XP updates failed

Question

Downloaded 9 XP updates for October onto 8400, XPpro SP2 with all prior security updates. Update manager (latest version from Microsoft) confirmed each download ("done!") but all 9 installs failed.

Went back to update site to download again but it won't let me. Shows 9 updates need installing requiring "0kb, 0 min" to download. I'm given "install" button to click, but all 9 installs fail again. I found the files on HD and moved all to recycle bin, but that didn't solve it. Anyone know how to reset the update manager so I can start over?

Also, system is configured for automatic notification of Microsoft updates (confirmed at Microsoft's update site), but I didn't receive notice this time. Suggestions?

Thanks!
Ron

osprey4 · Answer

Ron:

All updates can be manually downloaded and installed from the MS site. Give it a try:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/current.aspx

You may be experiencing a problem with your A/V or some other background program that's preventing installtion of these updates.

chuket · Answer

I had the exact same problem. They d/l'd OK but failed to install. I ended up getting the updates from the Windows catalog and saved them to a XP update folder and installed them from there.

redwolfe_98 · Answer

it is probably a 'problem' with your firewall, whichever firewall you are using.. i had the same problem before, and it was caused by my firewall (after microsoft changed something)..   if you can tweek the rules for your firewall, what you need is a 'loopback' rule for 'svchost.exe', commonly referred to as 'generic host process'..  a loopback rule is where the remote ip address is '127.0.0.1'..   you could try disabling your firewall and using win xp's 'windows firewall' instead, or not using any firewall.. i would not advise not using any firewall, except that if you have all of the other microsoft updates, if is probably safe to disable your firewall, temporarily..      Message Edited by redwolfe_98 on 10-13-2005 05:29 AM

RoHe · Answer

Thanks guys. Using Zone Alarm (free version) and McAfee but never had problems before with these updates. Besides, the updates download ok, just won't install.

I tried manual download but the installs still fail that way too. I submitted error report to MS and allowed them to scan my system over the web. They found error code 0x80240020 which is caused by "unexpected registry error".

They gave me instructions to fix the problem and I'll post the details, assuming it works.

Ron

Message Edited by RoHe on 10-13-2005 10:07 AM

joe53 · Answer

I'll be interested in what MS suggested.

I have the identical problem, and the microsoft update newsgroup is littered with this complaint, with no resolution I've been able to find. I was able to download the updates' installers manually from The MS download site as suggested by osprey4 above, and successfully install them from my desktop, but I hardly consider that a long term solution.

This complaint has been increasingly reported since about mid-August, but it took that October 11th release of 9 hotfixes on the same day to really bring the complaints out. It has been suggested that the MS servers were swamped with download requests which accounts for the problem. If so, then maybe just waiting a while and trying again will be the solution.

Incidently, I too found that error code 0x80240020 in my C:\Windows\WindowsUpdate.log file. The suggested fix for this error code according to the MS TroubleShooter is to log on as an Administrator, and try downloading again. Not a solution for me, as I am already logged on as the Administrator and sole user of this PC.

Message Edited by joe53 on 10-13-2005 08:48 PM

redwolfe_98 · Answer

when i contacted MS about this problem, the rep that responded said that the first thing that i should do was to determine if my firewall was causing the problem..   i had already determined that my firewall was the problem..   i did not have a problem downloading the updates, the problem was installing the updates..

joe53 · Answer

The 'failure to install' was the problem I was referring to. Which makes one wonder if the apparant download was not perhaps corrupted because of excess demand.

RoHe · Answer

This is a rather long post, but I wanted it to be complete to help resolve problems with failed installs of the Oct. XP updates. MS offered 2 steps to fix the problem. If step 1 fails to resolve it, proceed to step 2. I only needed step 1 to successfully download/install 8 of the 9 updates. The malicious software tool said "installed" but didn't run at reboot and was flagged as a required update at my next login at MS. This time I was able to manually download and run it.

Step 2 requires you to create a .reg file and import it into the registry so carefully cut/paste the text below into notepad and save with the indicated file name. Even if you don't need step 2 now, I suggest you create/save the .reg file for possible future use.

Note: MS said if steps 1 and 2 fail to resolve the issue, they wanted me to export and email certain registry keys to them for further evaluation. So if you can't resolve the problem with the info provided here, contact MS by email (no phone calls accepted for Windows update issues) and they can tell you what keys to export and how to submit them for review.

Ron

Microsoft Update Support said:
After checking the Windows Update log, I noticed that error code 0x80240020 is received. This issue most likely occurs when some registry key or its sub key is missing or corrupt. At this stage, let's try the following steps to check the issue:

NOTE: If you are running any the third party applications such as Spyblocker, Internet or Web accelerator (Programs associated to boost up the Speed of the Internet connection), antivirus (Norton, MacAfee, etc..) , etc, I recommend to temporarily disable or shut down any of these installed on your
system and try accessing Windows Update site. Be sure to enable them again when completing the update process.

