Updates not working, it has been searching for updates for hours

Anonymous
2016-06-15T04:54:11+00:00

My PC is quite old and I have tried the microsoft fix it tool. The fix it tool never works. 

I have been trying to check for new updates from since yesterday (Tuesday 14th June) in the afternoon. It is now Wednesday morning (12 hours approx) and it is still checking. There is no error code, it is just checking for the updates.

I have no technical skills so please do not ask me any technical questions. I would just like a solution to this problem.

Thank you.

It is August now and my pc has been searching for updates for 1 week now. This is****ridiculous

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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lmacri 2,505 Reputation points
2016-06-16T12:03:51+00:00

My PC is quite old and I have tried the microsoft fix it tool. The fix it tool never works. 

I have been trying to check for new updates from since yesterday (Tuesday 14th June) in the afternoon. It is now Wednesday morning (12 hours approx) and it is still checking. There is no error code, it is just checking for the updates...

***** IMPORTANT NOTICE as of August 3, 2020 *****

Microsoft has announced they will be deactivating Windows Update on August 3, 2020 for computers with unsupported Windows operating systems that do not support SHA-2 code signing - see the 24-Jun-2020 Microsoft support article Windows Update SHA-1 Based Endpoints Discontinued for Older Windows Devices for more information.   Win XP and Vista users will likely see one of the following error codes when Windows Update is run after this date.

  • Error code 80072ee2 or 80244019: The device cannot connect to Windows Update.
  • Error code 8024402c: The device is unable to locate Windows Update.

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Unfortunately, this means that the instructions below to fix slow Windows Updates and automatically patch a Vista SP2 OS to end of extended support (11-Apr-2017) will no longer work.  After 03-Aug-2020, Vista SP2 users who are still missing security updates released prior to 11-Apr-2017 should read post # 9 in the VistaForums thread WinVista HomePremium-X86 (SP1) Reinstallation Question about using the **** Dism++ utility to patch Vista SP2 back to end of support.
___________________________________________________________________________

**** INSTRUCTIONS BELOW WILL NOT FIX WINDOWS UPDATES AS OF 03-AUG-2020 ****

Hi m#l:

There is a known issue on Vista SP2 computers where Windows Update can hang on "Checking for updates..." for several hours (or even days) without throwing an error message. This problem was first reported in August 2015 and these slow Windows Updates have become progressively worse over time. In June 2016, IT expert Dalai began posting lists of "speed up" patches (a small number of security updates for the Win32K.sys kernel mode driver, graphics components, and IE9) at http://wu.krelay.de/en/ that could be manually installed each month to fix this problem.    Here are step-by-step instructions for Dalai's solution:

REVISED for the JUNE 2017 Patch Tuesday (valid as of July 2020):

  1. Disable automatic Windows Updates [Windows Update | Change settings | Important updates | Never check for updates (not recommended)] and re-boot to terminate any Windows Update sessions currently running in the background on your system.
  2. Search your installed updates at Control Panel | Programs and Features | View Installed Updates to see if any of the following "speed up" patches are missing from your system: KB3205638 (rel. 13-Dec-2016); KB4012583 (rel. 14-Mar-2017); KB4015380 (rel. 11-Apr-2017); KB4019204 (rel. 09-May-2017).  If IE9 is installed then KB4018271 (the 09-May-2017 cumulative security update for IE9) is also required. When searching, enter the full KB number in the search box (e.g., "KB3205638" and not a partial string like "3205638".
  3. Download the standalone installers (.msu files) for any missing "speed up" patches from the the Microsoft Update Catalog and save them to your Windows desktop using the download links in Note 1.  Use the Vista x86 installer if you have a 32-bit OS; use the Vista x64 installer if you have a 64-bit OS. See Note 2 if you have problems downloading the .msu installers.
  4. Double-click to run each .msu standalone installer.  Re-boot after all .msu installers have run to completion unless the installation wizard for one of the installers specifically requests a re-boot to finish the installation. See Notes 3 and 4 if you have problems running the .msu installers.
  5. Once all missing "speed up" patches are pre-installed, run a manual Windows Update [Windows Update | Check for updates] to detect and install any available updates released as of 11-Apr-2017.  It might take a few re-boots and manual Windows Updates to get everything patched, depending on how many months or years your Vista SP2 OS is out of date. See Note 5 if Windows Update continues to hang at "Checking for updates...". [WARNING*: If you following these instructions after July 2020 and Windows Update throws an error see the IMPORTANT NOTICE at the top of this post.]*

**** EDIT as of June 2017:  Microsoft released five out-of-band emergency security updates for Vista SP2 in June 2017 were posted on the Microsoft Update Catalog but will not be delivered via Windows Update.  See the thread More Shadow Brokers Exploits Patched June 2017 for Win XP and Vista for instructions on how to install these emergency updates if they are still missing from your system. ****

**** EDIT as of April 2020:  Since March 2020 multiple users performing a clean reinstall of their Vista SP2 OS have reported that Windows Update can throw an error 800B0109 ("A certificate chain processed, but terminated in a root certificate which is not trusted by the trust provider") while trying to install KB4014984 (Security and Quality Rollup for NET. Framework 2.0, 3.0, 4.5.2, 4.6 on Windows Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2: April 11, 2017).  To fix this error, download the MicrosoftRootCertificateAuthority2011.cer file from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=747875&clcid=0x409 and save it to the root C:\ directory of your computer (i.e.., so the location is C:\MicrosoftRootCertificateAuthority2011.cer), open anelevated command prompt with Administrator rights, and enter the command certutil -addstore "Root" "C:\MicrosoftRootCertificateAuthority2011.cer" to apply the required trust certificate. Kudos to greenhillmaniac for posting about this fix in his 06-Apr-2020 post in the MSFN threadCertificate Trust Provider Error Installing Updates. ****
______________________

Note 1:  Download 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) .msu installers from the Microsoft Update Catalog at the following links:

REQUIRED:

     KB3205638:  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB3205638 Vista

     KB4012583:  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4012583 Vista
     KB4015380:  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4015380 Vista

     KB4019204:  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4019204 Vista

OPTIONAL (if Internet Explorer 9 is installed):

    KB4018271:  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4018271 Internet Explorer 9 Vista

OPTIONAL (if MS Office 2007, MS Office 2010 or the MS Office Compatibility Pack SP3 is installed):

     See Note 5 below.

Image

Note 2:  If you have problems downloading the .msu installers using Internet Explorer 9 then try an alternate browser like Firefox ESR v52.9.0 (the legacy extended support release for Win XP and Vista, last updated 26-Jun-2018).  You can also download the .msu installers to a USB thumb drive from another computer and copy the .msu installers to your Vista desktop.

Note 3:  If you try to install a speed up patch that is already installed on your computer, download an installer that does not match the bit architecture of your OS (e.g., you try to run a 64-bit .msu installer on a 32-bit Vista machine), or try to install a speed up patch that has been superseded (replaced) by a newer update you will see a "The update is not applicable to your computer" error - see the MS support article Windows Update Troubleshooting for other common causes of this error.

Note 4:  The standalone update packages (.msu files) will get stuck at "Checking for updates..." if there is a Windows Update session already running in the background on your computer.  Most users find that disabling automatic Windows Updates and re-booting is sufficient (STEP # 1), but if your .msu installer still gets stuck you can temporarily disconnect from the internet or stop your Windows Update service (wuauserv) at Control Panel | System and Maintenance | Administrative Tools | Services while running these installers.  Unlike Windows Update, these standalone update packages (.msu files) are associated with the Windows Update Standalone Installer (C:\Windows\System32\wusa.exe) and can be installed on computers without an internet connection.

Note 5:  This issue has not been prevalent since 2018, but if you have MS Office 2007 SP3, MS Office 2010 SP2 and/or the MS Office Compatibility Pack SP3 (an add-on that allows older MS Office products like MS Office 2000/2003/2007 to work with files with newer Open XML formats like .docx, .xlsx, etc.) and find that Windows Update is still running slowly after completing the instructions above then links for additional "speed up" patches (.exe self-extracting installers) for these MS Office products are posted below.

If MS Office 2007 SP3 installed:
KB4018355: for Word 2007 (rel. Apr 2018)

 [KB4018353](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56780): for Excel 2007 (rel. Apr 2018)

If MS Office Compatibility Pack SP3 (MS Office 2000/2003/2007 add-on) installed:

 [KB4018354](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56800): Word converter file (wordconv; rel. Apr 2018)

 [KB4461607](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=57877): Excel converter file (xlconv; rel. Feb 2019)

If 32-bit MS Office 2010 SP2 installed:

 [KB4493218](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=102981 "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=102981"): for 32-bit MS Word 2010 (rel. Apr 2021)

 [KB3017810](https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=dbf63fea-6134-43ed-8960-a5e6822b494a "https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=dbf63fea-6134-43ed-8960-a5e6822b494a"): for 32-bit MS Excel 2010 (rel. Apr 2021)

If 64-bit MS Office 2010 SP2 installed:

 [KB4493218](https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=0ad9421d-1f16-4ed2-bc3c-59c293c11ad5 "https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=0ad9421d-1f16-4ed2-bc3c-59c293c11ad5"): for 64-bit MS Word 2010 (rel. Apr 2021)

[KB3017810](https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=0d5a97be-08a4-485f-aba0-9fa27f072a93 "https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=0d5a97be-08a4-485f-aba0-9fa27f072a93"): for 64-bit MS Excel 2010 (rel. Apr 2021)

If you have performed a clean reinstall of your MS Office product and are missing the final Service Pack then links to MS Office 2007 Service Pack 3 (KB2526086) and MS Office 2010 Service Pack 2 (KB2687455) are posted in the Lifewire article Latest Microsoft Office Service Packs. These Service Packs should be installed before applying the above "speed up" patches for your Office product(s).

32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * FF ESR v52.9.0 * Malwarebytes Premium v3.5.1 * MS Office 2003 Pro SP3
HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-11-19T00:54:03+00:00

    I think I figured out what I was doing wrong to make the programs not download and install properly.  I trying to install directly from Microsoft's website. When I went through Dalai's website and then went to Microsoft's website and searched for each KB individually then downloaded them, they downloaded and installed wth-out problems. But when I went directly to Microsoft and try to download and install them, I ran into problems! What type of problems? they failed to download properly, then they failed to install properly, would just set there and say: "searching for updates"! But when I went through Dalai's website it would initially say: "searching for updates" for about a couple minutes and then install, then ask to restart my computer to completely install.

    Now I am running the WIndow's Update search and going to let it run until completion. Hopefully it will only be 3 to 4 hours 5 at most! If it takes more than that I will have to stop and then restart it tomorrow afternoon. Or I will just let it run until completion while I sleep and see if it completed when I wake up. If not let run even when I go out and check it again when I come back.

    I will post an update when the update search is completed!

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-11-18T02:37:45+00:00

    I ran into a little problem tonight when I went to check to see if:

    KB3185911, KB3191203, KB3198234, and KB3203859 were installed on my computer!

    The Problem: When I clicked on "Start", then clicked on "Control Panel", then double clicked on "Programs and Features" and then clicked on "installed updates" at First NOTHING Showed up!!! Yup, NOTHING!!! And I Know there should be many updates there from May 2007 through August 2016!! So I spent over an Hour Cussing and Swearing trying to figure out **** was going on!! All the while this was happening my computer was freezing up, my web browser was freezing up and crashing!! Needless to say I was FURIOUS and Cussing like a Salty Sailor!!! ROTF LMFAO

    I finally was able to restart my computer and went through the same process! This time all of the "installed updates" on my computer showed up!! I compared them to the four mentioned above only: KB3185911 and KB3191203 were NOT installed!

    So I tried to install the first one, but I forgot to set Microsoft Updates to not check for updates! So I had to restart my computer and then do that! Then I re-downloaded the KB3185911 and started again. But then something else happened that was not supposed to. So I had to restart my computer again and I said the heck with it!  So I decided to check in here and reread the posts

    to see if maybe I was doing something wrong.  I will try again and let you know the results.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-11-17T01:23:56+00:00

    Thanks very much to Great White North for this procedure.  It allowed me to update my Vista SP2 again.  It had not updated since last June 12.  Before, it had run up to almost 24 hr stuck in "checking for updates" with no results.

    I had to install KB3191203 (rel. 11-Oct-2016); KB3198234 (rel. 08-Nov-2016); KB3203859 (rel. 08-Nov-2016).  

    When tried to install any of these, the procedure went almost immediately to "checking for updates", even though Automatic Updates were disabled; you had to let it run for a little while till a window asking "Do you want to install this update..." showed up, and then installation did proceed.  If you closed the "checking for updates" window before this happened they did not install.

    Thanks again,

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-11-16T22:27:15+00:00

    I was up to date until September 2016!  Windows Update would automatically find updates and then I would then install them. Or I could manually search for updates and if any were found then I would then download and install them! But as of September 2016, Windows did not Download NOR install ANY Updates!!...

    One quick question about letting it run to completion: If I let the update search run and the computer goes into "sleep mode" - where the screen/monitor shuts down and the computer powers down a little bit to conserve energy, will that have an affect on how fast the search gets done? And will the search continue while in the computer is in "sleep mode"?

    Hi Groeffeaston:

    If Windows Update has not successfully installed Patch Tuesday updates since August 2016 then STEP # 3 of the step-by-step instructions on page 1 of this thread will likely show that you should manually install the following four speed up updates before running Windows Update:  KB3185911 (rel. 13-Sep-2016); KB3191203 (rel. 11-Oct-2016); KB3198234 (rel. 08-Nov-2016); KB3203859 (rel. 08-Nov-2016).

    Your computer should not go to into sleep mode while programs like Windows Update are actively running in the background.  If you have a laptop computer just make sure that your laptop is plugged in to a power outlet - you don't want your battery running out of power and shutting down your computer while Windows Update is trying to install updates.

    If you have any concerns you can temporarily change the settings of your current power plan (right-click the battery icon in your system tray and choose Power Options or go to Control Panel | System and Maintenance | Power Options) so that your system doesn't go into sleep mode for several hours.  Just remember to go back into your Power Options and set them back to your desired settings once Windows Update is finished - clicking the Restore default settings for this plan link will revert the settings back to their defaults.  The Microsoft MSDN article Managing Power in Windows Vista has more information on managing power settings.

    32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v49.0.2 * NIS v22.8.0.50 * MBAM v2.2.1

    HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

    I have a Desktop Computer running 32 bit Vista Home Premium with SP 2. As for the Power options here is what my computer is set to:

    Display: 20 minutes

    Sleep:  Never

    I will try to check for the KB items you mentioned if they are not on my computer then I will download them and install them. I will try to do that on Friday morning. Thursday I have a couple appointments to go to so I may not be able to get to my computer until later in the evening.

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