wuaudt.exe is really bogging down my computer

Anonymous
2010-08-03T18:57:06+00:00

Recently, when I first start my computer for the day, wuaudt.exe runs and really bogs down my computer.  In Task Manager it shows it is using a lot of memory along with one of the many svchost.exe's that are running.  I had my computer set up to notify me when updates are available.  I have investigated this problem and found about the only thing to do is disable automatic updates altogether.  I have turned off Automatic Updates, unchecked Automatic Updates under the Services tab in msconfig and in services.msc I have set Automatic Updates to manual.  This seems to keep wuaudt.exe from running.  I read in one place that Microsoft issues updates on the first and third Tuesday's of each month so I plan on doing manual updates at those times.  Does anyone know why wuaudt.exe is suddenly such a memory hog? It only seems to be a problem the first time I time turn my computer on (I turn it off when not in use to save electricity).  If I shut it off and restart it later in the day, there is not a performance problem.  I have a Dell Dimension 5100C, Windows XP Pro SP3, 512 MB RAM, Pentium 4 3.00 Ghz processor. 

 I would like to be able to be notified of critical updates when they are issued but I don't want wuaudt.exe running every day if it is going to  bog me down.  Any ideas?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Performance and system failures

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2010-08-22T19:22:13+00:00

Thanks for the info!  I've opted out of Microsoft Updates as you and PA Bear have suggested.  Keeping my fingers crossed that everything works normally tomorrow!

Was this answer helpful?

10+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2010-08-20T19:29:09+00:00

Update: Due primarily to exchanges with several MS MVPS on the behalf of users like you, Microsoft is aware of and has acknowledged the issue:

"We have gotten reports from multiple sources and consider this to be a live service issue and we are investigating it as a Priority 1."

~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) ~ MS MVP (IE, Mail, Security, Windows & Update Services) since 2002 ~ Disclaimer: MS MVPs neither represent nor work for Microsoft

Was this answer helpful?

7 people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

163 additional answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2010-08-05T22:20:43+00:00

    Maybe I am too optimistic. However:

    1)  12 hrs ago I renamed C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore

    2)  Restarted my PC

    3)  Now - 12 hrs later - still no problem! I am optimistic!

    C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore has been recreated automatically and apparantly everything works fine. Cannot recall how I got the idea, but surely Google has something to do with it...

    I'LL BE BACK! That is, if problems return....

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2010-08-06T16:13:45+00:00

    Maybe I am too optimistic. However:

    1)  12 hrs ago I renamed C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore

    2)  Restarted my PC

    3)  Now - 12 hrs later - still no problem! I am optimistic!

    C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore has been recreated automatically and apparantly everything works fine. Cannot recall how I got the idea, but surely Google has something to do with it...

    I'LL BE BACK! That is, if problems return....

    Then there was either a corrupted database or transaction log(s) in the DataStore subfolder. The most likely cause for this corruption issue is Security software. To avoid the issue in the future and an explantion of the corruption cause, please see -

    Virus scanning recommendations for computers that are running Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, or Windows XP

    MowGreen Update Services - Consumer Security

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2010-08-11T21:32:04+00:00

    I'm experiencing exactly the same problem as the original poster (wuauclt.exe and one svchost.exe becoming memory hogs). What are the implications of trying xjahjah's solution and deleting the DataStore folder? Incidentally, I think this problem started after installing the emergency patch issued by MS at the beginning of August:

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/02/emergency_microsoft_update/

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments