Updates not working, it has been searching for updates for hours

Question

My PC is quite old and I have tried the microsoft fix it tool. The fix it tool never works. 

I have been trying to check for new updates from since yesterday (Tuesday 14th June) in the afternoon. It is now Wednesday morning (12 hours approx) and it is still checking. There is no error code, it is just checking for the updates.

I have no technical skills so please do not ask me any technical questions. I would just like a solution to this problem.

Thank you.

It is August now and my pc has been searching for updates for 1 week now. This is****ridiculous

Answer 1

My PC is quite old and I have tried the microsoft fix it tool. The fix it tool never works. 

I have been trying to check for new updates from since yesterday (Tuesday 14th June) in the afternoon. It is now Wednesday morning (12 hours approx) and it is still checking. There is no error code, it is just checking for the updates...

***** IMPORTANT NOTICE as of August 3, 2020 *****

Microsoft has announced they will be deactivating Windows Update on August 3, 2020 for computers with unsupported Windows operating systems that do not support SHA-2 code signing - see the 24-Jun-2020 Microsoft support article Windows Update SHA-1 Based Endpoints Discontinued for Older Windows Devices for more information.   Win XP and Vista users will likely see one of the following error codes when Windows Update is run after this date.

• Error code 80072ee2 or 80244019: The device cannot connect to Windows Update.
• Error code 8024402c: The device is unable to locate Windows Update.

Unfortunately, this means that the instructions below to fix slow Windows Updates and automatically patch a Vista SP2 OS to end of extended support (11-Apr-2017) will no longer work.  After 03-Aug-2020, Vista SP2 users who are still missing security updates released prior to 11-Apr-2017 should read post # 9 in the VistaForums thread WinVista HomePremium-X86 (SP1) Reinstallation Question about using the **** Dism++ utility to patch Vista SP2 back to end of support.
___________________________________________________________________________

**** INSTRUCTIONS BELOW WILL NOT FIX WINDOWS UPDATES AS OF 03-AUG-2020 ****

Hi m#l:

There is a known issue on Vista SP2 computers where Windows Update can hang on "Checking for updates..." for several hours (or even days) without throwing an error message. This problem was first reported in August 2015 and these slow Windows Updates have become progressively worse over time. In June 2016, IT expert Dalai began posting lists of "speed up" patches (a small number of security updates for the Win32K.sys kernel mode driver, graphics components, and IE9) at http://wu.krelay.de/en/ that could be manually installed each month to fix this problem.    Here are step-by-step instructions for Dalai's solution:

REVISED for the JUNE 2017 Patch Tuesday (valid as of July 2020):

1. Disable automatic Windows Updates [Windows Update | Change settings | Important updates | Never check for updates (not recommended)] and re-boot to terminate any Windows Update sessions currently running in the background on your system.
2. Search your installed updates at Control Panel | Programs and Features | View Installed Updates to see if any of the following "speed up" patches are missing from your system: KB3205638 (rel. 13-Dec-2016); KB4012583 (rel. 14-Mar-2017); KB4015380 (rel. 11-Apr-2017); KB4019204 (rel. 09-May-2017).  If IE9 is installed then KB4018271 (the 09-May-2017 cumulative security update for IE9) is also required. When searching, enter the full KB number in the search box (e.g., "KB3205638" and not a partial string like "3205638".
3. Download the standalone installers (.msu files) for any missing "speed up" patches from the the Microsoft Update Catalog and save them to your Windows desktop using the download links in Note 1.  Use the Vista x86 installer if you have a 32-bit OS; use the Vista x64 installer if you have a 64-bit OS. See Note 2 if you have problems downloading the .msu installers.
4. Double-click to run each .msu standalone installer.  Re-boot after all .msu installers have run to completion unless the installation wizard for one of the installers specifically requests a re-boot to finish the installation. See Notes 3 and 4 if you have problems running the .msu installers.
5. Once all missing "speed up" patches are pre-installed, run a manual Windows Update [Windows Update | Check for updates] to detect and install any available updates released as of 11-Apr-2017.  It might take a few re-boots and manual Windows Updates to get everything patched, depending on how many months or years your Vista SP2 OS is out of date. See Note 5 if Windows Update continues to hang at "Checking for updates...". [WARNING*: If you following these instructions after July 2020 and Windows Update throws an error see the IMPORTANT NOTICE at the top of this post.]*

