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
    2016-06-28T14:03:10+00:00

    Thrash:

    As always, thanks for your suggestions!

    I was excited when the Convenience Rollup was first announced and so I tried it on the next couple of reloads that I did.  Unfortunately, it didn't work reliably for me on either attempt - there were several updates that couldn't be installed.  It was very similar to what I've seen when downloading and installing all updates at once.  Since my goal is to produce reloaded systems that I have high confidence in, that approach didn't work for me.

    I was pressed for time and so did not have the opportunity to troubleshoot in depth.  I ended up giving up on the Convenience Rollup and just reinstalled in my usual manner.  

    I haven't done any reloads since, but I'm sure that I will be trying it again soon.  Once I do, I'll be sure and report back.

    Have a good one!

    Ken Morley

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-06-28T14:03:03+00:00

    VZ.

    You are a "guru". I am a novice. I tried the "Ask Me Later" while installing procedure on one of my many failed attempts to follow a "guru" plan. 

    Even "Ask Me Later" resulted in the machine seeming to get locked up when I told it to "UPDATE".

    It was ONLY when I understood that, if there is an internet connection, the first thing that WU does after a clean install , is to immediately,,  without user action, without user action, without user action, (The update process to the update program is beyond user control if there is an internet connection. Nothing short of never connecting to the internet will stop it.)  try to find and install the latest compatible version of Windows Update, that I was able to get my machine working.

    To do it I had to be patient and let that first automatic download and update of the WU Updater happen before I did any other attempts at any other updates. Then I did SP1 and disconnected from the internet to keep WU from updating itself to the bad version.

    If you have an SP1 disc it seems possible to simply do the clean install, do the SP1, then Follow any one of the "guru" plans or since it worked for me, my novice plan, and eventually get to a working W7 installation.

    The Key is to NEVER let the bad WU Updater Version get automatically installed.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-06-28T14:00:11+00:00

    Look up Windows Update Agent 7.6.7600.320 which is a trouble log I produced. Here is the results of my testing pre SP1. DP09 pointed me to Ken's fix .

    DP09 Thank you. I looked over his info and tried testing it two ways. The first was to do a restore to a time period before the update agent was applied and then download KB3083710 and KB3102810 to a USB stick then install KB 3083710 then KB3102810 and it appeared to work fine. in fact after a pause it said I had 228 additional updates.

     Now to avoid chance from me messing with the software I reload the entire system for the 8th time from the original disks that came with the laptop that I had ordered from Gateway. I added nothing extra to the system instead just dowloaded and installed updates as I had done before.  It loaded smoothly but I could not install either of those updates because it said "not applicable". As more updates were installed the rejection message changed slightly but still would not install. now mindfull of the fact that the software I had was pre SP1 of windows 7 I still tried. As soon as SP1 update was loaded I could then install each update , do a restart and then install the next update. I then installed IE 11 update which also would not load until .net had been installed. It now downloaded and installed IE 11 and each of the .net updates then installed IE 11. I waited one day so I had a good restore point. I started it up today and it said "no updates were available" as soon as I clicked "check for updates it ran for about 15 minutes and I thought I had a problem until it said "229 updates plus 7 others are available". As I sit here it is installing them.

     It appears that an update tp intelligent updater was done that produced KB3083710 then some additional work was done and that produced KB3102810. The trouble is when MS came out with the 7.6.7600.320 update , unlike installing IE 11 which checks for all updates dependancies and installs them in sequence so it is all correct someone just "ASSUMED" or failed to think to perform a simple check to see if the others were installed first. The end result is anyone like myself that reloads a system with software that predates KB3083710 and KB3102810 will in fact have all sorts of various troubles depending upon "if / and / or" you have either one or neither of those updates installed before the system goes straight to intelligent updater 7.6.7600.320.

     It would be nice if someone at MS did a fix to that latest intelligent update so it checks for both of the previous updates first and installs them in sequence first so others do not encounter this trouble. If the installation of IE 11 can do these checks then the fix should be easy.

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-06-28T13:37:04+00:00

    You could edit your original discussion Ken and add the newest update to it KB3161664 might help :)

    Might even throw this link in it too as an alternative ?

    https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/windowsitpro/2016/05/17/simplifying-updates-for-windows-7-and-8-1/

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  5. Anonymous
    2016-06-28T12:21:26+00:00

    LuraAnne:

    I honestly do not know whether SP1 is a requirement or not.  I included that in the write up because that's the version of Windows 7 that I always use and I haven't tested, troubleshot or analyzed this issue with plain Vanilla Windows 7.

    So your problem is at least a little different than what I described and worked on.  I doubt that it's a deal killer.

    In your case, I recommend that you burn a CD or DVD with Service Pack 1 in advance.  You may have to do that from a different computer.  According to DaviNUNYA, SP1 is available at

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5842 (Thanks Davi!).

    Also download and have available KB3102810 or, better yet according to Volume Z (Thanks VZ!) download KB3161608.

    With everything ready, disconnect the network cable from the PC and do a clean install from your Windows 7 media.  Immediately after the installation completes and you restart the PC, install Service Pack 1.  Following that restart, install KB3102810 or KB3161608 and restart again.

    At that point, it seems like you should be able to reconnect the network cable and do the first batch of updates.  I generally update in batches of 25-30 and then restart.  Repeat this process until no more updates remain available.

    I haven't tried this approach and so there are no guarantees.  But it seems like it should work.

    Good luck!

    Ken Morley

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