Update failures - Error Code: 80071AA7

C

Curlew

Member
I'm running Vista Ultimate with an AMD Athalon dual core with 4GB memory. There have been a number of automatic updates that have successfully installed but lately there have been problems with recent updates.

Everything works well, (updates install successfully) until the system times down for a restart. The system reboots, requests password then informs:
"Configuring Updates: Stage 1 of 3" - after reaching "Stage 3 0f 3" I get the message: "Updates were not configured correctly - reverting updates". I can then proceed normally.

However, every time I start my computer the system repeats this update configure procedure, always failing and then reverting, making my startup time very long.

Looking at the update history there is a long list of failed updates and a typical entry extract is:
Update for Windows Vista (KB959772)
Installation date: ‎14/‎03/‎2009 17:10
Installation status: Failed
Error details: Code 80071AA7
​
All the failures have the same error code, as above.
Does anyone know what causes these failures please.

Thank you.
 

My Computer

System One

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Dual core 2 duo
    Motherboard
    Asus
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI 4600
    Sound Card
    built-in on motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 HDD 500 Gb
    Case
    Aerocool
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Keyboard
    Microsoft
    Internet Speed
    20mb
Thanks for your response - that thread did indeed look relevant. However, having turned off all firewall and shields (I am using the AVG suite) in emulation of the thread fix, I had the next sequence fail as before.

The update procedure initiated, informing me that the system will shut down in x minutes, the configuration (3 stages) was invoked, the configuration failed, updates were revoked and I could continue.

I am stuck in this insane loop - automatic update that successfully installed but fails configuration on restart. I am forced into an automatic restart that always fails configuration. I cannot work properly because of this mad sequence that I have no control to stop.

Through all the various Windows OS, up to XP, I have never had any real problems, until this damned Vista.
 

My Computer

System One

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Dual core 2 duo
    Motherboard
    Asus
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI 4600
    Sound Card
    built-in on motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 HDD 500 Gb
    Case
    Aerocool
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Keyboard
    Microsoft
    Internet Speed
    20mb
Hi, thanks for your support, it is appreciated.

Since posting here I googled for the error and was surprised just how many incidents of exactly my problem have occurred. The following is the relevant error comment:
80071AA7 ERROR_FILE_IDENTITY_NOT_PERSISTENT
The file cannot be opened transactionally, because its identity depends
on the outcome of an unresolved transaction.
​
This web site was particularly interesting as it documents exactly my problem and claims to have a solution but I didn't (yet) get too far in following the instructions as I have still to determine which program first didn't install/configure.

No, I haven't yet opened any ticket on the MS support site - I thought I'd first post here as I thought it might be a minor thing - I now see that it most definitely isn't. I have no time just now but I will get on to this later.

Again, many thanks and I'll be back with how I get on.
 
Last edited:

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System One

It appears that I have cleared the symptoms of this problem, although clearly not the cause, which remains as an incompatibility within a particular sequence of Vista upgrades. I have read of so many other incidences of this identical problem to think that it is a product of my system.

What I did was the following. I first disabled the Microsoft Vista automatic upgrade process - not wanting incompetent packages accessing my working OS without my control or permission.

Then I deleted the contents of directory C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Downloads\ with the reasoning that embedded somewhere in that 90Mb package of data was the flag that drove my system's boot sequence to try to configure an un-configurable upgrade file.

Since then I have re-started my system three times without having the mad automatic shut-down and re-start, configure, fail to configure, reverting updates, sequence loop.

I know this is unsatisfactory, that I am out-of-date with perhaps important upgrades not installed, but at least I can start up and work again.
 

My Computer

System One

Curlew,

Ok, your had find out a workarround. But in my opinion, it's acceptable only if you can install updates manually...
I'm interested by your problem because with my previous OS (Win XP SP2) I've already seen a similar bug and I've tried to solve it, to no avail... (reinstall OS was my solution).
So if you can fix your problem, I'm really interested by the solution.

bos.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Dual core 2 duo
    Motherboard
    Asus
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI 4600
    Sound Card
    built-in on motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 HDD 500 Gb
    Case
    Aerocool
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Keyboard
    Microsoft
    Internet Speed
    20mb
Hi BoS, Thanks again for your support. If I do find a genuine solution I'll post it here as a response to your post so that you get a mail.

However, I'm not optimistic as I think the problem is a sequence error of a specific group of updates. One very insightful comment I copied from somewhere on the web from a fellow-sufferer of a similar complaint was: "Sometimes when downloading a group of updates some may fail, this could possibly be because a reboot needs to take place before a successful installation of another update can take place."

If that is so, single updates only should be installed and configured - a tedious process as there seem to be so many. But the error number seems to indicate that a file required by one update is left in an incompatible state by another, earlier one. This could be an understandable, even forgiveable error but there can be no excuse to force a continual, repetitious and useless attempt to repeat it every time the system is re-started. I am no expert and do not have much idea how to go about clearing the fault, I was just lucky. Others with a similar problem that I read of in my search, like yourself, had to re-install the complete OS, which would be unacceptable to me.

 I am unhappy not to have automatic updates enabled - this is the first time through any number of Windows products and versions, that I have disabled this function. However, to be stuck in such procedures through some automatic event initiated by the OS supplier and from no action of my own has lost MS credibility in my eyes.
 

My Computer

System One

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