windows update just seems to hang while checking.

[lmacri]

I have only managed to install 3 of those files KB3078601, KB3109094 & KB3168965. I can not find an install file for KB3145739 or KB3164033. Even though I have installed the above 3, windows update is still not working.

Hi phunt110:

Did you follow the step-by-step instructions posted 16-Jun-2016 n m#l's thread Updates not working, it has been searching for updates for hours in the MS Answers forum? Step # 4 of those instructions note that the links on Dalai's webpage at http://wu.krelay.de/en/ will re-direct you to the correct standalone update package (.msu file) on the Microsoft Download Center.

Step # 5 of those instructions also suggest that you install any of those missing updates in chronological order, from from oldest (lowest KB) to newest (highest KB), with a re-boot after each update is installed, to ensure that the Win32K.sys file located in folder C:\Windows\System32\ is updated in incremental steps [e.g., from v6.0.6002.19462 (KB3078601 rel. 18-Aug-2015) to v6.0.6002.196664 (KB3168965 rel. 12-Jul-2016)].

Since you've already installed KB3168965 I'd follow those instructions but only download and install the .msu file for the KB3145739 and KB3164033 (in that order) if they are still missing from your system. Hopefully the Windows Update Standalone Installer will be able to sort things out and determine if those two .msu files still need to be installed on your system. Once those two missing Win32K.sys updates are installed, proceed to Step # 6 of those instructions and see if a manual Windows Update runs normally in about an hour or so without the long "Checking for updates..." hang.
------------
32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v47.0.1 * NIS v22.7.0.76 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

 

[Autobahn]

That would be my guess, yes. When I open IE9 and click Help | About Internet Explorer I can see that I have v9.0.8112.1642 and Update Version 9.0.52 (installed by KB3170106). If you re-boot and run your Avast Software Updater again does it recommend a newer version number?

View attachment 29358

EDIT:

Good point made by Vistaar in post # 259. IE9 supports older security protocols like SSL and TLS 1.0 but can't support newer protocols like TLS 1.1 and 1.2 on secure (https://) sites. If you browse to the Qualys SSL Labs site at https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/viewMyClient.html using your IE9 browser you will get a warning that your browser is insecure. That's why I switched to Firefox as my default browser a few years ago, and it's possible your Avast Software Updater is (incorrectly) nagging you to update your IE9 browser even though IE11 is not compatible with Vista.
------------
32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v47.0.1 * NIS v22.7.0.76 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

Yes, I did a reboot and Avast still shows the same thing, but as you mention in your 'edit', that is most probably why Avast is showing it.
I use Firefox aswell, but if I remember correctly, most if not all other browsers need to use parts of IE to operate?

 

[SpaceCowboy]

This is exactly what happened to me after the patching on the 16th of August. I concluded there was a corruption or done of purpose by Microsoft to phase it out.

 

[VFN]

If you were up-to-date on June 30th, you should be able to download KB3168965 and install first before running WU manually.

Stop Windows update before installing KB3168965. Restart. Run Windows update manually.

Good-luck!

THANKS to you and whoever figured this out!! After installation it only took 30 minutes for updates to be ready for download. 5 updates of about 45 mb or so went very quickly.

Can someone explain in layman's terms why this works? Will this work again or will another install be needed for future update attempts?

 

[Vistaar]

Can someone explain in layman's terms why this works? Will this work again or will another install be needed for future update attempts?

I can't do justice to your first question; but there will most likely be another kernel-mode driver update on August 9, so stay tuned...

 

[VFN]

I can't do justice to your first question; but there will most likely be another kernel-mode driver update on August 9, so stay tuned...

So these kernels work on a temporary basis? Can I expect the kernel I just installed to work until the next one is put out?

 

[phunt110]

I have now managed to install all of the 5 KB files. I rebooted and ran a manual windows update check and it has just installed nearly 200 updates. Hopefully this has now solved any issues. will will see.

Hi phunt110:

Did you follow the step-by-step instructions posted 16-Jun-2016 n m#l's thread Updates not working, it has been searching for updates for hours in the MS Answers forum? Step # 4 of those instructions note that the links on Dalai's webpage at Search for Windows Updates takes forever? - A possible solution will re-direct you to the correct standalone update package (.msu file) on the Microsoft Download Center.

Step # 5 of those instructions also suggest that you install any of those missing updates in chronological order, from from oldest (lowest KB) to newest (highest KB), with a re-boot after each update is installed, to ensure that the Win32K.sys file located in folder C:\Windows\System32\ is updated in incremental steps [e.g., from v6.0.6002.19462 (KB3078601 rel. 18-Aug-2015) to v6.0.6002.196664 (KB3168965 rel. 12-Jul-2016)].

