Troubleshooters, Essentials, Update, Defender not working

[bhubhu]

Good People

- I've just made a clean install of Win7 Professional (to be clear - registered and 100% Genuine; MSDN AA/DreamSpark Premium program at my University).
- Few programs already installed (I could probably make a precise list)
- Drivers installed from the DVD attached to my Asus (but manually, due to ASSETUP.exe not supporting my OS)

The problem is that some Microsoft features/programs/whatever won't work. From my preliminary recognition these are:
- Troubleshooters - "an error occurred while troubleshooting: a problem is preventing the troubleshooter from starting" (no matter what I'm troubleshooting)
- Windows Essentials - won't install - I've tried only Photo Gallery and Movie Maker. The installation starts, but after a while it says that it can't be installed
- Windows Update - "Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because service is not running. You may need to restart your computer" (but I've done that several times, I've also checked in Services - status says "Started" and restarting it doesn't help)
- Windows Defender - it won't start neither through Control Panel>Windows Defender nor through Services
- I've also find out, that my clock won't synchronize with time.windows.com (I've checked it about 10 times in 10 different moments and only once it synchronized succesfully, every other time it's "an error occurred..."

I thought it was ZoneAlarm's fault (list of blocked programs transferred from another computer) so I've uninstalled it and installed Comodo instead (firewall - Safe Mode; HIPS - disabled; Auto-sandbox - Untrusted; antivirus - Stateful). Nothing has changed.

Pleas help! I've been looking for answer for days and found nothing.

 

[archer]

Hi bhubhu (Nice user name ), Welcome to Sevenforums.

Do you have Intel Rapid storage technology software installed on your laptop? If yes, did you install new hard disk in your system? Try to update the drivers from Intel website.

Regarding update issue.


Click Start
Type: cmd
Right click on cmd in start menu and select 'Run as Administrator'
Type: net stop wuauserv
Hit Enter
Type: ren c:\windows\SoftwareDistribution softwaredistribution.old
Hit Enter
Type: net start wuauserv
Hit Enter
Type: exit
Hit Enter

Attempt to download updates

 

[Pauly]

As above i would start with trying to correct windows update issues as the others may fall in line when this is done

 

[Ztruker]

Make sure the date and time are set correctly. This plays havoc with Update if not.

 

[bhubhu]

First of all, I'm not really an advanced user so please be patient. On the other hand I try hard to check on my own everything I don't understand before I ask too many dumb questions so I've established (correct me if I'm wrong) that Intel RST is kind of better, more recent version of Intel Matrix Storage Technology which I have installed on my notebook. Should I install the first one instead of it? Also I haven't played with hardware at all, so it is as Asus created it (no HDD changes).

As to the renaming command the outcome is: "A duplicate file name exists, or the file cannot be found." I checked, and I have both of these folders (SoftwareDistribution and SoftwareDistribution.old) in Windows directory.

By the way: probably all of my drivers are out of date - they were installed from DVD attached to my computer (which is, I believe, 3 or 4 years old).

Any further advice?

PS. I'm happy you liked my user name.

 

[archer]

You have to update the drivers. If you have latest RST, you can use that one. So, you reinstalled Windows in past?

As you have 2 files with same name (.old one is from previous version of Windows)

 

[Layback Bear]

Please read post #4 by Ztruker and give a response.

 

[bhubhu]

I'm not sure if I know what Ztrucker means. When I check in Date and Time > Internet Time it says that it has synchronized 2 minutes ago. But when I click on Change Settings and then Update now, it says that it wasn't able to do it.

Archer: yes, it's not my first reinstallation of Windows on this laptop.

As to the rest of the discussion - due to current lack of time I won't be able to take care of my laptop now. I'll come back here for a week or two. I hope you'll still be here.

 

[Ztruker]

All I meant was look at the date and time and see if it's correct.

 

[gregrocker]

I would start over and this time follow the steps to get a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

In particular this time pay attention to how drivers are handled in the first driver-complete OS, which is not like XP.

During installation delete all partitions, create and format New as desired, using the tools shown in steps 7 and 8 of Clean Install Windows 7

 

[bhubhu]

I've tried to post a reply but for some reason it became Threadstarter, so I've deleted it and now I can't post it again, because Sevenforums says that it's a copy of another post... etc. I'm trying to past it below. Here it is:

I really don't wont to do this until I'll run out of ideas. But I've just remembered something: during previous reinstallation I've change User directory location - moved it to second partition using Sysprep. Could that be a reason of my problems? I don't remember having any troubles back then, when User directory was on partition without OS.

But I've just read this:

Don't move your Windows user profiles folder to another drive | ZDNet

...and I start to wonder.

 

[bhubhu]

Sorry. I don't know how it all works on this forum. Hence the problems with posting reply. I feel stupid now that I've understood my mistake.

 

[gregrocker]

Try moving the User profile back to C using Method Two here: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html

If you have a space issue you can first copy the data out of some or all User folders (Documents, Pictures, Desktop, etc) to the data drive. Later you can set up a second set of data folders on the data drive and either move the active User folders to them or link them to their related http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/585-library-include-folder.html setting that data folder to be the default save location: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/595-library-set-save-folder.html.

The common issue which requires linking to Libraries instead of moving User folders is if you want to use Win7 backup imaging, which will force you to include the data drive User folders in a backup image. If you don't use it then you can move the User folders without issue that we've seen.

Let us know how this goes.

 

[bhubhu]

I meant that I've moved it to second partition during former installation, not the latest one. Then I've reinstalled Windows again without using sysprep (so User directory is currently on system partition again). I just wonder if it might have left some traces on my computer that are now preventing Windows Update from running properly.

Pardon my English. I'm not native speaker.

 

[gregrocker]

Did you correctly delete all partitions during the reinstall?

Have you looked over the steps which compile everything to consider to get and keep a perfect install, to see how close you came with your reinstall? If not then I'd do it over, and this time delete all partitions during the booted http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html#post1839164

 

[bhubhu]

It was my dad who performed the latest reinstallation. And he doesn't remember how he did it. So I guess he must have made some mistake. I'll probably do it once more then.

One more question: would I be able to use same registration key? Because Microsoft gives me only one registration key for each software they offer under the terms of MSDN AA program I've mentioned above. In other words: can I reinstall my Windows 7 for free?

 

[andrew129260]

Yup, just put the same key in again. Its the same pc so you will be fine. I would wait to activate though until you get everything sorted out. You can choose to activate later.

Follow the tutorial Gregrocker gave you. Read it carefully and ask questions on any steps you do not understand.

 

[bhubhu]

Thanks. I'll do that. Not in the next few days though. I'm constantly out of time.

PS. Andrew: why not activate at once?

 

[andrew129260]

Thanks. I'll do that. Not in the next few days though. I'm constantly out of time.

PS. Andrew: why not activate at once?

Ok no problem, take your time.

So that if you need to reinstall again you don't keep pinging Microsoft with your key. I personally never activate until I have everything the way I like it. But its your choice. Just saying what I would do.

Windows auto activates after putting in the key after 3 or so days anyways.