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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:
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:
Ken Morley
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.
Thanks Bru20. That recommendation to set to Never is not popular, but it works for me and my 154 client computers. A lot or people mistakenly think that means that you will never update. That simply is up to the user. Never means never give Microsoft control of your computer. It means you take the responsibility and control over the update process.
I even tested your method because I knew after reading this thread you'd be back posting the same thing you've posted every reply since page one.
Again, I saw no appreciable difference
I didn't say anything on this thread until page 20. Do the test again, this time leaving out KB3102810 and tell me if KB3083710 by itself is even remotely recommendable.
To deal with patch day May please install KB3153199 in advance.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=52214
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=52232
Regards, VZ
I am having problems on two different Win 7 machines with endless searching for updates. These machines have not had a fresh install but I think the problem is applicable to this thread.
Found advice saying to install KB3138612 manually. Problem is trying to install any KB manually it gets stuck on "Searching for updates on this computer...". So its a loop, I need to install patches manually to fix the endless searching for updates but installing manually still does the endless searching. What to do?
Bru20 -- First, go into your Windows Update and change your settings to "Never check for updates", then restart your computer. Once you restart, WU will no longer start checking automatically -- that's what has you stuck in the loop. Then go to one of the online links above (ending in 52214 for 32-bit, 52232 for 64-bit) and follow the instructions to download and install it; it will do it as a standalone. Restart your computer when instructed. Then you should be able to open WU and click on "Check for updates". My advice to you after that -- and this was wise advice given to me by Canadian Tech -- is to leave your WU setting on "Never check for updates". I hope this works for you. It did for me, beautifully.
To deal with patch day May please install KB3153199 in advance.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=52214
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=52232
Regards, VZ
edit: After a restart I was able to manually install KB3138612, will next install KB3153199 and see if that fixes things. Otherwise I will wait a few days as this happened last month as well.
I am having problems on two different Win 7 machines with endless searching for updates. These machines have not had a fresh install but I think the problem is applicable to this thread.
Ken, each PC was loaded from the same DVD Disk of Windows7 x64 SP1. The Installation disk is dated 2011. The File Versions on the WU files were what you listed them as from a fresh install in your first post.
As far as I can tell - there is no way to know if it's going to work or fail until it takes longer than an hour or so to parse updates. (in my observation anyway.)
Example : One of the laptops I used for my test in my last post - did hang and couldn't ever find updates before I found this thread. It happened to be the same one that I reloaded and allowed to update 'normally' via Windows Update, same as it did before when it didn't find any updates after sitting there for 48 hours. Not using your method, this PC found all the same updates within 10 minutes of the one that I did use your and VZ's methods on.
We can obviously go back and forth ad nausea on constraints and testing and anecdotes and blah blah blah...
The true value in these methods is that they work unequivocally every time without failure... We obviously can't say the same for letting Windows Update handle the business by itself... but then again, what's new in that regard?
Do Ken's and VZ's Methods work 100% of the time? Yes.
Are those methods necessary 100% of the time? No.
If you want to avoid even the possibility that it'll fail - then try Ken or VZ's method.
I mean, that's pretty much it. The rest is just flapping gums at this point.
Again, Thanks Ken.
