Windows won't update: SERVICE REGISTRATION IS MISSING OR CORRUPT

[MilesAhead]

I didn't find anything.

I don't suggest throwing caution to the wind. The OP should run the DLL through 4 or 5 av scanners before trying to put it on. There's not much more you can do sometimes.

 

[pdsnickles]

I don't suggest throwing caution to the wind. The OP should run the DLL through 4 or 5 av scanners before trying to put it on. There's not much more you can do sometimes.

Yes, I agree. Microsoft makes it impossible to fix what should be a simple problem to fix so I am stuck with acts of desperation. I will indeed run it through a few different anti-virus programs and I will back up my registry and create a system restore point before trying it. But in the end there's not a whole lot of options other than doing a clean install which would suck. I'm going to try this Monday when I have some time to deal with it. (Unless I find a safer or better option between now and then.)

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

 

[pdsnickles]

I disagree. I would only trust getting a windows dll from microsoft. For you all you the download could have been hacked and have a virus.

Have you tried this? How do I reset Windows Update components?
I also found this: [How To] Fix ?0xc8000247 ? Windows Update Standalone Installer Encountered Error? - Kapil Sparks?

Yes, townsbg, I tried that already. Didn't work. ;-(
But thanks for the help!

 

[pdsnickles]

This may or may not have anything to do with your problem, but might be worth a try. It sounds hauntingly familiar since you swapped hard drives and are using a 2 year old version of software. Check out this link regarding a similar situation where Intel chipset drivers needed to be updated resulting in the same error message: Windows 7 64bit: Windows Update Service Not Running. After restoring drive from 500GB to 750GB HD.

Thanks spacecon. I did update my chipset to the latest one Dell has on file but that is still a couple years or more old. Maybe I can find a more recent update - I will look for one.

The thing I don't understand is that when I created the Backup Image which I have created my current C drive from, my Windows Update was working.

Since all the other programs I have re-created through the Backup Image are working, why is the Windows Update Agent NOT working? It makes no sense to me. My guess is that somehow the WUA did not get transferred over from the backup file somehow...?

This whole experience has led me to believe that keeping backup images isn't necessarily a good way to go. Unless maybe it's just the Paragon Personal Backup 9 that is not so good and maybe another backup image program is better...?

 

[spacecon]

The article I sent the link to referred to downloading the Intel chipset drivers from Intel. I am sure they have one that is much newer (a month old?). I believe they have an auto-detect you can run.

 

[spacecon]

The thing I don't understand is that when I created the Backup Image which I have created my current C drive from, my Windows Update was working.

Since all the other programs I have re-created through the Backup Image are working, why is the Windows Update Agent NOT working? It makes no sense to me.

You are correct that if everything is the same as it was, then things should work the same, so, what can be different?

1. Backup image corrupt? (doubtful)
2. Windows update is different? (For sure, but doubtful that would cause it to not work)
3. You hardware has changed (For sure, you just put in a new hard drive). Anything else different in the last couple years?

If the only hardware change is the hard drive, it is a likely culprit. The article I linked was that situation where people upgraded the hard drive and could not get to windows update until new Intel drivers were installed. I am not saying that is 100% for sure the case for you, but it certainly could be, and that would make sense.

Keep in mind that the manufacturer website may give you the drivers that work with your original configuration, but since your hardware has changed, it is possible they don't work with the new configuration.

Try the Intel website.

 

[pdsnickles]

You are correct that if everything is the same as it was, then things should work the same, so, what can be different?

1. Backup image corrupt? (doubtful)
2. Windows update is different? (For sure, but doubtful that would cause it to not work)
3. You hardware has changed (For sure, you just put in a new hard drive). Anything else different in the last couple years?

If the only hardware change is the hard drive, it is a likely culprit. The article I linked was that situation where people upgraded the hard drive and could not get to windows update until new Intel drivers were installed. I am not saying that is 100% for sure the case for you, but it certainly could be, and that would make sense.

Keep in mind that the manufacturer website may give you the drivers that work with your original configuration, but since your hardware has changed, it is possible they don't work with the new configuration.

Try the Intel website.

