Windows update fails to install 2021-07 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 21H1 for x64-based Systems (KB5004237)

Thanks, MichelMoacanin.

This particular laptop is an off-the-shelf-from-Costco Dell Inspiron 5570 with the 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U Processor1.8GHz running Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

I brought it home, took it out of the box, booted it up, installed Office Pro 2016 standalone edition, installed the Firefox browser... and that's it.

Over the past 3 years I have installed updates as instructed by either Dell, Microsoft, or Firefox.

I use the computer about 1 hour per day to check email via Outlook 2016 (standalone edition) and to browse the web.

It has worked perfectly up until about 2 weeks ago when, following a series of Windows updates, I began to have a number of problems. Now, every day when I start the laptop in the morning it takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes (today) before I can even read my first email message. It is so busy attempting and failing to install this one particular update (2021-07 Cumulative Update) that it has effectively turned the computer into a brick.

I have no idea what ISO image you or Microsoft think I have access to. If the image isn't readily found on the laptop then I have no idea where I would find it.

The very notion of having to use a Disk Imaging program to un-cluster the mess that Windows Update created is a complete fail for a consumer-level product. Would you expect your mother or grandmother to use DISM.EXE to fix her computer? I don't think so.

I have no idea what Microsoft's current support offerings are. Apparently this website which is hosted on a domain owned by Microsoft has nothing to do with Microsoft which is almost as absurd as expecting Grandma to DISM her laptop computer.

Let's go over this engineering excellence once more:

Windows Update fails to install the 2021-07 Cumulative Update because:

"Some update files are missing or have problems. We'll try to download the update again later. Error code: (0x80073712) some files are missing or there is a problem with them. We will try again later."

There is no indication of which files are the problem. What is going to happen between now and... tomorrow.... that will magically make the files appear or become corrected so the "try again later" will suddenly work?

So, every single day Windows Update attempts and fails to install this update. When Windows Update runs, it so badly hogs the CPU and hard disk that nothing else can be done with the computer. It grinds for an hour and accomplishes nothing and then declares it will repeat the process tomorrow.

So, let's look at the Windows Update log file to see if there is any useful information. When you look in the text-based log file you are told that Windows Update now uses Windows Event Tracking and you will need to open a PowerShell and run a conversion on the logfiles so that they are human-readable again. Absurd. Not helpful. Not the sort of thing you expect from a CONSUMER-LEVEL product.

And you come here to this Microsoft hosted forum where you get a bunch of unpaid people throwing out suggestions like throwing darts at a dartboard while blindfolded.

Use this DISM.EXE Disk Imaging program that is intended for use by IT personnel for mass distribution of Windows on corporate networks.

It's a disgrace. Truly a disgrace.

Shame on you, Microsoft. Shame on you.

Have to agree with your statement regarding MS deployment quality control. Although, there is the thought that Windows needs to work across an almost infinite number of HW combinations across many years of component evolution.

Having said that, "The source could not be found" implies that the file is just not there. That suggests that explicitly specifying the source file from a known good source (.iso) might solve that problem. Here's a link to a description from this website that describes the process. That's also the syntax I borked previously but now it's relevant ;).

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/all/how-to-repair-your-system-files-using-dism-and-sfc/1021b42a-09ff-41a0-a95a-48f3ee3ae699

You'll need an iso Windows source that's relatively recent or you'll need to download one.

Hi. I do not use Windows Defender - only Norton AV and its firewall.

That may be the case, the windows update can become problematic any time.
If you’re using Windows Defender do the virus definitions update?
Try Right click on start & choose powershell with admin & enter:
SFC /SCANNOW
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

I'm not sure, if you were answering me.... But, at home, on my computer with Windows 10 I use F-Secure Safe as antivirus program. On another old computer, with Windows 8.1, I use Windows Defender.

On my work, we useWindows 10, and Windows Defender...

On the computers, only running Windows Defender, the updates SOMETIMES installs through Windows Update, and other times they don't. Then, I opens Windows Defender, and takes the updates through this.

And check for updates in Windows Update, to get the failed update to disappear.

Other times, the updates for Windows Defender won't install at all... Then, I deactivate Windows Defender, and it will install.

I allways empties the TEMP-folders in Windows, so there's room for more updates to come.

Perhaps, it's time for the DISM's.......

Good evening.

I'm sorry that you went through all of this. I've spent untold hours on this as well. I appreciate everyone's input and work on my behalf. Seeing that others too have experienced it does not help from a "misery ;loves company" perspective. All that it offers, is that I probably did not screw up too much - yet.

In parallel situation with AMD and their video drivers. I thought that they could have been related, but apparently they are not.

The AMD people responded to my similar request as to why a video card update would not install. It seems that my card is now considered legacy. I'm waiting to find out if I should now ignore update prompts or stay with the version I downloaded today, while AV and FW protections were disabled.

I tried disabling protections with the WIN10 patch in question and there was no improvement, just the new error I received. : There were some problems installing updates, but we'll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact support for information, this may help: (0x800f0831).

Again, thank you to all who have tried to come to my aid. Perhaps some positive results may be forthcoming.

Be well!