How to Fix: The Version of SQL Server Does Not Match Update

Infopackets Reader John R. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I'm running Windows 10. For the last week, Windows Update fails every time with this error: 'Critical Update for SQL Server 2016 MSVCRT Prerequisites KB3164398 - Error 0x80070643'. Any idea how to fix this? "

My response:

I have not had this problem before so I asked John if he would like me to connect to his machine using my remote desktop service, and he agreed.

The reason for the SQL Server update (KB3164398) failing was an interesting problem, as it was not very obvious. I'll explain more about that further down - for now I'll go through the series of steps I tried in order to fix this problem, so most folks reading this can better understand the resolution process.

Resetting Windows Update

The first thing I tried to do was to clear out John's Windows Update folder for the reason that the windows update may have been corrupted. Following that, I checked the hard drive for errors as a dirty file system can still corrupt updates even with the windows update folder (i.e.: the "softwaredistribution" directory) cleared. When that was done, I restarted Windows Update and it proceeded to download KB3164398 through Windows Update once again, only to see it fail.

Downloading the Patch as an Executable

The next thing I tried to do was to download KB3164398 manually as an executable file. Sometimes Windows updates don't download properly, or the Windows update service goes corrupt - and sometimes the only way to get past that issue is to download the update in .exe format. Sometimes the exe's are available on Microsoft's patch page (in this case, on the Microsoft KB3164398 page itself) - however, other times you may need to go to the Windows Update Catalog site, then add the patch to your cart, then download the patches. This requires Internet Explorer to work.

At any rate, I came across a download link for the SQL Server 2016 MSVCRT Prerequisites setup executable file and downloaded it. When I tried to run it, it started the SQL installation window, then produced the same error message.

Looking Closely for More Clues (Error Messages)

At this point I was scratching my head. I tried launching the SQL Server 2016 MSVCRT Prerequisites setup executable file and went through the stages again, paying very close attention to see if there was a hidden error message.

Inside the interface of the SQL Setup program there were two boxes (options) to select: SQLEXPRESS and Shared Features -> SQL Client Connectivity SDK, then the option to click Next to proceed to the next window. At this point I tried to click on one of the boxes, but they were greyed out - that is when I noticed an error message on the right hand side in the "Description" field, which read:

The version of SQL Server instance SQLEXPRESS does not match the version expected by the SQL Server update. The installed SQL Server product version is 13.1.4001.0, and the expected SQL Server version is 13.0.1601.5.

This gave me much more insight to the problem - I verified that version SQL Server version is 13.0.1601.5 does indeed pertain to Microsoft SQL 2016 by searching Google for "SQL Server version 13.0.1601.5" and the words "SQL 2016" and found pages pointing to SQL Server 2016.

How to Fix: The Version of SQL Server Does Not Match Update

At this point I went to John's Control Panel -> Programs and Features and then searched for all installed SQL programs - specifically looking for version 2016 as pertaining to the error message above - and found that John had two versions of Microsoft SQL 2016 installed: Microsoft SQL Server 2016, and Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Setup. I didn't suppose there would be any difference between the two and frankly I'm not sure how two versions of the same product managed to be installed in the first place.

At this point I uninstalled both copies of Microsoft SQL Server 2016, then ran Windows Update again and the problem went away. I asked John if he knew what program the SQL server was for, but he did not know - so I told him he could simply download the Microsoft SQL Server 2016 again at his leisure, should he need to. It's important to understand the SQL Server is a database program - if a program relies in SQL server 2016 specifically and if it is not installed, the dependent program will not run. For the record, Microsoft SQL Server 2016 can be downloaded from Microsoft's website, free for home use.

Additional 1-on-1 Support: From Dennis

If all of this is over your head and if you need help resolving SQL Server on your system, I can help with my remote desktop support service. Simply contact me briefly describing your message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Got a Computer Question or Problem? Ask Dennis!

I need more computer questions. If you have a computer question -- or even a computer problem that needs fixing -- please email me with your question so that I can write more articles like this one. I can't promise I'll respond to all the messages I receive (depending on the volume), but I'll do my best.

About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.