Defender wont update (error code 80004002) - cant turn off win upd

Brand new Toshiba laptop with vista home premium preinstalled.

Windows defender update fails with 'the program can't install definition
updates error found code:0x800040002'

Windows update fails with 'windows could not search for new updates error
found code:0x800040002'

Suggestions to turn off windows updates and delete
/windows/softwaredistribution folder cant be done because I can't even off
windows update!

Each time I change the windows update settings they revert immediately back
to 'install updates automatically'

This is an OEM install and Toshiba can't help. I hope someone here can help
yet another vista user who wishes he'd stuck with xp.

You need to Stop the Automatic Updates service, not change the Automatic
Update settings. There is a difference, as you've witnessed.
Go to Start > Run > type in

services.msc
Click OK

> Important: It may be necessary to run MMC and the associated snap-ins with elevated
> privileges even if your account is in the Computer Administrators group.
>
> To open the MMC snap-in for Services with elevated privileges, click Start, click
> All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt and then point to Run as
> administrator. In the command prompt that opens, type services.msc.

Then press Enter


MowGreen [MVP 2003-2007]
===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============



bikeman wrote:

> Brand new Toshiba laptop with vista home premium preinstalled.
>
> Windows defender update fails with 'the program can't install definition
> updates error found code:0x800040002'
>
> Windows update fails with 'windows could not search for new updates error
> found code:0x800040002'
>
> Suggestions to turn off windows updates and delete
> /windows/softwaredistribution folder cant be done because I can't even off
> windows update!
>
> Each time I change the windows update settings they revert immediately back
> to 'install updates automatically'
>
> This is an OEM install and Toshiba can't help. I hope someone here can help
> yet another vista user who wishes he'd stuck with xp.
>
>
>
>

yeah should have mentioned I've stopped updates via services.msc and then
deleted the software distribution folder. It rebuilds the folder and then the
problem is right back again.

Which antivirus/security suite is installed ? What may be occurring is
data corruption in the SoftwareDistribution folder or, the system
files/transaction logs needed to update are not correctly
installed/damaged/corrupted due to scanning them with the installed AV:

Virus scanning recommendations for computers that are running Windows
Server 2003, Windows 2000, or Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822158

The above applies to Vista, also.
Please check the installed version of the Windows Update Agent by
showing hidden files, folders, and system files -
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tuto...l62.html#vista

And then, using Windows Explorer, navigate to the WINDOWS\system32
subfolder. Locate wuaueng.dll, right click it, choose Properties
Then click the Version tab
It should be at V. 7.0.6000.374
Please provide the version number of wuaueng.dll

MowGreen [MVP 2003-2007]
===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============


bikeman wrote:

> yeah should have mentioned I've stopped updates via services.msc and then
> deleted the software distribution folder. It rebuilds the folder and then the
> problem is right back again.
>

I've reinstalled vista to resolve this. As I have reinstalled twice in only
30 days of owning vista I am not terribly impressed. Still it's working for
now.

I checked mine and I noticed that mine is not version 7. How do I obtain the
latest version?

"MowGreen [MVP]" wrote:

> Which antivirus/security suite is installed ? What may be occurring is
> data corruption in the SoftwareDistribution folder or, the system
> files/transaction logs needed to update are not correctly
> installed/damaged/corrupted due to scanning them with the installed AV:
>
> Virus scanning recommendations for computers that are running Windows
> Server 2003, Windows 2000, or Windows XP
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822158
>
> The above applies to Vista, also.
> Please check the installed version of the Windows Update Agent by
> showing hidden files, folders, and system files -
> http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tuto...l62.html#vista
>
> And then, using Windows Explorer, navigate to the WINDOWS\system32
> subfolder. Locate wuaueng.dll, right click it, choose Properties
> Then click the Version tab
> It should be at V. 7.0.6000.374
> Please provide the version number of wuaueng.dll
>
> MowGreen [MVP 2003-2007]
> ===============
> *-343-* FDNY
> Never Forgotten
> ===============
>
>
> bikeman wrote:
>
> > yeah should have mentioned I've stopped updates via services.msc and then
> > deleted the software distribution folder. It rebuilds the folder and then the
> > problem is right back again.
> >
>