**** EDIT as of June 2017:  Microsoft released five out-of-band emergency security updates for Vista SP2 in June 2017 were posted on the Microsoft Update Catalog but will not be delivered via Windows Update.  See the thread More Shadow Brokers Exploits Patched June 2017 for Win XP and Vista for instructions on how to install these emergency updates if they are still missing from your system. ****

**** EDIT as of April 2020:  Since March 2020 multiple users performing a clean reinstall of their Vista SP2 OS have reported that Windows Update can throw an error 800B0109 ("A certificate chain processed, but terminated in a root certificate which is not trusted by the trust provider") while trying to install KB4014984 (Security and Quality Rollup for NET. Framework 2.0, 3.0, 4.5.2, 4.6 on Windows Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2: April 11, 2017).  To fix this error, download the MicrosoftRootCertificateAuthority2011.cer file from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=747875&clcid=0x409 and save it to the root C:\ directory of your computer (i.e.., so the location is C:\MicrosoftRootCertificateAuthority2011.cer), open anelevated command prompt with Administrator rights, and enter the command certutil -addstore "Root" "C:\MicrosoftRootCertificateAuthority2011.cer" to apply the required trust certificate. Kudos to greenhillmaniac for posting about this fix in his 06-Apr-2020 post in the MSFN threadCertificate Trust Provider Error Installing Updates. ****
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Note 1:  Download 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) .msu installers from the Microsoft Update Catalog at the following links:

REQUIRED:

     KB3205638:  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB3205638 Vista

     KB4012583:  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4012583 Vista
     KB4015380:  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4015380 Vista

     KB4019204:  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4019204 Vista

OPTIONAL (if Internet Explorer 9 is installed):

    KB4018271:  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4018271 Internet Explorer 9 Vista

OPTIONAL (if MS Office 2007, MS Office 2010 or the MS Office Compatibility Pack SP3 is installed):

     See Note 5 below.

Note 2:  If you have problems downloading the .msu installers using Internet Explorer 9 then try an alternate browser like Firefox ESR v52.9.0 (the legacy extended support release for Win XP and Vista, last updated 26-Jun-2018).  You can also download the .msu installers to a USB thumb drive from another computer and copy the .msu installers to your Vista desktop.

Note 3:  If you try to install a speed up patch that is already installed on your computer, download an installer that does not match the bit architecture of your OS (e.g., you try to run a 64-bit .msu installer on a 32-bit Vista machine), or try to install a speed up patch that has been superseded (replaced) by a newer update you will see a "The update is not applicable to your computer" error - see the MS support article Windows Update Troubleshooting for other common causes of this error.

Note 4:  The standalone update packages (.msu files) will get stuck at "Checking for updates..." if there is a Windows Update session already running in the background on your computer.  Most users find that disabling automatic Windows Updates and re-booting is sufficient (STEP # 1), but if your .msu installer still gets stuck you can temporarily disconnect from the internet or stop your Windows Update service (wuauserv) at Control Panel | System and Maintenance | Administrative Tools | Services while running these installers.  Unlike Windows Update, these standalone update packages (.msu files) are associated with the Windows Update Standalone Installer (C:\Windows\System32\wusa.exe) and can be installed on computers without an internet connection.

Note 5:  This issue has not been prevalent since 2018, but if you have MS Office 2007 SP3, MS Office 2010 SP2 and/or the MS Office Compatibility Pack SP3 (an add-on that allows older MS Office products like MS Office 2000/2003/2007 to work with files with newer Open XML formats like .docx, .xlsx, etc.) and find that Windows Update is still running slowly after completing the instructions above then links for additional "speed up" patches (.exe self-extracting installers) for these MS Office products are posted below.

