windows update just seems to hang while checking.

lmacri · May 23, 2016

GradeAbra said:
^^Hello, i tried manual updating it but still cannot get through.

Have you tried disabling automatic Windows Updates [Start | Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings | Important updates | Never check for updates (not recommended)] and re-starting your computer? This will not prevent your Windows Update service wuauserv from loading at boot-up but it will terminate any old Windows Update sessions that might be running in the background.

When you say that "manual updating" doesn't work, do you mean "Checking for updates..." never finishes when you launch Windows Update manually (Start | Control Panel | Windows Update | Check for updates), even if you run Windows Update overnight? Or do you mean that you can't download and install individual updates (.msu files) from the Microsoft Download Center?
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v46.0.1 * NIS v21.7.0.11 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

lmacri · May 23, 2016

I don't recall if this has been mentioned before in this thread but I learned today that Win XP had a similar problem three years ago after Win 8.1 was released where the Windows Update Agent (WUA), running under svchost.exe, would lock machines with 100% CPU consumption (sounds familiar). Microsoft eventually acknowledged the problem and released a fix for Win XP (doesn't sound familiar :D). I posted details in the MS Answers thread Vista stuck on "checking for updates" but here's an excerpt from Woody Leonhard's November 2013 article Microsoft to fix Windows XP update SVCHOST redline issue 'soon':

"In other words, when you run Windows Update, the program has to bang against Microsoft's internal database of patches and figure out which patches need to be applied and which ones have been superseded and can be ignored. Since IE6 and IE7, in particular, have been around since the dawn of time, that's an enormous pile of patches to sort through."

I checked my Windows Update log to see what happened during my last few Patch Tuesday updates. I don't look at this log on a regular basis (I had to read a quick refresher at How to read the Windowsupdate.log file), but I can see Protocol Talker synchronizing the list of updates with the local database on the client computer (+++ PT: Synchronizing extended update info +++) and a dozen or so entries where DtaStor handles the database transactions to add URLs for new updates posted since the last Windows Update (e.g., http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/updt/2016/03/windows6.0-kb3147071...). Then there's a huge gap of several hours (no warnings, no errors) before the next timestamp shows that the WUA has finished searching for available updates. This delayed timestamp corresponds with the time that "Checking for updates..." finally reports that updates are available for download.

All this points to a possible problem with the current WUA for Vista, and I wonder now if Microsoft could permanently fix this problem by expiring some of the outdated updates in the supersedence chain for Vista's IE browser and programs like the MS .NET Framework. If so, I'll have to re-think my assumption that Microsoft has been selectively throttling bandwidth on their update servers to give higher priority to Win 10 users since Win 10 was officially released on 29-Aug-2015.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v46.0.1 * NIS v21.7.0.11 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

sheldon3 · May 24, 2016

lmacri said:
I don't recall if this has been mentioned before in this thread but I learned today that Win XP had a similar problem three years ago after Win 8.1 was released where the Windows Update Agent (WUA), running under svchost.exe, would lock machines with 100% CPU consumption (sounds familiar). Microsoft eventually acknowledged the problem and released a fix for Win XP (doesn't sound familiar :D). I posted details in the MS Answers thread Vista stuck on "checking for updates" but here's an excerpt from Woody Leonhard's November 2013 article Microsoft to fix Windows XP update SVCHOST redline issue 'soon':

"In other words, when you run Windows Update, the program has to bang against Microsoft's internal database of patches and figure out which patches need to be applied and which ones have been superseded and can be ignored. Since IE6 and IE7, in particular, have been around since the dawn of time, that's an enormous pile of patches to sort through."

I checked my Windows Update log to see what happened during my last few Patch Tuesday updates. I don't look at this log on a regular basis (I had to read a quick refresher at How to read the Windowsupdate.log file), but I can see Protocol Talker synchronizing the list of updates with the local database on the client computer (+++ PT: Synchronizing extended update info +++) and a dozen or so entries where DtaStor handles the database transactions to add URLs for new updates posted since the last Windows Update (e.g., 404 - File or directory not found....). Then there's a huge gap of several hours (no warnings, no errors) before the next timestamp shows that the WUA has finished searching for available updates. This delayed timestamp corresponds with the time that "Checking for updates..." finally reports that updates are available for download.

All this points to a possible problem with the current WUA for Vista, and I wonder now if Microsoft could permanently fix this problem by expiring some of the outdated updates in the supersedence chain for Vista's IE browser and programs like the MS .NET Framework. If so, I'll have to re-think my assumption that Microsoft has been selectively throttling bandwidth on their update servers to give higher priority to Win 10 users since Win 10 was officially released on 29-Aug-2015.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v46.0.1 * NIS v21.7.0.11 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

Do you know if "Windows Module Installer" is required to run WU successfully as I forgot I had it turned off when I first ran WU for 10 hours unsuccessfully? However, I reran WU with Windows Module Installer turned on for 10 hours and still had no success. I last ran WU 3 months ago and figured it might take a litlle longer but 10 hours seems excessive. I did look at windowsupdate.log and saw the same thing as Imacri with DtaStor adding all the new URL's but then it just stops and shows no entries until I stopped WU.

lmacri · May 24, 2016

sheldon3 said:
Do you know if "Windows Module Installer" is required to run WU successfully as I forgot I had it turned off when I first ran WU for 10 hours unsuccessfully?

