Error 0x80070020 Windows Update

OS: XP Pro SP2.

The first indication of a problem came from my Event Log:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Windows Update Agent
Event Category: Installation
Event ID: 20
Date: 6/22/2007
Time: 5:23:50 AM
User: N/A
Computer: V-C889AAF937B64
Description:
Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update with
error 0x80070020: Automatic Updates.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 57 69 6e 33 32 48 52 65 Win32HRe
0008: 73 75 6c 74 3d 30 78 38 sult=0x8
0010: 30 30 37 30 30 32 30 20 0070020
0018: 55 70 64 61 74 65 49 44 UpdateID
0020: 3d 7b 44 36 37 36 36 31 ={D67661
0028: 45 42 2d 32 34 32 33 2d EB-2423-
0030: 34 35 31 44 2d 42 46 35 451D-BF5
0038: 44 2d 31 33 31 39 39 45 D-13199E
0040: 33 37 44 46 32 38 7d 20 37DF28}
0048: 52 65 76 69 73 69 6f 6e Revision
0050: 4e 75 6d 62 65 72 3d 30 Number=0
0058: 20 00 .

When I went to the Windows Update site, I was first told "Update Windows to
work with this website". I should point out at this stage that I routinely
apply updates by visiting the site every patch Tuesday. This month's
patches were installed without any apparent errors.

On this first page, there's a button labeled "Update Windows". When I click
on it, there's apparent activity of downloading and then copying files.

After a few seconds, another web page appears with the following content:




[Error number: 0x80070020]
The website has encountered a problem and cannot display the page you are
trying to view. The options provided below might help you solve the
problem.
For self-help options:

Frequently Asked Questions

Find Solutions

Windows Update Newsgroup
For assisted support options:

Microsoft Online Assisted Support (no-cost for Windows Update issues)


I've googled the error code but so far haven't been able to find anything
useful. I'm assuming this error isn't just going to go away on its own. One
search result mentioned turning off realtime virus checking to see if that
solved the problem; it didn't. (AVG Pro is what I use here).

The Windows Update site is already in my Trusted Sites list, which was
another suggestion I found.

I would appreciate any help anyone might be able to provide.




Tom

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Tom Hall <> wrote:

> OS: XP Pro SP2.
> Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update
> with error 0x80070020: Automatic Updates.

80070020 = "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by
another process"

The most common cause of this is an anti-virus or anti-spyware product with
an on-access scanning feature.

ALWAYS disable any anti-virus or anti-spyware product before attempting any
Windows Update.

--
Robin Walker [MVP Networking]

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:41:33 +0100, "Robin Walker [MVP]" <>
wrote:

>Tom Hall <> wrote:
>
>> OS: XP Pro SP2.
>> Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update
>> with error 0x80070020: Automatic Updates.
>
>80070020 = "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by
>another process"
>
>The most common cause of this is an anti-virus or anti-spyware product with
>an on-access scanning feature.
>
>ALWAYS disable any anti-virus or anti-spyware product before attempting any
>Windows Update.

As I indicated in my original post, I already tried turning off all AVG
services, and it made no difference.

FYI, I've been applying updates and using AVG for a number of years without
either having to disable AVG or experiencing any problems using Windows
Update. This problem has appeared within the last 48 hours and I cannot
think of anything I may have done to my system in the past 2 days that
would account for it. I generally let XP take care of itself and it has
done so virtually flawlessly for the past 2 years.

I'm a little puzzled by your suggestion, however. The configuration XP
seems to be happiest with is to have the computer apply updates
automatically as they become available. If what you say is true, then the
only way to make Windows Update happy would apparently be to run the system
without any antivirus protection at all - which I'm sure is not the intent
of your advice.



Tom

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Tom Hall <> wrote:

> On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:41:33 +0100, "Robin Walker [MVP]"
> <> wrote:
>
>> Tom Hall <> wrote:
>>
>>> OS: XP Pro SP2.
>>> Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update
>>> with error 0x80070020: Automatic Updates.
>>
>> 80070020 = "The process cannot access the file because it is being
>> used by another process"
>>
>> The most common cause of this is an anti-virus or anti-spyware
>> product with an on-access scanning feature.
>>
>> ALWAYS disable any anti-virus or anti-spyware product before
>> attempting any Windows Update.
>
> As I indicated in my original post, I already tried turning off all
> AVG services, and it made no difference.

To carry it further, can you actually completely uninstall AVG and try
Windows Update again? I seem to remember that AVG is a little limited in
what control you can exercise over it. It would be a valuable data point to
have to know whether uninstallation makes a difference.

If that doesn't fix it, can you check out Task Manager to see whether there
are any unusual processes active which might have system files locked?

