any ideas why these updates failed

I was late simply checking up them while I didn't run into the same situation you found yourself in however. I strictly have all notifications turned off and prefer to manually check for them as well as new optional updates for any new device added on.

With a new build running here the first thing seen to right off was simply creating a full system image of the main drive just in case of... ??? rather then wait for the unexpected to cause a problem. Once you have everything set this would be one option to consider while frequent backups are still a good idea just the same.

The one for IE 8 was definitely new while a few others were added on totally 7 here all together. I guees I had a few "loose ends" here as well to tend to likely from being a bit busy lately!

I have to wonder if temporarily disabling all startup items in the msconfig would be the answer in case it turns out that something loading up with Windows is hampering things there for you. This would require a full restart and if you could save the updates as separate items in a folder to start up manually follwoing the restart.

metalmania31 said:

Night Hawk said:

I have to wonder if temporarily disabling all startup items in the msconfig would be the answer in case it turns out that something loading up with Windows is hampering things there for you. This would require a full restart and if you could save the updates as separate items in a folder to start up manually follwoing the restart.

I don't think it's being blocked, I think something in the windows update got corrupted. I don't know what exactly. If you look at my snip of the error page one of the error codes is 80070490 which is
Windows Update error 80070490

If you receive Windows Update error 80070490, it means that a file (CBS Manifest) that's needed to install updates is corrupt.
The System Update Readiness Tool for Windows can correct some conditions that cause Windows Update error 80070490. You can access and run this tool by reading this Knowledge Base article on the Microsoft website.
If the System Update Readiness Tool doesn't correct the problem, you'll need to repair Windows. Repairing Windows won't damage your personal files or the programs that are installed on your computer.
Once you finish the repair, you'll need to rerun Windows Update to install any updates aren't included on the installation DVD. To repair Windows, follow these steps:

1. Close all programs, and then restart your computer.
2. Insert the Windows DVD into the computer's disk drive. Wait for Setup to start. If Setup doesn't start automatically, follow these steps:
   
   1. Click Start, and then type Drive:\setup.exe in the search box, where Drive is the letter of your computer's DVD drive (for example, D:\setup.exe).
   2. In the Programs list, click Setup.exe.
   
   
3. Click Install Now.
4. Click Go online to obtain the latest updates for installation (recommended).
5. If you are asked for it, type the Windows Product key.
6. In the Which kind of installation do you want? window, click Upgrade.
7. When the installation is complete, restart your computer, and then run Windows Update.

But of course I'd like to avoid a repair upgrade or reinstall.

that's i mean before, i though like that too.

This was the thing we were trying to avoid by suggesting the reduction of startup items to see if that helped any. By taking notes on the actual error message seen that did eventually provide some MS information which now suggests that your original 7 installation was not as complete as you thought and now being realized by the problems getting the two updates on.

Don't feel bad about having seen a bad install by any means since this is more common then people realize until something goes haywire. I've seen those going all the way back to 3.1! It's bound to happen to anyone if they perform enough Windows installs regardless of version.

Personally once I know I have a good clean working installation on with 7 in particular I make sure to creat a system image or two while everything is in working order. That saves the time of either an upgrade or full clean install like you are now faced with.

metalmania31 said:

Well, doing the upgrade repair did the trick. Although I was worried for a little bit because it said my copy of windows was not genuine. Fixed that by activating windows. So far the only thing that gave me a problem was Display Fusion isn't starting right. Keeps telling me another instance is already running so I just reinstalled that. All windows updates installed.

sounds great..glad your problem solved.

DisplayFusion minimizes to the notification area there where you right click on the icon to bring up the screen when set to start with Windows. I went back to UltraMon here since that provides a button for moving windows between screens rather then dragging them. oh well.

Well you took the last resort leap and I'm glad that worked out for you there. As I suspected when you posted the MS info earlier the original installation wasn't apparently as complete as it may have seemed and this cleared things up.