Windows update troubleshooting – Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1

This document is a work in process and will be added to / edited as information becomes available

I will rearrange these procedures overtime in the order of relevance and will make additional notes when relevant

  • When the Windows update feature does not work on a personal system , an attempt to resolve the problem should be donebefore returning system to the client as important Microsoft Security updates may be available for download and installation
  • Even on a newly imaged computers the Windows Update feature has been a problem in recent months. If you are on the Repair Shop’s 114 subnet, try the 115 subnet before diving into troubleshooting.
  • When researching the issue online there are endless suggestions out there, therefore here are procedures that have worked. These procedures do not work on every computer – there are too many variables – try them and offer suggestions – share your success stories on the difficult cases.

Below are procedures that worked for us here in the Repair Center, but the same solution may not fix the similar issue on the next computer you see, which makes it a frustrating endeavor, but an adventure.

  • Is Windows activated
  • Is the computer Date / Time Zone correct / Time correct
  • When did problem start happening? If a recent issue, perhaps using a windows system restore point would fix the issue
  • Is Windows in the middle of doing a previous windows update? This would prevent additional updates from being downloaded
  • If you have no network access at all, you have a different issue – Can you open a browser and browse to different sites? If not, refer to appropriate document
  • For Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8, turn off automatic updates - at least for troubleshooting purposes – This has been proved to be the cause of both Win 7 and 8.1 update issues
  • On PSU imaged computers on PSU domain, automatic updates can’t be modified.
  • For Windows 7 and 8 ensure Window defender is updated – not sure why but this was a problem in a few situations. If defender update feature does not work, manually download and install the defender definition update from Microsoft at
  • If Internet Explorer is version 8 or older, manually update Internet Explorer to version 9, or 11 at
  • Note: Vista does not accept version 10 or higher.
  • PSU imaged Dells – We are currently supporting Internet Explorer 11 on PSU owned computers.
  • Personal Computers – you CAN install the newest I.E. version on personal computers – manually get it here:
  • Update Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader at
  • Update java
  • If Windows updates still does not work, google Windows Vista (or Windows7, 8,8.1) ‘update fixit utility’ and run it. Wait at least 5 minutes after running it and try updating now . NOTE: Sometimes you need to wait 10 minutes or even longer. I recommend browsing a bit here.
  • Run sfc /scannow at the c:\ with administrator privileges. Google it to see what it can do
  • See if an updated Windows Update Agent is available from Microsoft Download Center available. Or go here: and select the correct version.
  • Download and run the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool - google it and get the correct version or go here: ( )
  • Temporarily disable antivirus apps and antimalware apps such as Malwarebytes
  • Ensure all the computer’s drivers are up to date, especially the network drivers and chipset.
  • Dell’s support site has a ‘system analysis utility’ which will scan your computer andpresent the option to download and install updated device drivers’. Go to support.dell.com, scroll down and enter the Dell computer’s service tag. Select ‘Drivers and Downloads; then select ‘System Analysis’. May also be called ‘Detect Drivers’. Install all detected updates.
  • Justification: The NIC, Chipset, or other driver may be too old. Trust me, strange things happen.
  • When Windows update fails, note the error code it gives and try the solutions offered at the ‘update failure’ window (ie, click on the windows update troubleshooter).
  • There is a Windows Repair (all in one) tool at that I have tried a few times but not enough times to call it a success. Make a Windows restore point before running it as a precaution.
  • Try the suggestions at this site - if link is broken search at Microsoft Support for “ How do I reset Windows Update Components” (to be fair, I have only done steps 4a, 7,8, 10 and 11 as the other steps had too much typing required)
  • Microsoft has a Windows update fixit tool, which we swear works only 15 % of the time but lately, if you run this utility then wait for ½ hour or so, many times the updates will now work.

Once the update problem is fixed and all updates are installed, a Windows update cleanup utility is available to remove outdated updates for disk. This is for Windows 7 only. This update adds a new plugin to the Disk Cleanup wizard. After you install this update, you can use the Windows Update Cleanup option to delete Windows updates that you no longer need. Go here for correct download based on OS version

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\troubleshooting\Windows update troubleshooting Revised: 5.5.2016

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