Windows update never stops checking for updates

OK, after a lot of testing, I can confirm that installing KB3020369 & KB3172605 will resolve the issue of the "forever updates" on my VMs. Once those KBs are installed, and I re-enable Windows Updates, I would see the list of needed updates in less than 15 minutes.

The inclusion of KB3125574 was a new one for me. I tested with and without it. Installing KB3125574 cuts the number of updates in half (from 78 important and 20 optional updates, to 36 important and 10 optional updates). The downloaded KB3125574 is some 476 MB in size, so I'm keeping it handy for the next old VM that I need to power up.

Thanks for the info you posted, ThrashZone. Much appreciated!

-Jim :)

I joined specifically because Im having this issue. Its like Microsoft is sabotaging all versions of Windows' Update so people will get fed up and install their spyware 10.

I have a Vista Pro, 7 Pro, 8.1 Pro and Home system that all sit there forever. Between this BS and 6GB of 10 or some of 10s spyware being installed on my 7 and 8 machines, Ive just had to completely disable Windows Update.

If Microsoft can back port telemetry and silently download 6GB of Windows Spyware 10 onto millions of computers youd think that Windows Update would work like it did for years before 10 was released.

Ive been using Windows since the early 90s and it was never this bad.

osxpert said:

KB3138612 did it for me as well. The problem was getting it installed because stuck searching for updates on this computer...
Double click on .msu uses wusa to install and wusa seems buggy. Disconnecting network cable is suggested workaround but I only had access via rdp. Then I found this blog post: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/...ithin-windows/
I followed the post, extracted the .msu into temp folder and invoked
DISM.exe /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:c:\temp\Windows6.1-KB3138612-x64.cab
Success! Installed in under a minute. After reboot, Windows Update found all updates in approx 10 minutes.
wusa is evil.

Big thank you to osxpert for this - it solved my problem. Extracting and using DISM on KB3138612 got Win Update running within minutes. (The 200+ updates took somewhat longer.)

Automata said:

I have a Vista Pro, 7 Pro, 8.1 Pro and Home system that all sit there forever. Between this BS and 6GB of 10 or some of 10s spyware being installed on my 7 and 8 machines, Ive just had to completely disable Windows Update.

I wouldn't suggest disabling it. On my main machines, everything has been working fine for years and years. I had trouble with machines that were VMs, and had been powered down for 15 and 17 months. It was the lack of regular updates that caused the issue. (And I can't fault Microsoft for not thoroughly testing scenarios where machines are left powered down for that long.)

As for the Win10 upgrade spam, I agree that it was over-the-top. (But, again, I understand why Microsoft chose to pursue that path.) Now that the free upgrade period has expired, I don't expect we'll be seeing a repeat any time soon.

In short, I wouldn't recommend that people turn off upgrades to avoid these two issues, as they are not likely to repeat. And it is very important to keep all 'net-connected machines updated with the latest security patches.

A final note on the Win10 upgrades & downloads: I highly recommend GWX Control Panel. It let's you disable the GWX upgrades, and it tells you if you have the Win10 downloads on your mahcine (and even offers to delete them for you). VERY cool tool.

JimBurd said:

Automata said:

I have a Vista Pro, 7 Pro, 8.1 Pro and Home system that all sit there forever. Between this BS and 6GB of 10 or some of 10s spyware being installed on my 7 and 8 machines, Ive just had to completely disable Windows Update.

I wouldn't suggest disabling it. On my main machines, everything has been working fine for years and years. I had trouble with machines that were VMs, and had been powered down for 15 and 17 months. It was the lack of regular updates that caused the issue. (And I can't fault Microsoft for not thoroughly testing scenarios where machines are left powered down for that long.)

As for the Win10 upgrade spam, I agree that it was over-the-top. (But, again, I understand why Microsoft chose to pursue that path.) Now that the free upgrade period has expired, I don't expect we'll be seeing a repeat any time soon.

In short, I wouldn't recommend that people turn off upgrades to avoid these two issues, as they are not likely to repeat. And it is very important to keep all 'net-connected machines updated with the latest security patches.

A final note on the Win10 upgrades & downloads: I highly recommend GWX Control Panel. It let's you disable the GWX upgrades, and it tells you if you have the Win10 downloads on your mahcine (and even offers to delete them for you). VERY cool tool.

I selectively disabled all of the GWX BS myself and have written guides on how to do it before. I would never install a third party tool to "control" aspects of my operating system, which is also why I refuse to use the garbage that is Windows 10.

Disabling Windows Update is usually a bad idea in terms of security but Windows Update is behaving like malware itself.

My 8.1 Pro is fully updated up to this month and the machine is only a couple months old. The behavior is the same as on my 8.1 Home, 7 Pro and Vista machines. It just sits there forever checking, using a bunch of CPU and doing nothing.

I shouldn't need to hack my own computer to fix the sabotaged update system or download third party tools to block Windows 10 malware trying to install itself.

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
If the windows update service was already searching for updates it would stall a stand alone installer.
Best to go to services and stop the windows update service before attempting to manually install an update.

As far as I know KB3020369 & KB3172605 are the only required updates to shack the update system back to normal
A clean install do these three manually
KB3020369 & KB3172605 & KB3125574 from the catalog
Microsoft Update Catalog

I have all three updates needed on my OneDrive too if you can't or don't want to deal with the catalog
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AsjD7o6P3KLKj2TjShn8-SumV1rr

So the KB3020369 wouldn't install because the service was running?

OK, after a lot of testing, I can confirm that installing KB3020369 & KB3172605 will resolve the issue of the "forever updates" on my VMs. Once those KBs are installed, and I re-enable Windows Updates, I would see the list of needed updates in less than 15 minutes.

The inclusion of KB3125574 was a new one for me. I tested with and without it. Installing KB3125574 cuts the number of updates in half (from 78 important and 20 optional updates, to 36 important and 10 optional updates). The downloaded KB3125574 is some 476 MB in size, so I'm keeping it handy for the next old VM that I need to power up.

Thanks for the info you posted, ThrashZone. Much appreciated!

-Jim :)

Jim you are spot on there thank you so much. After dropping my laptop and destroying the harddrive I have had it replaced and spent 3 days re installing and setting it back up. I have been unable to get windows update to work at all. I have used WSUS and google over and over, installing the 470mb windows patch also but it just kept hanging and hanging.
After confirming I had one of the top two listed and then finally installing KB3172605 it found the updates in 5 minutes.

Im currently awaiting a call back tomorrow from Microsoft tech support, wont need that call now!

Thank you all

Liam