WindowsUpdate Error 80070011 on every update

[sms4001]

from what I have read from everyone else having this problem its because we all moved our program files to a different drive and or partition as the one that has windows on it. seems pretty dumb that windows update cant adapt to that but i guess thats how it is. is there any way to contact Microsoft about this and possibly get them to fix it?

[jyinAtlantaIN]

Yes, please Microsoft, fix windows update to understand how to deal with
having program files and users on a different partition. You have to know
that it makes a lot of sense to partition the system that way.

All of my updates are failing too. I have my program files and users on a
separate partition from the OS.

Jim

"sms4001" wrote:

>
> from what I have read from everyone else having this problem its because
> we all moved our program files to a different drive and or partition as
> the one that has windows on it. seems pretty dumb that windows update
> cant adapt to that but i guess thats how it is. is there any way to
> contact Microsoft about this and possibly get them to fix it?
>
>
> --
> sms4001
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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> View this thread: http://forums.techarena.in/showthread.php?t=697961
>
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>
>

[alantangcs@yahoo.com]

Hello all,

I've been having to live with this nuisance for months now, until the
nuisance became a problem today when my network access was blocked
because I do not have the latest security patches. I too have
installed Program Files in another partition.

However, after some playing around with this today, I may be coming
close to a workaround. Perhaps some of you could take a look at this
and we can work together to solve this problem.

Windows Update occasionally has to update programs and services which
are already running. This can't happen so what it does is it stores
the update instructions in a file called "C:\Windows\WinSXS
\Pending.XML" and prompts for a reboot. On reboot, a program called
"C:\Windows\System32\POQExec.exe" fires up and executes these
instructions.

The "WinSXS" folder is protected so that not even an admin can modify
the files. However, if you are an admin of the machine, you can take
ownership of the "Pending.XML" file and give yourself full control of
the file. If you don't see a "Pending.XML" file, it's probably
because the file got cleaned up when Windows Update started and
notified you that the update failed. You need to force that file to
be created again. Start Windows Update, and select one of the patches
that keep failing and install it. When it asks you to reboot... do
NOT reboot yet. Take ownership of the file and give yourself full
control.

Before today, I've been looking through "C:\Windows\WindowsUpdate.log"
and got stumped at this error message:

"WARNING: Got extended error: "POQ Operation
hardLinkFile OperationData \SystemRoot\WinSxS\...... \??\D:
\Program Files...."

(I cut out the full file paths because I'm not working on the
problematic Vista machine so I can't copy/paste).

What is the "\??\" prefix was doing in front of "D:\Program Files"?
Was Windows Update trying to copy files to "\??\D:\Program Files"? Is
that causing the failure?

So I opened up Pending.XML and sure enough, there were all these
references to "\??\D:\Program Files". I did a find/replace so the
paths didn't have the "\??\" in front of it. Saved the file, and
rebooted the machine.

Well, to my dismay, that did not solve the problem. If you look
through WindowsUpdate.Log now, you will notice that it is now trying
to operate on "D:\Program Files" rather than "\??\D:\Program Files".

Perhaps more people experimenting on this will increase our chances of
finding a temporary work around until Microsoft fixes this? If anyone
could shed any light on "POQExec", the "HardLinkFile" operation or
have any other ideas, that would help heaps.

[alantangcs@yahoo.com]

Everyone! I have successfully installed KB931099 with ProgramFiles on
D:.

Please follow these instructions at your own risk. If you aren't
feeling confident, I recommend you back up your system.

Pre-requisites: You need to be an administrator on the machine.

Here's what you do:

- Start Windows Update.
- Click "Check for updates" in the top left corner.
- Click the "View Available Updates" link.
- Select KB931099 ONLY. Deselect any other patches that have been
failing in the past.
- Click Install.

Windows Update now downloads the patch.

- Do ***NOT*** restart the computer. Close Windows Update.

Windows Update also created C:\Windows\WinSXS\Pending.XML which you
now need to modify. To make your life difficult, the SYSTEM account
owns the whole WinSXS folder so not even admin's can modify the files
inside... unless you take ownership of the folder. To do that:

- Open up an explorer window and browse to C:\Windows\WinSXS
- Right-click on "Pending.XML" and select properties.
- In the dialog, click on the "Security" tab
- Click "Advanced" down the bottom
- In the new dialog, select the "Owner" tab. Notice the owner is
SYSTEM.
- Click "Edit".
- In the "Change Owner To" list, select the user account you are
currently using (you must be an admin)
- Click OK. Some warnings might pop up. Just ignore them. Close the
"Advanced Security Settings" dialog.
- Back on the "Pending.XML Properties" dialog, you should now be able
to give yourself full control of the file.
- Click the "Edit" button.
- In the new dialog, click "Add" and enter your user name. Click OK.
- Your user name should now appear in the list. Select it and check
the "Full Control" button.
- Click Ok, and Ok (closing any warning popups).