If MS Office 2007 SP3 installed:
KB4018355: for Word 2007 (rel. Apr 2018)

 [KB4018353](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56780): for Excel 2007 (rel. Apr 2018)

If MS Office Compatibility Pack SP3 (MS Office 2000/2003/2007 add-on) installed:

 [KB4018354](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56800): Word converter file (wordconv; rel. Apr 2018)

 [KB4461607](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=57877): Excel converter file (xlconv; rel. Feb 2019)  

If 32-bit MS Office 2010 SP2 installed:

 [KB4493218](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=102981 "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=102981"): for 32-bit MS Word 2010 (rel. Apr 2021)

 [KB3017810](https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=dbf63fea-6134-43ed-8960-a5e6822b494a "https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=dbf63fea-6134-43ed-8960-a5e6822b494a"): for 32-bit MS Excel 2010 (rel. Apr 2021)

If 64-bit MS Office 2010 SP2 installed:

 [KB4493218](https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=0ad9421d-1f16-4ed2-bc3c-59c293c11ad5 "https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=0ad9421d-1f16-4ed2-bc3c-59c293c11ad5"): for 64-bit MS Word 2010 (rel. Apr 2021)

[KB3017810](https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=0d5a97be-08a4-485f-aba0-9fa27f072a93 "https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=0d5a97be-08a4-485f-aba0-9fa27f072a93"): for 64-bit MS Excel 2010 (rel. Apr 2021)

If you have performed a clean reinstall of your MS Office product and are missing the final Service Pack then links to MS Office 2007 Service Pack 3 (KB2526086) and MS Office 2010 Service Pack 2 (KB2687455) are posted in the Lifewire article Latest Microsoft Office Service Packs. These Service Packs should be installed before applying the above "speed up" patches for your Office product(s).

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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * FF ESR v52.9.0 * Malwarebytes Premium v3.5.1 * MS Office 2003 Pro SP3
HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

Answer 2

The problem is with a function with wuaueng.dll - a file from the Windows Update Agent.

Hi erpmanila3w:

Yes, the general consensus is that the Windows Update Agent (WUA) v7.6.7600.256 for Vista at C:\Windows\system32\wuaueng.dll is likely the problem file.  Unfortunately, Microsoft has not released an update for Vista's WUA since June 2012.  See my comments in post # 162 of ScousaJAY's VistaForums thread windows update just seems to hang while checking about supersedence chains and problems I observe in my Windows Update log on Patch Tuesdays when the WUA tries to search for available updates.

Even Dalai'a workaround at http://wu.krelay.de/en/ I referenced in my 16-Jun-2016 instructions notes that "The term 'solution' might be a little bit exaggerated, since the following HowToonly tries to make sure that the Update Agent doesn't need to check all updates, so the check for new updates is done faster. Futhermore, it's only a temporary solution; most likely the issue will appear again with the next Patchday."

I doubt there will be a long-term, permanent solution for these slow Windows Updates unless Microsoft releases an update for the Windows Update Agent for Vista.

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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v47.0.1 * IE9 * NIS v22.7.0.76 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

Answer 3

How to make Windows Update great again

Answer 4

Note that this is only a temporary workaround and a new Win32K.sys update will likely be posted on Dalai's webpage next month that will have to be pre-installed before you run your July 2016 Patch Tuesday updates.

Just a heads up that it's Patch Tuesday (the second Tuesday of the month) for July 2016 and Microsoft has released another batch of updates.  Dalai updated his list of Windows kernel-mode driver (Win32K.sys) updates today at http://wu.krelay.de/en/ to include this month's KB3168965 (MS16-090: Description of the security update for Windows kernel-mode drivers: July 12, 2016), which replaces last month's KB3161664.  Note that KB3164033 (rel. 14-Jun-2016) also replaces the old MS Graphics Component update KB3087039 (rel. 08-Aug-2015) in Dalai's current list.

If you find that "Checking for updates.. ." hangs for several hours when you run Windows Update to apply your July 2016 Patch Tuesday updates, just follow the step-by-step instructions posted in this thread on 16-Jun-2016 to see if this speeds up Windows Update.  Users who were able to install their June 2016 Patch Tuesday updates last month should only have to pre-install this month's Win32K.sys update - KB3168965 - in order to "trick" the Windows Update Agent so it finds the remaining dozen or so July 2016 Patch Tuesday updates.

