Windows Update access problem

Cannot get Windows Update to play ball on my parents' PC. :cry When I click on WU, it opens IE and goes to the update site. It checks that I have the right software, then asks if I want Express or Custom update. I click on either of these and I get the following:

It also gives error number 0x8007007E.

I looked up the Update Log - teh same error appears there. The relevant bit seems to be as follows:

+++++++++++ PT: Synchronizing server updates +++++++++++
PT + ServiceId = {7971F918-A847-4430-9279-4A52D1EFE18D}, Server URL = https://update.microsoft.com/v6/ClientWebService/client.asmx
PT + Last proxy send request succeeded
PT WARNING: GetConfig failure, error = 0x8007007E, soap client error = 5, soap error code = 0, HTTP status code = 200
PT WARNING: PTError: 0x8007007e
PT WARNING: GetConfig_WithRecovery failed: 0x8007007e
PT WARNING: RefreshConfig failed: 0x8007007e
PT WARNING: RefreshPTState failed: 0x8007007e
PT WARNING: Sync of Updates: 0x8007007e
PT WARNING: SyncServerUpdatesInternal failed: 0x8007007e
Agent * WARNING: Failed to synchronize, error = 0x8007007E
Agent * WARNING: Exit code = 0x8007007E
Agent *********
Agent ** END ** Agent: Finding updates [CallerId = MicrosoftUpdate]
Agent *************
Agent WARNING: WU client failed Searching for update with error 0x8007007e
COMAPI >>-- RESUMED -- COMAPI: Search [ClientId = MicrosoftUpdate]
COMAPI - Updates found = 0
COMAPI - WARNING: Exit code = 0x00000000, Result code = 0x8007007E
COMAPI ---------
COMAPI -- END -- COMAPI: Search [ClientId = MicrosoftUpdate]
COMAPI -------------
COMAPI WARNING: Operation failed due to earlier error, hr=8007007E
COMAPI FATAL: Unable to complete asynchronous search. (hr=8007007E)
Report REPORT EVENT: {50E9488C-099E-46EC-9FBE-B20632C5E4FE} 2009-04-11 02:56:41:972+1000 1 148 101 {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000} 0


I have tried many fixes, including these from Halo:
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=62243
but I can't find my way through. :cry

This all relates to my parents' PC which I am working on remotely (at last) (running XP Pro SP2 - Belarc shows that there are a few SP1 and SP3 downloads in there as well???). I have the latest IE on there (7.0.5730.13) and ActiveX was updated.

There was one fix - run SFC.exe /scannow that required me to be at the console, not remote. I haven't tried that one yet, but it seemed like a long shot.

I looked up the error from the update log, but only got one hit, with a repeat. Tried the solutions there, but no help. :cry

I've re-registered a lot of dll files according to some fixes, but no help either. :cry

I don't know the history of this PC - it was one I found being thrown out. I downloaded and installed SP2 manually.

Any bright ideas out there? :cry

PS I've run AVG on the PC. I'm now going to try Adaware, to see if that gets anything.

PPS It has ZoneAlarm Pro on it, which I have just disabled to get remote connection through. Haven't figured out how to configure it for access yet.

 

This could be malware related or just a block in Windows Installer. Try Dial-a-fix and use the "Flush Software distribution" and "Fix Windows update" options: http://majorgeeks.com/Dial-a-fix_Full_d4899.html

A reinstall of Windows Installer also does the trick sometimes: http://www.microsoft.com/DOWNLOADS/...6f-60b6-4412-95b9-54d056d6f9f4&displaylang=en

SAS & MBAM is recommended here for extra malware checks and removal.

MBAM: http://majorgeeks.com/Malwarebytes_Anti-Malware_d5756.html
SAS: http://majorgeeks.com/SUPERAntiSpyware_d5116.html

 

WHOA! Thanks guys. It sure pays to post at 3.30 in the morning (my time)!!!
Excellent advice for which I thank you both. I might try one or two of teh easy ones now - I am a trifle fatigued, having been chasing this and other difficulties (such as setting up remote connection - what a headache!!!) until 4.00 am yesterday as well, :zzz and I'll try the others a little later (if I don't have success).

Reinstall not possible, as they didn't throw the disc out with the PC.

And how impressive is this:

Love it, Halo!!! :-D

 

You only have to download the new installer. It uses an install program of it's own. So it does not need access to the broken/blocked old Windows Installer.

 

Oh, OK. Thanks.
I might be out of business for now anyway. I just downloaded Ad-Aware onto the computer, and it asked for a reboot to finish installing. I'm starting to think you can't reboot remotely (although I can't see why not). It's not coming back.
BTW, the old installer looks like it's about 2001 vintage.

 

Thanks Halo. (I can't get over this 'real-time' computer help! I usually post one day and come back teh next to see what's up.)

I'll try your suggestion, although I'm not holding out much hope. I just realised that it's probably not coming back up because ZoneAlarm will have reactivated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :tas

 

Yeah. No good. When I tell it to connect to another PC, it goes off looking, but it says it can't find it. That will be ZA doing its thing for sure!
I'll run MB and SAS when I wake up (I use them on my PC - just trying Ad-Aware 'cos someone suggested it on one of the sites I was looking at - they have an anniversary edition out which looks good, even if it doesn't do such a good job).
Getting hard to see the screen. G'night all. Thanks again for helps.


Oh, almost forgot - Update files look hard to track down. They seem to be here and there. Any in particular I should attend to?

 

:banghead

Many hours later...

Tried all the suggestions, several times, and in different orders. Also tried other stuff I came across. This thing stubbornly refuses to cooperate. Oh woe is me!!! :cry

I wonder if it could have anything to do with the fact that I moved the HDD from another PC into this (remote) one, with the OS already installed. There's nothing in teh update log that suggests that this could be a problem. Everything runs fine until it gets up to the sync section (copied below).

I just tried Updates on my own PC and it kicked straight in to offering me an SP3 update. The remote PC sometimes starts the normal update search (yellow bar moving across left to right) but stops before it gets across once, then goes to the error. Sometimes it just goes straight to the error.

Is it time to give up???

PS I tried downloading and installing a couple of updates manually, and that works fine. I could always do that, but there are a lot of them...

 

I like your attitude.

Thanks. I'll give those ideas a go.

 

Progress of sorts!!!
Tried everything. Eventually discovered that the Extended Services list (Computer Management) was EMPTY! VOID! NULL! BLANK! and there was nothing there!!!
I guess that had something to do with the problem.
Uninstalled SP2 to see if that had caused it. It hadn't. Restored back to latest version, and then found out one thing you can't do remotely. I cooked it!!
Now it boots to the desktop background but won't load any icons. It just says Windows has encountered a problem and has to close.

I visited my parents (and their computer) tonight and tried Safemode and Last known good configuration and a couple of others, but nothing worked. I also tried a boot disk, but no good there either. Always teh same thing.
I hit Ctrl+Alt+Del to see what that did, and it said it couldn't find a DLL file or something like that.
Ended up putting another (noisy) HDD in the computer (out of another found computer). It updated Windows just as it should. Naturally.
Oh well. Thanks for all help offered. Much appreciated.

 

Unlike most other harddrives in PCs I've found, this one sounds OK. I plan to clone another (dying) HDD onto it and see how it goes (as you suggested). I found a couple of posts elsewhere on the net about missing extended services, but nothing about why, or how to fix it - other than reinstalling, which I can't do (no CD).