Now you fully control Pending.XML.

- Open "Pending.XML" in notepad.

Now onto some explanation:

Windows Update downloads the patches into C:\Windows\WinSXS. You will
notice in Pending.XML several "HardLinkFile" tags in the XML file.
The source is "\SystemRoot\WinSxS\..." followed by a long folder name
containing the patch files. Your system root should be "C:\Windows"
but it could be different if you chose to install Windows on another
drive other than C.

If your program files is on a drive other than the system drive, the
HardLinkFile operation fails. The HardLinkFile operation acts like a
fake-copy. It links the destination with the source file without
actually copying the file content. The source and destination must be
on the same partition.

Looking at Pending.XML again:

<HardLinkFile source="\SystemRoot\WinSxS\........."
destination="\??\D:\Program Files\........." ... />

this is bound to fail.

However, fixing this problem is not hard. The HardLink operation will
succeed if the patch files are on the same drive as Program Files.

- Note the long cryptic folder name from the source from after the
WinSxS. On my computer, this is "x86_security-malware-windows-
defender_31bf3856ad364e35_6.0.6000.16420_none_55c0ce805b18c568" but it
might be different on yours.
- You need to locate this physical folder in the WinSxS folder. Once
you find it, copy it to "D:\Temp" (NOTE!!! If your program files is
on another drive, say X:, then this will be X:\Temp for you).

Easy enough? Still have Pending.XML open in notepad? Now you need to
redirect the instructions to use the files on D: rather than C:... but
WAIT! Look at the file closely and you'll notice some other
instructions.

On my computer, I also moved "ProgramData" to D: so one thing I
noticed is there is a HardLinkFile instruction that uses "\??\C:". I
had to replace this with "\??\D:". You will also notice 2 MoveFile
commands for this patch. They both move files from a folder under
SystemRoot to another folder under SystemRoot. This instruction
should work without any modifications so we shouldn't touch them.

- The safest way to do this is to do a Replace (in notepad). Replace

HardLinkFile source="\SystemRoot\WinSxS"

.... with...

HardLinkFile source="\??\D:\Temp"

This ensures the MoveFile lines are not affected.

If you are trying to adapt these instructions for other patches, make
sure you check the file for other oddities.

- Save and close Pending.XML.
- Reboot the machine.

After the machine is booted up, check C:\Windows\WinSxS\POQExec.log
for any errors. If an error occurred, you should also notice the tool
tip window saying "Windows Update Failed" (or something like that).
If that's the case, you either did something wrong, or I left
something out. Either way, you don't have to worry too much as
Windows Update uses a transaction system. If any instruction fails
(even if after an instruction succeeded), none of the changes in the
entire patch take place (so you are free to try again).

Just to make sure, start Windows Update and click "Check for
Updates". If KB931099 no longer appears... congratulations, you have
just worked around one of the most annoying limitations of Windows
Update.

[Mike Hall - MVP]

Absolutely..

--
Mike Hall - MVP
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/default.aspx




"Or Tsemah" wrote in message news:200712593411ort@yside.com...
> Is there a permenant resolution for this behavior ?
>
> EggHeadCafe - .NET Developer Portal of Choice
> http://www.eggheadcafe.com

[Tom [Pepper] Willett]

You mean Eggheaders not knowing how to post in newsgroups?

<Or Tsemah> wrote in message news:200712593411ort@yside.com...
: Is there a permenant resolution for this behavior ?
:
: EggHeadCafe - .NET Developer Portal of Choice
: http://www.eggheadcafe.com

[or.tsemah]

Can anyone verify that this behavior is solved in the recently released SP1 ?

Or.
ort@yside.com

[jiminaus]

Hi guys,

I also have just encountered this error with Windows Update. And I too have my program files moved to another driver (E: in my case).

I changed the ProgramFilesDir and CommonFilesDir values in the registery at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion to point to my E: and the Windows Update error has been resolved.

And I've now got a hidden $$PendingFiles directory on my E: drive. :)

BTW I'm using Vista Ultimate 64-bit SP1.

Regards,
Jim in Aus.

[Ikester]

Wow! So simple! I'm sure glad I found this topic ... and read right to the end before acting. Thanks jiminaus!!

