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: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2016-03-10T14:53:08+00:00

    Very interesting. Thanks for this.

    May I add....

    Set your WU setting at never.  Once per month. Start WU.  When you get the list of proposed updates, allow all Security updates, but hide EVERY update to WINDOWS that is NOT labeled security.  No need to be selective about each of them.

    This strategy is based on the fact that there have been no updates to Win7 that are useful to Win7 in more than a year, and it is highly unlikely there ever will be. 

    Doing updates this way makes the process vastly simpler.  However there is one potential risk to it.  So far, Microsoft has not attempted (to our knowledge) including Win10 stuff in security updates.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2016-03-10T14:51:59+00:00

    Anything that helps pull up over 200 updates in about 5 minutes is pretty wild :D

    Weird thing is it works

    Problem is for how long :/

    M$ has really poked the pooch here I'm sure it's on purpose too ;)

    Oddly only 1-32 bit system I have is showing the problem.

    I excluded about 10 that weren't noticeably tagged as security updates see what happens I doubt it will work any better than the first attempt at loading all 159 Important ones first.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2016-03-10T14:44:02+00:00

    I had exactly this same problem, of a system stuck endlessly on the update panel. Being averse to reinstalling again, I took a chance and skipped steps 2 and 3. (The system was already at 7.6.7600.320)

    I followed steps 4 and 5, rebooting after each install. Next was to launch Windows Update, and within 3 minutes I had a list of 209 updates. At this moment I don't know what problems may lie ahead, but the immediate issue of Windows stuck for hours on the Windows Update panel are gone.

    My thanks to all those who worked on this problem, and their efforts to document it for our use.

    To update this,  I was able to successfully get a list of updates to install (209 updates) which took the afternoon to install. All installed correctly, when finished it needed a reboot. At that point I simply turned off power when it rebooted at the BIOS screen and started up again this morning. It finished the installs, 5 "stages" in its words. I went back and uninstalled  KB3035583  which makes the Get Win 10 icon and creates the GWX subdirectory. (this system cannot run Win10 by Microsoft's own determination). Hid that KB and tried win update. It immediately found another 23 updates which just finished installation.

    I feel comfortable in saying this modified procedure worked gangbusters for me, and I did not have to do a fresh install of Win 7.

    Thank you to all for such great information.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2016-03-10T12:57:53+00:00

    I am trying it now on an existing installation, but it's only a day old. I installed Windows yesterday, and left it at the "Checking for Updates" screen overnight (10+hrs) and it was still there this morning. I disconnected from internet, and installed the 2 patches in order and rebooting after each one. I then reconnected internet, went back to windows updates and clicked Check for Updates. After about 15 minutes, I now have 200+ important updates. So, this fix should work on in-place installations as long as nothing else is damaged! Nice find Ken!

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2016-03-10T02:41:08+00:00

    Metals27:

    This post specifically refers to the issue where Windows 7 has been reloaded from scratch and the result is that Windows Update is forever stuck at "Checking for updates...".

    This post does not address situations involving removing updates, upgrading to Windows 10 or fixing an existing installation where Windows Update is broken.  

    I'm sorry that I can't contribute anything to those issues, but those are not something that I have worked on.

    Good luck!

    Ken Morley

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments