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.

Image

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. lmacri 2,505 Reputation points
    2016-10-14T13:08:36+00:00

    For Vista SP2 users still having problems running Windows Update in October 2016:

    As of 11-Oct-2016 ( and to the best of my knowledge), the current list of Windows kernel-mode driver (Win32K.sys) updates required to speed up Windows Update is: KB3078601 (rel. 18-Aug-2015); KB3109094 (rel. 07-Dec-2015); KB3164033 (rel. 14-Jun-2016); KB3185911 (rel. 13-Sep-2016); KB3191203 (rel. 11-Oct-2016).

    You only have to install the Win32K.sys updates that are missing from your system, so if Windows Update has not run to completion since August 2016, for example, then you should only have to install the missing KB3185911 and KB3191203 Win32K.sys updates to speed up Windows Update.  Users who were fully patched as of September 2016 should only have to install the latest KB3191203.

    Links for the standalone .msu installers on the official Microsoft Download Center for both 32-bit Vista (x86) and 64-bit Vista (x64) can be found on Dalai's website as follows:

      For KB3078601 to KB3185911 links are archived at http://wu.krelay.de/en/2016-09.htm

      For KB3191203 links are on the current home page at http://wu.krelay.de/en/

    Always refer to the step-by-step instructions posted 16-Jun-2016 on page 1 of this thread and be sure to terminate any Windows Update sessions running in the background (STEP # 1) before starting or your .msu installers will also get stuck at "Checking for updates...". Standalone .msu installers for missing Win32K.sys updates should always be installed in chronological order, from oldest (lowest KB) to newest (highest KB), with a system restart after each installer is run to complete the installation (STEP # 5).

    Note:  KB3145739 and KB3168965 have been removed from the previous list for September 2016 because they have been replaced (superseded) by the latest KB3191203.

    Note: Some users have reported problems downloading the .msu installers from the Microsoft Download Center with Internet Explorer 9 (e.g., the user is directed to a "Thank you for downloading" page without seeing the pop-up to Run/Save the file).  If this happens use an alternate browser (I recommend Firefox - Chrome is no longer supported for XP and Vista) or download the .msu installers to a USB stick from another (non-Vista) computer and copy the .msu installers to your Vista desktop.

    32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v49.0.1 * NIS v22.8.0.50 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

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

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-10-14T01:59:35+00:00

    I have been following this topic for a while now. My computer has been updating every month on the Update day, but when I manually search for updates in between it takes forever to look for updates, just like everyone else.  However in September It did NOT download and Update as it had been normally! Then Microsoft Security Essentials stopped updating properly! I would look for updates and then download them!  BUT The Microsoft Security Essentials takes forever to scan for updates!! 

    And Now the October Updates day rolled around and the updates have not Appeared again as they normally would have!!! This is 2 months in a row now that Microsoft Updates have NOT showed up on my computer!! 

    I presume these 2 problems are related. I guess this is going to make me get a new computer sooner than I wanted!

    I did contact support about the problem in September and was told my computer was "Up to Date". So I do not know how the updates got installed. Also of note there: When the tech checked my computer somehow Microsoft Updates had gotten turned "off" and Security Essentials' Updater had also gotten turned "off". SO people may want to check what programs are: "auto", "manual", and "never" in the Startups. 

    SO Something had to change these from "Auto" to "Never"! I know I did not do it! Why? Because I do not remember how to do it!! LOL

    Looks like it is time to build a new computer!

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-10-13T17:51:08+00:00

    Thank you for your reply.  I did download the two KB mentioned on Dalia's page first and then checked for updates on my Vista Sp2 and it did take 2.5 hours to find 12 updates, installed 11 of the 12 and said one was not needed but did not say which one..restarted and all seems good.  I hope my input helps other Vista users to be patient..thanks again for all your help and I hope you do convince Dalia to support Vista users.

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  4. lmacri 2,505 Reputation points
    2016-10-13T17:07:27+00:00

    After reading this I am a bit confused about vista sp 2 and the updates..the pre install has worked for months but on thekrelay site this month said no longer to issue pre install for vista..but farther down ARE two KB to install for vista..  Should us vista x86 people install these two KB and then search or not.. If not, what suggestions do you have..thank you

    Hi Bob GolfingG:

    The short answer is that pre-installing KB3191203 should be enough to speed up your October 2016 Patch Tuesday updates on your Vista SP2 machine, but if you want to pre-install both KB3183431 and KB3191203 that should work as well.

    So here's this month's procedure for speeding up Windows Update, which is very similar to the step-by-step instructions I posted 16-Jun-2016 on page 1 of this thread.  This should work for anyone who was fully patched as of September 2016:

    Before starting, terminate any Windows Update session running in the background by disabling automatic Windows Updates [Windows Update | Change settings | Important updates | Never check for updates (not recommended)], clicking the OK button, and re-booting (the re-boot is critical). Download and save the .msu installer for KB3191203 to your desktop using the link on Dalai's webpage at http://wu.krelay.de/en/ - use the x86 link for 32-bit Vista; use the x64 link for 64 bit Vista.  Close your browser and then double-click the .msu file to run the installer. At the end of the installation you should be prompted to restart your computer, so be sure to do so.  After the re-boot, run a manual Windows Update (Windows Update | Check for updates) and see if Windows Update can detect and install your remaining 10 or so October 2016 Patch Tuesday updates.

    I can't guarantee that this will work for users who haven't been able to update their Vista SP2 machine for several months - at least not until someone in this situation tries pre-installing KB3191203 to see if it works.  And again, just a word of warning to all Vista SP2 users - be very patient if you're using Dalai's workaround for the October 2016 Patch Tuesday updates because the "Checking for updates..." and installation phases of Windows Update are taking 2 or 3 hours on some machines this month.

    ___________________________________________

    When I read Dalai's webpage at http://wu.krelay.de/en/ I understood he meant that he will not be posting download links for the latest Windows kernel-mode driver (Win32K.sys) updates for Vista SP2 after October 2016.  Microsoft switched Win 7 and Win 8.x users to a new delivery system where users with these newer operating systems will receive a single Monthly Rollup for all their security updates (see Michael Niehaus' 07-Oct-2016 MS TechNet blog More on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 servicing changes) instead of the dozen or so individual updates that Vista SP2 will continue to receive.  Dalai has a Win 7 computer and can no longer test to see if the monthly Win32K.sys update still speeds up Windows Update on Patch Tuesdays because Microsoft stopped posting .msu installers for individual security updates for Win 7 SP1 and higher on the Microsoft Download Center as of October 2016.

    I'm going to contact Dalai to see if he'll reconsider his decision to stop updating his webpage for Vista SP2 users, but we should still be able to figure out which speed-up patch is needed every month going forward.  If you read the Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for October 2016, for example, it shows that MS16-123 is the correct bulletin for this month's Security Update for Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers.  If you drill down on that link, the Affected Software section for MS16-123 shows that KB3191203 (MS16-120 and MS16-123: Description of the security update for kernel-mode drivers: October 11, 2016) is the likely Win32K.sys speed-up patch for Vista SP2 for October 2016 (which I've confirmed on my own 32-bit Vista machine).

    32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v49.0.1 * NIS v22.8.0.50 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

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