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Unable to install Visual Studio administrator updates through SCCM and WSUS

Applies to:   Visual Studio 2022

Symptoms

You can't install Visual Studio 2022 administrator updates through Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).

Resolution

To enable your Visual Studio client machine to receive updates through WSUS, make sure to prepare the client machine by setting up a few prerequisites.

  1. Ensure that the Visual Studio administrator update (for example, the Visual Studio 2022 version 17.7.4 or above update) is imported into WSUS and approved.

  2. Enable the client machine to receive administrator updates by setting a registry key on the client machine:

    a. Open Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Start menu.

    b. Navigate to the registry key depending on the version of Visual Studio you're using:

    • If you're using a 64-bit version of Visual Studio on a 64-bit operating system, use HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Setup.
    • If you're using a 32-bit version of Visual Studio on a 64-bit operating system, use HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Setup.

    c. Set the AdministratorUpdatesEnabled (type REG_DWORD) key to 1.

    For more information, see Enabling administrator updates to Visual Studio with Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager.

  3. The Visual Studio Client Detector Utility (KB5001148 - Visual Studio Client Detector Utility for Administrator Updates) must be installed on the client machine in order for the administrator updates to be properly recognized and received.

    Ensure that you execute the following command line via an admin PowerShell cmdlet to ensure that it populates the Visual Studio instances installed on the machine:

    Get-CimInstance MSFT_VSInstance -Namespace root/cimv2/vs

  4. The ChannelURI in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Packages_Instances\<RandomID>\state.json must point to the release channel.

  5. The client machine's SYSTEM account downloads and installs the Visual Studio administrator updates. This means that the SYSTEM account must have administrative privileges to the machine, and it must also have access to the internet or the network layout location to download the updated product bits.