> I'm a little puzzled by your suggestion, however. The configuration XP
> seems to be happiest with is to have the computer apply updates
> automatically as they become available. If what you say is true, then
> the only way to make Windows Update happy would apparently be to run
> the system without any antivirus protection at all - which I'm sure
> is not the intent of your advice.

I use the Automatic Update setting "Download updates for me, but let me
choose when to install them". When the downloads are ready for
installation, I quit all applications, quit as many System Notification Area
items as will permit it, and turn off anti-virus on-access scanning. Apart
from anything else, turning off the anti-virus speeds up the Windows Update
process.

--
Robin Walker [MVP Networking]

For whatever this is worth, I've started seeing the same problem on my laptop
within the last week. I'm using CA eTrust, and the problem persists whether
the associated services are running or shut down. Up until the updates I
installed on 6/15 everything was fine.

"Tom Hall" wrote:

> OS: XP Pro SP2.
>
> The first indication of a problem came from my Event Log:
>
> Event Type: Error
> Event Source: Windows Update Agent
> Event Category: Installation
> Event ID: 20
> Date: 6/22/2007
> Time: 5:23:50 AM
> User: N/A
> Computer: V-C889AAF937B64
> Description:
> Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update with
> error 0x80070020: Automatic Updates.
>
> For more information, see Help and Support Center at
> http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
> Data:
> 0000: 57 69 6e 33 32 48 52 65 Win32HRe
> 0008: 73 75 6c 74 3d 30 78 38 sult=0x8
> 0010: 30 30 37 30 30 32 30 20 0070020
> 0018: 55 70 64 61 74 65 49 44 UpdateID
> 0020: 3d 7b 44 36 37 36 36 31 ={D67661
> 0028: 45 42 2d 32 34 32 33 2d EB-2423-
> 0030: 34 35 31 44 2d 42 46 35 451D-BF5
> 0038: 44 2d 31 33 31 39 39 45 D-13199E
> 0040: 33 37 44 46 32 38 7d 20 37DF28}
> 0048: 52 65 76 69 73 69 6f 6e Revision
> 0050: 4e 75 6d 62 65 72 3d 30 Number=0
> 0058: 20 00 .
>
> When I went to the Windows Update site, I was first told "Update Windows to
> work with this website". I should point out at this stage that I routinely
> apply updates by visiting the site every patch Tuesday. This month's
> patches were installed without any apparent errors.
>
> On this first page, there's a button labeled "Update Windows". When I click
> on it, there's apparent activity of downloading and then copying files.
>
> After a few seconds, another web page appears with the following content:
>
>
>
>
> [Error number: 0x80070020]
> The website has encountered a problem and cannot display the page you are
> trying to view. The options provided below might help you solve the
> problem.
> For self-help options:
>
> Frequently Asked Questions
>
> Find Solutions
>
> Windows Update Newsgroup
> For assisted support options:
>
> Microsoft Online Assisted Support (no-cost for Windows Update issues)
>
>
> I've googled the error code but so far haven't been able to find anything
> useful. I'm assuming this error isn't just going to go away on its own. One
> search result mentioned turning off realtime virus checking to see if that
> solved the problem; it didn't. (AVG Pro is what I use here).
>
> The Windows Update site is already in my Trusted Sites list, which was
> another suggestion I found.
>
> I would appreciate any help anyone might be able to provide.
>
>
>
>
> Tom
>
> --
> remove .spoo to reply by email
>

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:44:46 +0100, "Robin Walker [MVP]" <>
wrote:

>To carry it further, can you actually completely uninstall AVG and try
>Windows Update again? I seem to remember that AVG is a little limited in
>what control you can exercise over it. It would be a valuable data point to
>have to know whether uninstallation makes a difference.

Tried that. Uninstalled, rebooted, Windows Update is still pooched.

>If that doesn't fix it, can you check out Task Manager to see whether there
>are any unusual processes active which might have system files locked?

There's nothing there that hasn't been there for ages. I frequently peruse
Task Manager just to see what's running. It's amazing the things you
sometimes find there :-)

>I use the Automatic Update setting "Download updates for me, but let me
>choose when to install them". When the downloads are ready for
>installation, I quit all applications, quit as many System Notification Area
>items as will permit it, and turn off anti-virus on-access scanning. Apart
>from anything else, turning off the anti-virus speeds up the Windows Update
>process.

As I indicated, I have XP set to download and install updates
automatically, usually during the night while I'm asleep. However, I find
most of the time that when I go to the Update site late in the Patch
Tuesday, I'm nearly always downloading updates that weren't applied during
the night.

Whatever is causing this problem, it's a recent development.



Tom

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On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:44:46 +0100, "Robin Walker [MVP]" <>
wrote:

>If that doesn't fix it, can you check out Task Manager to see whether there
>are any unusual processes active which might have system files locked?

