How do I backdate Windows Update client.

I am trying to avoid the issue where Windows Update hangs at downloading 0%. For me, clearly the latest version of the client is still hanging. None of the posted solutions seem to work for me. See my other post: Another thread about Windows Update stuck at Downloading 0%

I have been looking through the post about 'How to Remove Windows 10 Upgrade Updates. In one post Brds7t7 posts the list of updates to avoid (which I do, vigorously):

Windows 10 Update List

My Question: How do I install the older versions of the update client so I can test them on my system. What is the oldest version I can install before I am forced to update to the latest client by Windows Update?

Hi Doc,
The latest version of the WU agent is installed during the SP1 update.
and to stop W10 suggest you use this prog.
Download GWX Control Panel 1.7.4.1

Roy

torchwood said:

Hi Doc,
The latest version of the WU agent is installed during the SP1 update.
and to stop W10 suggest you use this prog. ...

My experience differs. There have been several updates to the WU agent since SP1 was released. See Brds7t7 post I reference above.

AddRAM said:

You are not forced to do anything by windows update, the decision to install any update is totally up to you.

I should clarify. When I run Windows Update after the SP1 update I am prompted to install the newest version of the Windows update client before the updates that were issued later can be installed. Maybe that isn't required, but that option is not obvious

I am having a problem where WU hangs for many hours and I'm trying to determine if it is related to a particular version of WU agent.

I think I've solved this question by using Brds7t7's list to uninstall the updates related to the agent.

Yes, thanks for the list. With this list I can treat them as ordinary updates. I have downloaded the standalone installers so I can uninstall and reinstall the version of my choice.

I'm doing this so I can try and determine if I can avoid the long delays checking for updates. So far, that doesn't seem possible.

MS seems to be changing things on their update servers faster than we can troubleshoot the problems.

The problem of the Windows Update screen not indicating that updates are being downloaded is probably a .NET issue. In most cases, the downloads are being downloaded. Leave the computer on overnight and you should get the updates that you selected.

The problem of the Windows Update screen searching for a list of available updates is probably nothing that we can fix on our end. You will get the list when the MS server has the time to give you the list. If you install a particular version of the WU client and then get that list within 10 minutes of starting the search - that does not mean that you founnd the magic version of the WU client, it just means that MS's update servers had the time to give you the list.

For a while, we were having luck asking forum members to install the latest version of the WU client. After doing so, users got the list of updates soon after starting the search. That has been hit and miss lately. Some forum members are reporting that they are back to seeing long search times - even though they have not changed the WU client from the version that "fixed" the long search times. This would suggest that MS changed the update servers again or installing a newer version of the WU client was never a fix... members just got lucky and they got the list because it was time.

I'm tending to agree that there's not much we can do at our end.

Although, on two systems, I went through a process where I uninstalled all the listed WUA updates back to SP1. Then using the standalone installers, installed all the WUA updates in order. Then reset the Windows update environment. If its just lucky timing, then I'm 2 for 2 because both system are now completing the check for updates in 2-3 minutes. Where as before, it was taking consistently North of 2 hours. Or MS is responding now to these systems.

I am now going to check a third system and see it is still taking a long time to check for updates. If the time is short, that would lead credence to fact that it's solely a MS server issue. Otherwise if it's still long, I'm going to go for 3 and do this process on the third system.