Error 80070643 Updating Windows Update

Hope someone can help with this as i'm ready to ditch vista and go back to
XP. I've just got a new vista business laptop and am trying to run windows
update. When I do it says that it needs to update the windows update client
to a newer version.

It then proceeds to download the update and then comes up "Windows Could not
search for updates error 80070643". The windows update reportingevents.log
file says the update was sucessfully downloaded and then gives the follow
error "Windows failed to install the following update with error 0x80070643:
Windows Update Core."

I have tried time and again, I have renamed the catroot2 and software
distribution folders an downloaded the Windows Update Agent 3 standalone
installer to try and update manually but it also fails with the same error.

Does anyone have a clue what is going on? PS I don't have Office installed
so its not OSE service.

Been at this now for 3 days and finally got past this. If anyone wants to
know I had to stop both the windows update service and the cryptographic
services service, the delete both the softwaredistribution and catroot2
folders, then boot into safe mode, disable windows defender service and the
others again and then run the windows update agent 3 standalone installer as
administrator (even though my user profile is already an admin account). It
finally ran completely and after a couple of reboots windows update finally
stopped complaining that it wasn't up to date.

My only problem now is that I have 14 important and recomended updates now
that WU says I need to install and I've tried installing 5 of them so far
(individually) and for all of them windows says the install is successfull
and needs to reboot and when I reboot vista will not even get as far as the
login screen even in safe mode. I get the little green loading bar but then a
black screen and a mouse pointer which works but the laptop then does nothing
else. (I've lef it at that for a long time just in case but nope nada. The
only thing I can do to get vista back up and running is use the dell recovery
partition to run system restore and restore back a couple of restore points.

This is a monumental pain in the rear end!! I have had to disable windows
update as it automatically tries to install the updates each time I connect
to the internet. Has anyone had these types of problems with vista and
updates?

I'm having a very simular problem. The only difference is I am not getting an
error code. Windows Update always starts up every time i turn on my pc and
there is alway the icon in the taskbar saying windows can't check for
updates. I try to manually try to check for the updates but it tells me "To
check for updates, you must first install an update for Windows Update. Your
automatic updating settings will not change." I click the Install now button
and it looks as though it is trying the install but it just sends me back to
the same starting point but without an error code. The problem i think i'm
having is updating Windows Update itself but with any error code, it makes it
harder to be sure.

Finally got to the root of this. I had been using another firewall as the
vista one is still far from acceptible however this one was too secure for
it's own good. Although I had been disabling it, it had been still running
something at bootup which was stopping the updates from completing. Probably
preventing the update from accessing the files / folders etc that it needed
to.

My solution was to completely remove the firewall and go back to using the
vista one. I then had to install the updates one by one as apparently doing
more than that had a tendency to screw up the OS as well and I had to restore
he OS back to before all updates. So doing them one at a time, rebooting
after each update has enabled me to install 13 / 14 updates successfully.

I'm still having an issue with update (KB933566) - Cumulative Security
Update for Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista. After this installs windows
will not boot. Gets to the loading screen and then goes black and displays
the mouse pointer but nothing else. The only way to get windows to boot is to
use F8 and start with driver signing enforcement disabled. This works and
when I check the logs the update had been installed successfully, however in
this mode a lot of windows features stope working, e.g. Windows Update will
not load, neither will system restore. So it looks like i'm going to have to
remove this update using the dell system restore partition. That has truly
been a godsend during this whole experience.

Has anyone else been having this trouble with update KB933566?

I guess misery loves company...or "welcome to club 80070643".

I have a brand new hp8000e with vista home premium with office 2003
installed. I have tried ALL of the Microsoft supports "fixes" (ose reinstall,
untinstall/reinstall office, registry edits, batch files, restores, etc,
etc.) along with tech chats with hp on a daily basis for a week+. I finally
broke down and ordered the update disc for office from Microsoft for a manual
install..you can't do it online since it just takes you back to the vista
auto update crap with the same error code result... I haven't received the
disc yet, but I'm hoping this will at least solve my update problem. I have
all but given up on the auto update issue, I can't believe that Microsoft
can't get something as basic as updates correct on a so called "latest and
greatest" operating system?? What really chaps me is the fact that so many
people are having the same issue and Microsoft can't come up with a permanent
fix.

I am having the same problem only I'm using windows xp. Did the disc work?
If so can you tell me how to get it 0x80070643

Well folks, after harassing Microsoft support everyday for four months, they
finally relented and sent me a n/c vista reinstall disc. I think this should
be mandatory of all pc manufacturers to begin with. What a crock when you
have to go through what I did to get a copy of your operating system to
correct a problem with the operatiing sysytem that was supposed to be
installed correctly on your system to begin with??

Long story short, the update on the system worked and I have had no problems
with error codes or updates since.

Maybe if more of us complained and were unrelentless Microsoft will one day
not issue software until it has been tested and not dump their crap on the
general public to fix and find their bugs.

I have a couple of questions; and from them you can tell I'm no computer
geek.

I'm not concerned with auto updates which have definitely been failing. I'm
just concerned with manual updates which fail as well. A number of weeks ago
I was having trouble with a real slowdown in my computer. I called Dell and
paid for phone software service. At some point I think my registry was
touched though I don't remember for sure.

Can you explain. Is the disc you got the equivalent of a complete reformat?
Sorry for sounding and I guess being so dense.

I have experienced this problem too when I first got Vista, I turned off the
UAC in User accounts in control panel in Vista & it helped. I was able to
install the new updates.

The antivirus/security suite that Kosh's OEM [original equipment
manufacturer aka, computer maker] was *paid* to install is what is
preventing the Windows Update Agent [WUA] from installing successfully.

@Kosh ... Clean boot Vista. Step1 here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Then open Internet Explorer by *right* clicking the shortcut to it and
choosing 'Run as administrator'. Follow the prompts to allow it to run
in an Elevated Mode and then go here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058

Now click the Fix it icon, choose Run, and see if running it in it's
Default mode resolves the issue, Kosh.

If not, download the Fix it ( choose Save ) and *save* it.
Close IE.
*Right* click ResetWindowsUpdate.msi. and choose Install.
Choose the Aggressive mode (which means the system must be connected to
the internet while it's running).
You should be prompted to restart the system afterwards. If no prompt
appears then the WUA was not installed properly.