windows update just seems to hang while checking.

[gonzo24]

Hi. Just wanted to add my thanks for all the helpful information here. Downloaded and installed all the recommended separate installer files, first check took 90 mins but worked OK, and it has been working nicely again since then, notifying me of a couple of Windows Defender definition updates. Thanks!

 

[Vistaar]

...it has been working nicely again since then, notifying me of a couple of Windows Defender definition updates.

It's astonishing how many are still using the old "antispyware" Windows Defender. Hopefully you also have a real antivirus and do not assume that every detection is a true positive. Maybe look at this forum thread: https://www.vistax64.com/system-security/304668-avast-turns-off-defender.html.

 

[townsbg]

I've checked with a few 32-bit Vista SP2 users who told me that their Windows Update ran relatively quickly this month after installing KB3204723, and so far all of them have confirmed that they either have Microsoft Update disabled or don't have MS Office installed on their computer. See Dredredre's response to my post # 263 in the bleepingcomputer thread Windows Vista Update Hangs at "Checking For Updates" for one example.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v50.1.0 * NIS v22.8.1.14 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

Last month I wiped my Mom's old computer so that she can give it away. I put Vista on it because that is what originally came on it. After a few days of checking Vista never found updates even though I installed the manual updates. Eventually I decided it wasn't worth my time so I installed IE9 and gave up. I never installed office so that can't be a factor. However this was before the most recent round of updates.

 

[lmacri]

I never installed office so that can't be a factor. However this was before the most recent round of updates.

Hi townsbg:

I have an old version of MS Office that has reached its end-of-life (EOL) and the only Office-related security updates I receive are for the Office Compatibility Pack file format converter so it's unlikely that disabling Microsoft Update (Windows Update | Change settings | Microsoft Update | Give me updates for Microsoft products and check for new optional Microsoft software when I update Windows) would have a huge effect on the speed of Windows Updates on my 32-bit Vista SP2 computer. However, I've read feedback from several users with MSI (not Click-To-Run) versions of MS Office 2007 and higher in the MS Answers forum who claim that their MS Office security updates significantly increase the "Checking for updates..." hangs on Patch Tuesdays, even after Dalai's Win32K.sys speed up patches are applied. See the comment posted yesterday by The FlyingDurchman2 <here> for one example.

I still believe that installing the Win32K.sys speed up patches listed in the step-by-step instructions on page 1 of m#l's thread Updates not working, it has been searching for updates for hours will have the greatest impact if Vista SP2 users are trying to speed up Windows Update, but it appears that the long, complex supersedence chains for some security updates for MSI versions of MS Office could now be contributing to the problem as well.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v50.1.0 * NIS v22.8.1.14 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

 

[townsbg]

On that computer I didn't install any version of office but I did put on those manual patches (except the most recent) as well as SP2. On my VM I never got it to find updates even with the most recent manual update.

What do you mean by MSI versions of office?

 

[lmacri]

What do you mean by MSI versions of office?

Hi townsbg:

MSI versions of MS Office use the traditional Windows Installer (previously called Microsoft Installer) for installing and updating. "MSI" refers to Microsoft installer packages that have a .msi file extension.

Newer Click-To-Run (C2R) versions of Office are downloaded and installed from the web and use a streaming technology that will automatically apply updates in the background, even while the product is being used. Cloud-based C2R products like Office 365 typically have a subscription-based license where users pay an annual fee to use the product.

Determining your Office version – MSI vs. C2R
Upcoming change to the release schedule for non-security updates
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v50.1.0 * NIS v22.8.1.14 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

 

[CurlyGirlCA]

This is a big thank you to all on this forum. I found this forum about seven months ago when the Vista updates just hung and hung, [checking for updates over several nights and still not completing] and when I googled 'hung', this forum came up [and was the only site that the suggestions worked] and I've been using the tips ever since. Sometimes it's taken several nights to complete the update and other times, a couple of hours. I'd usually wait a couple days after Patch Tuesday to see what you all had reported before I proceeded.

My December updates took a surprisingly short time to complete - about 1.5 hours altogether and I ran them on December 15th, which was a big difference from November's update which took a couple of hours. October's update I wasn't able to run successfully until 10.21 and then it was about an hour.

I made a login to thank you all. I will still have to keep watch because I've been updating my son's Win7 laptop but I've ordered a Win10 Pro machine after much agonizing and will be dealing with Win10 so I've joined the Win10 forum here. I hope they're as helpful as you guys have been.

I have a Vista Home Premium SP2 machine that I will be saying goodbye to. It's been a pretty good machine and other than occasional crashes, I really have no complaints about the OS. I don't know why people didn't like it.

 

[TwilightRavens]

Yeah I don't know what it could be, about a year ago, probably March 2015 I had check for updates on one Vista x64 machine and didn't have any problems. Now on the other hand I just reinstalled 32 bit Vista on my old as heck laptop from 2007/2008 and upgraded it to SP2, left on for a week to check for updates, and still a week later it is still checking.

 

[lmacri]

...Now on the other hand I just reinstalled 32 bit Vista on my old as heck laptop from 2007/2008 and upgraded it to SP2, left on for a week to check for updates, and still a week later it is still checking.

