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

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.

0 comments

580 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2016-11-14T06:48:08+00:00

    Can someone please help me understand what Windows 10 Malware is  ShaneFletcher talking about ?

     I have received the  same updates and I   have kept them in abeyance after reading the  above post from ShaneFletcher. Reason being ~ I have already done a reinstal of Windows 7 once and I  know the  pains I had to endure doing that.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2016-11-13T16:41:26+00:00

    Hey VZ,

    I have been running win7 SP1 64 after a fresh install for months now and I have followed all the info on here with the rollups provided and I must say my win7 OS was working perfectly with no win10 malware insight. As I don't know much about computers and im just a general user who picked up a lot of help from you guys on here to keep win10 at bay I think ive messed it up again.

    [Trimmed]

    Heres a picture of the available Win10 Malware updates above.

    Some of the problems im having is with the ram on my PC i have 4g ram and with nothing open in my desktop my usage is at 50% plus and wont reduce and also my pc is running slower than normal. I know you and many others said never to check for updates ever again after the Junes rollups but I was worried about not receiving any security updates for the future.

    [Trimmed]

    Hope you can help me out again thanks for reading.

    Best Regards

    Hi @ ShaneFletcher  ,

    What Windows 10 Malware? I see no Windows 10 Malware. What you pictured, I installed yesterday with no bad effects, whatsoever.

    I always check for New Security Updates. Never had to do a Clean install again. Everything is working fine.

    And I do use Acronis True Image 2017 to do an image before Updates and if no ill effects, do an image afterwards.

    http://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-backup/

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2016-11-13T09:43:22+00:00

    Hey VZ,

    I have been running win7 SP1 64 after a fresh install for months now and I have followed all the info on here with the rollups provided and I must say my win7 OS was working perfectly with no win10 malware insight. As I don't know much about computers and im just a general user who picked up a lot of help from you guys on here to keep win10 at bay I think ive messed it up again.

    Now you'll probably call me for doing this but yesterday out of curiosity i turned my WU back on just to see if Microsoft had changed the roll up config so that we could no longer chose our preferred updates alone, and in doing so I allowed MS to install a critical update in the background and im now having problems with my OS.

    Heres a picture of the available Win10 Malware updates above.

    Some of the problems im having is with the ram on my PC i have 4g ram and with nothing open in my desktop my usage is at 50% plus and wont reduce and also my pc is running slower than normal. I know you and many others said never to check for updates ever again after the Junes rollups but I was worried about not receiving any security updates for the future.

    I have checked the services in task manager and hid all MS applications and stopped all the rest but nothing seems to work. Should i now perform another fresh install and just run the rollups from your advice above? how can I stop the new rollups in October and November from installing once ive done a clean install. I cant see how I can rectify my silly mistake I should have left it alone, as you cant reverse a critical update that you cant see.

    Hope you can help me out again thanks for reading.

    Best Regards

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2016-10-29T16:50:12+00:00

    I spent over 2 weeks, weekends included, attempting every single microsoft fix, both the manual and automatic "Fix it for me" I could find. None worked. I did not keep track of the failures, so I can't say for sure I tried this one, but it does look familiar. I have twice used Ken Morley's original procedure with success and am eternally grateful. It works consistently and that gets my highest recommendation. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows\_7-update/following-a-clean-install-windows-update-remains/ff3c442e-79a6-40d3-ac35-29e130cebef1.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2016-10-28T00:11:38+00:00

    Larry:

    I appreciate your post and want to reiterate: I am not advocating a fresh install to solve this problem, but rather resolving this problem after a fresh install has already been done.  In my case, the fresh install is not the resolution or workaround, but is the original goal.

    In my job, I have to reinstall on a regular basis (repurpose a company PC for a new user, fix a PC corrupted by malware, etc.) and I have done many dozens and maybe hundreds over the last few years.  I don't reinstall to fix the update issue - the update issue is what occurs after I have already done the reinstall.

    So when folks indicate that "a reinstall is not necessary", I think they are overlooking my original objective:  a successful reinstall is the goal, not the other way around.  I recognize that others have different goals.

    I am sure that some folks think there is never a reason to do an OS reinstall and that any problem, no matter how severe or complex, can be eventually fixed.  In my experience and where I have to be able to guarantee the stability of a PC that I've "fixed", the easiest, fastest, cheapest solution in many cases is to return the PC to an out-of-the-box state.  That's when I decide to reinstall.

    Cheers!

    Ken Morley

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments