I know this is a really old thread and am sorry to bring it back to the top but the solution to this issue is beyond stupid and very easy and I am sure others are searching for a solution. For some reason Microsoft has not built their page to be compatible with their current browser. Simply adding Microsoft.com to your Compatibility List will fix this issue and you will be able to install Microsoft Update.
Most MS pages are designed to run in any IE version from IE7 up - and many of the relevant pages are still perfectly viewable even in earlier versions of IE ( such as IE6 for ME)
Please define what you are experiencing:
1) give an example of a 'problem' page
2) What version of IE are you using? - on what OS?
3) What exactly are you seeing? - please post screenshots.
This was not my issue, I stumbled across this while looking for something else, you need to read the OP problem. He did a fresh install of Windows 7, when he went to upgrade to "Microsoft Update" to obtain updates for other Microsoft products he could not (he posted the screenshot). What happens is a web page opens and simply says to get Windows Updates by clicking Windows Update in the Control Panel. Once you add Microsoft to the Compatibility list the page renders properly and allows you to "upgrade" to Microsoft Update....I offer the solution for others who have this issue, simple, stupid and absolutely a Microsoft issue....
Windows 7 does not go anywhere near any version of IE to access Windows Update - or Microsoft Update.
The Web page is deliberately designed to point people at the Control Panel - for all versions of IE, where the OS is Vista or higher.
Using compatibility mode probably forces the browser to issue a useragentstring for IE6, which then produces the results you see.
As such it may work - whether it completely eliminates the problem, I don't know.
No offense but you obviously do not understand the issue....for the last time and so no one gets confused. If you install Windows 7 and use Windows Update to obtain all the latest updates including IE11 and the decide that you want to "upgrade" to Microsoft Update you click the link in the Windows Update page that says, "To receive updates for other Microsoft Products click here" it opens up IE and takes you to a web page where normally you can just accept a TOS and the Microsoft Update engine is installed over Windows Update. If you do not list Microsoft.com in Compatibility view you do not get that option, just a notice that you can get updates by clicking Windows Update in Control Panel, not sure how to make that any more clear to you. I will post some pictures momentarily as I noticed that you can recreate the issue by taking Microsoft.com out of your list....
OK, so, when you click on the link in the first picture to get "Microsoft Update" you should get the website as shown in picture 2, but if you do not have Microsoft.com added to your compatibility list you will instead see picture 3...Make sense now?
Images got flopped, the one in the middle is number 1, top is number 2 and bottom is number 3...
Hi, I registered just now to confirm what you're saying, when I addded site to compatibility it went normal and offered me to install the thing, I would never find that out alone
Hi Guys,
Just wanted to let you know what worked for me. Open an administrative command prompt and type in "net user Administrator /active:yes" and hit enter. If you see "Command completed successfully", log off the pc and log back on with the new account that shows up called Administrator. Open windows update and try to install Microsoft Update again. Should do the trick. After you've done this, log out and back on to your normal account, then repeat the command, except use /active:no and that will shut the admin account back off. Happy Windowsing.
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