Update install errors

Question

Since updating to the 16.64 versions, updates fail to install. AutoUpdate reports The update could not be installed at this time.

The update packages download, the installation process starts, then fails after a delay.

If I restart the Mac, the next update (for a single application) usually installs. Sometimes two succeed. But after that, they all fail no matter how many times you try. If you use the "try again" button, AutoUpdate will even download a full installer instead of the smaller incremental package. Those fail too.

The AutoUpdate Assistant diagnostic log shows entries like these:

[Microsoft Update Assistant]  CloningTask.Status: {"AppNameChanged":"YES","UpdateID":"8E1FF42B-6D18-4A35-BD4B-5F20E0BB3510","Success":"YES","AppID":"MSWD2019"}
[Microsoft Update Assistant]  DownloadTask.DownloadBegin: {"UpdateID":"8E1FF42B-6D18-4A35-BD4B-5F20E0BB3510","LeapFrog":"NO","PreviousUpdateID":"","AppID":"MSWD2019","BundleVersion":"16.64.22062700","UpdateVersion":"16.64.22071001","UpdatePkg":"Microsoft_Word_16.64.22071001_Updater.pkg"}
[Microsoft Update Assistant]  DownloadManifest.DownloadSuccess: {"Reason":"Successfully Downloaded. URL: https://officecdnmac.microsoft.com/pr/4B2D7701-0A4F-49C8-B4CB-0C2D4043F51F/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_Word_16.64.22071001_Updater.pkg","AppID":"MSWD2019","CachedUpdate":"NO","StaleCache":"YES","LeapFrog":"NO"}
[Microsoft Update Assistant]  DownloadTask.DownloadSuccess: {"UpdateID":"8E1FF42B-6D18-4A35-BD4B-5F20E0BB3510","AppID":"MSWD2019","Payload":"Source: CDN","UpdateURL":"officecdnmac.microsoft.com/pr/4B2D7701-0A4F-49C8-B4CB-0C2D4043F51F/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_Word_16.64.22071001_Updater.pkg","UpdateName":"Microsoft_Word_16.64.22071001_Updater.pkg"}
[Microsoft Update Assistant]  Update.QueueInstallForApp: {"AppID":"MSWD2019","UpdateID":"8E1FF42B-6D18-4A35-BD4B-5F20E0BB3510","UpdateName":"Word Update 16.64.0 (22071001)"}
[Microsoft Update Assistant]  InstallUpdatesTask.UpdateStatus: {"UpdateID":"8E1FF42B-6D18-4A35-BD4B-5F20E0BB3510","IOC":"YES","LeapFrog":"NO","UpdateName":"Word Update 16.64.0 (22071001)","Operation":"Begin","NeedVerify":"YES","AppID":"MSWD2019","UpdatePkg":"Microsoft_Word_16.64.22071001_Updater.pkg"}
[Microsoft Update Assistant]  ErrorsAndWarnings: {"Error":"Failed with reply: Skipping Automatic Inspection Candidate with pageId(2) because we failed to receive a response in time.\n\n","UpdateID":"8E1FF42B-6D18-4A35-BD4B-5F20E0BB3510","Operation":"Install","AppID":"MSWD2019"}
[Microsoft Update Assistant]  InstallUpdatesTask.UpdateStatus: {"UpdateID":"8E1FF42B-6D18-4A35-BD4B-5F20E0BB3510","AppNameChanged":"YES","IOC":"YES","LeapFrog":"NO","UpdateName":"Word Update 16.64.0 (22071001)","Operation":"End","NeedVerify":"YES","AppID":"MSWD2019","BundleVersion":"16.64.22062700","UpdatePkg":"Microsoft_Word_16.64.22071001_Updater.pkg","Success":"NO"}
[Microsoft Update Assistant]  InstallUpdatesTask.RemoveClone: {"AppNameChanged":"YES","UpdateID":"8E1FF42B-6D18-4A35-BD4B-5F20E0BB3510","UpdatePkg":"Microsoft_Word_16.64.22071001_Updater.pkg","AppID":"MSWD2019","Success":"YES","UpdateName":"Word Update 16.64.0 (22071001)"}
[Microsoft Update Assistant]  Update.InstallCleanUpForApp: {"AppID":"MSWD2019","UpdateID":"8E1FF42B-6D18-4A35-BD4B-5F20E0BB3510","AppState":"17"}

Console.app shows only this error from installd:

fault	22:02:30.349606-0700	installd	Couldn't write values for keys (

    SuspendHelperActivityTimeStamp

) in CFPrefsPlistSource<0x145e0c040> (Domain: com.apple.TimeMachine, User: kCFPreferencesAnyUser, ByHost: Yes, Container: (null), Contents Need Refresh: Yes): setting these preferences requires user-preference-write or file-write-data sandbox access

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Here is a ridiculous but effective workaround: You can use AutoUpdate's logs to get the direct download URLs for the packages, then install them yourself using the regular installer. This always works, which means AutoUpdate's problem is entirely because of its own (unneeded) extra steps.

1. In AutoUpdate, try to install any one application. Wait for it to fail. OneNote is smallest, so should fail fastest.
2. In the menus, go to Help > Show Microsoft AutoUpdate Assistant Diagnostic Data Log (last item in the menu).
3. Scroll to the bottom of the file. Find the last line that contains UpdateURL. It contains the update package's URL without https. Mine always start with officecdnmac.microsoft.com.
4. Paste the URL into a web browser to download the update package.
5. Double-click the package file to install, just like any other.

If all your existing applications are the same version, and all need updating to the same new version, you can just change the application name to get the URL for the other packages. For example:

officecdnmac.microsoft.com/pr/4B2D7701-0A4F-49C8-B4CB-0C2D4043F51F/MacAutoupdate/OneNote_16.65.22082401_to_16.65.22082703_BinaryDelta.pkg

…becomes:

officecdnmac.microsoft.com/pr/4B2D7701-0A4F-49C8-B4CB-0C2D4043F51F/MacAutoupdate/PowerPoint_16.65.22082401_to_16.65.22082703_BinaryDelta.pkg

If you save the URLs, you likely can just put in new version numbers each time there's an update. No need to have a failure first to get the latest URL.

Answer 2

I have verified that the problem is definitely with AutoUpdate, not the packages it downloads. I managed to grab the installer packages that AutoUpdate downloaded and ran them using a regular double-click into the Installer application. There were no errors, and AutoUpdate now reports that my installed versions are up to date.

This has persisted across an OS update to macOS 12.5.

Answer 3

Thanks for this workaround which seemed to be effective for me. I'll keep using this until Microsoft figures out how to deal with a superior operating system.

Answer 4

A new round of updates is available. Got the same installation failure on the first attempt.

Answer 5

There was an AutoUpdate update today. It's still version 4.49, but I think the new full version number is 4.49.708.0. AutoUpdate was able to update itself. The next attempt to update a different application failed. But after a restart, I was able to install all 3 pending updates.

Presumably I have to wait until the next round of updates to confirm, but it feels like progress.