Member Avatar for Killroy7777

For about the last month, I have had the icon in the start menu saying that I have an update that should be installed. But every time I allow it to "install" it never really does from what I can see. Does anyone have any news on what is up?

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This thread shows a classic “stuck” Windows Update: the shutdown prompt keeps reporting “Install updates when you shut down” but the machine never finishes. As and observed, these symptoms often point to the servicing stack being unable to finish an operation (corrupted package, pending component operations, or an update to the update agent/runtime). The checklist below is a safe, cross-version approach to identify and clear the problem without immediately reinstalling major components.

Create a restore point or backup before changing system files. Then try this sequence to reset Windows Update cache and let the servicing stack rebuild:

net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
net stop cryptsvc
ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
net start cryptsvc
net start bits
net start wuauserv

After that, run:

sfc /scannow
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Note: DISM is for Windows 8/10/11. On Vista/7 use the System Update Readiness Tool (CheckSUR) instead.

If a particular update keeps failing, identify it (Update History, Control Panel → View installed updates, or wmic qfe get HotFixID,Description,InstalledOn) and remove it with wusa /uninstall /kb:XXXXXX or via the installed-updates UI. Use the Microsoft “Show/Hide updates” tool (wushowhide) to block a problematic package while you repair the system. Collect logs for deeper diagnosis: WindowsUpdate.log (or run Get-WindowsUpdateLog on modern Windows) and C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log.

Cautions: uninstalling runtime components (for example, .NET) can break applications—only remove them when identified as the culprit and after making a backup or restore point. On servers or production machines, run these steps during a maintenance window. If problems persist, capture the update IDs and CBS logs for targeted analysis or escalation.

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Member Avatar for jbennet

Same thing happened to me. About a week ago they released an update for the WU agent on vista and it seems to have broken it.

Seems like a wierd issue though. I just did a clean install on another box a few days ago and have not had any issues at all.

Member Avatar for Killroy7777

Fixed it :)
Simply had to search the install string on the internet and found out its main issue. Had to uninstall .NET Framework for it to go through. Thanks though! :)

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