Hi sheldon3:

Yes the Windows Module Installer (TrustedInstaller.exe) is required to run WU successfully. See the recent discussion in Kayla77's thread Processes in Task Manager during updates, which includes a screenshot showing the TrustedInstaller.exe process running while downloaded updates are being installed. That thread includes instructions on how to use Sysinternals' Process Explorer to determine the specific process, service, and thread (e.g., Windows Update Agent wuaueng.dll) consuming CPU.

If the initial "Checking for updates..." phase of WU just seems to hang for hours without throwing an error message see the suggested workaround in post # 159 . All five of the Windows kernel-mode driver (Win32k.sys) updates for Vista that are currently listed on Dalai's webpage Search for Windows Updates takes forever? - A possible solution were automatically installed by a Windows Update during past Patch Tuesday updates on my machine, so you would only have to manually install any updates (from oldest to newest) that are missing from your list of installed updates at Windows Update | View installed updates. The approximate release dates of these updates are: KB3078601 (18-Aug-2015); KB3087039 (08-Sep-2015); KB3109094 (07-Dec-2015); KB3145739 (12-Apr-2016); KB3153199 (10-May-2016). Since you have a 32-bit Vista OS you would use the download links for Vista (x86) on Dalai's webpage.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v46.0.1 * NIS v21.7.0.11 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

SIW2 · May 24, 2016

sheldon3 · May 25, 2016

Thanks so much Imacri and SIW2,

I only had to download KB3145739 as I had the previous updates and had manually updated KB3153199 when I had previously run WU. But that one update definitely did the trick as the update only took 30 minutes even after not updating for 3 months. Keep up the good work and hopefully June's update will work as well. I think I will keep my computer updated monthly from now on.
Keep up the good work!

lmacri · May 25, 2016

sheldon3 said:
I only had to download KB3145739 as I had the previous updates and had manually updated KB3153199 when I had previously run WU. But that one update definitely did the trick as the update only took 30 minutes even after not updating for 3 months.

Hi sheldon3:

That's great news, and thanks for the feedback. I haven't had a chance to try this workaround yet but it certainly seems to be working for a lot of Win 7 SP1 and Vista SP2 users this month.

Keep in mind that early testers have reported that this might be a temporary solution and the problem could return during your next Patch Tuesday update. The June 2016 Patch Tuesday updates will be posted to the MS servers on 14-Jun-2016, so you might might want to delay for a few days after this date and check Dalai's webpage Search for Windows Updates takes forever? - A possible solution again to see if a new Windows kernel-mode driver (Win32k.sys) update has been added to the list and must be pre-installed before you run your Windows Update.

I suspect Microsoft will have to provide a permanent fix from their end. If not, these slow Windows Updates will probably keep cropping up until extended support for Vista ends April 11, 2017 and Microsoft stops delivering security updates for Vista altogether.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v46.0.1 * NIS v21.7.0.11 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

townsbg · May 25, 2016

That patch was installed on my system during the last patch cycle. I suppose that I'll have to wait until next month to see if it helps.

GradeAbra · May 28, 2016

Well, till now still not able to check for any update. How long more should i wait for them to fix it?

GradeAbra · May 28, 2016

lmacri said:
Have you tried disabling automatic Windows Updates [Start | Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings | Important updates | Never check for updates (not recommended)] and re-starting your computer? This will not prevent your Windows Update service wuauserv from loading at boot-up but it will terminate any old Windows Update sessions that might be running in the background.

When you say that "manual updating" doesn't work, do you mean "Checking for updates..." never finishes when you launch Windows Update manually (Start | Control Panel | Windows Update | Check for updates), even if you run Windows Update overnight? Or do you mean that you can't download and install individual updates (.msu files) from the Microsoft Download Center?
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v46.0.1 * NIS v21.7.0.11 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

I am stuck at this screen no matter how hard i tried to update. I did download a update manually but this screen will appear and no end to it.

lmacri · May 28, 2016

GradeAbra said:
I am stuck at this screen no matter how hard i tried to update. I did download a update manually but this screen will appear and no end to it.

Hi GradeAbra:

In post # 159, I suggested that you install any of the five Windows kernel-mode driver (Win32k.sys) updates listed on Dalai's webpage Search for Windows Updates takes forever? - A possible solution if they are currently missing from your computer. Have you tried that possible workaround?

