Windows Update--The End???

As of yesterday, when I try to use Windows Update, everything goes normally until I am told the scan is "100% complete ". But then I am offered nothing. No Critical, no Recommended, no other downloads (like language plug-ins), no drivers.
I can understand I may not have any Critical Updates, but what happened to all the other stuff?
Have Windows98 users been cut off prematurely? MS Life Cycle page says we should get up-to-date online assistance until mid-January 2004. And my understanding was that all old fixes and plug-ins would remain available indefinitely.
Do others have the same problem?

P.S. This has been mentioned in one other thread
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24422
but it is really not worth reading the thread just to find the reference. At least I am not alone.

 

Could the version of 98 be in any way involved here ?

I have 98SE and checked the updates and there are no critical but there are 42 others. Two for Media Player ( rest are mostly language related ) and one Audio Driver update.

BillyBob

 

I read Arie's post about critical updates in cluding W98, and went to updates with same results. No critical, or any other available.
I have w98 also.
neil

 

I just checked with the 2nd 98SE machine and had the same results as my previous reply.

BillyBob

 

Welshjim,
still having the same results (the other thread mentioned in Jim's first post), so I had a look at the Windows Update log file. 'Tis only a text file and they mention its use for debug purposes, so it didn't seem too much like reverse engineering

there is an internet address of an active server page which the update process uses to get a "manifest" (actually two pages, one's for the critical and windows bits, the other is for the drivers)

so I tried and found it would answer me with a very blank looking manifest. Not completely blank, had column "titles" - but nothing in the columns underneath.

OK I might not have been giving it the correct form of request, but the point is I didn't get the "brushoff" or even a 404 error. The page is still there and answering.

tried going up to the parent folder; there I did get rejected.

**edit: not really sure what to make of this, will watch and listen to peoples' views**

best wishes, HJ

 

Jim

I gave up on MS about 18 months ago when I had dial-up and most of the time the traffic was so heavy twix the UK and MS I hardly ever got a look in.

Since then I've been using BigFix and got three critical updates a few days ago: One for IE, one for OE and one for WSH.

BigFix Consumer

dr

 

Hi
Newt recommended the BigFix thing to me a couple of days ago and yes, indeed it seems the way to go.
It's the end of Windows Update for me, though, no matter what they do. While trying to find out what's going on I discovered that it's none too careful about where it puts its temporary files.
I've had them land on F:, G:, K:, just for starters (can see this from the log files on my backups).
Now: I installed Windows onto C: and have checked the environment etc., can confirm the following:

TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
COMSPEC=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM
windir=C:\WINDOWS

and can see nothing here to make me anticipate that Windows Update will suddenly start to using F:\WUTemp all by itself - but this is an example of what occurs. If the pesky thing crashes it doesn't even clear up the relics...

I have the OS on C: and wish to keep the other partitions as "user data ", thankyou; I don't really want any access made to them - particularly when it doesn't warn me first. OK, perhaps I'm being a bit precious about it? But things can get confusing enough as it is, without these seemingly random incursions into odd locations. There's plenty enough room on C:, why can't it just stay on its "own territory "...

another reason for using this BigFix approach...

best wishes, HJ.

 

Why are you trying to find an update to a Windows version ?
I have enough problems with this one.

 

nice one, merlin! - HJ

 

I find that it may make a different on how you get to Windows Updates.

I used the link it the Start Menu and got one thing.

I open IE and then used the link from Tools and got something different.

I find it best to use the same one everytime.

And I do have to agree with Hugh Jarss about leaving Windows on the C: drive. Unless you are willing to do some REAL HEAVY DUTY regediting to make sure all references to things get changed.

Windows updates and other thing look for the DEFAULT Windows settings. And anything else may raise pure hello with things.

And with IE open the update site is more apt to get the correct version OF IE.

TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
COMSPEC=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM
windir=C:\WINDOWS

I like those. They help very much in keeping Windows under control.

BillyBob

 

Thanks for the responses!!
Still having the problem today.
It is quite likely that the problem is with Win98FE, though Neil does not say what version of Win98 he uses.
Those of you without the problem seem to be using Win98SE.

BillyBob--I tried accessing WinUp three different ways, but all give the same result. (Of course all, on the surface, say they are using the same link.)

 

I tried same two methods as billybob, and got same result. "no update available ". I'm still using good ol original Win 98.
Neil

 

That could very well be the case.

neil

I suggest that you do something about that AND SOON. If you could find a copy of 98SE it will go ver 98 very nicely. That would get you by for a while.

Either that or get another HD and put XP Pro on it. And keep your 98FE as is for awhile. ( do not plug both in at the same time ) keep FE as a backup only. I still have my 98SE as such.

BillyBob

 

using win98Se. On Monday, clicked Start/Setting/Windows Update and given one critical update that I downloaded and installed.
Today (Thurs. eve), repeated the steps and No Updates Available.
I always get 3 Updates for Windows (not critical), which I ignore.
My assumption and hope is the MS will continue support until January '04.

 

There has to be something quite different here somewhere. ( 98SE )

I just open IE, selected tools/Windows Updates.

Left pane shows no critical updates

Windows 98
Windows98 Second Edition ( 42 )

No Driver Updates.

Right pane shows all updates listed. ( 42 )

BillyBob

 

I tried just now (IE6SP1 W98FE) using the Tools>Windows Update method:
the scan just went to 100%, didn't show any of the language packs etc which I know I don't have.

trying to catch the first address it goes to (before the redirect) just gave me
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

I can't be sure that's the very first URL though... but I think it was (slow PC!)

best wishes, HJ.

 

Hugh Jarss --Thanks for your input. I will have a look at the status bar next time I try to run Windows Update.
My starting URL for WinUpdate is (and has been for about a year)
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp

 

Just tried with Win98FE, three routes. Scan went to 100%, then nothing. Not a 'no updates available' or anything. Last week I had 42 or so. Oh well! SE's ready and waiting.

 

another possible angle on this:

when I first found the scan was missing out I searched around Micrisift to see if there were any "known issues" or the like.

I found something for XP users - of course it didn't apply dorectly to me, but I read it with interest as it described the symptoms exactly - scan goes straight to 100%, nothing available.

The cure was to delete cookies and delete files - using internet options

which I tried anyway - it didn't work but

it points to the possibility of this being machine specific / ?cookie driven in some way. If that's a cure for some machines, there must be a dependency of some kind.

Now, we have at least two people (princessmandi8 and myself) who have been twice in close succession, who report the first visit went "normally" and the second visit didn't.

doesn't this raise at least a "causal" possibility? ie that the failure of the second visit is in some way due to the action(s) performed at the first...

if the patches I accepted first time round affected cookie handling, perhaps?

I don't know enough about how it works, but surely a possibilty...

BB, at your recent visits, you didn't allow it to make changes to your machine, did you? Hmmmm...

I must away for a while, but will check back when I can.

best wishes, all - HJ.