Background Intelligent Transfer Service is missing in XP

I am running Win XP Pro.

My Microsoft Updates had stopped working, and at the same time I found my computer less responsive than usual. I tracked this down to an instance of the process svchost.exe using up 50% of my CPU for no apparent reason. I was able to stop this by turning off Automatic Updates, but as soon as I tried to do a manual update the problem reappeared, and the manual update never finished.

After a lot of online searches, I found a post that mentioned BITS, but I couldn't find it on my system.

This solution worked for me. I did get the Error 2, but did not have to use the third fix mentioned. I did install the IE8 Cumulative update.

After that, Microsoft Updates worked again, and svchost was no longer sucking up CPU time.

I am very happy to have my system back to normal, but does anyone know what would have caused BITS to vanish in the first place? Is there possibly a virus or malware that maliciously removes BITS and then removes all traces of itself?

Hi Gaz,

I don't think it was caused by a virus or malware since it only affects the Windows Update site. it's more likely to be a ill-prepared update which triggered corruption in the qmgr.dll file causing it to disappear from Services.

Here's an example of how something like that can happen:

Free ClamWin virus scanner moves most of Windows into quarantine

At the moment though, nobody know what the cause was.  But no doubt the media is frantically searching for the cause so we'll know soon enough I think.

Hi, again, Xircal

I just tried to do a Windows Update, and the same old problem has reappeared. The update process starts but never finishes. An instance of svchost.exe starts using up 50% of processor power. Stopping the update process by killing Internet Explorer does not stop svchost.exe from chewing up CPU time. The main difference this time is that BITS is still present and started.

I am beginning to think that the reason BITS disappeared last time was that I killed the instance of svchost.exe. I have deliberately not done that this time.

If my suspicions are correct, the problem may not be BITS at all - there may actually be a bug in the update process, and the loss of BITS was just a result of my attempts to resolve the update problem.

As far as I know, nobody has so far found out why BITS has been disappearing. Is this the answer?

Could you please give this some thought, and suggest how to fix the update problem?

The linked TechNet page

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/security/dn481339

will give you a link to each months cumulative security update for internet explorer which you must download manually and install before you will be able to access windows update

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/ms13-097   is this months December 10

Select the download which is needed for your version of IE and download and install it and reboot your computer before visiting Windows Update to obtain the remaining updates which will then become accessible, after the prerequisite cumulative security update for IE is MANUALLY downloaded and installed and the computer is REBOOTED. 

This will likely be a monthly ritual until end of support April 2014

IMO this issue is absolutely not a "bug in the update process" but is a matter of deliberate design

The linked TechNet page

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/security/dn481339

will give you a link to each months cumulative security update for internet explorer which you must download manually and install before you will be able to access windows update

 

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/ms13-097   is this months December 10

 

Select the download which is needed for your version of IE and download and install it and reboot your computer before visiting Windows Update to obtain the remaining updates which will then become accessible, after the prerequisite cumulative security update for IE is MANUALLY downloaded and installed and the computer is REBOOTED. 

 

This will likely be a monthly ritual until end of support April 2014

 

IMO this issue is absolutely not a "bug in the update process" but is a matter of deliberate design

Many thanks for your advice, Keith.

That got me back on track.

Why am I not surprised that Microsoft would deliberately choose to make life difficult for people still on Windows XP?  That is typical Microsoft behaviour, and it is the main reason I will not be upgrading to Windows 7 or 8 (The other main reason is I would need to upgrade hardware as well, at significant cost). I am already migrating to Linux for everything but a few old applications that I will keep Windows XP for. Those applications can (and will) all be run offline. Linux doesn't require me to upgrade hardware, and it even runs faster than Windows on my old hardware.

So, Keith - is there any point in having Windows XP automatic updates turned on now? I am assuming that my best option for now is to turn off automatic updates, and repeat the "ritual" every month.

I am already migrating to Linux.

I never have had automatic updates turned on, but always waited a couple of weeks for other people to be Microsoft's beta testers.