  and the window will close.
Now Reboot and try and Microsoft Windows Update again....
Below are some suggestions.
 You
may also find these error codes useful - for future reference, especially
 when trying to figure out error messages in the
Windows Update log
! (They are only given here as a guide to general problems and will require
further research on your part to resolve the particular problem you may be having.)
Hexadecimal error number
Description
0x800C0002, 0x800401E4 and 0x80072EE5
The address of this site is not valid. Check the address and try again.
0x800C0003
Cannot start an Internet session.
0x800C0004 and 0x80072EFD
Cannot connect to the Internet server.
0x800C0005
Cannot locate the Internet server or proxy server.
0x800C0006 and 0x80072EFC
The site reports that the item you requested could not be found. (HTTP/1.0 404)
0x800C0007
The Internet site reports that a connection was established but the data is not available.
0x800C0008
Cannot download the information you requested. (This is an
incorrect date on your PC or a
server certificate revocation
!)
0x800C0009
The item you requested requires proper authentication. (HTTP/1.0 401)
0x800C000A
The Internet site cannot return the object you requested. (HTTP/1.0 403)
0x800C000B and 0x80072EE2
The connection to this Internet site took longer than the allotted time.
0x800C000C
The site reports that the request is not valid.
0x800C000D and 0x80072EE8
The required Internet protocol is not installed on your computer, or the Internet
address you requested may not be valid.
0x800C000E
A security problem has occurred.
0x800C000F and 0x800401EA
Cannot open the specified file.
0x800C0010
Cannot start the program needed to open this file.
0x800401E6 and 0x80040154
No program is registered to open this file.
0x80004004
The hyperlink cannot be followed to the destination.
0x801901F8
The transfer request timed out while waiting for a gateway. Resume the job at a later
time. (HTTP Error 504)
0x801901F7
The service is temporarily overloaded and cannot process the request. Resume the
job at a later time. (HTTP Error 503)
0x80190190
Proxy Error: Host name not recognized or host not found (HTTP Error 400)  Download
this patch, install, reboot and try again.
Q823718
If that fails: Open regedit and go to the following key.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
Now look in the right pane and see if there is a sub-key there named
"VersionNumber" If the "VersionNumber" sub-key exists, delete it.
0x80190194
The requested URL does not exist on the server. (HTTP Error 404)
0xC00CE55F
"System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption" service is enabled!
DISABLE IT NOW!
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa]
"fipsalgorithmpolicy"=dword:00000001
switch it off with:
"fipsalgorithmpolicy"=dword:00000000
(For Windows 2003 and XP only... Windows 2000 does not fully support FIPS and so
does not have this key.)
So in closing it seems that the configuration changes that have been made to the
windows update service recently:
The client request used to be: (taken from Windows Update log file)
Querying software update catalog from
https://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp
Now it is:
Querying software update catalog from
https://a248.e.akamai.net/v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp
(Akamai now provides "front end" load balancing for many of Microsoft's servers,
plus they handle most of their streaming video services too...)
This does seem to
Actually
prevent the transfer of the update files you need, if those computers are "behind"
some
 types of routers, firewalls or proxy servers too..... as well as the issue with
hosts files mentioned in Step 11.
Microsoft are actively looking at this issue! BUT there is no quick fix available.
If the suggestions on this page do not help, check with your vendors/IT support about
updating any router firmware or firewall software.
But this may not be practicable!
You can MANUALLY download any updates you need by visiting:
Manual Update
Then click
Find updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems
Select your Operating System
Select the patches
Download your selections...
NB - For more experienced Windows XP users you may consider using the free HFNetChk
 tool to manually inspect your PC and then get a list of updates you are missing!
(as well as all that are correctly installed.)
You can then use the Manual Update to get the patches you need... 
On a
separate issue, that caused problems for MANY
 AOL and RoadRunner (Time Warner) customers using their Dial Up and Cable services.
It turns out that for several days these ISP's had been doing some work on the "routing
tables" (used to access websites...) and this had hit millions of users!
However, an unnamed Microsoft source says that it was due to AOL removing access
to an important link to the internet, which then caused a bottle neck and so many
of you could not access many of the Microsoft sites including Update and Hotmail
services....
Who to believe???
What is a little worrying is that AOL describe their resolution to this issue as
a
TEMPORARY
 one... Does this mean there are going to be more outages soon.....?
Like thousands of others, I also was unable to use Windows Update. Here's what I found and how I did it. The PC in question is running Windows 98SE,
and was last successfully updated on 8/2/03. Your article suggested checking the
file Windows Update.log, which I did, and I noticed that files referenced there start
with "iu", e.g. iuengine. A quick search turned up the file "iuident.txt" in the
"c:\program files\windowsupdate\V4" folder. This file is also in the file "iuident.cab".
However, there was another copy of "iuident.cab". in the folder "c:\program files\windowsupdate\V4\temp",
and an inspection of the "iuident.txt" file in it revealed that it was a newer version
than the other one. This newer copy referenced
[IUControl]
ControlVer=5.4.3790.14
ControlVerAnsi=5.3.3790.13
and also included
[IUServerURLs]
ServerCount=2
Server1="http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/"
Server2="http://a248.e.akamai.net/
Both of these items were mentioned in your article, which helped me ID the solution
- simply replacing the original version of "iuident.txt" dated 01/29/03 with the
newer one dated 08/28/03, as well as replacing the older version of "iuident.cab"
in "c:\program files\windowsupdate\V4" with the newer one in "c:\program files\windowsupdate\V4\temp".
