Windows Vista Problems with Vista Updates

Until a couple of weeks ago I have never had any problems with the regular Windows Updates. However, yesterday, after clicking on the "Updates are available" icon the Windows Update panel opened and effectively just hung. After an hour or so no files had been downloaded.

Checked various solutions and used several different versions of the Microsoft Fixit program, as listed:

MicrosoftFixit.wu.Run.exe
MicrosoftFixit50362.msi
MicrosoftFixit.wu.FISC.132363070954413956.1.1.Run.exe
MicrosoftFixit.wu.MATSKB.Run.exe

A far as I can see, the last three are identical, but the first has a much larger file size.

None of these resolved the issue, and basically there seemed to be very few, if any, significant issues.


I then ran the Microsoft System Readiness Tool which, in turn didn't appear to show any significant issues. The log from that attempt follows:

===
Checking System Update Readiness.
Binary Version 6.0.6002.23186
Package Version 25.0
2015-08-15 15:08

Checking Windows Servicing Packages

Checking Package Manifests and Catalogs

Checking Package Watchlist

Checking Component Watchlist

Checking Packages

Checking Component Store

Summary:
Seconds executed: 3866
No errors detected

Checking CoreOS key for repairing corruptions.
Winner version: 6.0.6002.18971.
Processor architecture: x86.
Check key to be repaired: wcm://Microsoft-Windows-CoreOS?version=6.0.6002.18971&language=neutral&processorArchitecture=x86&publicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35&versionScope=nonSxS&scope=allUsers\metadata\elements\ComputerName
Recreated value: @_type.
Recreated value: @dataOnly.
Recreated value: @default.
Recreated value: @description.
Recreated value: @displayName.
Recreated value: @handler.
Recreated value: @legacyName.
Recreated value: @legacyType.
Recreated value: @migrate.
Recreated value: @scope.
Recreated value: @xsd:type.
===

So, as of now, it seems as if I can't access the Windows Update feature.


Are there any further steps / ideas to try? Any comments would be most welcome.

 

Repair or Reinstall Windows Update

Have you been through this procedure? Neil.

 

Thanks, Neil, for the quick response.

In the way of all things cussed, just before I read your post the good old "Updates icon" appeared, so, after a period of contemplation, wondering just what would happen, I clicked and waited to check if it actually found any downloads. Joy of joys! It did, and quite quickly too. Once I had got the list the time from downloading to final installation was around an hour, fairly normal I suppose, over the years. (I avoid automatic updates like the plague, and use the "Notify" option for the control it gives me over the technology, such as it is. Pity I won't be able to do that when I upgrade one of my other boxes to Win 10, as and when I get my "reserved" copy.)

Not sure what happened but my thinking at the present time is that I suspect that the Fixit etc, as reported, must have done something after all, (dspite telling me it couldn't actually fix it!), and it needed a full power off, rather than a soft restart, to sort things out.


However, the test is what happens next month! If all goes well then, I'll mark this thread as resolved.


In the meantime thanks for your courtesy in responding and especially the reference you gave me to http://www.winhelp.us/reinstall-windows-update.html which is, or rather, was, a site I had not come across previously. I am keeping the reference for possible(?) future use.


You may be interested in another useful site which I was using yesterday which covers failry similar ground: https://www.infopackets.com/news/9602/how-fix-windows-update-wont-update

 

Thanks for your details on WU fixed. It always pays to do a Reboot (Restart) after any alterations/changes - like WU quite often Restarts after updates.
I have a HDD with Vista Business and 1 HDD with W7 Pro but my other comps are W10 so I don't plug in the Vista very often these days.
Glad you are back in business again. Neil.

 

Yes, I wonder if the difference was a hard,power off, restart.


During the diagnostic stuff I did a soft restart, rather like WU does itself and that seemed, superficially at least, to have had no effect, whereas the power off appeared to have had some effect. Of course it could all be coincidental!


To some extent there is always the problem that WU speed does seem to depend upon the time of day too.

Sometimes, morning in the UK, before 12 pm is good because the US, especially the Eastern coast, is only just waking up as a rule. Certainly by mid afternoon, it is often noticeably slower.


As I wrote earlier, I'll make this "Resolved" after another successful WU.

 

Looks like the issue has been resolved now. The September Tuesday update package was detected. downloaded and installed with no undue delay.

Back to normal now. Thanks for your input guys!