Win 7 SP1 new install problems with Windows Update - help

Notice: Page may contain affiliate links for which we may earn a small commission through services like Amazon Affiliates or Skimlinks.

Boddy

Active Member
Oct 25, 2014
772
144
43
I bought a new PC for friends kids.

I had similar problems before where windows update hangs for hours with no progress. This PC is running IE11. I have attempted a number of fixes with no success: changed update method from automatic download to notify me before install, visited MS site to install latest update engine, run update trouble shooter, ran updater for 4hrs or more; all without success.

Anyone have any suggestions/fix how I can get Windows Update to work?
Many thanks in advance.
 

Boddy

Active Member
Oct 25, 2014
772
144
43
Many thanks poto for your help and advise!! Much appreciated.
Sounds like a great tool, esp if you are updating new computers frequently.
 

William

Well-Known Member
May 7, 2015
789
252
63
66
I have noticed this before also. What I think is happening is MS is giving most of the bandwidth for updates to Win 10.
Back when I did the Win 10 upgrade on a rig here I first installed Win 7 which took a very long time for the actual update to even start, once it did it went fine. That day I ended up letting it go over night, when I woke up it was working on updating.
 

StevenDTX

Active Member
Aug 17, 2016
493
173
43
Another vote for WSUSOffline. My favorite feature is the "reboot and recall." Basically, it will keep rebooting and continuing to install updates automatically until it's done.
 

i386

Well-Known Member
Mar 18, 2016
4,217
1,540
113
34
Germany
Maybe this could help you: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2509997

Is it possible MS is trying to nudge people away from win 7 by neglecting support services?
No I don't think so. This happened to me with all versions since Windows 2000 where I forgot to deactivate the updates during installation.

Since then I deactivate updates during windows installation, install the newest IE and drivers and then activate the updates with the option "download but let me choose wheeter to install them".
 

pricklypunter

Well-Known Member
Nov 10, 2015
1,708
515
113
Canada
I just recently done clean installs of win7 ultimate on a dozen different machines. Not 1 of them would update afterward. After a bit of head scratching, I decided to use wsus offline just for the sake of getting the machines up to date on security at least. After bringing down all the Windows and Office updates, about 7+gig's worth, which in itself is ridiculous, I ran the client install from a USB stick. And instantly ran into trouble, hangs, failed updates etc etc. After pulling my hair out for a few hours I eventually found a way through that worked reliably.

It seems that there are quite a few things that are inter-dependent on one another. How I got round the issue was to run the client and use task manager to kill the per-requisite updates one by one for I.E 11, I think there were 9 of those. Having only the VB and NET updates checked, nothing else, and in manual restart mode. After they succeed and I rebooted, I then selected RDP and the ME updates, at which point I enabled auto restart/ recall and windows auto update. I found that only once those are done will the per-requisites for I.E.11 actually install allowing I.E.11 proper to install and only when I.E.11 and the updated RDP is installed and working properly will windows auto update on its own. Weird path to update and a pain in the proverbial, but was the only thing that worked for me in the end. The whole thing goes reasonably quickly after you manually intervene initially and shut down the I.E.11 per-requisite updates. I can only guess that they need VB, NET and etc to be updated first, before they will install properly.

I started out with the latest ISO from Microsoft, with the convenience roll-up (May 2016) and servicing stack updates slip-streamed into it using DISM. That is KB3125574 & KB3020369 respectively.

Hope that helps someone :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: poto

Boddy

Active Member
Oct 25, 2014
772
144
43
Thanks @pricklypunter for your detailed advice. Yes, truly pain in the rear end! This PC has IE11 preinstalled, hopefully no hick ups, but I will heed your advice. On a previous PC I had problem with an update that would only work if antivirus was disabled. It's a bummer Microsoft is not making it easy, which from a security perspective is in it's best interest anyway. Probably wanting us all to go Win10. Bring back 'Service Packs' please ! Win7 SP2 could be really handy.
 

EffrafaxOfWug

Radioactive Member
Feb 12, 2015
1,394
511
113
I have noticed this before also. What I think is happening is MS is giving most of the bandwidth for updates to Win 10.
It's not a question of bandwdith - look at the windows update processes under a debuggly tool like procmon and you'll see they're spending their time doing precisely SFA - they just spend their entire time chewing a whole CPU and barely even querying the local filesystem or even t'internets. Somewhere along the line, MS completely b0rked the way that W7 (and, from what I've heard, W8.x) update work.

