Solved Stuck forever on Checking for updates...

Like many other users, I'm currently experiencing the issue of Windows Update being stuck while in the Checking for updates phase. I last successfully installed updates thanks to a third party tool that does such things, although I would like to get Windows Updates working again. I do have SP1 installed.

I've tried many different versions of the Windows Update Reset dance (deleting SoftwareDistribution, catroot2), I've tried running the System Update Readiness Tool, I've tried running SFC (which only finds d3d9 libraries as corrupt, makes sense because Virtualbox overwrites them). I've also tried running Tweaking.com's Windows Repair tool, the official MS Windows Update repair tool, and the .NET Repair tool, because why not. No luck anywhere.

Since the update process gets hung up while Checking for updates, there do not appear to be any error codes to report. I've tried searching the System event log and the WindowsUpdate log without any success. svchost.exe will consume a full thread's worth of processing time (100%) which indicates to me that the update search has stopped.

The last line in the WindowsUpdate.log file to be found before the update search stops is this:


Please see the attached WindowsUpdate.log file for a full view of the update process, from when I start the wuauserv service, to when I eventually kill it. Stopping the service apparently causes it to issue an 0x8024000B error. Please also find attached my CBS log folder as requested in the posting guidelines.

Thank you!

Hi and Welcome.

I have found lately, with Windows 7 on multiple systems, that I needed to let it search for updates over night. I would then get a large number to install and after that, Update seemed to return to a somewhat normal response. The downloading also takes a long time to even start. This is obviously not an ideal situation and I really don't know what has caused this. Good luck.

Hi pbcopter, thank you for the welcome.

I've let the update scan run for several hours at a time before, without success. I could understand it if I had many (hundreds) of updates potentially waiting, but I don't see how that's possible since I did the third party update at the beginning of March. I'm sure there must be a solution... If only it wasn't so blasted hard to troubleshoot.

hi I had the same issue, this resolved it for me:

http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-updates-activation/394765-win-7-update-wont-work.html

alyraver said:

hi I had the same issue, this resolved it for me:

http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-updates-activation/394765-win-7-update-wont-work.html

Click to expand...

Hi alyraver,

It looks like you meant to link to this? http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-updates-activation/394671-update-not-updating.html I do have .Net 4.6.1 installed (not sure how that would affect Windows Update either way though), I did try manually updating the client before without success, those services are running, and of course I've tried just waiting too.

Thank you for the suggestions!

I just updated two Windows 7 computers by doing the following:

Ran Windows update for about an hour. No results. I do not know if the time here is important or not, I just got busy doing something else.
Went to Services and, with the Windows Update window open, restarted Windows Update Service (just clicked on restart).
The update window now contained 21 pending updates.
Clicked on Install and took about 45 minutes before the updates began downloading.
Updates installed normally.

Checked for updates again and came back with one more important update in a reasonable amount of time.

Not ideal but what can I say. I don't know why Windows Update is acting the way it is lately.

pbcopter said:

I just updated two Windows 7 computers by doing the following:

Ran Windows update for about an hour. No results. I do not know if the time here is important or not, I just got busy doing something else.
Went to Services and, with the Windows Update window open, restarted Windows Update Service (just clicked on restart).
The update window now contained 21 pending updates.
Clicked on Install and took about 45 minutes before the updates began downloading.
Updates installed normally.

Checked for updates again and came back with one more important update in a reasonable amount of time.

Not ideal but what can I say. I don't know why Windows Update is acting the way it is lately.

Click to expand...

Hi again pbcopter,

Yup, I've been starting and stopping wuauserv lots of times. I have the console commands memorized at this point (net stop wuauserv, net start wuauserv). No good.

Try just restarting it in the Services GUI while Windows Update is searching for updates.

Hi,
Turn off or change the windows update settings to Never check for updates.
Save kb3145739 to your downloads folder to install later after you restart the machine
https://technet.microsoft.com/librar...or=-2147217396

If you get an error installing kb3145739 it's because the new update settings changes did not stick.
The stand alone installer search was lightening fast and finally installed the above kb314....

After installing it restart again
Switch to Check for update but let me ..... then manually check for updates
It took about 5 minute to find the rest of the updates for April plus all of the net 4.5.2 updates
There's no real reason this should work
I can see it as a net 4.6.1 bug on 32 bit in my case though and removing and installing Net 4.5.2 actually worked.

But the issue did not affect 2 64 bit installs with net 4.6.1 matter of fact neither had any issue finding the updates on startup or soon after without manually checking for updates

One other note is the 32 bit system has always shown 50%++ cpu usage from our friend svchost.exe and now it's back to normal without turning off windows updates

pbcopter said:

Try just restarting it in the Services GUI while Windows Update is searching for updates.

Click to expand...

No difference unfortunately

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
Turn off or change the windows update settings to Never check for updates.
Save kb3145739 to your downloads folder to install later after you restart the machine
https://technet.microsoft.com/librar...or=-2147217396

If you get an error installing kb3145739 it's because the new update settings changes did not stick.
The stand alone installer search was lightening fast and finally installed the above kb314....

After installing it restart again
Switch to Check for update but let me ..... then manually check for updates
It took about 5 minute to find the rest of the updates for April plus all of the net 4.5.2 updates

There's no real reason this should work
I can see it as a net 4.6.1 bug on 32 bit in my case though and removing and installing Net 4.5.2 actually worked.

But the issue did not affect 2 64 bit installs with net 4.6.1 matter of fact neither had any issue finding the updates on startup or soon after without manually checking for updates

One other note is the 32 bit system has always shown 50%++ cpu usage from our friend svchost.exe and now it's back to normal without turning off windows updates

Click to expand...