Thanks much for reposting with that info. I had not read the article, just your post, but when I work on this tomorrow or Tue I would have definitely done a search for new drivers and MAY have ended up on the Intel web site in any case. Anyway now I will look there first.

And what you say makes sense: the ONLY thing that is really different is the hard drive. I'll cross my fingers and try this possible solution first!

 

[lastwraith]

I hate to revive a very dead thread but this guy is still high on the Google results list.
I was wondering if you ever found a resolution?
Also, was the old drive a regular drive and the new one an Advanced Format one? Cloning from non AF -> AF drives without going through some very specific steps usually means you get an ok install that refuses to do Windows Update and also generates a ton of ESENT errors in eventvwr.

The following is the distilled solution I gathered from various online sources in case it helps anyone else:

Just in case you ever have to clone from an old style HD to an advanced format drive (moving a Vista install), there are some things you should know.

I did my homework before doing this for a client (I knew it wouldn't be a simple clone and go job) but figured I'd try the newest WD Acronis True Image version without heeding my own research (it was a small drive and I wanted to see if the newest WD Acronis would work). It didn't. After the clone the drive didn't need to be aligned, but if you tried to do Windows update from Vista it didn't work and the eventvwr Application logs were full of ESENT errors triggered by the attempted Windows update.
I had to install a hotfix on the original Vista install, pull out the new esent.dll version, throw it into the system32 folder of the new cloned drive, and then run the hotfix on the new cloned drive (catch 22 of the hotfix needing the machine to have the new esent.dll but it's only available via the hotfix....go figure)

The following are notes I compiled on how I would have done it had I not been so curious to see if anything had been fixed.....it hasn't.

SHORT SUMMARY: Install the hotfix on the to-be-cloned vista drive, clone it, check if it needs to be aligned, and you should be good to go. (This all assumes you have Intel RST 9.6 or higher installed too - the client had 10.1 or something)

REF NOTES: (copy/paste from various websites)

-------------------------

To save someone from having to wade through 95 posts it might help to provide a summary.
Computer:- Dell inspiron 1525 laptop Windows Vista sp2
Action:- Replaced existing 160Gb HDD with a 320Gb HDD Western Digital Scorpio Blue 2.5"
Method:- took out existing HDD, put in new one, booted with an Acronis true image bootable CD (I made earlier using the version provided by Western Digital) and using a USB 2.0 caddy containing the old HDD transfered the entire contents from the old to the new. Took about 2.5 hours.

The laptop started with no problems. It had to find a driver for the new HDD (the wrong one as it turned out), and after it had chuntered on for 5 minutes settled down and has worked well since Christmas, with one exception - Windows Update stopped working and I suspect Windows Backup.

This problem was caused by the fact that the new HDD has AFT (Advanced Format Technology - makes it go better) compounded by a muddle at Intel about which of their drivers does what.

What I should have done and subsequently did do (I kept the old HDD intact)and guided by Windows Support WUGNET was:
Before taking out the old disk:
1. Install hotfix KB2553708 which improves compatibility of Windows with AFT.
2. Install hotfix KB947821 system update readiness tool.
CLONE DRIVE
After the transfer
1. Align the disk. Western Digital provide the software for this. The link is provided in #62 Advanced Format Hard Drive download utility. the file is called acronisaligntool_s_e_2_0_111.exe (69.3Mb)
2. Upgrade the hard disk driver from where ever it is to version 9.6 Intel provide the driver, generically it's called "Intel Rapid Storage Technology" The correct driver in this case was called - STOR_allOS_9.6.0.1014_PV - There is a link to it in #84 provided by Dale.

Hopefully this brings it all together for anyone who is hapless enough to hit the same issue.

****************

If you've already cloned the drive and run into problems, you can either install the hotfix on the original Vista install or find another Vista machine to do it (VM?)

