Wuauserv and BITS missing - re-install without OS reboot?

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  1. Posts : 162
    Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit Service Pack 1
       #1

    Wuauserv and BITS missing - re-install without OS reboot?


    Hey everyone!

    So.. I've got a machine on one of my networks that was victim to a nasty virus a few months back. I cleaned it and verified that it was healthy again and sent it on it's way.

    Yesterday, our IP was blacklisted for spam suddenly. After checking the logs from the mail service and firewall.... the same little machine showed up as the culprit.

    I pulled it into the shop and cleaned it again (different virus/trojan this time.. both times due to the user disabling the network AV) and decided to make sure this lil' guy was all up to date.

    Windows update services are missing. Not only are they missing from Services.msc but also the associated files are missing. Wuauserv and BITS

    I've read around and have seen people with similar problems of windows update not working. Not many have drilled down into these files being missing or described a fix for the problem.

    Ordinarily, I'd just wipe the disk and re-install the OS but this particular machine has a few software applications for the company that are... um.. troublesome to re-install due to the manufacturer being a PITA about licensing and usage records. (It's all legitimate and paid for, they just register the CPU once on their servers and then tell you to go buy another copy if something happens to that machine)

    I'd like to avoid a wipe/re-install if at all possible.

    I've tried:

    MS fixit for restarting Windows Update
    Turning off automatic updates and then turning them back on again
    CAT.exe tool (crisis aversion tool)

    The usage of all those is what drilled me down to the fact that the files were missing out of system32 and not showing up in the services store.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 16,132
    7 X64
       #2

    You could try a repair install - I would make an image of the existing installation first just in case.

    Repair Install
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 162
    Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit Service Pack 1
    Thread Starter
       #3

    SIW2 said:
    You could try a repair install - I would make an image of the existing installation first just in case.

    Repair Install
    Yeah.. that's my fallback if nothing floats to the surface here. I've got the edition of Windows 7 from this machine already on a bootable DVD.. Just hoping to avoid it
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 21,482
    Win 7 x64 Home Premium (and x86 VirtualBox VM)/Win10
       #4

    Silly question - but why has the user got sufficient rights to disable the AV in the first place?
    (not to mention, why are they still working there?)
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 162
    Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit Service Pack 1
    Thread Starter
       #5

    NoelDP said:
    Silly question - but why has the user got sufficient rights to disable the AV in the first place?
    (not to mention, why are they still working there?)
    Haha.. I totally get that question.

    Basically it boils down to the position within the company that they are in. . . If you catch my drift

    They are computer savvy enough to know what permission rights are, annoyed enough that they don't want to deal with AV, and in a position that I can't do much about it.

    Except fix the machine...
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 21,482
    Win 7 x64 Home Premium (and x86 VirtualBox VM)/Win10
       #6

    Point out the costs involved to them - present them with a pro-forma invoice for the full cost every time you touch it, and include the time taken dealing with the spam-blocks
    That usually grabs people's attention
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 162
    Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit Service Pack 1
    Thread Starter
       #7

    NoelDP said:
    Point out the costs involved to them - present them with a pro-forma invoice for the full cost every time you touch it, and include the time taken dealing with the spam-blocks
    That usually grabs people's attention
    I hear ya. It's a big drama scene when I have to work on that computer in the first place.. Lots of grumbling and complaining that " That IT guy has my computer again and I can't get anything done!!" sorta stuff.

    Not an enviable position to be in.. but that's the lot for us IT guys mostly anyways. .

    "The only good IT guys are the IT guys no one knows exist" ~ Gromit1710
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 21,482
    Win 7 x64 Home Premium (and x86 VirtualBox VM)/Win10
       #8

    ...so pin a copy of the invoice up on the company notice board, making sure it has EXACTLY why you had to take it away detailed
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 25,847
    Windows 10 Pro. 64/ version 1709 Windows 7 Pro/64
       #9

    Attach a copy of the invoice to that persons forehead gently.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 1,031
    Windows 7 x64
       #10

    OK, I am not an IT person, and have no idea what you would know or not. So please don't laugh...

    But you have run a System File Check?

    The qmgr.dll is missing from your system?
      My Computer


 
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