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

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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
    2012-03-04T06:50:45+00:00

    I had this issue on windows 7 and your 2-part solution finally solved it.

    Yesterday I had left the windows update window running for many hours, and when I looked at it later the progress bar was gone and it showed this:

    Code 80072EE2 Windows Update encountered an unknown error

    WindowsUpdate_80072EE2 WindowsUpdate_dt000

    My windows update log from a few minutes ago had this, with timestamps starting about an hour ago:

    ~ 23:31:40 ~

    416 fa0 PT +++++PT: Synchronizing server updates ++++

    416 fa0 PT   + ServiceId = {blah} Server URL = https://www.update.microsoft.com/v6/ClientWebService/client.asmx

    416 fa0 PT WARNING: PopulateDataStore failed: 0x80248007

    416 fa0 PT WARNING: Sync of Updates: 0x80248007

    416 fa0 PT WARNING: SyncServerUpdatesInternal failed: 0x80248007

    416 fa0 Agent    *WARNING: Failed to synchronize, error = 0x80248007

    416 fa0 Agent    * WARNING: Exit code = 0x80248007

    416 fa0 Agent    ** END ** Agent: Finding updates [CallerID = AutomaticUpdates]

    ...

    416 fa0 Agent WARNING WU client failed searching for update with error 0x80248007

    416 d1c AU RESUMED AU: Search for updates [.CallID = ...]

    416 d1c AU WARNING: Search callback failed, result = 0x80248007

    416 d1c AU WARNING: Failed to find updates with error code 80248007

    416 d1c AU END AU: Search for updates [CallID = ...

    416 d1c AU Successfully wrote event for AU health state

    416 d1c AU setting next detection timeout to 2012-03-04 04:31:50

    (note that's +5 hours from the current time)

    (that's just from the log that happened to be in c:\windows\ after I fixed it 20 minutes later using the net stop three services, rename the 2 dirs, net start three services

    Searching for "windows update hangs on checking for updates" or "windows update checking for updates forever" gets a lot of replies, from answers.microsoft.com to sevenforums and beyond.

    Prior suggestions I tried were:

    Use the microsoft fixit for windows update components ( http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058 ):  didn't solve it.  Fixit said there were no detected problems even though the detection details noted that windows couldn't connect to the update server.  What a joke.

    Using msconfig to disable microsoft modules update and reboot... didn't fix it.

    (Suggested as a solution by AddisonSnell on feb 9, after he had the problem)

    A few people said their virtual machine software was causing problems; I temporarily removed virtualbox and that didn't fix it.

    Some people said to repair the windows install from install media.  The last thing I want to do is have to reinstall all the windows updates.  My install media is win7 original (sp0), not sp1.

    Then there were the people who suggested contacting microsoft tech support... that's a non-answer.

    Can you please petition Microsoft to get all the responses to this question in one place and formalize it?

    And you wonder why people hate windows?  This kind of experience with a core necessity -- windows update failing to work -- does not leave a good impression.

    Windows update should not fail in multiple ways with no useful diagnostic error messages.  This behavior should be considered a bug and fixed immediately.

    Of course, this is classic windows behavior... mysterious failures and unhelpful error codes that you can try to search for, but MS KB entries and answers.microsoft.com rarely provide solutions.   It ends up being a maze, trying one suggestion after another, with most either failing to work or being overkill (repair from install media?   REALLY?  I don't think so...)

    Based on your solution, I assume that the state of files in those two directories was corrupted somehow.  If I need to email those saved .old dirs and the update log I have to someone official at ms, let me know.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-03-14T16:28:11+00:00

    I was suffering the same difficulties with Windows Update - none of the suggested solutions had worked for me either. However, noticing that people mentioned anti-virus causing the issue, I was rather surprised to find that Microsoft Security Essentials was the problem.

    Please tell me why:

    1. MSE is blocking Windows Update from performing correctly,
    2. Windows Update is doing something that MSE would block,
    3. (or, if this is expected behaviour), why Windows Update is not included in MSE's exceptions list by default?

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-02-24T10:44:17+00:00

    Thx vinod,

    Although Bits was/is not running the other steps solved the update problem.

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-02-25T01:33:01+00:00

    I also cannot install any of my updates.  I have tried everything.  When going into my Services, BITS is not there.  I tried your method mention, and when entering 'net stop bits' and 'net start bits', i got this message; 'More help is available by typing NET HELPMSG 2185'.  I typed this in and was refused to go any further.  Frustration!  I have gone down every avenue I can find.  Does anyone have any answers?

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