Since you've already installed KB3168965 I'd follow those instructions but only download and install the .msu file for the KB3145739 and KB3164033 (in that order) if they are still missing from your system. Hopefully the Windows Update Standalone Installer will be able to sort things out and determine if those two .msu files still need to be installed on your system. Once those two missing Win32K.sys updates are installed, proceed to Step # 6 of those instructions and see if a manual Windows Update runs normally in about an hour or so without the long "Checking for updates..." hang.
------------
32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v47.0.1 * NIS v22.7.0.76 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

 

[Gwaihir]

Having set my Vista laptop searching for updates at breakfast time and abandoning the quest at bedtime I resorted to the steps suggested in Dalai's post. This has solved the issue - for now at least. However this has just deepened my dislike of Microsoft and their products.

Although I'm no expert when it comes to operating systems I do have enough computer experience, having worked with them in one form or another since before PC's came on the scene, to have a basic understanding of how they operate and be totally comfortable with a command-line interface. However there must be millions of ordinary users who will be having to pay out hard-earned cash to computer professionals to resolve these issues and I think the failure to address these update problems is a totally unacceptable way for Microsoft to treat it's customers.

I note that our two Windows 7 systems are now starting to show symptoms of the same problem, more or less since Windows 10 was released. I have no intention of migrating to Windows 10. If, or when, Windows 7 becomes unusable (if I'm still alive by then) I shall be looking at moving to Linux or possibly another OS if one appears in the meantime.

 

[Barman58]

As vista reaches End Of life next April 17th I can understand why Microsoft may have redirected some resource from, what should be, some minor Vista security updates to other Live Operating systems.

Windows 7 is also now in Extended Support (Security patches only - no further development or support for new technologies), So it may be that Windows 7 will start to tail off in the allocated bandwidth over the next few months or years, (extended support runs until 2020).

It could also just be that the demand for bandwidth for Windows 10 (due to the rush at the end of the Free upgrade offer), and then followed by the release of the Anniversary upgrade has simply "swamped" the servers albeit, temporarily, With or without Microsoft making an active decision to re-purpose server resource

 

[Gwaihir]

I think I shall have to agree to disagree with you about that. It seems to me the fact that Dalai's fix works so successfully suggests it isn't a resource issue but rather a problem with the update process which Microsoft have been made aware of, for some considerable time in the case of Vista, and have chosen to ignore.

 

[lmacri]

I think I shall have to agree to disagree with you about that. It seems to me the fact that Dalai's fix works so successfully suggests it isn't a resource issue but rather a problem with the update process which Microsoft have been made aware of, for some considerable time in the case of Vista, and have chosen to ignore.

I agree with Gwaihir, and most evidence suggests that an update to the Windows Update Agent (WUA) v7.6.7600.256 at C:\Windows\system32\wuaueng.dll could permanently fix this problem. The WUA for Vista has not been updated by Microsoft since June 2012.

Windows 7 users are also affected by these slow Windows Updates, and Microsoft released a patch for the Win 7 Windows Update Agent (WUA) in June 2016 that was supposed to fix the problem. The optional Win 7 June 2016 rollup of non-security updates KB3161608 bundled six separate hotfixes, including KB3161647 (Windows Update Client for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2: June 2016) that added "An optimization that addresses long scan time for updates". Unfortunately, other hotfixes bundled in June's KB3161608 rollup (and its July 2016 replacement KB3172605) introduced multiple bugs related to memory leaks, bad TLS connections, Bluetooth driver conflicts, etc. on some Win 7 machines. From Woody Leonhard's 22-Jul-2016 Woody on Windows InfoWorld blog entry Microsoft yanks buggy speed-up patch KB 3161608, replaces it with KB 3172605 and 3172614:

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting very sick of Microsoft's repeated bungling in this Windows 7 Update debacle. If the company put one-thousandth the effort into fixing Win7 Update as it has into enticing users to install Windows 10, the problem would've been fixed months ago. One billion machines running two or four or six hours a month, doing nothing.

At this point, I suggest you just ignore Microsoft and use the method described by an astute German blogger named Dalai. He has a description of the July fix to the Windows Update woes for Windows 7 and Vista."

As noted before, the step-by-step instructions posted 16-Jun-2016 in m#l's thread Updates not working, it has been searching for updates for hours might be helpful for non-technical users having difficulty following Dalai's workaround.
------------
32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v48.0 * NIS v22.7.0.76 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

 

[sant14]

If all five of the Windows kernel-mode driver updates listed on Dalai's webpage at Search for Windows Updates takes forever? - A possible solution were installed, including this month's KB3168965 (MS16-090: Description of the security update for Windows kernel-mode drivers: July 12, 2016), then Windows Update must have run at least once since 12-Jul-2016 (the second Tuesday of the month) and installed one or more updates released for the July 2016 Patch Tuesday updates.