As of today, there are five of these Win32k.sys updates listed on Dalai's wepage: KB3078601 (18-Aug-2015); KB3087039 (08-Sep-2015); KB3109094 (07-Dec-2015); KB3145739 (12-Apr-2016); KB3153199 (10-May-2016), and all five should have been installed on your system during past Patch Tuesday updates. Look for those KB numbers at Windows Update | View update history (or Control Panel | Programs and Features | Installed updates). If any of those updates is missing, Dalai's webpage has download links to standalone update packages (.msu files) on the Microsoft Download Center. To install each update, download the required .msu file and save it to your Windows desktop [if you have 32-bit Vista use Dalai's download link for Vista (x86)], close your browser, and double-click the .msu file to launch the installer. Each missing Win32k.sys update should be installed from oldest (lowest KB) to newest (highest KB), and it would also be prudent to re-boot after each Win32k.sys update is installed. Once all missing Win32k.sys updates are installed re-boot and start a Windows Update to see if "Checking for updates..." is able to finish normally.

Before you start installing any missing Win32k.sys updates, you should completely disable automatic Windows Updates [Windows Update | Change settings | Important updates | Never check for updates (not recommended)] to prevent Windows Update from launching in the background while these updates are being applied.

Note that if you successfully installed your April 2016 Patch Tuesday updates last month you should only have to pre-install one missing update from the Microsoft Download Center - KB3153199 - before running Windows Update to apply your remaining May 2016 Patch Tuesday updates.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v46.0.1 * NIS v21.7.0.11 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

Vistaar · May 28, 2016

@GradeAbra: Your screenshot shows that you have "Never" successfully checked for updates since Vista was (re)installed, is that correct?

[Edit] Maybe right-click system clock and make sure Date/Time is set correctly.

GradeAbra · Jun 5, 2016

Vistaar said:
@GradeAbra: Your screenshot shows that you have "Never" successfully checked for updates since Vista was (re)installed, is that correct?

[Edit] Maybe right-click system clock and make sure Date/Time is set correctly.

Hi, they are all correct. Still not getting any update. When are they going to fix it?

Vistaar · Jun 5, 2016

GradeAbra said:
Hi, they are all correct. Still not getting any update. When are they going to fix it?

Well if you have read this entire thread, then you know as much about the issue as anyone here. You have added several posts without telling us very much. I'm guessing that you reinstalled Vista about a month ago. You picked a very bad time to do that; and if you did it only because checking for Windows updates was very slow, then it was a serious mistake, because you are now seven years behind. You reinstalled from a disc that included SP2, and you have a single-core processor. If you manually installed something, then you might as well reinstall Vista again, since you haven't made any progress since then anyway. My only advice is this: You cannot complete a check for updates by stopping the check for updates. "When are they going to fix it?" My guess is never. Extended support for Vista SP2 ends in 11 months anyway. However since the problem started soon after the Windows 10 upgrade offer began in July 2015, there might be some hope that the problem will be fixed when the upgrade offer ends in July 2016.

townsbg · Jun 6, 2016

GradeAbra said:
Hi, they are all correct. Still not getting any update. When are they going to fix it?

We really can't know this however I agree with vistaar that they likely don't care enough to fix it. Not with the amount of time left for security fixes.

SIW2 · Jun 12, 2016

Vistaar · Jun 12, 2016

SIW2 said:
To make it simpler, just d/l and install these:

I wonder how many have actually tried that after reinstalling Vista?
{Edit] I see that copiman reported success weeks ago: http://www.vistax64.com/windows-updates/304544-current-tips-updates.html

Mooly · Jun 13, 2016

Vistaar said:
I wonder how many have actually tried that after reinstalling Vista?

As I was at a loose end today (or rather my old Vista laptop which is currently running W10 was) I restored a full Vista Home Premium x86 image made last year. This was a fully updated and working image that has zero failed updates and that had been in constant use up to the point the image was made. Before connecting the restored image to my router I attempted to install the 5 updates SIW2 posted. I had previously saved these to a USB drive. Only one would install, KB3145739, all the rest returned a 'this is not applicable to your system' message. Following a reboot and connecting to the router the update problem remained. CPU pegged at 100%, and all very unresponsive.

Question... is there a way to permanently disable Windows Update Service such that it never ever runs ?

Vistaar · Jun 13, 2016

Thank you Mooly for testing the "answer" using a Vista image from last year.

Mooly said:
Question... is there a way to permanently disable Windows Update Service such that it never ever runs?

Of course Vista has a "Never check for updates (not recommended)" setting in the UI. I think there is a way to disable the resulting warnings, but I would have to look that up - however I suspect that your question might be about Windows 10?

Gwaihir · Jun 13, 2016

Vistaar said:
since the problem started soon after the Windows 10 upgrade offer began in July 2015, there might be some hope that the problem will be fixed when the upgrade offer ends in July 2016.

Well, as that is about when support ends I won't be holding my breath. As things stand now I'm just leaving the machine running the updates install until something happens, usually after 5 or 6 hours.

windows update just seems to hang while checking.

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