Following a clean install, Windows Update remains at "Checking For Updates" forever...

Anonymous
2016-01-19T16:22:55+00:00

I've reloaded hundreds of Windows computers over the years and I like to think that I am reasonably proficient at that process.  I have just encountered an issue that required a lot of time and effort to resolve and I am posting this to try and save someone else the same ordeal.

My customer had a late model, name-brand Windows 7/64 SP1 computer with a disk drive that was failing.  I changed out the disk drive with a replacement and went through the recovery process, using the manufacturer-provided Recovery Media.  That media is supposed to be identical to the image loaded on the drive from the factory - Windows 7/64 with SP1.

Following the reload, I followed my normal procedure and launched Windows Update.  Windows Update remained at "Checking for Updates" for hours, without ever displaying any updates to install.  I restarted the PC and tried again, with exactly the same result.  The Software Distribution folder would get built and there were plenty of entries in WindowsUpdate.log, but eventually disk activity would cease but CPU activity would remain over 50%.  And Windows Update just showed "Checking for Updates" forever.

I decided the reload must have been bad and so I repeated it from scratch again with exactly the same result.  At that point I decided the image on the manufacturer's Recovery Media must be defective and so I reloaded from my MS Partner Program Windows 7/64 SP1 DVD.  I had the same exact symptoms and result again.  I thought that maybe I was not waiting long enough, so I left it running overnight.  The next morning, it was still at "Checking for Updates".

I tried additional reloads using SURT and that also remained at "Checking for Updates" without accomplishing anything.  I tried using the Windows Update Troubleshooter - with no luck.  Ditto for manually resetting Windows Update and various combinations of these techniques.  I verified that Windows was activated and that date/time were correctly set.  Nothing made any difference.

I then started meticulously documenting everything as I went along and I think I've found a solution:

After the reload, I checked the Windows Update components in C:\Windows\System32. The components are wuapi.dll, wuapp.exe, wuaclt.exe and wuaeng.dll and all are version 7.5.7601.17514 dated 11/20/2010.  Once you launched Windows update or run SURT, these are all updated directly to version 7.6.7600.320.  At that point, I get the symptoms described above and there doesn't appear to be any way to recover.

When Windows Update is launched, it first updates itself automatically and without the user having any option.  It appears that upgrading the WU components from7.5.7601.17514 directly to 7.6.7600.320 causes the issue.  I suspect that it works fine for computers that are updated incrementally.

Once WU version 7.6.7600.320 is loaded, there is no easy recovery that I could find.

CURRENT PROCEDURE:

  1. Download https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3020369 and https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3172605 in advance.
  2. Disconnect the computer from the Internet so Windows Update cannot automatically update itself to 7.6.7600.320.
  3. Perform a fresh reload from Recovery Media or Windows 7/64 with SP1 RTM.
  4. When the installation prompts for updates, choose "Ask Me Later".
  5. Apply KB3020369 and then KB3172605 in that order.
  6. Restore the Internet connection, configure update settings to your preference and launch Windows Update as normal.

Credit to Canadian Tech, Volume Z and other contributors for developing this current procedure.

ORIGINAL PROCEDURE FROM JANUARY 19 2016 HAS BEEN DEPRECATED BY THE NEW PROCEDURE ABOVE:

  1. Download KB3083710 and KB3102810 in advance.
  2. Disconnect the computer from the Internet so Windows Update cannot automatically update itself to 7.6.7600.320.
  3. Perform a fresh reload from Recovery Media or Windows 7/64 with SP1 RTM.
  4. Manually install KB3083710 and restart - WU components will now be version 7.6.7601.19016 dated 9/25/2015.
  5. Manually install KB3102810 and restart - WU components will now be version 7.6.7601.19046 dated 10/20/2015.
  6. Restore the Internet connection and launch Windows Update as normal.
  7. After a few minutes, you should have plenty of updates to download and install.

Ken Morley

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-03-05T20:36:39+00:00

    CanadianTech:

    I'm sorry that you remain unconvinced.  

    Because the problem is so repeatable and because so many others have experienced the identical symptoms on different machines, some loaded from OEM media and some loaded using the Windows 7 SP1 RTM media, I am completely convinced of the issue. I think I have pretty well proven and documented the issue.  But to each his own...

    As far as impatience, I personally myself left Windows Update running for over 12 hours on two occasions (I thought the first one must have been a fluke) without success. I can't know for sure, but I suspect that if you left it running for 12 years it wouldn't have made any difference.

    Regarding the security software issue, as I stated several times in previous posts, there was no security software involved.  The problem even occurred with the Windows 7 SP1 RTM media, which I think we can all agree doesn't contain any security software.

    Your statements about the two new computers, monthly updates occurring without a hitch and Windows 10 do not apply to the issue described in this post.  To restate again, this post specifically refers to users who reload their PC and when the PC connects to Windows Update the first time, it automatically and without user action or warning installs an update to Windows Update.  That update prevents WU from ever being used again on that machine.

    Again, I have the failure mode well documented and it is easily reproducible:  After a fresh reload and without the computer being connected to an Ethernet cable (making it impossible to connect to Microsoft) I can check the version of the WU components on the PC.   Shortly after the PC is connected and without the user doing anything, the version of those components will change. If they change to the version documented herein, WU won't work again on that PC.  If the user manually updates WU as per the instructions, it steps over the problematic version of WU (the one that gets automatically downloaded and installed) and avoids the issue.  It's pretty cut and dried as far as I am concerned.

    I have absolutely no doubt that some images are already patched beyond the problematic WU version and so would not exhibit the problem.  But just because you haven't seen the problem yourself does not mean the issue does not exist.  

    Ken Morley

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-03-05T20:11:40+00:00

    The machine is now running like a top...

    Answer-by-number:

    1. Is KB3134814, KB3115858, KB3124280, KB3126587, KB3126593, KB3134214, KB3122648, KB3127220, and/or KB3092627 listed in Installed Updates (not Update History) now?

    2. Is KB3138612, KB3123862, KB3035583, KB2952664 and/or KB2990214 listed in Installed Updates (not Update History) now?

    1. Is KB3140527 listed as successfully-installed in your Update History (this time)?

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-03-05T20:08:31+00:00

    CanadianTech:

    I would hope that we ALL know to not install security software until the machine is ready to deploy.  Since all of the installations that I support are enterprise, I can't install security software until after the machine has been joined to the domain.

    I will guarantee you that, in my case, security software has nothing at all to do with the problem.

    Ken Morley

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-03-05T19:03:14+00:00

    I know from years of experience to not install AV software till WU is completed on first install.  I also learned the lesson well that frequently the Security software hides the reason for the problem I am hunting for.

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  5. Anonymous
    2016-03-05T17:52:54+00:00

    Canadian Tech - regarding the problem being due to security software, I can tell you first hand that this was absolutely not the case with my machine as I have tried to do updates immediately after installing on a new version of the Win7 OS and BEFORE putting on any security software (or ANY software for that matter) and the thing still hangs once that MS file that blocks update gets downloaded.

    On the other hand, once I follow Ken's method in the original post to the letter, the downloads work first time.

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