For future reference:

1. Download the hotfix mentioned here. A hotfix rollup that improves Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 compatibility with Advanced Format disks

2. Install this hotfix on a 2nd Vista machine.

3. Copy the new esent.dll ver 6.0.6002.22531 from the updated machine to a memory stick.

4. On the affected machine, start an elevated command prompt and change to the system32 directory.

5. Now type the following commands where UserName is the name of an Administrator account on the system:

takeown /f esent.dll

icacls esent.dll /grant UserName:F

ren esent.dll esent.old

6. Copy the esent.dll from the memory stick to the system32 directory.

7. Reboot

8. Install the hotfix. Instead of failing with the 0xC8000222 error it should process normally now.

 

[pdsnickles]

I hate to revive a very dead thread but this guy is still high on the Google results list.
I was wondering if you ever found a resolution?
Also, was the old drive a regular drive and the new one an Advanced Format one? Cloning from non AF -> AF drives without going through some very specific steps usually means you get an ok install that refuses to do Windows Update and also generates a ton of ESENT errors in eventvwr.

The following is the distilled solution I gathered from various online sources in case it helps anyone else:

Just in case you ever have to clone from an old style HD to an advanced format drive (moving a Vista install), there are some things you should know.

I did my homework before doing this for a client (I knew it wouldn't be a simple clone and go job) but figured I'd try the newest WD Acronis True Image version without heeding my own research (it was a small drive and I wanted to see if the newest WD Acronis would work). It didn't. After the clone the drive didn't need to be aligned, but if you tried to do Windows update from Vista it didn't work and the eventvwr Application logs were full of ESENT errors triggered by the attempted Windows update.
I had to install a hotfix on the original Vista install, pull out the new esent.dll version, throw it into the system32 folder of the new cloned drive, and then run the hotfix on the new cloned drive (catch 22 of the hotfix needing the machine to have the new esent.dll but it's only available via the hotfix....go figure)

The following are notes I compiled on how I would have done it had I not been so curious to see if anything had been fixed.....it hasn't.

SHORT SUMMARY: Install the hotfix on the to-be-cloned vista drive, clone it, check if it needs to be aligned, and you should be good to go. (This all assumes you have Intel RST 9.6 or higher installed too - the client had 10.1 or something)

REF NOTES: (copy/paste from various websites)

-------------------------

To save someone from having to wade through 95 posts it might help to provide a summary.
Computer:- Dell inspiron 1525 laptop Windows Vista sp2
Action:- Replaced existing 160Gb HDD with a 320Gb HDD Western Digital Scorpio Blue 2.5"
Method:- took out existing HDD, put in new one, booted with an Acronis true image bootable CD (I made earlier using the version provided by Western Digital) and using a USB 2.0 caddy containing the old HDD transfered the entire contents from the old to the new. Took about 2.5 hours.

The laptop started with no problems. It had to find a driver for the new HDD (the wrong one as it turned out), and after it had chuntered on for 5 minutes settled down and has worked well since Christmas, with one exception - Windows Update stopped working and I suspect Windows Backup.

This problem was caused by the fact that the new HDD has AFT (Advanced Format Technology - makes it go better) compounded by a muddle at Intel about which of their drivers does what.

What I should have done and subsequently did do (I kept the old HDD intact)and guided by Windows Support WUGNET was:
Before taking out the old disk:
1. Install hotfix KB2553708 which improves compatibility of Windows with AFT.
2. Install hotfix KB947821 system update readiness tool.
CLONE DRIVE
After the transfer
1. Align the disk. Western Digital provide the software for this. The link is provided in #62 Advanced Format Hard Drive download utility. the file is called acronisaligntool_s_e_2_0_111.exe (69.3Mb)
2. Upgrade the hard disk driver from where ever it is to version 9.6 Intel provide the driver, generically it's called "Intel Rapid Storage Technology" The correct driver in this case was called - STOR_allOS_9.6.0.1014_PV - There is a link to it in #84 provided by Dale.

Hopefully this brings it all together for anyone who is hapless enough to hit the same issue.

****************

If you've already cloned the drive and run into problems, you can either install the hotfix on the original Vista install or find another Vista machine to do it (VM?)