Users who haven't been able install updates for several months are likely missing additional Win32K.sys updates and will have to follow all steps listed in the 16-Jun-2016 instructions.  As of July 2016 Dalai's full list of five required Win32K.sys updates at http://wu.krelay.de/en/ for Step # 2 of those instructions is now:

KB3078601 (18-Aug-2015); KB3109094 (07-Dec-2015); KB3145739 (12-Apr-2016); KB3164033 (14-Jun-2016); KB3168965 (12-Jul-2016)

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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v47.0.1 * IE9 * NIS v22.7.0.76 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

Answer 5

The KB3168965 update will temporarily resolve the problem at least from July 12 to August 8.

Here's an interesting quote from one of the comments on this Askwoody.com blog on why it's taking nearly several hours or perhaps forever to check for updates:

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Tried this on a typical medium end desktop computer (CPU: Intel E5500, 4GB ram), not super recent, but by no means slow. Clean install of windows 7_SP1x64 — final MSDN official refresh disk (latest official 7 disk one can get) with all proper drivers from the manufacturer (auto driver update off, ick!). Clean install was last week, no browsing, no antivirus, windowsdefender disabled.

Installed all MS updates except:

KB2592687

KB2830477

KB3021917

KB3068708

KB3075249

KB3080149

KB3123862

KB3035583

KB3139929

KB2952664

as of last month. Longest windows update check as of last month’s clean install was 20 minutes with 100% on one core (every update check EXCEPT FOR the first one and the last one [when there were no updates left] took exactly 20 minutes). Update checks after that took 60 seconds (but only when there is nothing to find/do).

Today’s update check took 2 hours! Every time! Even querying the list of available updates while offline from the windows update service (via script) took 2 hours.

var updateSession = WScript.CreateObject(“Microsoft.Update.Session”);

var updateSearcher = updateSession.CreateUpdateSearcher();

updateSearcher.Online = false;

var searchResult = updateSearcher.Search(“IsInstalled=0 and IsHidden=0”);

I did some performance profiling of and entire 2 hour update check. I will post some of it in the next reply since it probably won’t format well.

Called recursively, 20+ layers deep:

wuaueng.dll!CUpdatesToPruneList::AddSupersedenceInfoIfNeeded

May account for ~99.8% of excess CPU usage. (this % includes ALL the other calls I mention because it calls them directly or indirectly)

Digging deeper into why this function is so inefficient…

wuaueng.dll!CUpdateDetectInfoList::FindNewestUpdate:

Called every time wuaueng.dll!CUpdatesToPruneList::AddSupersedenceInfoIfNeeded. This may be redoing supersedence work that had already been done by the calling instance of wuaueng.dll!CUpdatesToPruneList::AddSupersedenceInfoIfNeeded

May account for ~93% of excess CPU usage. (overlaps completely with the 99.8% figure above, as do the next two)

ntdll.dll!RtlQueryPerformanceFrequency:

“Retrieves the frequency of the performance counter. The frequency of the performance counter is fixed at system boot and is consistent across all processors. Therefore, the frequency need only be queried upon application initialization, and the result can be cached.” – Microsoft

They called this function about 3,270,000 times during the 2 hour check for updates. Microsoft says “Only call this once, it won’t change between boots”, Microsoft calls it 3.27 MILLION times. Windows update is slow.

May account for ~42% of excess CPU usage. (This is called directly by wuaueng.dll!CSusMap<tagDSGlobalUpdateId;CUpdateDetectInfo;CSusSortedArrayListItemOpsBasic;CUpdateDetectInfo>::_tagMapEntry::_tagMapEntry — which is called by wuaueng.dll!CUpdateDetectInfoList::FindNewestUpdate)

wuaueng.dll!CSusSortedArrayList<CSusMap<tagDSGlobalUpdateId;CUpdateDetectInfo;CSusSortedArrayListItemOpsBasic;CUpdateDetectInfo>::_tagMapEntry;CSusMap<tagDSGlobalUpdateId;CUpdateDetectInfo;CSusSortedArrayListItemOpsBasic;CUpdateDetectInfo>::CMapEntryOps>::InternalCompare

May account for ~16% of excess CPU usage. (This is called by wuaueng.dll!CUpdateDetectInfoList::FindNewestUpdate)"

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The problem is with a function with wuaueng.dll - a file from the Windows Update Agent.