Windows 2003 server sp2, all updates fail

I have a freshly installed windows 2003 std server running in a vmware
server vm which I've manually updated to sp2 successfully. But even
though the update to the windows update activex control succeded, I've
not been able to get any updates. Using either the custom or the express
buttons, all I get is '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.' None of the options are useful.

The machine has been activated and all of that. I have IE's security
feature where it warns re security for every website you visit turned
off. Internet connectivity is fine.

In article < >,
says...
> I have a freshly installed windows 2003 std server running in a vmware
> server vm which I've manually updated to sp2 successfully. But even
> though the update to the windows update activex control succeded, I've
> not been able to get any updates. Using either the custom or the express
> buttons, all I get is '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.' None of the options are useful.
>
> The machine has been activated and all of that. I have IE's security
> feature where it warns re security for every website you visit turned
> off. Internet connectivity is fine.
>
no input on this?

In article < >,
says...
> In article < >,
> says...
> > I have a freshly installed windows 2003 std server running in a vmware
> > server vm which I've manually updated to sp2 successfully. But even
> > though the update to the windows update activex control succeded, I've
> > not been able to get any updates. Using either the custom or the express
> > buttons, all I get is '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.' None of the options are useful.
> >
> > The machine has been activated and all of that. I have IE's security
> > feature where it warns re security for every website you visit turned
> > off. Internet connectivity is fine.
> >
> no input on this?
>
Someone must have a clue on this? MVPs?

"mat" <> wrote in message news: om...
> In article < >,
> says...
>> In article < >,
>> says...
>> > I have a freshly installed windows 2003 std server running in a vmware
>> > server vm which I've manually updated to sp2 successfully. But even
>> > though the update to the windows update activex control succeded, I've
>> > not been able to get any updates. Using either the custom or the express
>> > buttons,

>>> all I get is 'The website has encountered a problem and cannot
>> > display the page you are trying to view.


FWIW I would try using Fiddler2 to get better view of what the
message really means. E.g. are you even sure of the connectivity?


>>> The options provided below
>> > might help you solve the problem.' None of the options are useful.
>> >
>> > The machine has been activated and all of that. I have IE's security
>> > feature where it warns re security for every website you visit turned
>> > off.

>>> Internet connectivity is fine.


Details? The best test for a connectivity problem is to simulate it
as closely as necessary. E.g. Fiddler shows that IE's Alt-T,U
would start you out with

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

and then there would a Javascript redirect.

So, what happens if we try that with Active Scripting disabled?...

I get a nice page which tells me that scripting must be enabled. YMMV.


OTOH you might have to go back even further in your simulation,
to your DNS lookup.

E.g. here's what I get from a ping -n 1 for that host name:

<cmd_output OS="XPsp3">
E:\>ping -n 1 windowsupdate.microsoft.com

Pinging windowsupdate.microsoft.nsatc.net [207.46.18.94] with 32 bytes of data:
</cmd_output>

Notice that there is an alias involved? If the problem is your DNS
and you want to cache the lookup for IE to use you should also
ping -n 1 that alias...


<cmd_output>
E:\>ping -n 1 windowsupdate.microsoft.nsatc.net

Pinging windowsupdate.microsoft.nsatc.net [207.46.18.94] with 32 bytes of data:
</cmd_output>

And you can use ipconfig /displaydns to verify that there is an
A record for that canonical name...

<cmd_output command="ipconfig /displaydns">
windowsupdate.microsoft.nsatc.net
----------------------------------------
Record Name . . . . . : windowsupdate.microsoft.nsatc.net
Record Type . . . . . : 1
Time To Live . . . . : 287
Data Length . . . . . : 4
Section . . . . . . . : Answer
A (Host) Record . . . : 207.46.18.94
</cmd_output>

Then you get about 3 minutes to take advantage of it.


>> >
>> no input on this?
>>
> Someone must have a clue on this? MVPs?


Good luck

Robert Aldwinckle
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