Cannot repair to update a disabled system

I provide free maintenance support to the retired, elderly neighbours in my building. With the appearance of the new (possibly North Korean) ransomware, one of them asked to help him update his Windows 7 SP1 32bit Professional desktop, which turned out to be a secondhand HP with a valid Win 7 Pro license in which the Windows Update was completely disabled by some software.

Is there a way to reactivate Windows Update?

Is the Windows Update service enabled? You can also use a reg hack to forcibly enable Windows Update. Open Regedit and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / WindowsUpdate.
Click Auto Update. Right click "NoAutoUpdate" from the right pane and then select Modify from the context menu. “Note” If "NoAutoUpdate" is not in the list of values, click Edit select New and select "DWORD (32-bit) Value." Name the value NoAutoUpdate and change the value to 0 and click "OK" to enable Windows Update. Restart the computer.

Just my two cents...

Lance1, thanks for your reply. I did as you instructed, the service is up and running on Automatic start, and I rebooted, but it doesn't work.

I am attaching the contents of the Auto Update key as well as the Update control display. The yellow banded message appears on all screens related to Update.

(Your advice is worth a lot more than two cents.)

You mentioned that your neighbour's PC is a second hand one. Did it come from the company that they worked at, or has been given to them by someone else. The reason I am asking is that in your screen shot the yellow band says that "Some settings are handled by your system administrator". If it was originally a company computer Updates may have been handled by the companies IT section.

The PC was sold by a bona fide rebuilder of second hand PC's, but who is no longer in business. I suspect that some friend of the owner tampered with the Windows update with some software. I couldn't get a straight answer, and I don't want to delve on the truth, because it's useless.

Megahertz07, thanks for the download links and the instructions. Yes, I can install MSU files. I tested it with a KB from my collection. I will post here tomorrow when I completed the update.

ineuw said:

Lance1, thanks for your reply. I did as you instructed, the service is up and running on Automatic start, and I rebooted, but it doesn't work.

I am attaching the contents of the Auto Update key as well as the Update control display. The yellow banded message appears on all screens related to Update.

(Your advice is worth a lot more than two cents.)

If you are still looking for help. In the screen shot in your Post #3, under "Who can install updates," try ticking the box that says "Allow all users to install updates on this computer."

Run this command (Start> Run dialog box) and post a screenshot:

%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{36eef7db-88ad-4e81-ad49-0e313f0c35f8}

ineuw said:

IWith the appearance of the new (possibly North Korean) ransomware, one of them asked to help him update his Windows 7 SP1 32bit Professional desktop, which turned out to be a secondhand HP with a valid Win 7 Pro license in which the Windows Update was completely disabled by some software.

From your screenshot:

Some settings are managed by your administrator is not the same as Windows Update was completely disabled by some software

See thread here and read through Posts#1, #8, #13, #14 and finally #16

Settings are managed by your administrator - PC was part of a Domain Solved - Windows 7 Help Forums