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.

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-03-03T23:16:57+00:00

    I have been "fixing" Windows systems for years.  Hundreds of them.

    A few lessons I have learned well:

    1. If it has a "security" suite installed, remove it.
    2. ALWAYS check the health of the hard drive itself first.
    3. A clean re-install brings a new life to a PC.  It suddenly has new life and performs like a champ.
    4. A clean re-install is not that difficult, just time consuming
    5. I always create a system image after the system is installed, up to date, and Office installed and up to date.  That creates a set of 3 to 6 DVDs that are a great insurance policy.  When it comes time to do the clean install, I have a starting point that is way down the track.
    6. Do NOT spend more than a few hours trying to fix a computer, once you rule out hardware issues.  It can easily become a never ending quest.  Instead, throw in the towel and do the clean install -- guaranteed to produce the perfect answer.
    7. A client who does not backup their data, has taken a chance and lost.  Hopefully they will learn the lesson.  I will not lose sleep or make inordinate efforts to save them from their destiny.

    And more lately:

    Microsoft has been a provider with mostly good products that could be counted on to support what they sold.  Microsoft has done a 180 and has become a hungry short-term profit monger out to use its customer base to achieve its ends.  It has lost its moral and ethical compass.  I was a 30 year Microsoft supporter.  I am now becoming expert in methods to protect my clients' investments from Microsoft's shameless greed.  Microsoft has no idea what a customer is and has no interest in knowing.  Nothing Microsoft reports is believable.  Do you remember the glowing reports of Windows 8.1 huge success up to the day they announced that Win8 was so bad that they were by-passing 9 and going to 10?

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-03-03T23:52:44+00:00

    This is EXACTLY my problem and the gurus here have been blaming the problem on many things but this.  I am going to have to try it - thanks!

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-03-04T00:53:49+00:00

    To avoid confusion & duplication of effort, please post any/all further follow-up in replies to your own thread => http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-update/new-win7-install-will-not-do-windows-update-not/81f4be14-d62a-4053-92aa-1cd7fa225239

    Thank you.

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-03-04T11:39:56+00:00

    Canadian Tech:

    I absolutely agree with your "lessons learned" above.  A clean install will work every time but trying to fix the existing image will only work some of the time.  You can waste a lot of time trying to fix a bad image when a clean install would take less time, is more reliable and yields a much better result.

    Ken Morley

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  5. Anonymous
    2016-03-05T00:55:44+00:00

    I find it offensive to be chastised for writing to a person and telling him that I have the same problem and that I am going to try his method and thanking him.

    FWIW, this is a bulletin board and the whole idea here is to SHAREideas so that more than one person can be helped.  Someone like the OP takes time out to share his experience and fix deserves to get feedback for his efforts.

    As a matter of fact, my own thread has gone to 7 pages with no effective fix by the local gurus.  I appreciate their effort/help but the fact is their solution has been ineffective.  Ken Morley’s solution on the other hand worked straight off the bat on my computer.  With his solution, my computer for the first time received Windows update as it should which is it took minutes and not hours to tell me how many updates and Mb of data it is going to need to download and the whole thing was done in less than 2 hours…

    Having said so, my computer did tell me that two updates “8024200D” and “800700E” failed to update when it was done, also when I looked at the update history, about 100 update was successful but about 50 was not thus far.  Still, this idea of blocking that MS update upfront and manually downloading the two updates made a huge difference and I thank Ken for his help. 

    FWIW, my computer use an AMD Athlon 64/440 processor - I know from reading the thread that there was a question on this.

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