indows Features blank, Updates not working

Question

First off, I'm using a legitimate OEM copy of Vista Ultimate x64.

As the title suggests, my Windows Features (optionalfeatures.exe) dialog box is empty, and Windows Update fails with error code 80070BC9.  I followed the instructions at http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/66978-system-files-sfc-command.html .  I checked the cbs.log file and throughout the file it repeats that it cannot repair 'license.rtf', with many details like "Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch" following it. It seems the only unrepairable file listed within cbs.log is license.rtf.  Before I ran sfc /scannow I was getting error code 80070026 upon trying to install any microsoft update.  Third party (Nvidia, Logitech, Samsung, Razer etc) drivers from Windows Update download and install without error, though.  I've filled 330gb of this 500gb hard drive up since the end of 2007, reinstalling Vista is not an option.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to Microsoft Windows Vista answers forums,

The problem is in the %SYSTEMROOT%\servicing\packages folder, there are files

missing or damaged, so it can't read the signature. If there are any files

missing, then it will just fail with no warning.

Method 1:

1. Click Start , type cmd in the Start Search box, and then click Command Prompt

under Programs.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the

password, or click Allow.

Note If you do not have administrator rights and permissions, start the Command

Prompt program by right-clicking Command Prompt, clicking Run as administrator, and

then typing administrator credentials.

2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

reg delete HKLM\COMPONENTS /v StoreDirty "

Method 2:

1).Download System Update Readiness Tool from Microsoft. Scroll right to the bottom of the page and download the correct version of this tool according to your operating system.

2).2. Once finished downloading, close all running programs and run Windows6.0-KB947821-v4-x86.msu. Click OK to install KB947821 update for Windows.

3).When installation completed, click Close and restart your computer.

4).Once Windows is booted up, try running Windows Features (optionalfeatures.exe) and see if the list is loaded or not.

5).Go to Windows\Logs\CBS\ and open CheckSUR.log file with notepad.

6).Take note of the part that says “Checking Package Manifests and catalogs” in the CheckSUR.log file. If there are errors, you will see a line with (f) followed by error code and path. If you see (fix), it means the tool manage to fix that particular error.

7).Now you’ll need to manually delete the registry keys according to what you see in the CheckSUR.log file. Run regedit and go to the following location.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\Packages\

As an example,if

Package_5_for_KB938979~31bf3856ad364e35~x86~~6.0.1.2.mum was not fixed, So you need to look  in registry at the location that I stated above and then delete it.There won’t be a .mum extension on the registry. As long as the whole line matches without the extension, you can delete it.

8).You will need to set full control permission before you can delete the corrupted registry key.

      Steps to give permission to a registry key.

1).Right click on the key that you want to take full control of and select Permissions…

2).Click the Advanced button.

3).Go on the Owner tab. Select the user name that the current system is logged on, check “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects” and click OK.

4).Now you should be back at the Permissions window again. Select the group that the currently logged on user belong to and check Full Control for Allow. Click OK.

REGISTRY DISCLAIMER

Modifying REGISTRY settings incorrectly can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the configuring of REGISTRY settings can be solved. Modifications of these settings are at your own risk. 

Let us know if you need any further assistance

Regards.

Sreekanth

Microsoft Support

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Answer 2

First off, I'm using a legitimate OEM copy of Vista Ultimate x64.

As the title suggests, my Windows Features (optionalfeatures.exe) dialog box is empty, and Windows Update fails with error code 80070BC9.  I followed the instructions at http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/66978-system-files-sfc-command.html .  I checked the cbs.log file and throughout the file it repeats that it cannot repair 'license.rtf', with many details like "Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch" following it. It seems the only unrepairable file listed within cbs.log is license.rtf.  Before I ran sfc /scannow I was getting error code 80070026 upon trying to install any microsoft update.  Third party (Nvidia, Logitech, Samsung, Razer etc) drivers from Windows Update download and install without error, though.  I've filled 330gb of this 500gb hard drive up since the end of 2007, reinstalling Vista is not an option.

I had this problem with vista sp2 x86. The below answer was very helpful. The deletion of registry key actually solved my issue issue.