Windows Update hangs on "checking for updates". Haven't been able to install updates since Oct. 2011

Anonymous
2012-01-13T20:52:46+00:00

Hey there everyone,

I'm having an issue with Windows Update on my Windows 7 64-bit computer. My last most recent update check was on 10/3/2011 and my last actual update was on 9/29/2011. What is basically happening is that Windows is telling me that I need to check for updates. I click on Check for updates, and it basically acts like it is checking for updates, but never moves beyond that. I can leave it checking for hours, and nothing will happen. It won't get me to the screen where I can actually select updates, nor does Windows even acknowledge that I checked for updates.

I've already tried using the Windows Update Fix tool, but there was no success with that at all. I thought that maybe it was my firewall or internet settings, and it's not that either. Does anyone have any suggestions. Thanks!

Peter

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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
2012-02-13T16:39:04+00:00

Hi,

Try the following methods

Method 1:

1. Click Start

2. Type ‘cmd’ in the search bar.

3. Right click Command prompt and choose “Run as Administrator”

4. At the command prompt, type the following, commands and then press ENTER after each command:

a. net stop wuauserv

b. net stop bits

c. net stop cryptsvc

Please do not close the Command Prompt window.

Method 2: ****Rename folders pertaining to Windows Update.

At the command prompt, type the following commands, and then press Enter after each command:

a) ren %systemroot%\System32\Catroot2 Catroot2.old

b) ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old

At the command prompt, type the following, commands and then press ENTER after each command:

a) net start wuauserv

b) net start bits

c) net start cryptsvc

Close the Command Prompt window and check the issue if issue reoccurs

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-08-15T11:51:01+00:00

    I am here trying again to make an usable resume (using the decisive info in the posts from "Volume Z" and a couple others, particularly "DODougInAmbler"):

    1. Install kb3020369 (see p16"Volume Z" Fri 05 Aug 2016 > kb3172605"Prerequisite")
    2. Install kb3172605 itself, then restart Windows
    3. Windows Update should now run correctly (see p17"Volume Z" Fri 05 Aug 2016 and p19"Volume Z" Fri 05 Aug 2016). If not, Go to http://wu.krelay.de/enand apply, 1st the 6 KBs from KB3177725 to KB3109094, 2nd the last (currently KB3138615March 2016 of Mar 2016) of the KBs in the "Windows Update Client" list. In case this doesn't suffice, redo §1 and 2.

    Versailles, Mon 15 Aug 2016 13:51:00 +0200, edited (tried, in vain, to overcome the intricate forum software and post the according links) 13:55

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-08-15T11:43:58+00:00

    Thanks SO MUCH for your help - solved my issue and all the updates installed successfully.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-08-15T07:25:26+00:00

    Thanks "**Volume Z**" for your « It's enough to install KB3172605 and its prerequisite », but what about putting a simple short clear unambiguous advice of what to do exactly, without having to browse the full 18 pages of this thread (and may be others) to find unambiguously what are "its prerequisite"?

    The problem in Windows Update as in everything MS does is that MS nowadays (oppositely to its highly positive attitude in the era of "micro-soft" or Albuquerque and later) has fallen in love with complexity. The more complicate, the more they feel smart! They have now totally forgotten that being smart is first be able to simplify (see Percival Lovell's quote in my sig). From a tool formerly highly efficient and helpful, WU has gone to an intricate system that, after building organized failure by adding and adding through the years layers and layers of unnecessary complications, further fails daily on millions people just because of such "advices" more or less equivalent to you just look yourself for what are the pre-requisite (which would amount to redo all the work already done).

    Please if it's so simple, don't you know what users have to do exactly? Experience tells that if your adviser himself is unable to tell simply, clearly, unambiguously, what to do,  then you better NOT try to follow such advice, because if you do you are almost sure to waste your time finding your way in a network of various hypotheses, uncertainties and further searches and ambiguities to solve.

    So again please, if this is so simple, once the discussion well done and fruitful (as seems the case here), then please resume the findings and write it simply and clearly, step by step, detailed and complete yet short and clear. TIA,

    Versailles, Mon 15 Aug 2016 09:25:25 +0200

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-08-14T22:39:04+00:00

    It's enough to install KB3172605 and its prerequisite. The wu.krelay.de ones are required in order not to have earlier versions of the Windows update client bothered with them, but they do not pose a problem to 7.6.7601.23453 (KB3161647), part of KB3172605. :)

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