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Possible solution for XP SP3 users who aren’t able to install updates

Aug. 10, 2008 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

On the last episode of Windows Weekly, Leo was talking about not being able to install updates on Windows Update after upgrading to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3). Scott B. sent along the following link to the Microsoft Knowledge Base that might solve the problem. I’m guessing this is an unfortunately common issue, so I thought I’d post it here as well (by the way, you gotta love Microsoft’s KB titles):

Updates are not installed successfully from Windows Update, from Microsoft Update, or by using Automatic Updates after you perform a new Windows XP installation or you repair a Windows XP installation

SYMPTOMS

When you try to install updates from the Windows Update Web site, from the Microsoft Update Web site, or by using the Automatic Updates feature, you receive a message that states that the update or the updates were not installed successfully. However, the updates are not displayed in the Update History part of the Web site.

You experience this problem if the following conditions are true in the following scenarios:

Scenario 1

• You try to update a computer that is running Windows XP.

• You have repaired the Windows XP installation by using the Windows XP CD.

Scenario 2

• You try to update a computer that is running Windows XP.

• You have performed a new installation of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).

• You have visited Windows Update site directly for updates and immediately performed an update to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3).

Looks like a straightforward (if needlessly obtuse) fix is available.

Thanks Scott!

Related: Mark Wilson had also written in with his related answer, in the form of a blog post.

