Solved Error 800f0902 with 4 security patches

My system is Windows 7 pro 32-bit with SP1. Recently I installed it as an in-place upgrade from a fully patched Vista. On Win7, I received a bunch of Windows updates. About 135 installed successfully (25 of them first failed with error 800f0902, but then were available a second time and succeeded, too).

However, 4 security patches failed and became no more available since then:
04/11/2011 kb2510531
06/13/2011 kb2503665
12/10/2012 kb2758857
10/07/2013 kb2855844
None of these is listed in appwiz.cpl > installed updates.

What I tried, to no avail:
1. stand-alone versions of the 4 failed patches:
error message “The update is not applicable to your computer”.
2. clean boot before installing msu versions: no difference
3. uninstall concerned patches from appwiz.cpl > updates: not listed
4. sfc /scannow: no violations.
5. Microsoft Fixit.wu.LB.33312886965244001.2.1.Run.exe (kb971058)
6. WU reset (deletion of folder SoftwareDistribution)
7. SURT kb947821
On the other hand: More recent updates of this year's patchday did install like a charm.

In the registry I see about 300 entries containing the failed kb numbers. My vague guess is, they might contain traces of these updates under the preceding Vista installation. Maybe that's why their stand-alone versions fail?? No matter, I am at my wit's end now.

This problem appears sometimes to be related to incomplete installs of IE - Have you opened IE at all since updating it? Please do so, then close it and try the updates again.

Please post the CBS.log, CheckSUR.log, and windowsupdate.log files.

Good idea to check IE, thanks! Alas, first usage and settings were already done before measures taken. Maybe as a further attempt I should uninstall IE down to version 8 ? Files attached as far as available.
Thanks a lot for dealing with this thorny stuff instead of climbing Mt. Snowdon.

Error 800f0902 is a transient error - it means that Trusted Installer is busy processing requests from another client, and cannot be interrupted. It should not cause any problems other than the need to retry. What happened in your case is that the 4 updates that failed, were replaced by newer updates, making the old updates "not applicable."

If you really want to install them (which means they will just be taking up space in winsxs, and will be subject to removal by "Windows Update cleanup"), you could expand the .msu using expand.exe from an elevated cmd prompt, and using dism /add-package on the .cab file that you extracted using expand.

MSU files are installed by wusa.exe, which first applies WU applicability logic, and if that says it is applicable it asks trustedinstaller if the package is applicable. If TrustedInstaller says it is applicable, then WU installs the package. If you use dism to install the internal cab file instead, you skip the WU applicability check, and dism tells TrustedInstaller to install it regardless of applicability.

Short answer though, is you don't need those updates.

(Sometimes I wish I could override the limits on the 'give rep' system - this is one of them!)

Thanks for coming in, Troy!

Troy6 said:

using dism /add-package on the .cab file that you extracted

Click to expand...

Troy, my highest appreciation for your very transparent explanation and your final all-clear.

I had already extracted the msu files (by KB_Extractor.exe from this forum), but no idea how to continue. Now I am glad to learn about dism and to catch up from my Vista horizon to the times of Win7 and 8 - for future incidents where it might make sense.

Relieved about my present case. Many thanks and kudos, again.