Windows update service not finding update exe

Easy to recreate by breaking the Service on purpose:

I know what's wrong for that case but how it got broken on your system is another story...

None of the suggestions presented so far will fix the afflicted registry entries for the Windows Update Service.

The error has nothing to do with "insufficient permissions, network connections, missing or corrupt files blocked by your antivirus application" as suggested by the Microsoft engaged alleged "expert".  Those are just more of their wild goose chase ideas.

That error message means the Windows Update Service is missing at least this part (and maybe more parts):

The Windows Update Service is a very simple and generic Service so you should be able to just replace the afflicted service in the registry with the details from a non afflicted system.

First make a manual System Restore point just in case...  If it is your desire you could also export the currently afflicted Service contents.

Then create a registry import file to replace your afflicted Service:

Open Notepad (and only Notepad) to create a new text file:

Click the Start orb and in the box enter:

notepad

Select/Click Notepad.exe to open a new Notepad file.

Copy and paste the following lines of BOLD text into the new Notepad file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\wuauserv]

"Type"=dword:00000020

"Start"=dword:00000002

"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001

*"ImagePath"=hex(2):25,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,72,00,6f,00,6f,00,*

*74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,*

*00,76,00,63,00,68,00,6f,00,73,00,74,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,2d,00,*

6b,00,20,00,6e,00,65,00,74,00,73,00,76,00,63,00,73,00,00,00

"DisplayName"="Windows Update"

"ObjectName"="LocalSystem"

"Description"="Enables the detection, download, and installation of updates for Windows and other programs. If this service is disabled, users of this computer will not be able to use Windows Update or its automatic updating feature, and programs will not be able to use the Windows Update Agent (WUA) API."

"PreshutdownTimeout"=dword:036ee800

*"RequiredPrivileges"=hex(7):53,00,65,00,41,00,75,00,64,00,69,00,74,00,50,00,72,*

*00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,*

*65,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,47,00,6c,00,6f,00,62,00,61,00,6c,00,50,00,72,00,69,*

*00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,65,00,*

*61,00,74,00,65,00,50,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,50,00,72,*

*00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,54,00,63,00,*

*62,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,*

*00,41,00,73,00,73,00,69,00,67,00,6e,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,6d,00,61,00,72,00,*

*79,00,54,00,6f,00,6b,00,65,00,6e,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,*

*00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6d,00,70,00,65,00,72,00,73,00,6f,00,*

*6e,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,*

*00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6e,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,73,00,65,00,51,00,*

*75,00,6f,00,74,00,61,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,*

00,00,00,00,00

"DelayedAutoStart"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\wuauserv\Parameters]

*"ServiceDll"=hex(2):43,00,3a,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,*

*00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,77,00,75,00,*

61,00,75,00,65,00,6e,00,67,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,00,00

"ServiceMain"="WUServiceMain"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\wuauserv\Security]

*"Security"=hex:01,00,14,80,90,00,00,00,9c,00,00,00,14,00,00,00,30,00,00,00,02,*

*00,1c,00,01,00,00,00,02,80,14,00,ff,00,0f,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,*

*00,00,02,00,60,00,04,00,00,00,00,00,14,00,fd,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,*

*05,12,00,00,00,00,00,18,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,*

*20,02,00,00,00,00,14,00,8d,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,0b,00,00,00,00,*

*00,18,00,fd,01,02,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,23,02,00,00,01,01,*

00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00

Save the new text file with a .reg extension to your desktop or someplace you can remember with a name you can remember, something like:

fixit.reg

After saving the file, close Notepad.

Locate the fixit.reg file on your desktop and double click it.

Alternatively, you can right click the fixit.reg file, choose Merge or Open With... and select the Registry Editor or Import.

Respond in the affirmative to the question... Are you sure you want to continue?

You should then see a message that the information was successfully added into the registry.

Reboot your system and test to be sure the changes "stick".

You can remove the fixit.reg file when you are done.

Safe to say the op has left the building but if s/he ever returns this is one of the best tools I've run across in 2016 :)

Try using this to reset the update system it's very good,

Use Option 2 on the list after right clicking it and select run as administrator

https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Reset-Windows-Update-Agent-d824badc

Download it to your downloads folder

Right click it and select Extract all to the downloads folder.

Then right click ResetWUEng and select run as administrator

Follow the rest of the prompts

Press any key to continue

Type 2 for that Option on the list and the Enter key to reset update services..

Press y for Yes and then the Enter key I believe twice

After it has completed

Type 15 for that option and the Enter key to restart the machine.

Should say will restart in 60 seconds save your work.... press any key to continue.

After restart go to windows updates and manually check for updates shouldn't take a few minutes.

You may run a fix it for Windows Update errors using this link.

If the issue still persist, you may also follow the steps for error 3, provided by this link.

Keep us on the loop for any updates.

Thanks.

I'm using windows 7, no attempt to go to Windows 10. Just noticed one day that I hadn't had to restart from updating so tried to manually run update to no avail. Checked services and noticed the file path was not missing.

I followed the steps listed.

1.)  I show permissions to wuauclt.exe as being open to "Read" and "Read & Execute" for all users and administrators. This is a personal home PC so nothing should be changed here.

2.)  not a network file

3.) Files there, but when I double click it does nothing.

4.) No shortcut. Trying to open file directly doesn't work

5.) Its windows update, so its part of the windows install

6.) antivirus is not blocking

still cannot run update

Hi Bowen,

Thank you for posting on Microsoft Community. What operating system you are using? Did you try to update to Windows 10 before this issue happens?

This error can happen for several reasons; insufficient permissions, network connections, missing or corrupt files blocked by your antivirus application. If you are using Windows 7, you can try the resolution on this link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2669244.

Regards,

Angelo Bar

Microsoft Community

If you find this helpful, please feel free to mark this as an answer.