Solved Windows 7 update and error code: 80070003

[NoelDP]

It does seem to be mostly files from 3 versions of Visual Studio?
C:\Windows\Installer\$PatchCache$\Managed\0E8BA73496BF22242B086AF4D32E5219\8.0.50727
C:\Windows\Installer\$PatchCache$\Managed\0E8BA73496BF22242B086AF4D32E5219\8.0.50728
C:\Windows\Installer\$PatchCache$\Managed\4E1DAD7D4F54B2B398A9AE271876CEF4\9.0.21022
C:\Windows\Installer\$PatchCache$\Managed\6EA51B6D250BE3636BBB4C17C4AB5690\10.0.40219

I don't think there's anything amiss.

Since your error is a 'missing path' one, I suspect that it's the result of problems with the SoftwareDistribution folder -
please run the following command, and upload the new file ....

DIR C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution /S >%userprofile%\Desktop\SDfiles.txt

 

[CodeVisio]

Yes, I have many VSs installed, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012.

The SDFiles.txt is in attach.

EDIT: I don't know if this helps, but in the past (4/5 months ago) Windows7 shown me a problem with
the validity of licence. I didn't know where the problem was since this is a valid copy of it from MSDN subscription. After a while the issue disappeared.

 

[NoelDP]

The interesting folder here is
C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
note that all content is dated the same - that means that the folder must have been cleared at some point and rebuilt at that time. (this can happen if you ran a Fixit at some point in the past, but the rebuild was blocked by other errors)

We may finde the cause in the catroot2 folder.....

DIR C:\Windows\System32\Catroot2 /S >%userprofile%\Desktop\CR2files.txt

 

[CodeVisio]

Yesterday I had a problem with right bottom watch. It had a strange time.
I fixed it after I noticed it.

Thanks

 

[NoelDP]

That's certainly a little strange - there's an extra GUID folder (all zeroes) which I've never seen before.

I would suggest forcing a rebuild of the Catroot2 folder.


Please run the following commands in an Elevated Command Prompt
NET STOP CRYPTSVC
REN C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CATROOT2 CATROOT2OLD
NET START CRYPTSVC

wait 5 minutes (to allow the folder to rebuild) then reboot.

Note that this will delete your Update History - but all updates will remain installed, and can be viewed in the Installed Updates listing.

Please then run the following command - you should be able to copy/paste the results to your reply.

DIR C:\Windows\System32\Catroot2 /S

 

[CodeVisio]

Is that time, 5 minutes, a fixed amount or just an approximation?
After 10 minutes or more I'm still waiting for the creation of the catroot2 folder...

FYI: I've just noticed that catroot folder also has a zero GUID in it....

Let me know if I need to still waiting.

Thanks

UPDATE: after about 3 hours the catroot2 folder has been created, but it contains the zero GUID again.
Should I continue with your steps?

 

[NoelDP]

Yes please.

 

[CodeVisio]

Here it is

Volume in drive C is OS7
Volume Serial Number is 6C3D-8E2A

Directory of C:\Windows\System32\catroot2

11/18/2012 04:36 PM <DIR> .
11/18/2012 04:36 PM <DIR> ..
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 174,664 dberr.txt
11/18/2012 07:45 PM 8,192 edb.chk
11/18/2012 07:47 PM 65,536 edb.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb02394.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb02395.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb02396.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb02397.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb02398.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb02399.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb0239A.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb0239B.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb0239C.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb0239D.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb0239E.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb0239F.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb023A0.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb023A1.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb023A2.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb023A3.log
11/18/2012 04:36 PM 65,536 edb023A4.log
11/18/2012 03:33 PM 65,536 edbres00001.jrs
11/18/2012 03:33 PM 65,536 edbres00002.jrs
11/18/2012 03:33 PM <DIR> {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}
11/18/2012 03:33 PM <DIR> {127D0A1D-4EF2-11D1-8608-00C04FC295EE}
11/18/2012 03:33 PM <DIR> {F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}
22 File(s) 1,493,576 bytes

Directory of C:\Windows\System32\catroot2\{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}

11/18/2012 03:33 PM <DIR> .
11/18/2012 03:33 PM <DIR> ..
11/18/2012 07:47 PM 1,056,768 catdb
1 File(s) 1,056,768 bytes

Directory of C:\Windows\System32\catroot2\{127D0A1D-4EF2-11D1-8608-00C04FC295EE}

11/18/2012 03:33 PM <DIR> .
11/18/2012 03:33 PM <DIR> ..
11/18/2012 07:47 PM 1,056,768 catdb
1 File(s) 1,056,768 bytes

Directory of C:\Windows\System32\catroot2\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}

11/18/2012 03:33 PM <DIR> .
11/18/2012 03:33 PM <DIR> ..
11/18/2012 07:47 PM 148,971,520 catdb
1 File(s) 148,971,520 bytes

Total Files Listed:
25 File(s) 152,578,632 bytes
11 Dir(s) 92,231,831,552 bytes free

Thanks

 

[NoelDP]

I am very intrigued by that third GUID - but see if what we've done makes any difference to the Windows updates problem.

