KB 2760411, KB 2760588 and KB 2760583 for Office 2007

[Aoxo]

Oh the Joy!

So couple days have passed now, and I've just been hitting "check for updates" now and then to see if anything looks different. Bingo. Today 3 of the 4 updates just vanished from the queue after checking for updates (not after installing them). These were the three Office 2007 updates in question. From what I can tell they were just pulled from update rather than replaced with something that works...so I would assume the security flaws still exist.

But wait there's more! The one windows security update that I also had trouble with was still in the list of available updates. I decided to take NoelDB's recommendation and start with the System Update Readiness Tool. This isn't the first time I've had to use this tool mind you. About 6 months ago I added a SSD to my system and did a fresh install. Even after having JUST installed windows, windows update starting having problems and refusing to work...so after some searching I found "SURT" and used it and in that case it fixed the problem. Today however it did not.

I ran SURT, when it was complete I installed the windows security update from windows update. As is has for days now, it installed successfully and still immediately told me the same update was available. I decided to reboot and see if the combination of using SURT, updating, then rebooting would help anything.

LOGIN PROCESS INITIALIZATION FAILURE!

Cool...Now my system won't boot all the way into windows. I tried safe mode and received the exact same error. The error message suggests checking the event viewer for details. That would probably be a great place to start except for the fact that I can't login to windows at all and therefore can't run event viewer. MScrewed!

I pulled out my trusty (hah...trusty) Windows 7 DVD, booted from it, chose "Repair" and used a system restore point to revert back to the point prior to using SURT. Thankfully this process worked and I can boot and login again. However I'm back to square one with the update still there and unwilling to install, except now I have great fear and disrespect for "System Update Readiness Tool" (SURT). Still, thank you for the advice NoelDB, I mean no disrespect to you for referring to that thread that suggests SURT and SFC. As I said, I've used it before with great success...but this time it was the opposite experience.

Do not run this program on your system without first making sure the System Restore is enabled, backing up your files, maybe make complete recovery image...or hey...just don't use it. I didn't fix the update problem, it only cause my system to be unusable and stressed me out for a couple hours.

If I wanted to worry about dodgy updates breaking my OS...I could just use linux. Honestly Kubuntu has been more hassle free than windows 7. This puts me just a bit closer to the idea of running linux as a host OS and running windows 7 as a virtual machine instead of the other way around.

 

[Dragor1]

I just updated and the updates installed perfectly fine. None of the updates were re-offered.

 

[Aoxo]

I'm jealous. I looked at the CBS.log and it's a mess of errors. Oddly, however, I have had no symptoms of problems other than the recent issue with updating. I've run check disk, virus scanned, bootkit scanned...nothing seems amiss. Running SFC or SURT however seems to indicate a complete meltdown on the horizon.

It seems like I just happened to have two distinctly different problems that appear to be related, one of which was the office update problem the OP mentions, which has been resolved by MS.

I'm considering attempt at "repair". It's been quite a long time since I've tried reinstalling windows without a reformat, but I'm hoping that Windows is better at it now. Having just set this all up a few months ago, I'm not really excited about the prospect of a clean install quite yet. I read a guide to repairing windows on sevenforums.com, and it doesn't really mention any particular downsides I should worry about.

 

[Dragor1]

I'm jealous. I looked at the CBS.log and it's a mess of errors. Oddly, however, I have had no symptoms of problems other than the recent issue with updating. I've run check disk, virus scanned, bootkit scanned...nothing seems amiss. Running SFC or SURT however seems to indicate a complete meltdown on the horizon.

It seems like I just happened to have two distinctly different problems that appear to be related, one of which was the office update problem the OP mentions, which has been resolved by MS.

I'm considering attempt at "repair". It's been quite a long time since I've tried reinstalling windows without a reformat, but I'm hoping that Windows is better at it now. Having just set this all up a few months ago, I'm not really excited about the prospect of a clean install quite yet. I read a guide to repairing windows on sevenforums.com, and it doesn't really mention any particular downsides I should worry about.

Hi Aoxo, I would like to add that before this "fix" I had manually uninstalled the affected updates from Control Panel > Programs and Features > View Installed Updates.

Then I did a reboot, and then went ahead and updated the system.

You might want to try it out that way.

 

[Aoxo]

When I first discovered this problem with the 4 updates, I noticed the following:

• All 4 updates claimed to have installed successfully.
• Under "Installed Updates", the 3 Office updates were listed and the 1 Windows update was not.
• All 4 updates were immediately recommended again by windows update.

So if I try to find the one remaining update to remove it prior to reinstalling, it doesn't exist.

Sadly the problem now isn't even trying to get that update to install...The problem now has become the question of why running System Update Readiness Tool (SURT) causes my login process to fail, which is probably related to the fact that System File Checker (SFC) has found some sort of chaos deep in the bowls of my OS. It must be deep because windows update issues is the first symptom I've noticed. In all other respects my system seems quite stable.

Since SFC finds problems it can't fix, and SURT causes more problems than it fixes, my only question now is if repair will be sufficient to resolve whatever the problem is or if I need to reformat. And of course the greater question of what all caused this in the first place would be nice to have answered, but I might just settle for finding out if it will happen again...the hard way.

 

[Dragor1]

Hi Aoxo,
IMHO, there is no need to get upset about updates not getting installed as long as your system works flawlessly.

If Windows Update keeps bugging you, just hide them. As for the Office updates, just install the next Service Pack and you should get them.

I would say ditto for Windows, but really don't know if SP2 is gonna come for Windows 7.

I really would not recommend repair just for that. In fact I think if you badly want the updates, you could download them manually and install them one by one with reboots in between, just to be safe.

 

[Aoxo]

Yeah...the more I continue to use my system and ignore the problem, the more I think the problem really is just limited to Windows Update. As for the cause, I have no idea, but I don't have any reason to blame SSD data corruption or anything. I found a thread from MS that describes 10-12 possible ways to fix problems with windows update, which really indicates that problems like this are common, and solutions aren't as much. Each solution seems to carry it's own side effects or drawbacks, and given that I had such a terrible experience with SFC, each one has the potential to make things worse. So I need to sit down and try to guess which procedure is best to attempt first, which has the best chance of success and the least chance of making things worse.

How convoluted can their update system really be? How many complicated files and components does it really take to go online and look for an update? Very and alot it seems.

 

[NoelDP]

There are NO plans for an further Service Packs of any Windows, so far as I am aware - in future, Windows 'upgrades' are likely to be an annual event through WU, and those who don't participate, will end up having to purchase a new license.
MS has moved the whole paradigm for servicing to a new level of being.

Windows 8.1 is the first evidence of this - although it is in reality little more than a Service Pack, it is being sold as if it's a new OS.