Windows Update Never Stops Looking for Updates.

Anonymous
2013-09-28T01:44:35+00:00

The other morning after I brought my computer out of hibernation, I noticed that it had not automatically Checked for Updates like it usually does.  So I clicked Check for Updates on the Windows Update panel and it never stopped looking for updates.  It just kept looking.  So I just ignored it and did a disk defrag and a clean disk as usual.  Late that night after I finished my usual computer stuff, it was still looking for updates.  So I restarted the computer and found that that had stopped it Checking for Updates.

The next morning, it was the same situation all over aagain: No automatic Check for Updates when I brought it out of hibernation and then endless searching after I clicked on Check for Updates.  How can I stop this endless searching without restarting the computer and go back to having my computer behave the way it used to do?

Greg

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Windows update

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Anonymous
2013-09-28T13:58:15+00:00

Hi Greg,

  • Do you get any error message?

This problem may occur if one or more of the following conditions are true:

a.       The Windows Update database is corrupted.

b.      A required system file is registered incorrectly.

c.       The Component Based Servicing (CBS) manifest is corrupted.

Here are few troubleshooting methods you may try in order to fix the issue.

Method 1: Reset Windows update components from the following link and check.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058

Important: Back up the registry

Method 2: Restart the Windows Update services.

a. Click in Start and in Start search box type CMD.

b. In the list Right click on CMD and click Run as Administrator.

Type the following commands, and press Enter after each command:

o   net stop cryptsvc

o   md %systemroot%\system32\catroot2.old

o   xcopy %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 %systemroot%\system32\catroot2.old /s

o   Net stop wuauserv

o   cd %systemroot%

o   Ren SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old

o   Net start wuauserv

Try to install the updates and check.

Method 3: Unable to install updates in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2

**http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2509997** 

Important: While performing chkdsk on the hard drive if any bad sectors are found on the hard drive when chkdsk tries to repair that sector if any data available on that might be lost.

For more information, refer to the articles.

**Troubleshoot problems with installing updates******

**"Windows Update Cannot Check For Updates" error message when you try to install updates**

Do let us know about the results. We will be happy to assist you further.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-10-30T13:50:12+00:00

    Followed steps exactly as outlined - no change, repeated step one again, also disabling all AV. Non Change. Windows continuously searches for updates - after 72 hours of searching, I gave up.

    Have tried restore point. However as last successful up date as now more than 60 days ago, thereis no restore point that far back!

    What guidance to the Win 7 gurus have now?

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-04-26T18:11:28+00:00

    Attempted method 1, but that too was stuck endlessly on 'checking for updates'.

    Method 2 is vague. First, after

    C:\Windows\system32>xcopy %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 %systemroot%\system32\c

    atroot2.old /s

    I was asked

    Does C:\Windows\system32\catroot2.old specify a file name

    or directory name on the target

    (F = file, D = directory)?

    I assumed file, and went with F. After overwriting the files and proceeding ahead, this happened

    C:\Windows\system32>cd %systemroot%

    C:\Windows>Ren SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old

    Access is denied.

    I can't even go any further with this option because, despite running the command prompt as admin, it's giving me access denied. I just reinstalled a fresh copy of Windows 7 onto a new hard drive yesterday, so I can't understand what is going wrong with my updates failing and my update checker hanging indefinitely.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-08-12T13:10:43+00:00

    I have the same problem as the original poster. On this laptop updates have worked perfectly for years and today I noticed that windows update has not completed the update check on it's own (there's a button saying check for updates). If I do it manually, it just sits there saying checking for updates and meanwhile svchost.exe eats 1,5 GB of RAM and CPU load is 80 %. And it does not complete, ever. I have to kill the svchost process to be able to use the laptop.