Hi TwilightRavens:

Your 24-Nov-2015 post # 36 stated you were "Trying the WSUS client to see if that fixes it" but never posted back. Assuming you were referring to Torsten Witrock's WSUS Offline Update, were you able to get Vista SP2 to update with that tool? Vista134's recent feedback in the bleepingcomputer thread How I got clean install of Vista Ultimate SP2 to install updates... indicates this tool will download and install important security updates for Vista SP2 computers if you use the Legacy Products tab of that tool, and Dalai is an active poster in the WSUS Offline Update forum.

If you couldn't get WSUS Offline Update to work, have you tried the step-by-step instructions on page 1 of m#l's thread Updates not working, it has been searching for updates for hours in the MS Answers forum? If you have a fresh re-install of Vista SP2 on your 32-bit machine then STEP # 3 of the instructions will likely show that all six of Dalai's recommended Windows kernel-mode driver (Win32K.sys) speed up patches are currently missing from your system and need to be manually installed to speed up Windows Updates.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v50.1.0 * NIS v22.8.1.14 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

 

[Vistaar]

Yeah I don't know what it could be, about a year ago, probably March 2015 I had check for updates on one Vista x64 machine and didn't have any problems. Now on the other hand I just reinstalled 32 bit Vista on my old as heck laptop from 2007/2008 and upgraded it to SP2, left on for a week to check for updates, and still a week later it is still checking.

It so happens that I reinstalled Vista in March 2015, and this problem with checking for updates definitely did not exist at that time. Note that this thread dates back to August of 2015, which was the first Patch Tuesday after Windows 10 was released. Original poster ScousaJAY tried to solve his problem with checking for updates by reinstalling Vista, which of course didn't work; so we learned at an early stage that the problem is not a result of any corruption of the local system. Windows gurus who are not running Vista might prefer not to believe it, but this issue is clearly Microsoft's responsibility; and it raises serious questions regarding the value of Microsoft's promises of "extended support" for newer products - especially those with a dwindling user base.

 

[SIW2]

Search for Windows Updates takes forever? - A possible solution

Download these and install them:

for x64

Download1
Download2
Download3

for x86

Download1
Download2
Download3

 

[Vistaar]

Download these and install them

For Vista systems already updated to November, only KB3204723 was actually necessary in order to acquire December updates, as I demonstrated in post #427. Dalai does not test his suggestions on Vista and has clearly grown weary of this entire issue, as have I.

 

[lmacri]

Search for Windows Updates takes forever? - A possible solution Download these and install them:

SIW2:

The download links for KB3204723 / KB3204724 / KB3205638 currently listed on Dalai's webpage at http://wu.krelay.de/en/ are only suggestions for Vista SP2 users who were fully patched as of November 2016. From Dalai's webpage:

"Since there is neither a Servicing Stack Update nor a Rollup for Windows Vista, the differences between Win7 and Vista are going to increase, starting in October 2016. So I can't make any more recommendations for this OS. Nonetheless I'll list those updates for Vista that will most likely speed up the search, limited to new updates (you can find the old ones on the pages of previous months)."

Dalai has not been able to test individual Win32K.sys speed up patches on his Win 7 computer since October 2016 when Microsoft began delivering Patch Tuesday security updates for Win 7 as one large Monthly Rollup (see Nathan Mercer's MS TechNet blog Further simplifying servicing models for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1). Since October 2016 Dalai has warned Vista SP2 users that his suggested speed up patches are only a best guess on his part.

The full list of Dalai's speed up patches dating back to August 2015 are currently being maintained in STEP # 2 of the step-by-step instructions on page 1 of m#l's thread Updates not working, it has been searching for updates for hours in the MS Answers forum. This list of speed up patches has been tested by Vista SP2 users and should speed up Windows Update on most affected machines.

EDIT:

Sorry, Vistaar. Didn't see your post before I replied.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v50.1.0 * NIS v22.8.1.14 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

 

[Vistaar]

Sorry, Vistaar. Didn't see your post before I replied.

No problem! This tiny little thread can always benefit from more verbiage, and certain links should be posted on every single page.

 

[townsbg]

I tried disabling updates for other products and it is still checking.

 

[Vistaar]

I tried disabling updates for other products and it is still checking.

Well you could always reinstall your Vista VM yet again and carefully follow the instructions in Imacri's external link. Then again, there might be some reason why the workaround doesn't work on your VM. I have no way to test.

 

[gonzo24]

It's astonishing how many are still using the old "antispyware" Windows Defender. Hopefully you also have a real antivirus and do not assume that every detection is a true positive. Maybe look at this forum thread: https://www.vistax64.com/system-security/304668-avast-turns-off-defender.html.

Oh yes, I have a full antivirus programme, but I let Windows Defender run as well. Have you disabled Windows Defender then?

 

[Vistaar]

Oh yes, I have a full antivirus programme, but I let Windows Defender run as well. Have you disabled Windows Defender then?

I gather that you haven't visited the link I posted for your benefit. I do not recommend using Defender.

 

[gonzo24]

I gather that you haven't visited the link I posted for your benefit. I do not recommend using Defender.

Oops, mea culpa. Yes, I did read it, but as I knew about Avast disabling Defender, don't use MSE or AVG and haven't had the problem of false positives I guess I didn't read it carefully enough. It's clear from that thread that you have disabled Defender. I'll probably do the same. Thanks.

 

[townsbg]

Well you could always reinstall your Vista VM yet again and carefully follow the instructions in Imacri's external link. Then again, there might be some reason why the workaround doesn't work on your VM. I have no way to test.

Thanks for the suggestion but that isn't worth my time considering it is only a VM.