I'm assuming this is what you're referring to? Following your instructions, I did the following:

- I set Windows Update to never automatically check for or install updates
- I downloaded the KB3145739 update and installed it successfully
- I restarted when prompted to do so
- I changed the Windows Update setting back to automatically check

I'm commencing a manual check now. And approximately 20 minutes later, I have updates! What the heck! So installing a random security update fixed this issue that's been causing me problems for months? I'd like to hear from Microsoft how that could be possible. Thank you!

Hi,
Yep well it was one of the Critical updates for April not just a random one,
Still not exactly sure why it works
Not at all sure why net 4.6.1 caused it to not work on a 32 bit machine either which was fine and working well through March's updates although it still had the weird high svchost.exe issue then and not anymore :/

I'm sure next month will be just as interesting

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
Turn off or change the windows update settings to Never check for updates.
Save kb3145739 to your downloads folder to install later after you restart the machine
https://technet.microsoft.com/librar...or=-2147217396

If you get an error installing kb3145739 it's because the new update settings changes did not stick.
The stand alone installer search was lightening fast and finally installed the above kb314....

After installing it restart again
Switch to Check for update but let me ..... then manually check for updates
It took about 5 minute to find the rest of the updates for April plus all of the net 4.5.2 updates

There's no real reason this should work
I can see it as a net 4.6.1 bug on 32 bit in my case though and removing and installing Net 4.5.2 actually worked.

But the issue did not affect 2 64 bit installs with net 4.6.1 matter of fact neither had any issue finding the updates on startup or soon after without manually checking for updates

One other note is the 32 bit system has always shown 50%++ cpu usage from our friend svchost.exe and now it's back to normal without turning off windows updates

Click to expand...

I don't know how the heck you came up with this but this worked on two 64 bit machines for me. I've been having trouble for months with WU. Never ending checks and installs.

Thank you.

Hi,
So neither of you guys had to remove Net 4.6.1 ?

A lot of reading and testing I had the issue ++svchost eating away at my cpu
http://www.sevenforums.com/news/394...windows-7-update-slowdowns-3.html#post3240107

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
So neither of you guys had to remove Net 4.6.1 ?

A lot of reading and testing I had the issue ++svchost eating away at my cpu
http://www.sevenforums.com/news/394...windows-7-update-slowdowns-3.html#post3240107

Click to expand...

I didn't remove Net 4.6.1.

I checked this morning on both machines -- I forced multiple checks through the MSE, GUI and I forced multiple checks for WU (it's set to auto check, notify, no download). MSE downloaded a def. update within a minute or so, or reported none were available, and WU reported what was available (optionals and unchecked security) within a few minutes.
----------------
In past months and yesterday prior to using the 'fix' that you posted, both MSE and WU when asked by user to update --

MSE would mostly, eventually update after many minutes. As part of troubleshooting, I'd immediately try to update again and MSE would go on a never ending update check.

WU would go into 'forever' (hours) check mode. When the notification for availables finally came, often I had a 'forever' wait for download and install. (That was the case yesterday.) Success for notifications, and downloads and installs, had no consistent pattern. Toggle WUS, a couple of attempts at different WU fixes (downloads) from MSFT, etc..

Hi,
Probably a net 4.6.1 bug
I dumped MSE and use Panda free mostly because of the flaky windows update system
FREE and lightweight antivirus - Panda Security

Woody posted this today to cure the never ending update check. It includes KB3145739 --

.....
It was poster EP on ********(dot)com who nailed the magic incantation:
Install a COMBINATION of the following updates on Win7 SP1 -- KB3138612 AND KB3145739. I found out that patching KB3145739 alone without patching the WU Client for Win7 SP1 is not enough.
....

Click to expand...

Here's how to significantly speed up Windows 7 scans for updates | InfoWorld

tgp1994 said:

alyraver said:

hi I had the same issue, this resolved it for me:

http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-updates-activation/394765-win-7-update-wont-work.html

Click to expand...

Hi alyraver,

It looks like you meant to link to this? http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-updates-activation/394671-update-not-updating.html I do have .Net 4.6.1 installed (not sure how that would affect Windows Update either way though), I did try manually updating the client before without success, those services are running, and of course I've tried just waiting too.

Thank you for the suggestions!

Click to expand...

Didnt work for me, 7 just found something else to spend the evening 'looking for', , , ,

-c-

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
So neither of you guys had to remove Net 4.6.1 ?

A lot of reading and testing I had the issue ++svchost eating away at my cpu
http://www.sevenforums.com/news/394...windows-7-update-slowdowns-3.html#post3240107

Click to expand...

Yup, 4.6.1 is still there as far as I know. I think I stopped short of reinstalling it with the .NET repair tool, too.

Hi,
4.6.1 was not an issue on both my 64 bit machine just the 32 bit one
Next month they might be rolled back to 4.5.2 if updates act up.

Hi
Worked for me, had to use the win7x64 one but followed your steps and all is working.
Thanks

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
Turn off or change the windows update settings to Never check for updates.
Save kb3145739 to your downloads folder to install later after you restart the machine
https://technet.microsoft.com/librar...or=-2147217396

If you get an error installing kb3145739 it's because the new update settings changes did not stick.
The stand alone installer search was lightening fast and finally installed the above kb314....

After installing it restart again
Switch to Check for update but let me ..... then manually check for updates
It took about 5 minute to find the rest of the updates for April plus all of the net 4.5.2 updates

There's no real reason this should work
I can see it as a net 4.6.1 bug on 32 bit in my case though and removing and installing Net 4.5.2 actually worked.

But the issue did not affect 2 64 bit installs with net 4.6.1 matter of fact neither had any issue finding the updates on startup or soon after without manually checking for updates

One other note is the 32 bit system has always shown 50%++ cpu usage from our friend svchost.exe and now it's back to normal without turning off windows updates

Click to expand...