Discuss this Article 14

DRWAM
on Aug 10, 2008
SP3 slowed my old eMachine with 1GB RAM and a 27 GHz Celeron so I just reinstalled XP. M ore robust machines at work [my office] were supposed to have DL not allowed, but some did not and therefore got SP3, but everything works fine. No of us have had a problem with not being able to install, and we have a lot of computers since we have 300 employees. OUr biggest problem was the few computers that had Vista, as we cannot establish our VPN connection after SP1. This occurred with Home and Ultimate versions and has not been fixed. Fortunately, Mac OS 10.5 has built in PPTP VPN support, so those of us with Mac OS Leopard or XP are OK. Those without a spare at home are screwed and have been asling me to sign there reports, otherwise they need to drive in to work on days off or vacation as a report could be retyped, revised and need signing through the VPN at any day. I sure hope that MS figures this out because IT has not. What hurts is that I did not bother checking the VPN after SP1 update and told every one to go ahead and install it. Therefore, I am giving less advise. Yesterday, one gut asked if he should buy a BB or iPhone and was at the ATT store. I told him to talk to the sales rep to figure out his needs, otherwise, I end up as tech support.
cgdams
on Aug 10, 2008
@drwam: Got any Details on your VPN problem? I've been using VPN connections (PPTP), outgoing and incoming, on Vista Ultimate and Business, before and after SP1, and never had any problems with it...
DRWAM
on Aug 10, 2008
Pardon the typo's such 'asking' instead of asling, and one 'guy' instead of 'gut'. The guy did not buy a BB or iPhone as he was not aware of the data fee. He got his wife another RAZR 3xxx and will wait until he has more time and info to decide. Does anyone know if you can tether a BB with a laptop with ATT US contract? Obviously this is not allowed on the iPhone contract since we know that the NetShare tethering app for the iphone got the kibosh.
DRWAM
on Aug 10, 2008
yep CG, it looks like Error 619 for me, but I don't know about the problems with other guys. But it appears to be a well known Vista problem if you google it. Some were attributing it to 3rd party software of firewalls or anti-virus, but I do not have any of that installed as I only use Vista for logging into work and use Vista's built in firewall. The only other app that is on my Vista install is MS Office 2007, no other software at all. Our IT people are busy dealing with some big network problems, so they have not figured it out yet [and could not even help one guy to get his Blackberry to sync with his Exchange calendar, although email works].
Waethorn
on Aug 10, 2008
Simple fix for every time this happened to me: Install the Windows Update Client Agent. Download link here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949104 Instructions: 1) SAVE the file - DON'T try to run it immediately. 2) Use "Run" (or a Command Prompt), and add the /wuforce parameter, ie. "\windowsupdateagent30-x86.exe" /wuforce (quotes are used for long file names with spaces) 3) Follow the prompts, and reboot your computer after successful installation. 4) Windows Update (or Microsoft Update) should now work fine. For every system that comes in for a reformat, and when Windows Update doesn't work immediately after installing SP3, this fix always works for me.
Waethorn
on Aug 10, 2008
BTW: The Windows Update client agent software will reregister DLL's for you, so you don't need to use REGEDIT, or REGSVR32 in a commandline. It's just an easier fix.
Waethorn
on Aug 10, 2008
I should also note, that 9 times out of 10, if Windows Update doesn't work on XP (like when updates download successfully, but they all fail to install), installing the client agent with the wuforce option usually fixes the problem.
Cfischer83
on Aug 10, 2008
I had this problem, but it wasn't just Windows Updates, it was just about everything! I couldn't download Live Messenger, Picasa, Zune... pretty much just ActiveX controls in IE were the only thing I could download. I just re-installed XP and then SP3 again and 2nd time was a charm. No problems since.
DRWAM
on Aug 10, 2008
Like Wae said, the updater seems to be the problem. I reinstalled XP [non SP's] on a new hard drive after a boot hard drive failure, so I decided just to update with SP3 since it had all prior updates, but it did not include Windows Update [WU] app with it. Since I could not find WU at the MS website since the friggin search yielded a zillion references to WU instead of the DL link [while AT the DL site!!!], It just reinstalled XP, then SP2 [whch I guess has WU], then SP3. Unfortunately, the computer is a 4 yr old eMachine and became so slow after SP3 that I reinstalled XP, then SP2 again and turned off updates so that the wife and kids don't update to SP3. If you have SP2, you probably should not have a problem if you update everything before SP3. That gets you an updated WU app.
DRWAM
on Aug 10, 2008
Actually I think that SP3 did not installer Windows Installer 3.1 or something, so please excuse my error as this occurred a few months ago. Either way, my search at MS DL yielded a gizillion references which were not the DL link and after a few pages without success, I just reinstalled XP as stated above. Popping in the disc in clicking install as well as a few update OK's doesn't take a lot of time, unless you sit in front of your monitor and watch!
Waethorn
on Aug 10, 2008
@Doc: If you're installing an RTM or SP1 copy of XP, go to Windows Update immediately after installation (or immediately after installing a network driver, if necessary) and then click "Custom". It should automatically offer SP2. Do it. Then when SP2 is complete, reboot, and go back to the custom updates option. It should then offer SP3. Do it. Then when SP3 is complete, try going to Windows Update again. If it doesn't work (fails to install every update, like what happens to me), just install the client agent with the parameter I mentioned and everything should be fine. Also, don't forget to select optional updates and install the rest of your drivers. As I mentioned before, .NET Framework 3.5 includes 2.0 + SP1 & 3.0 + SP1, so it's a good idea to have that handy. Ditto for Windows Media Player 11 and IE7.
Waethorn
on Aug 10, 2008
Remember that you can't install SP3 on top of RTM. Windows Update will offer SP2 first, before SP3, if you don't already have it.
DRWAM
on Aug 10, 2008
Thanks Wae, will do next time. Doc
Fanfoot
on Aug 14, 2008
Huh. Not so helpful. I had the problem with a NEW Thinkpad, just downgraded from Vista (ya i know, its a corporate laptop). Windows Update to SP3. Then Windows Update again. Nope. Won't install. Tried the "at power down" trick you mentioned on Windows Weekly. Nope. Tried the two solutions mentioned in the KB article, though neither of the descriptions really applied to me. Seemed to work fine. But when I was done I could no longer get Windows Update to run anymore, just an x Error on the right hand pane from then on. Started from scratch AGAIN. This time it seems like everything went fine, didn't let anything else happen (no Norton configuration, no Firefox, nothing) before windows update had completed everything. Seems to have resolved the problem. Gah. Another 8 hours wasted!

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