Topic: Healp!

[Serenity]

I have Vista on one of my PC's and for some reason just recently it is trying to install automatic updates but a screen appears saying it is trying to install 1 of 3 installations, its takes anything up to an hour for this process to complete then says it cannot complete the install as there is a problem (doesnt specify the problem) then says that the PC will be reverted to its original state and reboots itself, this again takes anything up to 30-45 minutes before I am able to use the PC    has anyone any idea whats going on? or should I turn off automatic updates?   

[Simon]

It may be trying to download and install SP1, Bev.  Have you tried manually using Windows Update in IE > Tools to get the updates?

[Serenity]

No I wasnt sure what to do Si, Im not really used to Vista, can you give me an idiots guide to sorting it out please 

[Simon]

It's the same as in XP.  Open Internet Explorer, click Tools > Windows Update, and it should quickly scan your machine, then tell you what updates are available.  If SP1 is there, you obviously haven't got it yet, so select it, and everything from there on should be mostly automatic.  Be aware, though, that SP1 can take up to an hour to download and install, so try to do it when you don't need to use the computer for a while.

[Sandra]

Turn off automatic updates then go to the windows updates as Simon said.
Then when it says there are available updates select the custom, not the automatic, download option.
Select one and download and install it then if thats ok do the same again and select another one.
Then do the last one.
If one or more wont install tell us which updates they are and we may be able to sort out whats up
 

Simon posted while I was replying.

I am not sure if SP1 is a good idea yet, a lot of people seem to be having problems with it.
I wouldnt install it for now until you see what the other updates are by using what I said above.

[Simon]

Got SP1 on mine, and it seems to be OK, Sandra.  Hasn't made any dramatic improvements though.   

[Sandra]

I dont think there will be any critical updates included in SP1 over whats already available individually Simon,
So I think its better to leave that until Bevs sorted her other problem out first 

[Simon]

I was thinking that if the problem is something to do with the auto-updates, if she got everything manually, it might fix things.  Maybe one update didn't install properly, and it keeps trying to download it?   

[Sandra]

There is a problem with updates for both XP and Vista that stops them installing.
It requires a registry edit to remove a file that updates needs to reinstall but cant do if the file is already there )
I will see if I can find it and post the link and any info I can find about it.

[Simon]

That would be useful, San. 

[mistybear]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/937286/en-us

[Sandra]

Not sure if thats the solution or no MB but its worth considering 

This is the article that I was thinking of :

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=943144

I know it says its for XP and problems after a repair but I believe it will work the same on Vista because an install of SP1 on Vista or SP3 on XP will possibly be seen by windows as a repair.

The method I would try first is this one from that page :

Method 1: Register the Wups2.dll file in Windows
To register the Wups2.dll file in Windows, follow these steps:1. Stop the Automatic Updates service. To do this, follow these steps:a.  Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
b.  At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
net stop wuauserv
 
2. Register the Wups2.dll file. To do this, follow these steps:a.  At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
regsvr32 %windir%\system32\wups2.dll
Note For a computer that is running Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
regsvr32 %windir%\syswow64\wups2.dll 
b.  Click OK on each verification message that you receive.
 
3. Start the Automatic Updates service. To do this, type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
net start wuauserv
4. Exit the command prompt. To do this type exit, and then press ENTER.

Hope it helps 

[TR]

Troubleshooting
To confirm that SP1 is installed, right-click Computer and then click Properties. You will find a reference to the service pack in the Windows Edition section.

If a hardware device does not function correctly after you install SP1, it may be because of a problematic driver. For a list of problematic drivers, see the “Method for Cause 5” section of KB article 948343 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=115521). For information about how to fix driver issues, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=113062.

When installing SP1, some computers may run into issues that block the installation or otherwise cause it to fail. These issues may include the following:

• A problematic driver
 
• A hard disk that is corrupted
 
• Memory failures
 
• Software and file system synchronization issues. For performance reasons, the file system keeps a copy of the contents of some files in the memory, and it can take a while for these contents to be written back to the hard disk. Therefore, sometimes the contents of the files on the hard disk may be slightly out of synchronization with the memory.
 

To work around installation problems, perform the following steps in the specified order:

1.
 Ensure that you do not have a problematic driver, see the “Method for Cause 5” section of KB article 948343 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=115521)
 
2.
 Ensure that you have enough disk space, as specified in the "Check disk space requirements" table under Perform predeployment tasks earlier in this guide. Then restart the computer and try again to install SP1. This will ensure that all files are synchronized properly.
 
3.
 If the installation still fails, open an elevated Command Prompt window, and then run the chkdsk /f command. The Chkdsk tool checks the file system and metadata for errors, and then it fixes the errors, if possible. Then try again to install SP1.
 
4.
 If the installation still fails, open an elevated Command Prompt window, and then run the SFC /scannow command. The System File Checker tool scans all protected files to verify their versions, and then it updates these files, if possible. Then try again to install SP1.
 
5.
 If the installation still fails, open an elevated Command Prompt window, and then run the MdSched.exe command. The Windows Memory Diagnostic tool tests the random access memory (RAM) on your computer for errors. Then try again to install SP1.
 
6.
 If the installation still fails, download and extract the KB947821 update from the Microsoft Download Center. The Windows6.0-KB947821-XXX.msu file will ensure that the computer is ready to be updated. Then try again to install SP1. For information about this update, including information about how to obtain it, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=109180.
 

 

[Simon]

Thanks for that, Terry. 

[Sandra]

I have been talking to Bev on the phone this evening and we tried the solutions in the MS Support link I posted but its still not working.
The way I thought would work came up with "access denied" even though the pc user was an administrator and wed disabled the user account control