Steady State breaks Windows Updates

I'm posting here because I was told to do so in the Windows Update Forum
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...3-9b3db8e6a7f1

I also tried the Steady State Forum
http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/e...4-aa39811141a3

I keep getting passed around. If I'm not providing enough information please
let me know. Here's the question -

I have a Windows XP SP2 machine. Windows Updates is set under group policy to
pull down updates once a week at a set time from or WSUS server. It works
just fine.

Problem: When I install Steady State and have it take control of the updates
I get the following message in the Event Viewer - "Automatic updates failed
while trying to run Microsoft Updates." The updates don't get applied.

How does Steady State take control of the updates and how do I fix it?

Synopsis - updates works until Steady State takes control. Turn off control
by Steady State and upates works again.

Any help please.

"cgoodwin" <> wrote in message
news:7711C4ED-6BA3-4E99-A4EB-...

> I have a Windows XP SP2 machine. Windows Updates is set under group policy
> to
> pull down updates once a week at a set time from or WSUS server. It works
> just fine.

For the sake of clarification -- let's talk about what that policy setting
actually does and does not do.

If you have "Scheduled Install Day" set to a specific *day* of the week,
that's when updates are *installed*. It does not manage when updates are
phsyically detected or downloaded from the WSUS Server -- that potentially
happens around the clock, once every 22 hours (or less).


> Problem: When I install Steady State

The problem with "Steady State" and other products of its ilk is that
rolling back the state to 'undo' what others have done, also results in
failures, like this, with installing updates.

> I get the following message in the Event Viewer - "Automatic updates
> failed
> while trying to run Microsoft Updates." The updates don't get applied.

Most likely what is failing here is that the update was downloaded *during*
the period of time that has then been rolled back by using Steady State to
roll back the environment.

> How does Steady State take control of the updates

It doesn't, and that's the primary issue here.

> and how do I fix it?

First, you understand that in an AU/WSUS environment updates can be
downloaded at any time of day, so functionally speaking automated
detection/downloading and Steady State are non-compatible scenarios.

What you need to do is this:

1. Change the configuration of your systems to use AUOptions=2 (Notify for
Download). (This will eliminate all of the unnecessary redundant
downloading activity that's going on in the background every time you roll
back to the base image.)

2. Rollback Steady State (to undo the last set of "user" changes) and then
disable it (to faciliate installing updates and building a new base image).

3. Run a manual detection event (wuauclt /detectnow), to identify all
available (approved/needed) updates.

4. When prompted to download updates by the WUAgent UI, do so.

5. When prompted to install updates by the WUAgent UI, do so.

6. After installation of updates is complete, reenable Steady State and
build a new base image for subsequent rollbacks.


--
Lawrence Garvin, M.S., MCITP:EA, MCDBA
Principal/CTO, Onsite Technology Solutions, Houston, Texas
Microsoft MVP - Software Distribution (2005-2009)

My Blog: http://onsitechsolutions.spaces.live.com
Microsoft WSUS Website: http://www.microsoft.com/wsus
My MVP Profile: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/pro...awrence.Garvin