 

[CodeVisio]

I am very intrigued by that third GUID

Do you mean the GUID with all zeros?
I've just given a look at the system registry and I've discovered that there are lot of places with that GUID (shell, visual studios ecc).

but see if what we've done makes any difference to the Windows updates problem.

No difference, I got the same error.

 

[NoelDP]

The catroot2 folder looks healthier now than it did, anyhow.

A thought -
Please run the following commands and post the results......

REG QUERY HKU
WHOAMI /USER

 

[CodeVisio]

Here they are

C:\Windows\System32\catroot2>REG QUERY HKU

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-19
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-20
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1000
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1000_Classes
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018_Classes
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-18

C:\Windows\System32\catroot2>WHOAMI /USER

USER INFORMATION
----------------

User Name SID
========== ==============================================
eva\robbio S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1000

C:\Windows\System32\catroot2>

Is there something wrong?

The system has me and two other normal users.

thanks

 

[NoelDP]

There's only any sign of one other user?
The short GUIDs are for the NetworkService account, the System account, and the LocalService account.
Each user account has two GUIDs - the normal one, and the _Classes one.
You've obviously had a few other accounts on there - the other is #18!

 

[CodeVisio]

There's only any sign of one other user?
The short GUIDs are for the NetworkService account, the System account, and the LocalService account.
Each user account has two GUIDs - the normal one, and the _Classes one.
You've obviously had a few other accounts on there - the other is #18!

Sorry, I don't quite understand what you're saying.
Can you explain that better? and how that is involved in the WindowsUpdate.

thanks.

 

[NoelDP]

Sorry....
The HKU Key is a list of all User accounts installed on the machine.
'Well-known' SIDs S-1-5-18/19/20 belong to the standard machine accounts
the User SIDs are more complex, and involve semi-random strings.
The first User account created ends in 1000 - that number increments with each user created (to prevent duplication of accounts
Each User account also has a _Classes account dependent on it

SID vs. GUID
Well-known SIDs (Windows)

 

[CodeVisio]

Under control panel | user accounts there are four accounts:
- guest: is off.
- me: administrator.
- two normal users: time by time they access here and only here.

Now,
from the output of the command before there are only two User SIDs.
Instead, I'd have had (sorry, I don't know if the verb tense di correct) another two
items SIDs (normal + __Classes) in that list for the third user account.
- Am I right?
- Is there something wrong with user account configurations?
- Or, Is the system missing user accounts greater than -1000 and less than -1018?

Furthermore,
- Is the problem above involved in the WindowsUpdate process?
- Does WindowsUpdate feature need its own account?

Please explain.

Thank you very much.

 

[NoelDP]

From the end -
Windows Update doesn't need its own account (it does have its own SID though, I think).
User account corruption can cause problems in all sorts of unexpected places.
The terminal numbers in a User account SID are never re-used - a new (higher) one is created every time a new user is created.
The second one will end 1001
The third will end 1002
if the second is now deleted, then a fourth created, it will get 1003 (rather than 1001)

Testing on a VM here (in Vista, because I happen to have it open...)
Admin Account 1000 created 2 new accounts - one standard user and one Admin user
Booted to both to initialise them, then...
logged in to the Std user - I can only see the logged-in user 1002
logged in to the Admin user - I can only see the logged-in user in a normal CMD prompt or in an Elevated one.
logged into the original account, I can still only see the logged-in user.

So yes, there is something strange going on in your PC - I'm just not sure what.

Please log in to the other accounts if you can, and use WHOAMI /USER to find out what the account SID is.
Also run REG QUERY HKU to see whether the 1018 account is visible (or any other long SID)

It's always possible that this account is something created by one of your dev tools.

 

[CodeVisio]

OK, this is my report:

1000 <-- it's me
.......<--- ?
1004 <--- it's user1
.......<--- ?
1008 <--- it's user2
.......<--- ?
1018 <---?

So,
probably in the past I deleted one or two account(s) while creating the two users above, but no more than those.
I installed full VisualStudio packages in the past and each one comes with it's own user account for the ASP.NET web server, if I don't wrong remember. So another three user accounts for VS2005/2008/2010 (VS2012 is the expression edition for desktop dev.).
I saw three SQLServer installed on my PC and probably they come with their own user accounts.

But I'm not able to reach 19 SIDs...
I imagine there is no way to know, as administrator, all SIDs created over the time and which one is actual active, right?

Doubt: I remember there was a tool or a web tool from Microsoft through which I could test consistency on my PC. It tests all stuff and protections on your PC. Actually I don't remember the name. Is it still available and valid for Seven?


Any other idea?

Thanks, you have a coffee offered by me!

 

[NoelDP]

There is no tool that can possibly test all registry configurations - or software configurations.
You may be thinking of something like MBSA, which checks that all security updates are configured properly.

Please run the following commands and we'll see a little more....

REG QUERY HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018
REG QUERY HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\Environment

 

[CodeVisio]

here they are

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>
REG QUERY HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018

HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\AppEvents
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\Console
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\Control Panel
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\Environment
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\EUDC
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\Keyboard Layout
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\Network
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\Printers
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\Software
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\System

C:\Windows\system32>
REG QUERY HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\Environment

HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1408468914-2965767387-1660694563-1018\Environment
TEMP REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Temp
TMP REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Temp


C:\Windows\system32>

Thanks.