Windows Server 2025 Standard - WSUS - Synchronisation failing

Steven Mannaerts 0 Reputation points
2026-06-17T10:42:57.4366667+00:00

I set up a Windows 2025 Server standard and set up Windows Server Update Services following the recommended documentation. When running through the configuration wizard it just hangs indefinitely .User's image

I stopped the synchronization and skipped the wizard and ran a sync via powershell

Import-Module UpdateServices $Wsus = Get-WsusServer $Subscription = $Wsus.GetSubscription() $Subscription.StartSynchronization()

Checking on the SoftwareDistribution.log

Get-Content "C:\Program Files\Update Services\LogFiles\SoftwareDistribution.log" -Wait -Tail 50

2026-06-17 10:30:33.483 UTC Warning WsusService.35 DBConnection.ExecuteCommandNoResult SqlException occurred. Number 50000 and message invalid update identity in XML for update 65311DE8-150A-42A1-B777-0E9CB1B4E8B7\100

2026-06-17 10:30:33.491 UTC Warning WsusService.35 DBConnection.ExecuteCommandNoResult SqlException occurred. Number 50000 and message invalid update identity in XML for update 623CB076-8DF0-4A00-ADF3-DBDEB78B3805\100

2026-06-17 10:30:33.503 UTC Warning WsusService.35 DBConnection.ExecuteCommandNoResult SqlException occurred. Number 50000 and message invalid update identity (AtLeastOne Prerequisite) in XML for update CD8D80FE-5B55-48F1-B37A-96535DCA6AE7\100

2026-06-17 10:30:33.522 UTC Warning WsusService.35 DBConnection.ExecuteCommandNoResult SqlException occurred. Number 50000 and message invalid update identity in XML for update AE9E54F0-9D9E-45ED-B363-459293A2102E\101

I see nothing but " SqlException occurred. Number 50000 and message invalid update identity in XML for update xxx"

errors .

aswell as

2026-06-17 10:31:51.406 UTC Info WsusService.35 CatalogSyncAgentCore.ImportMultipleUpdates Imported 0/2400 updates in 1 iterations; 2400 will be retried.

I adjusted the Products selection and Clasifications to be very minimal (1 product, Critical Updates only) and it still only keeps throwing me these errors.

I Tried aswell to remove Update Services and cleanly install it again which did not resolve the issue.

I also investigated SUSDB for possible corruption but that also does not seem to be the problem.

Leaving it running for a while as sugested by other topics also does not work as we can just see the of updates to be imported going up

2026-06-17 10:35:14.991 UTC Info WsusService.35 CatalogSyncAgentCore.ImportMultipleUpdates Imported 0/3200 updates in 1 iterations; 3200 will be retried.

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WSUS synchronizes directly from Microsoft Update, no upstream WSUS.

Synchronization fails with multiple unrelated product selections, including minimal scopes, with: SqlException occurred.

SqlException occurred. Number 50000 Number 50000 invalid update identity in XML for update <GUID>\100 invalid update identity (AtLeastOne Prerequisite) in XML for update <GUID>\100

Sync source: https://sws.update.microsoft.com via Microsoft Update

Is this being caused by issues on microsoft side?

Windows for business | Windows Server | Devices and deployment | Install Windows updates, features, or roles
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  1. Paul Boerefijn 1 Reputation point
    2026-06-30T11:29:29.35+00:00

    Any updates on this issue? Having exactly the same issue found this one.

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  2. Domic Vo 25,675 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-06-17T11:25:58.3633333+00:00

    Hello Steven Mannaerts,

    Based on your logs, this is not a local misconfiguration or database corruption, but rather a known, ongoing upstream issue on Microsoft's side affecting multiple system administrators across various Windows Server versions, including Server 2025.

    When your server initiates a synchronization, it downloads update metadata from Microsoft and records this activity in the C:\Program Files\Update Services\LogFiles\SoftwareDistribution.log file, which acts as a detailed tracker of background operations. Currently, the metadata being provided by Microsoft contains malformed XML structures and invalid update identities. As WSUS attempts to parse this flawed data into your local database, internal safety checks reject it to prevent actual database corruption, resulting in the SqlException Number 50000 error and causing the configuration wizard or PowerShell synchronization to hang indefinitely.

    Because the root cause is embedded in the update catalog files hosted on Microsoft's servers, local fixes such as reinstalling the WSUS role, clearing the local SUSDB, or minimizing classification scopes will not resolve the problem. I strongly advise pausing any further local troubleshooting or direct database modifications to avoid accidentally breaking your currently healthy environment. We must wait for Microsoft to officially identify and correct the metadata formatting on their end, so please leave your server as configured and periodically initiate a manual sync via PowerShell until the catalog data is repaired.

    If the answer is useful, please hit “accept answer”. Should you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

    Domic V

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  3. Domic Vo 25,675 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-06-20T06:21:59.7666667+00:00

    Hi Steven Mannaerts,

    Has your issue been resolved yet? If it has, please consider accepting the answer as it helps others sharing the same problem benefit too. Thank you :)

    Domic V.

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