After doing that, Windows Update flew by without a hitch. 
Subject: suggestion for Microsoft update 0x800A138F error
I found that clearing the akamai references from the hosts file (step
11) did solve my problem temporarily, but the next time I restarted the
computer or Spyware blocker (Spyblocker) it reset the hosts causing the
problem anew. I found it just as effective, easier, and protected my
system better if I deactivated Spyblocker just before performing an update
and restarting it when complete. It does not allow completely unattended
updates, but has it's advantages.
Subject: *A138F error when trying to update via windows update
Found another  fix. 
If you receive the subject error while visiting Windows Update:
01. Start / Run / regsvr32 iuctl.dll /u / OK to un-register the library.
02. Use Start / Search to search for Files and Folders. Type iuengine.dll, iuctl.dll
into the file search box.
03. Delete all occurrences of these two files, deleting the ones in %SystemRoot%\System32
last.
04. Re-visit Windows Update.
BTW: Nice site!
Subject: New fix for 0x800A138F / 0x80070057 found
We had a problem with windows update (0x800A138F) and in .log there
was the error 0x80070057 ("falscher Parameter" / "wrong parameter".
It took us 5 months to find the reason.
Today found out, what the problem was: the printer drivers of our new
OKI printers C5300 and 4200 have a DriverDate in the registry that
causes the "wrong parameter" error. I just changed the date (reg_binary)
to 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 and our windows update works perfectly.
I found the drivers (2 or three) in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\
Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-3\OKIxxx (search for PS5UI.DLL).
I did not notice any problems putting all to zero, perhaps when I will install an
update
for the drivers there might be some trouble - but I do not think so.
I found the same drivers in ...\version-2\OKIxxx, but there the date was
already set to zero.

something more:
the issue occurs only with the old (beginning 2003) OKI postscript driver. If you
install the new driver downloaded from OKI website, there is no more problem.
I do not know if I told you: Win XP has the same problem and you can solve it the
same way.
This is a known error!
ALL The driver dates should be in this format:
 eg:  xx/xx/xxxx  reg sz
and not
reg binary. eg: 00 10 00 01 11 01
Install the
latest drivers
 on your machine and this should resolve the problem. If you just try and uninstall
the printer it will leave behind the data in the registry and you will still have
the problem!
This
0x80070057 error is very common with old OKI printer drivers.
But it can
also occur:
a) If you have a Lynx
device (mainly audio cards) there may also be an issue with the way the date has
been written to the registry key.
1. Click on Start, Run and type "REGEDIT" (w/o the quotes). The Registry Editor will
open.
*WARNING*
Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you
to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting
from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your
own risk.
2. Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\
{4D36E96C-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0020
3. change date from August 16, 2000  to 8/16/2000
This should resolve the problem!
b) If you are using NetOp
 Software on your PC. This appears to be an issue with the Netop entering a driver
entry into the enum\root\unknown key in the registry.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\
{63C35530-D3DF-11D3-8F5D-0060B0A3612B}\0000]
"ProviderName"="Danware Data A/S"
"DriverDesc"="NetOp Driver 3 ver. 7.00 (2002014)"
"DriverDate"="Jan 14 2002"
"DriverVer"="7.00 (2002014)"
"MatchingDeviceId"="danware_netop_driver3"
Both the DriverDate and DriverVer are not formatted properly!
Visit
http://www.netop.com/tech/download/fix/fixwinup.exe  and run this
executable If you are running the Netop software and getting this error.
(This link is no longer active.)
The 0x800A138F problem was solved by removing the affected user from the
Control Panel; Users and Passwords and then adding the name back again.
Rgds
Ove
Subject: New fix for - Windows Update Failure - Error Code 0x800A138F
I was about half way through your great tutorial on fixing the problem, when
I remembered that I had just installed AOL 9.0 optimized on my
computer a day or two ago. I am on a university network and I don’t even
use AOL.
I put in on my computer so my family can use it when they come
to visit. Nothing had worked so far, so I tried removing AOL 9.0 and then
windows update worked great. I have no idea what AOL 9.0 does
but it is definitely what was causing my windows update not to work.
Subject: Code 0x800A138F
I got Windows Update working again by re installing IE6 SP1 and the Active X control's.
I had tried all the suggestions from
www.updatexp.com/0x800A138F.html
 that I had not already
thought of myself and it still didn't work.  With nothing left to lose I went back
to one of my secure sites, got the usual "Unable to display page" error.
Out of total frustration I selected the "Detect network settings" option and much
to my surprise my PC went off and thought about things for 30-45 seconds.
After that the page came up!
Since I was running a peer to peer network using Wingate for Internet
Connection Sharing and my Windows 98 machines were working fine (only my
Windows XP machines weren't working) step #10 seem the logical culprit and low
and behold it fixed it.