Re: WU drops dead, no error codes, nothing.

Reply here & state which version/edition of Windows this is. And if Windows 2000 or XP , what service pack it has.

Post an *extract* from your Windows Update log.
Use Notepad or Wordpad and open & look at the Windows Update log file
C:\Windows\WindowsUpdate.log or C:\WINNT\WindowsUpdate.log

Scroll down all the way. Get / copy / paste back here the set of lines for (today's ) the last session.

--
Maurice N
MVP Windows - Shell / User
-----

Ron wrote:
> I am NOT on a proxy server.
>
> I clicked the little yellow shield. It showed the list of updates. I
> clicked download. It waited a few seconds, it appeared the download
> started, then the little yellow shield went away. Then
> nothing...Absolutely nothing...No more downloading...no messages...no
> errors...Nothing! The update just stops dead. Everything else on the
> computer is working like before. It's as if the update notification
> never even existed. The baseline analyzer shows that the update have
> not been installed. What is wrong?

Your section from the log does not show any errors.

You must make sure these Win XP services are enabled and running:

Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)
Cryptographic Services
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
System Restore Service

Go to Start menu >Run > MSCONFIG <enter>
Click on the "Services" Tab & review these services. They should have a green "tick/check" mark on left; and status "Running" on the far right.

Do a basic sanity check .... insure you have at least 300 MB of free space on your C drive (assuming Windows is on C).

From main Windows Start menu, select RUN, type in
CMD <Enter-key>

type in
net stop wuauserv <Enter-key>

Go to Windows Explorer.
Look on your system drive (usually C ) and look at the Windows folder name. Like Windows or WINNT.
Modify following as appropriate.
If your Windows folder is C:\Windows. Look at this folder
C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

If you find files in there, delete them. That folder is where files are stored from W U downloads.

Go back to Command prompt window.
type in
net start wuauserv <Enter-key>

EXIT <Enter-key>

When next you see Automatic Updates kick in, close & exit your open user apps.
The latest current high priority updates require a system reboot when finished. Do DO the reboot.

Hi Ron, the same thing happened to me, I clicked the yellow shield to download and
then nothing. The shield went away.
The next time I logged on to the internet (a day later), it started, but it took a
little while to get going.
Kaylene


"Ron" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Yes the log does not show any errors. But that is the problem.
> There are no errors but yet it just quits and does nothing.
> From reading earlier messages in this NG I'm not the only one to
> have reported this problem.
>
> I did what you said. BITS was set to start manual so I changed
> it to automatic and started it. The other services were running.
> There is 40GB of free space on C:. Stopped and started wuauserv.
> There were no files in \softwaredistribution\download. REBOOT.
> Verify services running. Turn off and on automatic updates.
> Clicked the little yellow shield when it appeared. The same
> thing occured. The shield goes away and nothing else happens.
> No errors...no messages...nothing...it just dies...same as before.
>

Hello Ron,

I hope this note here is more precise on details. The following services are needed by the processes at Windows Update / Automatic Updates, and in services management console ( services.msc) must NOT be *Disabled* in the Startup type. They need to show a startup type of Manual or Automatic.
Here are the services & their Startup types:

Automatic Updates Automatic
Background Intelligent Transfer Service(BITS) Manual
Cryptographic Services Automatic
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Automatic
System Restore Service Automatic

Review these services, make any changes as needed, and then I'd suggest doing the following:

For sure, logoff XP and restart the system.

Highly recommended, use Internet Explorer browser and go visit V6 of Windows Update. This will get all your W U controls updated to V6.

http://update.microsoft.com/microsof...6/default.aspx

--
Maurice N
MVP Windows - Shell / User
-----

Take a look at contents of
C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\ReportingEvents.lo g.

I'd say go ahead & take the plunge with the new V6 of Windows Update.
You''ll get the new controls, the critical updates. And you'll get the new
Automatic Updates engine.

Visit the new site by going to
http://update.microsoft.com/windowsupdate.

Or you can continue experimenting with settings for Automatic Updates.
Right-click My Coimputer (on desktop) , select Properties, pick tab for
Automatic Updates.
a) Turn off Automatic Updates, b) logoff & restart XP, c) back to A U
settings & select 1 of 2 choices:
1) Automatic & set a daily time
or 2) select Notify me.
--
Maurice N
MVP Windows - Shell / User
---

"Ron" wrote
>I did exactly as you said. The services are set the way you wrote.
> The results are exactly the same. The little shield goes away and
> then nothing. I have to think the much touted Microsoft Automatic
> Updates just doesn't work. It has been suggested in prior threads
> that the MS servers are too busy to satisfy the download requests
> and AU just gives up and ends. If that is true, that is a really
> really bad way for MS to handle that situation. What is the point
> of even having an AU anyway if only works when you don't need it?
> I think I will wait for a few days and see if I can prove this
> unless you have a better suggestion.
>
> Ron