For future reference:

1. Download the hotfix mentioned here. A hotfix rollup that improves Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 compatibility with Advanced Format disks

2. Install this hotfix on a 2nd Vista machine.

3. Copy the new esent.dll ver 6.0.6002.22531 from the updated machine to a memory stick.

4. On the affected machine, start an elevated command prompt and change to the system32 directory.

5. Now type the following commands where UserName is the name of an Administrator account on the system:

takeown /f esent.dll

icacls esent.dll /grant UserName:F

ren esent.dll esent.old

6. Copy the esent.dll from the memory stick to the system32 directory.

7. Reboot

8. Install the hotfix. Instead of failing with the 0xC8000222 error it should process normally now.

As for me, I finally got so sick of trying to resolve this problem that I gave up. Actually I got very busy with "life" and decided to wait and deal with trying to get Windows to update, later.

As days went by I realized it was easier to just not have Windows update than to go through hell trying to get it to update, and possibly by doing so, run into MORE problems and MORE headaches.

So in the end I just decided to "leave well enough alone" and not try to get the Windows Update to work until such time as something were to happen to cause me to NEED it.

I am leaving the country next year and will leave my desktop behind (though will take the hard drive with me for possible future installation), and may just end up buying a new hard drive, re-installing windows (7 if I can get it; HATE 8! UGH!), and starting fresh which is NOW what I wish I'd done with this one.

My advice to anyone who has a Vista back-up image is to forget it. Start over with a fresh install of 7 and just re-install your programs and bring over your files from your backups.

 

[NoelDP]

I know you've done some of this before - but it was some time ago.

Please
follow the Windows
Update Posting Instructions and post the requested data (written for Win7 but works just the same in Vista)


If the file is too large (8MB
compressed), remove the older CBSPersist cab files until the final file is
below the limit - you can always post them separately after zipping them. (the
forum doesn't allow the upload of bare CBA files, for a number of reasons)

 

[townsbg]

As for me, I finally got so sick of trying to resolve this problem that I gave up. Actually I got very busy with "life" and decided to wait and deal with trying to get Windows to update, later.

As days went by I realized it was easier to just not have Windows update than to go through hell trying to get it to update, and possibly by doing so, run into MORE problems and MORE headaches.

So in the end I just decided to "leave well enough alone" and not try to get the Windows Update to work until such time as something were to happen to cause me to NEED it.

I am leaving the country next year and will leave my desktop behind (though will take the hard drive with me for possible future installation), and may just end up buying a new hard drive, re-installing windows (7 if I can get it; HATE 8! UGH!), and starting fresh which is NOW what I wish I'd done with this one.

My advice to anyone who has a Vista back-up image is to forget it. Start over with a fresh install of 7 and just re-install your programs and bring over your files from your backups.

It is not a good idea to not do updates. As for Windows 8, I wholeheartedly agree. Thankfully I have Vista and 7 disks. Ironically I was happy with Vista when 7 came out and was going to skip 7 yet I couldn't pass up the pre-order sale. I'm glad now that I did that.

 

[pdsnickles]

It is not a good idea to not do updates. As for Windows 8, I wholeheartedly agree. Thankfully I have Vista and 7 disks. Ironically I was happy with Vista when 7 came out and was going to skip 7 yet I couldn't pass up the pre-order sale. I'm glad now that I did that.

I am aware that it's not a good idea to not do updates. That said, I'm taking my chances because this problem of trying to get my cloned Vista to update, has been a nightmare for me, wasted dozens and dozens of hours of my time without finding a solution, and I'm simply at the end of my patience with it.

As for Windows 8 I SINCERELY HOPE enough people hate it, that MS continues to offer 7 or an update to 7, without re-inventing the wheel like 8 did. 8 went way too far in trying to emulate Mac tablets, and it's just frustrating to learn and use.

 

[townsbg]

I am aware that it's not a good idea to not do updates. That said, I'm taking my chances because this problem of trying to get my cloned Vista to update, has been a nightmare for me, wasted dozens and dozens of hours of my time without finding a solution, and I'm simply at the end of my patience with it.

IMO sometimes it is simpler and less time just to reinstall and then perform an image backup but I'll leave that up to you.

As for Windows 8 I SINCERELY HOPE enough people hate it, that MS continues to offer 7 or an update to 7, without re-inventing the wheel like 8 did. 8 went way too far in trying to emulate Mac tablets, and it's just frustrating to learn and use.

You can add me to that list. I hope for their sake that they revert with the next new version but I've got a feeling that they won't. They have a long history of doing things their way no matter what others think.