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. Deleted

    This answer has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The answer was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.

    Comments have been turned off. Learn more

  2. Anonymous
    2016-03-26T00:37:06+00:00

    Update: the first individual patch that I have found to break Windows Update is KB3139852.

    It seems that KB3139852 actually FIXES some people's problems, though: http://www.askwoody.com/2016/the-windows-update-takes-forever-problem/comment-page-2/#comment-78040

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2016-03-25T21:32:52+00:00

    Ken et al.,

    After yet more painfully time-consuming research, I've established that some Windows 7 security updates break Windows Update, and some don't.

    I've installed the following blocks of updates. All updates in a block were installed at the same time, and a restart was done if required. If you see "FAILED" and "uninstalled all", that means that when I checked for updates again after installing the previous block of updates and restarting, I was back to the eternal "checking for updates". I then uninstalled the entire block of updates with add/remove programs, restarted, and checked for updates again.

    Interestingly, Windows Update always started working again after uninstalling a batch of updates that made it not work. None of the updates seemed to "permanently" affect my Windows Update after I uninstalled them, so it seems that it's definitely something that the updates themselves are doing to the system (or some problem with how Windows Update handles those updates once they're installed).

    I got through all the Security Updates for Windows 7, and have now started on some of the Security Updates for .NET 3.5.1. I went in "date" order, not necessarily KB number order. I started with the most recent, on the theory that WU isn't always perfect in deciding what updates have been superseded.

    I haven't managed to go through and see what files are being changed by all of these, but as I said above, it might just be something about how certain updates are processed by Windows Update once they're installed.

    Since I installed these in blocks, I can't be sure which particular update caused the problem, but I've narrowed it down a bit.

    The research:

    started from fresh SP1 image (file versions 7.6.7600.256 (6/2/2012))

    • installed ONLY KB3102810 (bypassing the first one Ken recommends)
    • installed KB3138612 (3/8/2016): gives WU component version 7.6.7601.19161

    next step:

    -- KB2900986

    -- IE11

    -- KB2670838

    -- KB2729094

    -- KB2786081

    -- KB2834140

    -- KB2882822

    -- KB2888049

    next step:

    -- KB3139929 (IE 11 cumulative security update 3/8/16)

    -- KB2900986 (security)

    Security Updates for Windows 7:

    next step:

    -- KB3138910 sec update Win 7 (all 3/8/16): remote code execution in media files

    -- KB3138962: remote code execution in media files (paired with KB3138910)

    -- KB3139398: USB drive vuln

    -- KB3139852: kernal-mode drivers

    -- KB3139914: Windows Secondary Logon Service

    -- KB3139940: Windows OLE fails to properly validate user input

    -- KB3140410: unspecified elevation of privs vuln

    -- KB3140735: specially crafted, embedded OpenType fonts (!)

    FAILED, uninstalled all

    next step:

    -- KB3115858: (all 2/9/16)

    -- KB3124280

    -- KB3126587

    -- KB3126593

    next step:

    -- KB3124001: (all 1/12/16)

    -- KB3123479

    -- KB3110329

    -- KB3109560

    -- KB3108664

    next step:

    -- KB3109103 (all 12/xx/15)

    -- KB3109094

    -- KB3108670

    -- KB3108669

    -- KB3108381

    -- KB3108371

    FAILED, uninstalled all

    next step:

    -- KB3101722 (11/10/15)

    -- KB3097966 (10/13

    -- KB3093513 (10/13

    -- KB3092601 (11/10

    -- KB3080446 (10/13)

    next step:

    -- KB3087039 (all 9/8/15)

    -- KB3086255

    -- KB3084135

    FAILED! uninstalled all

    next step:

    -- KB3078601 (all 8/11/15)

    -- KB3076949

    -- KB3076895

    -- KB3075220

    -- KB3071756 (reissue?)

    -- KB3060716 (reissue?)

    -- KB3046017 (reissue?)

    FAILED! uninstalled all

    next step:

    -- KB3072630 (all 7/14/2015)

    -- KB3067903

    next step:

    -- KB3061518 (5/12/2015)

    -- KB3069317 (6/9/2015)

    -- KB3055642 (5/12)

    -- KB3046269 (4/14)

    -- KB3045685 (4/14)

    -- KB3042553 (4/14)

    next step (out of 98 avail):

    -- KB3035132 (all 3/10/2015)

    -- KB3035126

    -- KB3033929

    -- KB3033889

    -- KB3030377

    next step (out of 91 avail)

    -- KB3022777 (2/10/15)

    -- KB3021674 (1/13/15)

    -- KB3019978 (1/13/15)

    -- KB3004361 (1/13/15)

    next step (out of 87 avail)

    -- KB3011780 11/18/14

    -- KB3010788 11/11/14

    -- KB3003743 11/11/14

    -- KB2992611 11/11/14

    -- KB2991963 11/11/14

    -- KB2984972 10/14/14

    -- KB2977292 10/14/14

    next step (out of 80 avail)

    -- KB2993651 8/27/14 (note: shows as security update on WU, but just "update" in add/remove)

    -- KB2978742 8/12/14

    -- KB2976897 8/12/14

    -- KB2973201 7/8/14

    -- KB2957189 6/10/14

    -- KB2912390 2/11/14

    FAILED, uninstalled all

    next step (out of 80 avail):

    -- KB2871997 (5/13/14)

    -- KB2862330 (1/14/14)

    -- KB2840149 (8/12/14)

    -- KB2807986 (8/12/14)

    next step (out of 76 avail):

    -- KB2893294 (12/10/13)

    -- KB2892074 (12/10/13)

    -- KB2868038 (10/08/13)

    -- KB2864202 (10/08/13)

    -- KB2862335 (10/08/13)

    -- KB2862152 (11/12/13)

    -- KB2847927 (07/09/13)

    -- KB2839894 (06/11/13)

    -- KB2813430 (06/11/13)

    Security Updates for .NET Framework 3.5.1 on x86:

    next step (out of 66 avail)

    -- KB3135988 (3/08/16)

    next stop (out of 65 avail)

    -- KB3097989

    -- KB3074543

    -- KB3072305

    -- KB3037574

    -- KB3023215

    next step (out of 58 avail)

    -- KB2978120

    -- KB2973112

    -- KB2972211

    -- KB2972100

    -- KB2968294

    -- KB2943357

    -- KB2937610

    -- KB2931356

    -- KB2911501

    -- KB2894844

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2016-03-21T20:41:40+00:00

    I've done the same thing with the computer I'm working on.... system restore... fresh install... bang my head against the wall... pull my hair out.... nothing worked until THIS set of instructions!

    Thank you SO much for posting these simple instructions.  Taking the computer off the internet to do those two updates was absolutely the right thing!!  I'm now happily doing the 217 other updates for this reloaded computer.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2016-03-21T16:10:31+00:00

    FWIW reinstalling win-8 is also equally as fun :)

    Failed twice to install updates

    had to load the top 50 at a time before it worked excluding all recommended updates.

    And of course downloading 8.1 from the M$ store reset my update preference to include recommended updates so our friend GWX was installed too :)

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments