automatic updates fail to install

I have had to reinstall winXP Pro on two machines on my network recently. On
both machines, after the reinstall was complete, I rebooted and logged into
the network without any problems. Windowsupdate immediately found 1 update to
install. I believe it was Windows Installer 3.0. It installed without any
problems. After a reboot, Windowsupdate found around 50 new updates to
install, but no matter what I try it fails every time.
Here is a portion of my windowsupdate.log file.
2007-07-24 09:20:34:000 816 dec Handler Attempting to create remote handler
process as MHS_SPECTRUM_SE\Mike in session 0
2007-07-24 09:20:36:781 3696 e74 Misc =========== Logging initialized
(build: 7.0.6000.374, tz: -0500) ===========
2007-07-24 09:20:36:781 3696 e74 Misc = Process:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe
2007-07-24 09:20:36:781 3696 e74 AUClnt FATAL: Error: 0x80004002. wuauclt
handler: failed to spawn COM server
2007-07-24 09:20:36:875 816 dec Handler FATAL: 0x80004002: ERROR: Remote
update handler container process created (PID: 3696), but exited before
signaling event
2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 dec Agent * WARNING: Exit code = 0x80004002
2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 dec Agent *********
2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 dec Agent ** END ** Agent: Installing
updates [CallerId = AutomaticUpdates]
2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 dec Agent *************
2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 dec Agent WARNING: WU client failed installing
updates with error 0x80004002
2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU >>## RESUMED ## AU: Installing update
[UpdateId = {707E6500-81C1-4165-8C43-631E09891716}]
2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU # WARNING: Install skipped
2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU >>## RESUMED ## AU: Installing update
[UpdateId = {9785760A-3232-40E0-8F2A-03FB932BF3CA}]
2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU # WARNING: Install skipped
2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU >>## RESUMED ## AU: Installing update
[UpdateId = {E2E1C013-B99A-4683-921C-B99663F3F8ED}]
2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU # WARNING: Install skipped

Anyone have any ideas how I can make this work again? Thanks...

Mike

I have finally found the fix for my particular problem. I downloaded the new
Windows Update agent at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927891 and ran it
with the /wuforce switch. That forced the reinstallation of all wu agent
files. After a reboot, all is well. Hope this helps someone.

Mike,

I dl'd the above file as WindowsXP-KB927891-v3-x86-ENU.exe. Then I used
your switch as:
WindowsXP-KB927891-v3-x86-ENU.exe /wuforce /wuforce

The result was a list of possible switches which I assume indicates that
/wuforce is NOT a viable switch...there is /overwriteoem...

soooooo....what did you do that I didn't...or vice versa???

Thanks,

Chas

I have a probable solution. I'm not on a network so things may be a little
different and therefore may not work the same. In my case I have multiple
systems on multiple hard drives and have the following problems on all. If I
do a repair installation I can never get the windows updates. They
download, but fail to install. To repair this problem the dll files
associated with the windows update program have to be registered. To do this
you'll need to run regsvr32. Go start then run:
regsvr32 wuapi.dll
regsvr32 wuaueng.dll
regsvr32 wuaueng1.dll
regsvr32 wucltui.dll
regsvr32 wups.dll
regsvr32 wups2.dll
regsvr32 wuweb.dll

If networked machines operate under the same principles as stand alone
machines, this will be the solution to your problem

[iexplorer0726]

Originally Posted by hesynergy

Mike,

I dl'd the above file as WindowsXP-KB927891-v3-x86-ENU.exe. Then I used
your switch as:
WindowsXP-KB927891-v3-x86-ENU.exe /wuforce /wuforce

The result was a list of possible switches which I assume indicates that
/wuforce is NOT a viable switch...there is /overwriteoem...

soooooo....what did you do that I didn't...or vice versa???

Thanks,

Chas

Chas,

We made the same mistake, putting the /wuforce on the WindowsXP-KB927891-v3-x86-ENU.exe.

Mike wasn't referring to using the /wuforce switch on the first file (WindowsXP-KB927891-v3-x86-ENU.exe), rather he was saying to use the /wuforce on the second file, Windows updater file (WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe), such as "WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe /wuforce".

Hope that helps.

Worked for me too.

Thanks a lot mfruech & mfruech!!!!! you really helped me a lot...

thanks again.

Telmadog

[rsmith187]

Thank god this thread made it into google. Man, this was a b*** to figure out. Of all the other supposed "fixes", this is the only one that truly works. I had this happen to me on two different systems this week that I just did a repair install of Windows XP SP2. Both exhibited the symptom of showing 79 or 80 updates downloaded and waiting to be installed, but the installer would just scroll through them all and immediately fail them all. No error code. No info behind the "red X". Very frustrating. Seems like Microsoft has botched something with windows update in the last couple months to cause this. I do repair installs fairly often and never saw this before.

But lo and behold follow the two steps outlined here in this thread, and my windows updates are working again.

And in typical MSKB fashion, the title and symptoms listed in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927891 don't match any of our symptoms, so we would never find it!

Thanks guys!

[Kaung]

Dear folks, download the latest Windows Update Agent (see one of the above posts or here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927891) and just type "Location of your file here" /wuforce in the run command and press Enter. You don't even need to restart your PC!
For example: if your file is stored in C:\Downloads, you need to type exactly like this:

"C:\Downloads\WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe" /wuforce

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Kaung

[Whiplash777]

THANKS Kaung!!!!
I just did a repair install of XP Pro and the updates wouldn't install.
I ran the command you specified:

Originally Posted by Kaung

"C:\Downloads\WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe" /wuforce

And then everything worked great!!!!
You ROCK!

Apparently the rogue registry entries are there for v3 of WUAUCLT (so the client install says it's already installed), but the client was downgraded due to the repair.

[Charles Ecilop]

Check the Windows Update site and click in the "Update History" link
on the upper left side. Now click on the "red cross" aside the failing
updates. What's the error code shown in the upcoming window?

Yes, this helped me with my problem. I recently formatted my pc and put my XP
sp3 pro back on, and after a few (successfully installed) windows updates it
started downloading critical updates but failed when atempting to install
them. After some testing i also noticed that if i removed any installed
update from add or remove programs and let windows update install them again,
they where also downloaded but not installed. In the windowsupdate.log file i
have several "0x80004002" errors.
In my case when i tried to install the "WindowsXP-KB927891-v3-x86-ENU.exe"
it said that "setup has detected that the service pack version of this system
is newer than the update you are aplying". so i skipped it and installed the
"WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe" with the /wuforce in the end. And after a
reboot it installed all the downloaded windows updates.

Hope this helps other ppl as well.

"mfruech" wrote:

> I have finally found the fix for my particular problem. I downloaded the new
> Windows Update agent at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927891 and ran it
> with the /wuforce switch. That forced the reinstallation of all wu agent
> files. After a reboot, all is well. Hope this helps someone.
>
> Mike
>
> "RHDIT" wrote:
>
> > Same here, reinstalled OS got the 1st update and now all the rest fail. With
> > no reasoning attatched.
> >
> > "whirphy" wrote:
> >
> > > I am having this exact same problem. I just upgraded to XP Pro and I have 77
> > > updates that will not install.
> > >
> > > "mfruech" wrote:
> > >
> > > > I have had to reinstall winXP Pro on two machines on my network recently. On
> > > > both machines, after the reinstall was complete, I rebooted and logged into
> > > > the network without any problems. Windowsupdate immediately found 1 update to
> > > > install. I believe it was Windows Installer 3.0. It installed without any
> > > > problems. After a reboot, Windowsupdate found around 50 new updates to
> > > > install, but no matter what I try it fails every time.
> > > > Here is a portion of my windowsupdate.log file.
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:34:000 816 dec Handler Attempting to create remote handler
> > > > process as MHS_SPECTRUM_SE\Mike in session 0
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:36:781 3696 e74 Misc =========== Logging initialized
> > > > (build: 7.0.6000.374, tz: -0500) ===========
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:36:781 3696 e74 Misc = Process:
> > > > C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:36:781 3696 e74 AUClnt FATAL: Error: 0x80004002. wuauclt
> > > > handler: failed to spawn COM server
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:36:875 816 dec Handler FATAL: 0x80004002: ERROR: Remote
> > > > update handler container process created (PID: 3696), but exited before
> > > > signaling event
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 dec Agent * WARNING: Exit code = 0x80004002
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 dec Agent *********
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 dec Agent ** END ** Agent: Installing
> > > > updates [CallerId = AutomaticUpdates]
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 dec Agent *************
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 dec Agent WARNING: WU client failed installing
> > > > updates with error 0x80004002
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU >>## RESUMED ## AU: Installing update
> > > > [UpdateId = {707E6500-81C1-4165-8C43-631E09891716}]
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU # WARNING: Install skipped
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU >>## RESUMED ## AU: Installing update
> > > > [UpdateId = {9785760A-3232-40E0-8F2A-03FB932BF3CA}]
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU # WARNING: Install skipped
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU >>## RESUMED ## AU: Installing update
> > > > [UpdateId = {E2E1C013-B99A-4683-921C-B99663F3F8ED}]
> > > > 2007-07-24 09:20:38:968 816 32c AU # WARNING: Install skipped
> > > >
> > > > Anyone have any ideas how I can make this work again? Thanks...
> > > >
> > > > Mike