Windows 7 Checking For Updates stuck forever

The original topic of this thread is another issue with similar symptoms.

Set automatic updates to "Never check for updates" and reboot. Then install KB3172605.

Regards, VZ

Thanks, VZ.  Is there some number of times one needs to do that for it to work?  I have done this successfully on two other machines.  On this one, which should be the cleanest of them all due to never having been used as a workstation since the HD replacement and scratch W7 install, not so much.  I've turned updates to Never.  Rebooted.  Installed KB3172605 and watched it run for hours and hours.  I even tried both the domain logon and the local PC logon, both with the same outcome.  Clearly there is another element at work here.  I thought maybe Office 2010 was the wild card, but one of the other two that were successfully "repaired" also had Office 2010.

I had a W8 machine with this issue, and it even stopped W10 upgrade until I opted with W10 to not install updates as part of the upgrade.  After the upgrade, it has done updates with no problem.  As to this one, I just replaced the hard drive, so it is a "new" Windows 7 machine and too late for a free W10 upgrade, and I'm not going to throw good money after bad on a five year old computer, by buying W10.

Thanks anyway, VZ.

I've been using MS OSs since they rolled the first one out decades ago, but they not only "dropped the ball on pretty much everything" as you so eloquently put it, with their mandatory rules and ridiculous regs, especially with their MS Live Account, but they betrayed every loyal customer who used to praise MS as though it was the Holy Grail to anyone and everyone who would listen.  W10 crashed my Lenovo with W7 and after it was restored it crashed it again.  Then it crashed my Dell.  I finally dumped W10 completely and I'm using an old Dell with Vista until I can afford a MAC.  I'm done with MS.  I hope you have better luck.

The original topic of this thread is another issue with similar symptoms.

Set automatic updates to "Never check for updates" and reboot. Then install KB3172605.

Regards, VZ

Well...I've now had two instances of the update problem fixed by "the procedure" and one that still does not work.  The 3020369 reported unnecessary.  The 3172605 appeared to install correctly.  Restarted the computer, Update reports that updates have never been done and just keeps looking...

Here's the thing.  Brand new installation.  New SSD, scratch install from the Dell OEM Windows 7 disk.  Updates worked up through SP1, although MSIE never got beyond version 8.  I manually downloaded that and installed it OK.  I've encountered several cases of Windows 10 causing specialized programs to malfunction, so I stopped letting W10 install a couple months ago.  Now I see that Win 7 Update is buggy and not likely to be fixed.  I still have Office 2016 installs with bugs and frequent disconnects from Exchange Online--not to mention the freaking requirement to associate a purchased copy of Office 2016 with a Microsoft Live account.  Dynamics GP is the accounting system from ****.  Surface is the most overpriced tablet on the planet.  Microsoft seems to have dropped the ball on pretty much everything.

Mac is looking better every day.

Update.  Looking back through the update history, now the KB3172605 update does not show.  I tried to run it again, and this time it just says, "Searching for updates on this computer..." and this continues--well so far about 8 hours.  Unbelievable.  As far as Windows is concerned, this is a new computer.  No bloatware, no viruses, no users other than the initial setup and joining to the domain.  This thread has been running since 2011.