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
    2015-10-03T17:57:31+00:00

    It appears that this thread has spawned another topic, it claims to be split off from this one.

    I refer to: "Checking for Updates" 0% for an hour

    I would like to also report a transcript of a Microsoft Support Chat as follows:

    Hi, thanks for visiting Answer Desk! I'm Virdette E.

    1:36 pm

    Hi.

    1:36 pm

    Hi, I'm Ralph

    1:37 pm

    Hi.

    1:37 pm

    HOw may I help you today?

    1:37 pm

    I was trying to get my last PC upgraded to win10, was running win7pro and I have run into a road block

    1:37 pm

    May I know how are trying to install it?

    1:38 pm

    Well its bit of a story: originally it was going to be the upgrade, but it got stuck at getting updatres

    1:39 pm

    okay what else?

    1:39 pm

    I tried to overcome this problem by following suggestions in the microsoft answers community and nothing helped and the image became unstable.

    1:40 pm

    So then I formatted the hd and dug out my original win7pro disk and reinstalled the os

    1:41 pm

    Okay did you try the media creation tool?

    1:41 pm

    OK I'll pause in the story line, I did try that also, same result, let me continue with the story line.

    1:42 pm

    Okay.

    1:42 pm

    I tried something this morning, apparently wasting 4 hours, but uncovering a more basic problem.

    Step 1) Formatted the drive on this particular PC, a Compaq Laptop Presario V5000 w/2g. This PC ran Win7 just fine.

    Step 2) did a standard Win 7 Pro Install, no problem during the install.

    Step 3) ran "Windows Update", all it could do on this pass was to update the Windows Update Agent itself, 7.6.7600.320

    I was going to just let this thing proceed to further updates, but I decided to jump start this by asking it to check for updates.

    It gets stuck everytime. I also look at the task manager and found this process using anywhere from .5 gig to 1.2 gig of memory, but getting nowhere. This is the same thing I am seeing during the Update to 10

    It appears to me that the Windows Update mechanism has a BIG BUG in it.

    1:44 pm

    OBTW, I am not the only person seeing issues with Windows Update.

    1:45 pm

    Yes there are many issues with windows update.

    1:46 pm

    So, are there solutions coming?

    1:46 pm

    There will be some solutions but it is still a bug and the engineers are all working on this issues.

    1:47 pm

    Ok, as I understand our conversation, I should set this PC aside and wait for the solution

    1:48 pm

    Yes

    1:49 pm

    OK Toodles

    1:49 pm

    Chat has ended.

    1:50 pm

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-10-02T19:33:16+00:00

    I tried something this morning, apparently wasting 4 hours, but uncovering a more basic problem.

    Step 1) Formatted the drive on this particular PC, a Compaq Laptop Presario V5000 w/2g.  This PC ran Win7 just fine.

    Step 2) did a standard Win 7 Pro Install, no problem during the install.

    Step 3) ran "Windows Update", all it could do on this pass was to update the Windows Update Agent itself, 7.6.7600.320

    I was going to just let this thing proceed to further updates, but I decided to jump start this by asking it to check for updates.

    It gets stuck everytime.  I also look at the task manager and found this process using anywhere from .5 gig to 1.2 gig of memory, but getting nowhere.

    It appears to me that the Windows Update mechanism has a BIG BUG in it.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-10-01T22:10:26+00:00

    So I have tried all of the "suggestions" and still it gets stuck at "Getting updates" on one of 10 systems.

    As a person who has written many msi installs, was recruited by Microsoft to solve the msi installs for media player (which I refused) and have done many critical software installs across many other platforms such as linux and unix, I find this as the absolute worst upgrade as I have ever seen.  I was a QA Engineer, and stuff didn't ship until it passed my tests.

    Referring to my 1st paragraph, I have one of my 10 computers (a Win7 Pro) still stuck in its upgrade.

    I am logged in as Administrator, and it still keeps barking at me about privileges or hanging at the "Getting update" phase..  Is the a Super Administrator, have I missed something.  I have addressed all of this and it still doesn't work.

    Sorry (in advance) if I'm goring someone's cow.

    Who tested this stuff?

    Why in the wide, wide world of sport doesn't this setup detect "ALL" of its requirements before embarking on its merry way?

    This is, frankly, amateurish.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-09-09T00:10:57+00:00

    I had this same problem with Windows 10 Windows Update. I tried all the proposed solutions from MS but nothing worked, as with most users comments I found regarding this issue. As I was getting more desperate, I even found a YouTube site that suggested a solution. And what happened, you wonder. Well that site gave me the solution and it was easy and simple to perform. There is the YouTube video, plus the four steps listed in the text that is on the site. Check it out here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn55RYEXzbs

    Here are the four steps from the site:

    Published on Sep 3, 2015

    Fix "Service Registration is missing or Corrupt" error in by these four steps

    Restart and Set to "Automatic" the following services

    1- Background Intelligent Transfery System

    2- Com+ Event System

    3- Remote Procedure Call

    4- Remote Procedure Call Locator

    Hope this works for you as it did for me.

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