Is there any possibility that this problem might not be on my computer?


Tom

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Tom Hall <> wrote:

> On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:44:46 +0100, "Robin Walker [MVP]"
> <> wrote:
>
>> To carry it further, can you actually completely uninstall AVG and
>> try Windows Update again? I seem to remember that AVG is a little
>> limited in what control you can exercise over it. It would be a
>> valuable data point to have to know whether uninstallation makes a
>> difference.
>
> Tried that. Uninstalled, rebooted, Windows Update is still pooched.

OK - next thought - could you try stopping and disabling the service
"Automatic Updates", and then try applying this one recalcitrant update from
the Windows Update web site (although I'm not sure whether the manual
Windows Update site will work with Automatic Updates disabled - maybe not).

Also, can you confirm that the problem you are having is the special one
with the "Update your Windows" button?

If so, this update is essentially the same as you would get by doing a
Validation of Windows before a Microsoft download. Try visiting the WGA
Support site at
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/sel...displaylang=en and
click through to the Diagnostics. If the Diagnostics pass, then try the
"Validate Now" button. This should install the same item as Windows Updates
was trying to install. Then try Windows Update again, to see whether it
still wants that special update.

--
Robin Walker [MVP Networking]

Tom Hall <> wrote:

> On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:44:46 +0100, "Robin Walker [MVP]"
> <> wrote:
>
>> If that doesn't fix it, can you check out Task Manager to see
>> whether there are any unusual processes active which might have
>> system files locked?
>
> Is there any possibility that this problem might not be on my
> computer?

Only if some other PC on your LAN has some of the Windows files on your PC
open and locked. One of the frustrating things about this error code is
that it does not also say what the identity of the locked file is.

--
Robin Walker [MVP Networking]

Here's a workaround. Attempt the updates again and, after the error recurs
(it probably will), on that same page, click on the "Windows Update Home"
button on the far left of your screen, just above "Options" (not on the tabs
above). I got the same error and clicked on it out of curiousity...it took
me straight to the regular updates page where I usually choose Custom to have
more control over what's downloaded. Good luck.

"Tom Hall" wrote:

> OS: XP Pro SP2.
>
> The first indication of a problem came from my Event Log:
>
> Event Type: Error
> Event Source: Windows Update Agent
> Event Category: Installation
> Event ID: 20
> Date: 6/22/2007
> Time: 5:23:50 AM
> User: N/A
> Computer: V-C889AAF937B64
> Description:
> Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update with
> error 0x80070020: Automatic Updates.
>
> For more information, see Help and Support Center at
> http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
> Data:
> 0000: 57 69 6e 33 32 48 52 65 Win32HRe
> 0008: 73 75 6c 74 3d 30 78 38 sult=0x8
> 0010: 30 30 37 30 30 32 30 20 0070020
> 0018: 55 70 64 61 74 65 49 44 UpdateID
> 0020: 3d 7b 44 36 37 36 36 31 ={D67661
> 0028: 45 42 2d 32 34 32 33 2d EB-2423-
> 0030: 34 35 31 44 2d 42 46 35 451D-BF5
> 0038: 44 2d 31 33 31 39 39 45 D-13199E
> 0040: 33 37 44 46 32 38 7d 20 37DF28}
> 0048: 52 65 76 69 73 69 6f 6e Revision
> 0050: 4e 75 6d 62 65 72 3d 30 Number=0
> 0058: 20 00 .
>
> When I went to the Windows Update site, I was first told "Update Windows to
> work with this website". I should point out at this stage that I routinely
> apply updates by visiting the site every patch Tuesday. This month's
> patches were installed without any apparent errors.
>
> On this first page, there's a button labeled "Update Windows". When I click
> on it, there's apparent activity of downloading and then copying files.
>
> After a few seconds, another web page appears with the following content:
>
>
>
>
> [Error number: 0x80070020]
> The website has encountered a problem and cannot display the page you are
> trying to view. The options provided below might help you solve the
> problem.
> For self-help options:
>
> Frequently Asked Questions
>
> Find Solutions
>
> Windows Update Newsgroup
> For assisted support options:
>
> Microsoft Online Assisted Support (no-cost for Windows Update issues)
>
>
> I've googled the error code but so far haven't been able to find anything
> useful. I'm assuming this error isn't just going to go away on its own. One
> search result mentioned turning off realtime virus checking to see if that
> solved the problem; it didn't. (AVG Pro is what I use here).
>
> The Windows Update site is already in my Trusted Sites list, which was
> another suggestion I found.
>
> I would appreciate any help anyone might be able to provide.
>
>
>
>
> Tom
>
> --
> remove .spoo to reply by email
>