Vista Ultimate 32 bit in my case. :)

[Ikester]

Damn! I finally managed to get all updates installed so now SP1 shows up as the only update to be installed. So I proceed to install it ... only to come back to find my computer's Windows Update reporting that there was one failed update (SP1 - KB936330) with the same error code 80070011. WTF?

[Robert Aldwinckle]

"Ikester" <Ikester.3j6urb@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message news:Ikester.3j6urb@DoNotSpam.com...
>
> Damn! I finally managed to get all updates installed so now SP1 shows
> up as the only update to be installed. So I proceed to install it ...
> only to come back to find my computer's Windows Update reporting that
> there was one failed update (SP1 - KB936330) with the same error code
> 80070011. WTF?


> View this thread: WindowsUpdate Error 80070011 on every update


Details? Do you have a nonstandard drive for %ProgramFiles% too?

Otherwise you could use ProcMon to supplement whatever diagnostics
you are getting. So far, it looks as if nobody has bothered looking for
the install log... ; } (E.g. looking at WindowsUpdate.log understandably
could just show you summary error info. You probably at least need to know
*what* file can't be moved "to a different disk drive".


Good luck

Robert
---

[Ikester]

"Ikester" <Ikester.3j6urb@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message news:Ikester.3j6urb@DoNotSpam.com...
>
> Damn! I finally managed to get all updates installed so now SP1 shows
> up as the only update to be installed. So I proceed to install it ...
> only to come back to find my computer's Windows Update reporting that
> there was one failed update (SP1 - KB936330) with the same error code
> 80070011. WTF?


> View this thread: WindowsUpdate Error 80070011 on every update


Details? Do you have a nonstandard drive for %ProgramFiles% too?

If you're asking whether I moved Program Files to a different volume, the answer is "yes". In fact I also moved "Documents" and "Users" directories to another volume as well using Vista's symbolic link capability. Here's my config:

C:\>dir /al
 Volume in drive C is Win_Vista_08
 Volume Serial Number is 9C79-C7F2

 Directory of C:\

02/01/2008  12:46 PM    <JUNCTION>     Documents [h:\Documents]
11/02/2006  08:00 AM    <JUNCTION>     Documents and Settings [C:\Users]
02/04/2008  04:35 PM    <SYMLINKD>     Program Files [f:\]
02/04/2008  04:29 PM    <SYMLINKD>     ProgramData [h:\ProgramData]
02/05/2008  01:36 AM    <SYMLINKD>     Users [h:\Users]
               0 File(s)              0 bytes
               5 Dir(s)  25,857,634,304 bytes free

Otherwise you could use ProcMon to supplement whatever diagnostics
you are getting. So far, it looks as if nobody has bothered looking for
the install log... ; } (E.g. looking at WindowsUpdate.log understandably
could just show you summary error info. You probably at least need to know
*what* file can't be moved "to a different disk drive".

So I couldn't use procmon I take it? Just out of curiosity where would I find it? Also where would I look for WindowsUpdate.log? BTW, I haven't had any indication that my problem stems from any file that can't be moved "to a different disk drive".

Anyway, I've just gotten through several Tech Support sessions where they had me attempt to upgrade. I kept mentioning the linked directories but that seemed to be discounted by the techs I talked to (three or four on successive calls). The conclusion was that a repair install is needed and I had to clear 20GB (!) of free space on the system drive (C:) which I did.

However upon attempting this the next time I called, the repair installation was disabled (i.e. only a new install was allowed). The tech took control of my computer and checked a number of things. Upon checking my C: drive he questioned the arrows associated with the "Documents and Settings", "Program Files", and "Users" directories so I pulled up a command line screen and issued the dir /al cmd for him. He then referred me to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947240 and pulled over his manager.

His manager questioned what I had done and using words like "corrupted operating system" informed me that I'd have to put the linked directories back on the system drive. :( I protested saying that MS had introduced the symbolic link capability and that this is an admission that the capability doesn't work as advertised.

Whatever. The bottom line is that I will have to rejig the directories I moved if I ever want to get SP1 installed. I'd just like to know if I have to move them all back or if just dropping the "Documents and Settings" junction would be sufficient. Hell I don't even recall just how Vista directories are laid out. For example, in a virgin install, is "Users" separate from "Documents and Settings" or is there a symbolic link from one to the other? Can anyone help me there?

[Ikester]

A stumper:
I decided to try deleting just the "Program Files" symlinkd and moving the whole 10GB back to the system volume into a new "Program Files" dir. However even when running WinRE I am unable to now delete the symlinkd which is owned by "Administrators". Simply put:

C:\>rd "Program Files"
Access is denied.

Any suggestions would be most welcome.