    What I have tried so far:

    Windows Update error 0x80070005(2015-08-12-T-01_34_38P)

    Fixed

    Resetting Windows Update data store Completed

    DataStoreAndWULogFiles.zip

    35.13MB

    File Name:  DataStoreAndWULogFiles.zip

    Error1

    Access to the path 'C:\Windows\softwaredistribution' is denied.

    Even though it says Fixed, there is an error (access is denied).

    • The WindowsUpdate.log at C:\Windows gives no clues:

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:507 6728 1ad4 Misc ===========  Logging initialized (build: 7.6.7601.18804, tz: +0300)  ===========

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:507 6728 1ad4 Misc  = Process: C:\Windows\system32\svchost.exe

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:507 6728 1ad4 Misc  = Module: c:\windows\system32\wuaueng.dll

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:506 6728 1ad4 Service *************

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:507 6728 1ad4 Service ** START **  Service: Service startup

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:507 6728 1ad4 Service *********

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:524 6728 1ad4 Agent  * WU client version 7.6.7601.18804

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:524 6728 1ad4 Agent  * Base directory: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:528 6728 1ad4 Agent  * Access type: No proxy

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:529 6728 1ad4 Agent  * Network state: Connected

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:613 6728 1bf8 Report CWERReporter::Init succeeded

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:613 6728 1bf8 Agent ***********  Agent: Initializing Windows Update Agent  ***********

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:614 6728 1bf8 Agent  * Prerequisite roots succeeded.

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:614 6728 1bf8 Agent ***********  Agent: Initializing global settings cache  ***********

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:614 6728 1bf8 Agent  * WSUS server: <NULL>

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:614 6728 1bf8 Agent  * WSUS status server: <NULL>

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:614 6728 1bf8 Agent  * Target group: (Unassigned Computers)

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:614 6728 1bf8 Agent  * Windows Update access disabled: No

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:615 6728 1bf8 DnldMgr Download manager restoring 0 downloads

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:615 6728 1bf8 AU ###########  AU: Initializing Automatic Updates  ###########

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:616 6728 1bf8 AU  # AU disabled through User preference

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:616 6728 1bf8 AU  # Power management is turned off through policy

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:616 6728 1bf8 AU Initializing featured updates

    2015-08-12 15:05:33:616 6728 1bf8 AU Found 0 cached featured updates

    2015-08-12 15:05:37:982 6728 1ad4 Report ***********  Report: Initializing static reporting data  ***********

    (snip) the reporting data for the laptop hardware

    2015-08-12 15:05:38:685 6728 1bf8 AU Successfully wrote event for AU health state:0

    2015-08-12 15:05:38:734 6728 1bf8 AU Successfully wrote event for AU health state:0

    2015-08-12 15:05:38:734 6728 1bf8 AU AU finished delayed initialization

    That's it, no more log lines. Also, it says AU disabled due to user preference. That's because I disabled the automatic check because it just eats up the RAM and CPU every once in awhile.

    Seems like the windows update version is 7.6.7600.320. Another thread suggests that this version is flawed in some way: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/new-windows-update-agent-767600320-causing-error/46b72f85-1fec-4445-877f-fc530510cba1

    Please MS, how we are going to fix this?

    Edit: More information, I checked "View Update History" and noticed that no updates other than definition updates for MSSE has been installed since July 21st this year. The last update was kb3079904.

    Also, this may be connected to the issue that I couldn't change the windows update settings as to when to install/download updates. The setting was greyed out with a text "some settings are managed by your system administrator". I am the sysadmin... Managed to get that setting open by editing local group policy. So maybe all this has something to do with losing adminstrator privileges...

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-08-13T08:53:45+00:00

    I'm just going to answer myself as the problem has gone away now. I'm not sure what really solved it but I suspect one of the following:

    The search for updates still took over 5 minutes! After installing the updates I rebooted as required and Windows did not start at all. It just froze at the start of the loading screen and window animation. Safe mode and/or startup fix or last known good did not work either. Then after 10th reboot attempt it started normally. No idea what that was but some people had the same problem in this forum.

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