WSUS Offline Update appears to be the way to mitigate this abject failure encouragementification to upgrade to the Most Bestest Windows Ever.
 

sullivan

New Member
Mar 27, 2016
25
16
3
I went through this recently also. The key to doing this smoothly is to install the "Windows 7 SP1 Convenience Rollup".

Apparently MS has held off from releasing an SP2 for Win7 because this would reset the clock on their end-of-support date for commercial customers. So we all have to suffer with the broken update process.

Here's are some articles that describe how to do the updates from a clean install:

Convenience Rollup for Windows 7 SP1 is like Windows 7 SP2
How to Update Windows 7 All at Once with Microsoft’s Convenience Rollup

Basically, the process is:

1. Install Win7 + SP1 from an original Microsoft ISO.
2. Install the "April 2015 Servicing Stack Update" (KB3020369).
3. Install the "Convenience Rollup" (KB3125574).
4. Install remaining updates via Windows Update.

If you deal with installing Win7 virtual machines frequently, you'll probably want to download those patches and save them away with your ISOs.

Anyone have any suggestions/fix how I can get Windows Update to work?
 
  • Like
Reactions: wsuff and poto

pricklypunter

Well-Known Member
Nov 10, 2015
1,708
515
113
Canada
Personally, I can't see reason in why M$ would want to retire W7, it really is the last of the great desktop OS's they have come up with so far, and it still makes them money. It could make them even more if they were sensible about it and fixed some of its shortcomings. Unless they have a change of heart and produce something spectacular to replace it as a "classic" or traditional feeling desktop OS, not one of those touchy feelie, looks and works like my phone type affairs mind, a proper desktop OS, that also makes spyware and Geo-locating optional, they have lost me as a future customer permanently.
 

wsuff

Member
Aug 16, 2015
75
13
8
Sadly I got hit with this as well recently. Old HP Printer that checks Windows Updates for newer drivers as part of install. The problem is when it fails to find what it expects there is a long delay before it removes the HP all in 1 software. =/ Glad to see there is sane solution to fix Windows Update. STH to the rescue again.
 

Boddy

Active Member
Oct 25, 2014
772
144
43
Many thanks everyone for your feedback and advice! I had to do a clean install on new PC after accidentally wiping Win10. WSUSOffline worked well in this instance, but it identified I did not have the Net4 service packs included. I was able to work around this by updating the rest of the system and downloading the remaining service packs later. Fortunately I had picked up a Win7 Pro product key from a UK EBay seller (The COA cost me about 13 Euros and worked ok with phone activation. You can buy just the product key foe less).

I was going to pick up several more Win7 product keys but have found out that Microsoft is ending support for older processors on 14th Jan 2020 and systems with newer processors (e.g. Skylake) till 17 July 2017 and only critical updates after this date. So you are worse off with newer silicon. I would have liked to have a few spare licences of Win7 for future hardware as I don't like the bloatware and spyware on Win10 and I think it slows the system down.

Microsoft to end support for Windows 7 and 8 on new PC hardware - TechRepublic
 

dgcruzing

New Member
Jul 24, 2016
12
4
3
48
Gold Coast Qleensland
Bit late jumping in here on this.. but like to throw a few cents in..
Picked up a Asus T100 for a give away on a trip I am about to embark on..

Anyway, have upgraded it from Win8 to win10 and surprised at how well it goes..
Asus Transformer Book T100 FAQs, Guides & Tips
Asus Transformer Book T100 review - Windows Hybrid Tablet

After the upgrade and since it has a very low internal ssd for storage and that where it is going to I wanted to turn off updates and Get rid of some of the Win10 bloat..

came have come across a few good write ups that gave Lead me to

Debloat Windows 10 script collection - gHacks Tech News
How to debloat Windows 10 – Inside Windows

The scripts are designed to run without any user-interaction. Modify them beforehand.

W4RH4WK (Alex Hirsch) · GitHub

Note I like his licensed agreement "buy me a beer"

Anyway for a quick exe he has been kind enough to link to...
If you want a more interactive approach check out DisableWinTracking from 10se1ucgo.

GitHub - 10se1ucgo/DisableWinTracking: Uses some known methods that attempt to disable tracking in Windows 10

Loaded it up and works a treat...

Sent from my YOGA Tablet 2-1050F using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: Boddy