Does Control Panel | Windows Update | View Update History (or Control Panel | Programs and Features | View Installed Updates) show that Windows Update already installed this month's KB3170106 (MS16-084: Security update for Internet Explorer: July 12, 2016). If it hasn't been installed yet, just re-boot and run a manual Windows Update (Control Panel | Windows Update | Check for Updates) - Windows Update should automatically detect and install this latest cumulative security update for IE9 if it's missing from your system.
------------
32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v47.0.1 * NIS v22.7.0.76 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

Great solution. Thank you Dalai. 280 updates !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[townsbg]

Does anyone know yet if there are updates this cycle that need to be installed manually?

 

[Gwaihir]

While following some links about this issue I happened across this

I must say I have massive respect for guys who can do this kind of analysis. I've done a bit of debugging over the years but always on my own code. This stuff is on an entirely different level! Anyway, it does bear out my suspicion the problems lie within the WUA and not with server capacity.

 

[townsbg]

Well if you think about it these problems didn't start until 10 came out so I think that's a factor. Whereas I agree that there are some issues with windows update I think that they also have 7 and especially Vista users in a lower priority queue. Historically they always say that they current version is their best and most secure ever and focus on it so I think that the big push to upgrade users to 10 did have a big impact on their servers and I was hoping that once the free offer expired things would get better. You'd think that now the demand would be better especially since they implemented a peer to peer system for update distribution on 10. If they do in fact have a version specific queue priority they might not want to remove that in order to try and get users to upgrade. On the other hand with a massive update to 10 out this month the demand on their servers may still be high. I think that there are a combination of factors. What really has me confused over the entire situation is that my 2008/2008 r2 virtual machines have had no problems at all checking for and installing updates unlike my Vista and 7 VMs. Pertaining that the only thing I can think of other than a prioritized queue is Office since my home versions have office and my server versions do not.

 

[Vistaar]

New Security Update for Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers (KB3177725). I pre-installed it, and I'm currently checking for other Windows updates.

32 bit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53445

64 bit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53469

 

[lmacri]

Does anyone know yet if there are updates this cycle that need to be installed manually?

Hi townsbg:

As a general rule, Dalai always revises his list of required Windows kernel-mode driver (Win32K.sys) updates at Search for Windows Updates takes forever? - A possible solution (http://wu.krelay.de/en/) the same evening that Patch Tuesday updates are released (i.e., the second Tuesday of each month).

I suspect Vistaar is correct that users who managed to install their July 2016 Patch Tuesday updates will now have to pre-install this month's KB3177725 (MS16-098: Security Update for Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers: August 9, 2016) in order to speed up their August 2016 Patch Tuesday updates, but you can check Dalai's webpage later today for confirmation.

EDIT:

I should add that Woody Leonhard posted an entry today (09-Aug-2016) in his Woody on Windows InfoWorld blog titled 2 easy steps to speed up Windows 7 Update scans that includes detailed instructions for using Dalai's workaround at http://wu.krelay.de/en/. Woody endorses this workaround for speeding up Windows Update for Vista SP2 users in that blog entry.
------------
32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v48.0 * NIS v22.7.0.76 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

 

[Vista1972]

New Security Update for Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers (KB3177725). I pre-installed it, and I'm currently checking for other Windows updates.

32 bit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53445

64 bit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53469

This process didn't work for me this month - at least with Vista. I ended up installing all of the updates manually - including the MSRT. I left it run for almost two hours (after preinstalling KB3177725) before I gave up and started installing the updates manually. It took an additional hour for WU to find one additional update for office.

It did work for Windows 7. Found all updates within two minutes.

I give up...Ha-Ha!

 

[townsbg]

I found a couple of months ago that the msu files run Windows update and attempt to check for updates before they install. If you had disconnected from the internet or disabled WU it should have installed within minutes. Vistaar how where your misadventures?

 

[Vista1972]

I found a couple of months ago that the msu files run Windows update and attempt to check for updates before they install. If you had disconnected from the internet or disabled WU it should have installed within minutes. Vistaar how where your misadventures?

Not sure what you're referring to? The preinstall of KB3177725 took a few minutes. After restarting (same procedure with both of my Vista machines), WU was still checking for updates after two hours. The last few months, the preinstall of the Windows kernel-mode driver update has resulted in WU finding the remaining updates in 20-30 minutes on average. It didn't work for me this month. Don't know what was different?