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I just got a new desktop computer (Gateway FX6840-03e) It has Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit (not sure what service pack, I'm new to windows 7 as of this computer so i'm not sure where to find that information). It came with a norton security that i didn't bother to activate, I uninstalled it and followed up with Norton Removal Tool. I then installed AVG Free 2011 edition
When I went to Windows Update I have the red x shield and clicking on the check for updates button gives me the error "Windows cannot check for updates because the service is not running. You may need to restart the computer." Windows update service is running in services.msc though.
The first thing I did that i had read about on the product reviews for the computer since it seemed to be a problem with a few other people that bought the computer was to disable the windows update service the go into C:\windows\SoftwareDistribution and delete everything in there and re-enable windows update service afterwords. According to the reviews this worked for most people. However the problem still persisted for me. Google searching has led me to these forums and i've gone through a few threads but haven't gotten a solution yet.
I've run the windows update troubleshooter with no luck
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Open-the-Windows-Update-troubleshooter
I ran the System File Checker tool
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833
It came back with one problem, but the log file created was blank
I ran the Fix It tool in both default and aggressive modes
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058
And in one post somebody mentioned that ATI Catylist Control Center was causing their problem so I uninstalled that with no luck (I have re-installed that)
There have been many restarts between all of that above and now i'm not sure what else to try.
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.
Well doing some searches on the errors in the windowsupdate.log eventually led me to find that it the problem had something to do with my hard drive being large (1TB) and "Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST)" drivers needed to be updated. Once I got the driver updated my windows update started working fine. Thanks for the help that led me to the answer.
Many thanks for these tips, MowGreen. I am running Windows 7 64-bit from a Western Digital WD10EZEX 1TB Hard Drive on an 18 month old Dell Mini Tower. I had been plagued with Error Events about Windows Update failing, etc. The PC was also sluggish, despite Health Report saying the PC was running normally. I stumbled upon your suggestions, installed the Microsoft Hot Fix. The PC runs more smoothly and no Error Events so far. (The Intel link you posted didn't have a newer SATA / IRST driver than Dell offers.)
Anyone using Intel drivers and wanting to know if the Hotfix is applicable to their PC can click Start/Intel/Intel Rapid Storage Technology and determine Physical Sector Size as shown below.
It works. However the key is not so much the "Intel Rapid Storages Technology Utility" but the component's! The Utility is great because it will scan, download and install any necessary drivers. But as far as Windows Update is concerned its the "Microsoft .NET Framework " it installs to run!
In short even if you reinstall Windows Update agent, rename the Software Distribution folder, delete the Data Store, Run the Fixit apps , sfc / scannow, and BITS,Cryto, and Widows update services are verified running without the .Net Framework installed Windows Update will not "download"! Trust me I know because I spent the last 18 hours trying to figure it out until I read this POST.
In less than 10 minutes was installed and I was downloading the necessary updates all 205 of the them! ( new build).
So either download the IRST Utility or go to Microsoft Download Center and download and install .NET Framework.
Thanks!!
So this is pretty much what I expected.
First, thank you, Ronald, for your response! It is both helpful and informative.
It is very noteworthy, and *totally* indicative of the problem, that the only reply I got to a direct request for help and a thorough discussion of my problem is from a Linux user!!!!! I waited over a week to allow time for responses.
No response from a Windows User.
No response from Microsoft. Since this problem now only applies to a small number of users, there is no reason they should care - except to provide support. But support is as shoddy as the product! I can only assume that either no one cares at Microsoft or no one knows how to fix my problem.
Thanks anyway!
If you are considering Linux, Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Service) may be a good fit for one who appreciates reliability. Current LTS packages are supported for 5 years (one might wait for a time before updating):
Been migrating away from MS (OS, Office, and email) since 2009. Administration of 4 Ubuntu systems (desktop version) and 1 Ubuntu server (implemented with desktop version) with three printers attached requires less time and PITA than the one Win7 OS I maintain. All Ubuntu systems (with exception of laptop) are implemented with RAID1 (1TB drives are inexpensive) which greatly eases drive failures; and it is a simple matter to configure the RAID system to notify the administrator of drive abnormality long before drive failure. Replacing a drive in the RAID1 array is relatively straight forward, search for an Ubuntu guide.
It is disappointing that MS refused to expunge MAX_PATH from Win10.
