Windows Update is broken for some Windows 7 users

[mitchell65]

Laurie. The problem seemed to have started on the 3 Dec 2017 & is caused by an expiring MS AuthCab date.

To repair the situation, untick the Auto Time setting Function, in Time & Date, then reset the date to before 3 Dec 2017. Reboot the computer. Run Windows Update & it may update if there any not included before 3 Dec. When it has finished Updating, reset the Auto Time function & reset the date to today. Reboot the computer & re run Windows Update, which should now work & install Updates to the current time.

This is what I did on mine this Morning & Windows Update is working properly again & I have not lost my Update history.

Me to! Just finished the updates. Thanks Ranger4

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Curse MS! I would be surprised if this wasn't another ploy to force people to move on from Win 7. I'm not going to bother with the reset date nonsense and just wait for MS to get their collective heads back into the sunlight and fix it.

 

[Layback Bear]

Just my 3 very slow brain cells working.

How can Microsoft fix the problem on one's computer, if one's can't download the KB to fix the problem?

The reason I ask.
One of my computers was fixed without me doing anything.
The other computer I needed to do the 'change the time thing' and that worked.

I'm so easily confused.

Jack

 

[Ranger4]

Curse MS! I would be surprised if this wasn't another ploy to force people to move on from Win 7. I'm not going to bother with the reset date nonsense and just wait for MS to get their collective heads back into the sunlight and fix it.

Lady F. I don't think this will repair unless you take some action. The problem is that the Authcab has expired. This is the authority that MS supply to each activated Windows 7 user so access is granted for Updating. The one on the computers that are having this issue expired on 3 Dec 2017, so the latest one is required to allow access to the Updating facility again.

This AuthCab gets checked when the computer starts up & goes through the start up loading procedure so is out of the users control. So if you don't take some action to repair it it will keep referring to the old AuthCab. I may be wrong on this but that's my suspicion.

If you wish to fix it, the suggestion I have posted does work & it keeps the Update History intact.

 

[Brds7t7]

Ranger4, what's your theory on why it's only affected some users and not others? Because I'm baffled as to why it hasn't affected any of mine. Could it be related to rollups or a regional issue perhaps?

I'm clutching at straws here, but I just can't work out why it's not affecting everybody. If it's to do with an update pushed out, then why isn't it affecting all users? Very strange!

Anyone who just installs the Security-only updates having this issue too?

Will definitely refer to your solution if it does happen in future though.

 

[torchwood]

Hi All

My Authcab is empty, so presumably only expired certificates appear there, and its used as a check
(note remember NO update problems for me)

wonder if they can use the Root directory to repair it
(HeHe just like the Apple security flaw, thats just been in the news)


Roy

 

[Ranger4]

Ranger4, what's your theory on why it's only affected some users and not others? Because I'm baffled as to why it hasn't affected any of mine. Could it be related to rollups or a regional issue perhaps?

I'm clutching at straws here, but I just can't work out why it's not affecting everybody. If it's to do with an update pushed out, then why isn't it affecting all users? Very strange!

Anyone who just installs the Security-only updates having this issue too?

Will definitely refer to your solution if it does happen in future though.

I really don't know, but perhaps it depends on your installation date, which could mean the AuthCab authorisation uses different expiry dates. Or perhaps certain activation codes get allocated certain dates, so they don't all expire at the one time. While this is a problem for some users, you can imagine the catastrophe it would be if every computer expired at the one time, there would be possibly billions of Windows 7 users screaming from around the world.

I do think this problem was caused by someone not doing their job properly & making sure the AuthCab expiry did not expire for valid users.

 

[Wixi]

Laurie. The problem seemed to have started on the 3 Dec 2017 & is caused by an expiring MS AuthCab date.

To repair the situation, untick the Auto Time setting Function, in Time & Date, then reset the date to before 3 Dec 2017. Reboot the computer. Run Windows Update & it may update if there any not included before 3 Dec. When it has finished Updating, reset the Auto Time function & reset the date to today. Reboot the computer & re run Windows Update, which should now work & install Updates to the current time.

This is what I did on mine this Morning & Windows Update is working properly again & I have not lost my Update history.

Just tried this and now Windows Update is running again. Thank you so much!

 

[Ranger4]

You are welcome & thank you.

 

[MTS52]

Just thought I would post this in case it helps anyone with this update problem.
I ran the Update Readiness Tool which ran without error so was probably overkill.
Then all I did was set Windows to never check for updates.
After doing this it then showed the check for updates which I did.
It checked them fine and then I reset it to Check for updates but let me decide when to install them.
All fixed.

 

[LaurieD227]

UPDATE:

When I reset to December 1 and re-ran Windows update, it worked.
When I then re-set to auto sync, and did a date update so I was set back to today, I re-ran Windows update. It worked again. All my history is there.

Hooray!!

Thanks, Ranger4!!! You rock!

 

[Ranger4]

Thanks Laurie & you are welcome. Glad to hear it's now fixed.

It seems that it depends on exactly when that damned AuthCab actually expired.

 

[salado111]

Hi! (newbie here) the fix worked for me.... so far. I'm wondering up in torchwood's post no. #5 should we remove kb4051034 ??

thx, for any comments... regards

 

[Brds7t7]

Looks like I spoke too soon! As it did happen on one of my systems today. I got the "Windows Update service can't run" error.

Ranger4, your fix did work for me too. All seems okay now.

 

[Ranger4]

Hi! (newbie here) the fix worked for me.... so far. I'm wondering up in torchwood's post no. #5 should we remove kb4051034 ??

thx, for any comments... regards

I think it would be best to leave it alone. It was not KB4051034 that caused this problem, it was the expiry of an AuthCab, that gives authorisation for the computer to access MS for updates. If that expires then Windows Updates wont work which is what happened in this case.

 

[salado111]

I think it would be best to leave it alone. It was not KB4051034 that caused this problem, it was the expiry of an AuthCab, that gives authorisation for the computer to access MS for updates. If that expires then Windows Updates wont work which is what happened in this case.

thx. Ranger4, I thought the same but, after I typed my post. regards..

 

[LaurieD227]

FYI -

After reading that this Windows Update problem was affecting some machines and not others, I thought maybe it was a 64-bit versus 32-bit issue. So I checked my 32-bit Dell laptop - and it had the problem also. So much for my theory.

The good news is that I did the 'date change' fix (turn off date sync, roll back to 12/1, reboot, run Update; then turn on date sync, reboot, update date to today, rerun Update). It fixed the issue on my 32-bit machine.

I will go back and double-check that the fix stayed fixed on both machines. (If the problem recurs, I'll post the update here.)

 

[facedown]

To repair the situation, untick the Auto Time setting Function, in Time & Date, then reset the date to before 3 Dec 2017. Reboot the computer. Run Windows Update & it may update if there any not included before 3 Dec. When it has finished Updating, reset the Auto Time function & reset the date to today. Reboot the computer & re run Windows Update, which should now work & install Updates to the current time.

Worked like a charm. Thanks!

 

[mjf]

To repair the situation, untick the Auto Time setting Function, in Time & Date, .....

Where is the Auto Time setting function box?

 

[facedown]

Where is the Auto Time setting function box?

I didn't see any check box on mine so I just changed to date in date/time to Dec 1, reboot, ran update, changed the time back to current, reboot and all was well.