Windows was unable to get a list of devices from Windows Update. Try again later

Anonymous
2012-04-20T15:26:32+00:00

Original title:Windows 7 Printer List cannot be updated

I installed a 32 bit windows 7 OS several weeks ago on my Futitsu-Siemens Work Station and followed the instructions on the HP wizard to try and install the HP Deskjet 990c driver to drive my HP 6122 printer. According to the HP Wizard, the only way to do so is to update the printer list by clicking the "Windows Update" button on the "Add a Printer" dialog window.  I have clicked this button several dozen times in the last few weeks and every time I get the message "Windows was unable to get a list of devices from Windows Update. Try again later".

I installed a 32 bit windows 7 OS several months ago on my HP laptop and the printer list updated without a hitch to include many more HP printers than are shown on the Futitsu-Siemens Work Station including the HP 990c.

What should I do?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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.

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Anonymous
2012-04-30T21:28:27+00:00

Here is what I have found my system which is a HP Z210 running windows7 64. I just updated my Bios to v1.35

What I did to get the update to work once and what I have to do every time to add another printer using Window Update.

  1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del)
  2. Click Sevices Tab and then Services Button (Bottom Right)
  3. Under Name find "Windows Update"
  4. Right click "Windows Update" and select Stop. do not close
  5. Open Window Exploper and browse to C:\Windows
  6. Delete the Folder "SoftwareDistribution"
  7. Go back to Servies, Right click "Windows Update" and select Start

Now the "Windows Update" button should work. For me I have to do this every time I install a printer which requires me to use windows update

Still looking for what casues the error

at the very bottom of a file named WindowUpdate.log located in C:\Windows after I get the message "Windows was unabel to..." I have this text below.

2012-04-30 14:20:18:782  284 5cc Agent *************

2012-04-30 14:20:18:782  284 5cc Agent ** START **  Agent: Finding updates [CallerId = CDM]

2012-04-30 14:20:18:782  284 5cc Agent *********

2012-04-30 14:20:18:782  284 5cc Agent   * Online = Yes; Ignore download priority = No

2012-04-30 14:20:18:782  284 5cc Agent   * Criteria = "Type = 'Driver' and DeploymentAction = 'Installation' and DriverClass = 'Printer' and DriverMatch = 'Catalog'"

2012-04-30 14:20:18:782  284 5cc Agent   * ServiceID = {9482F4B4-E343-43B6-B170-9A65BC822C77} Windows Update

2012-04-30 14:20:18:782  284 5cc Agent   * Search Scope = {Machine}

2012-04-30 14:20:19:952  284 5cc Misc Validating signature for C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\WuRedir\9482F4B4-E343-43B6-B170-9A65BC822C77\muv4wuredir.cab:

2012-04-30 14:20:19:952  284 5cc Misc  Microsoft signed: Yes

2012-04-30 14:20:20:030  284 5cc Misc Validating signature for C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\WuRedir\9482F4B4-E343-43B6-B170-9A65BC822C77\muv4wuredir.cab:

2012-04-30 14:20:20:030  284 5cc Misc  Microsoft signed: Yes

2012-04-30 14:20:20:030  284 5cc PT +++++++++++  PT: Synchronizing server updates  +++++++++++

2012-04-30 14:20:20:030  284 5cc PT   + ServiceId = {9482F4B4-E343-43B6-B170-9A65BC822C77}, Server URL = https://www.update.microsoft.com/v6/ClientWebService/client.asmx

2012-04-30 14:20:22:183  284 5cc Misc Validating signature for C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\WuRedir\9482F4B4-E343-43B6-B170-9A65BC822C77\muv4wuredir.cab:

2012-04-30 14:20:22:183  284 5cc Misc  Microsoft signed: Yes

2012-04-30 14:20:22:214  284 5cc Misc Validating signature for C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\WuRedir\9482F4B4-E343-43B6-B170-9A65BC822C77\muv4wuredir.cab:

2012-04-30 14:20:22:214  284 5cc Misc  Microsoft signed: Yes

2012-04-30 14:20:22:214  284 5cc PT +++++++++++  PT: Synchronizing applicable printers  +++++++++++

2012-04-30 14:20:22:214  284 5cc PT   + ServiceId = {9482F4B4-E343-43B6-B170-9A65BC822C77}, Server URL = https://www.update.microsoft.com/v6/ClientWebService/client.asmx

2012-04-30 14:20:23:072  284 5cc PT WARNING: SyncPrinterCatalog failure, error = 0x8024400D, soap client error = 7, soap error code = 300, HTTP status code = 200

2012-04-30 14:20:23:072  284 5cc PT WARNING: SOAP Fault: 0x00012c

2012-04-30 14:20:23:072  284 5cc PT WARNING:     faultstring:Fault occurred

2012-04-30 14:20:23:072  284 5cc PT WARNING:     ErrorCode:InvalidParameters(7)

2012-04-30 14:20:23:072  284 5cc PT WARNING:     Message:printerUpdateIDs

2012-04-30 14:20:23:072  284 5cc PT WARNING:     Method:"http://www.microsoft.com/SoftwareDistribution/Server/ClientWebService/SyncPrinterCatalog"

2012-04-30 14:20:23:072  284 5cc PT WARNING:     ID:fd5a6897-e20b-4a8f-a118-c9c791da6851

2012-04-30 14:20:23:072  284 5cc PT WARNING: PTError: 0x8024400d

2012-04-30 14:20:23:072  284 5cc PT WARNING: PTError: 0x8024400d

2012-04-30 14:20:23:150  284 72c AU Can not perform non-interactive scan if AU is interactive-only

2012-04-30 14:20:23:150  284 5cc Agent   * Found 0 updates and 17 categories in search; evaluated appl. rules of 193 out of 660 deployed entities

2012-04-30 14:20:23:150  284 5cc Agent *********

2012-04-30 14:20:23:150  284 5cc Agent **  END  **  Agent: Finding updates [CallerId = CDM]

2012-04-30 14:20:23:150  284 5cc Agent *************

2012-04-30 14:20:28:162  284 5cc Report REPORT EVENT: {C7177063-6BAB-4A17-AC0B-74B0D47355FA} 2012-04-30 14:20:23:150-0700 1 147 101 {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000} 0 0 CDM Success Software Synchronization Windows Update Client successfully detected 0 updates.

2012-04-30 14:20:28:162  284 5cc Report CWERReporter finishing event handling. (00000000)

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-05-02T15:53:43+00:00

    Hey, Dave

    First of all please take you cap locks off.   It's hard to read and is considered bad form.

    I find it best to use the local administrative account for things like this.   In Windows 7 there seem to be differences between local admin accounts and domain accounts with local admin rights.

    The service you want to stop is called 'wuauserv'.   In a command line with admin rights you should be able to use the net command to stop and start it.

    net stop wuauserv

    net start wuauserv

    Hope this helps.

    Vic

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-05-02T19:28:32+00:00

    This post saved my sanity. I'm a library director at a small rural library in Nebraska, and depend on the kindness of strangers to help solve our IT problems. Thanks to all of you who post problems, discuss and refine solutions. You are all the bomb.

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-05-04T13:47:16+00:00

    I was able to downlaod the driver for my HP printer but when I went to unzip it I got a message saying it was an invalid file

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