Step 1. Rename the temporary folder of Windows Update.
======================
1. Click Start, Run, type: cmd and press Enter. Type in "net stop WuAuServ" (without quotations) and press Enter. You will receive a message stating the Automatic Updates service was stopped successfully.

2. Click Start, Run, type: %windir% and press Enter.
3. In the opened folder, rename the folder SoftwareDistribution to SDold.

4. Click Start, Run, type: cmd and press Enter. Type in "net start WuAuServ" (without quotations) and press Enter to restart the Automatic Updates service.

Please try to install Windows Updates from the site and check the results.

If issue persists, let's continue with Step 2.

Step 2. Restore relevant registry key
======================
1. Click Start, Run, type: notepad C:\fix.reg and press Enter. Choose Yes when you are prompted.
2. Copy the following commands and then paste them into the opened Notepad window.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\crypt32chain]
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000000
"Impersonate"=dword:00000000
"DllName"=hex(2):63,00,72,00,79,00,70,00,74,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00, 6c,00,00,00
"Logoff"="ChainWlxLogoffEvent"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\cryptnet]
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000000
"Impersonate"=dword:00000000
"DllName"=hex(2):63,00,72,00,79,00,70,00,74,00,6e,00,65,00,74,00,2e,00,64,00, 6c,00,6c,00,00,00
"Logoff"="CryptnetWlxLogoffEvent"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\cscdll]
"DLLName"="cscdll.dll"
"Logon"="WinlogonLogonEvent"
"Logoff"="WinlogonLogoffEvent"
"ScreenSaver"="WinlogonScreenSaverEvent"
"Startup"="WinlogonStartupEvent"
"Shutdown"="WinlogonShutdownEvent"
"StartShell"="WinlogonStartShellEvent"
"Impersonate"=dword:00000000
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\igfxcui]
@=""
"DLLName"="igfxsrvc.dll"
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000001
"Impersonate"=dword:00000001
"Unlock"="WinlogonUnlockEvent"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\ScCertProp]
"DLLName"="wlnotify.dll"
"Logon"="SCardStartCertProp"
"Logoff"="SCardStopCertProp"
"Lock"="SCardSuspendCertProp"
"Unlock"="SCardResumeCertProp"
"Enabled"=dword:00000001
"Impersonate"=dword:00000001
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\Schedule]
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000000
"DllName"=hex(2):77,00,6c,00,6e,00,6f,00,74,00,69,00,66,00,79,00,2e,00,64,00, 6c,00,6c,00,00,00
"Impersonate"=dword:00000000
"StartShell"="SchedStartShell"
"Logoff"="SchedEventLogOff"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\sclgntfy]
"Logoff"="WLEventLogoff"
"Impersonate"=dword:00000000
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000001
"DllName"=hex(2):73,00,63,00,6c,00,67,00,6e,00,74,00,66,00,79,00,2e,00,64,00, 6c,00,6c,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\SensLogn]
"DLLName"="WlNotify.dll"
"Lock"="SensLockEvent"
"Logon"="SensLogonEvent"
"Logoff"="SensLogoffEvent"
"Safe"=dword:00000001
"MaxWait"=dword:00000258
"StartScreenSaver"="SensStartScreenSaverEvent"
"StopScreenSaver"="SensStopScreenSaverEvent"
"Startup"="SensStartupEvent"
"Shutdown"="SensShutdownEvent"
"StartShell"="SensStartShellEvent"
"PostShell"="SensPostShellEvent"
"Disconnect"="SensDisconnectEvent"
"Reconnect"="SensReconnectEvent"
"Unlock"="SensUnlockEvent"
"Impersonate"=dword:00000001
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\SSOExec]
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000001
"Impersonate"=dword:00000001
"DLLName"="%windir%\\temp\\sso\\ssoexec.dll"
"Unlock"="SSOExec"
"Lock"="SSOReset"
"Logoff"="SSOReset"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\termsrv]
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000000
"DllName"=hex(2):77,00,6c,00,6e,00,6f,00,74,00,69,00,66,00,79,00,2e,00,64,00, 6c,00,6c,00,00,00
"Impersonate"=dword:00000000
"Logoff"="TSEventLogoff"
"Logon"="TSEventLogon"
"PostShell"="TSEventPostShell"
"Shutdown"="TSEventShutdown"
"StartShell"="TSEventStartShell"
"Startup"="TSEventStartup"
"MaxWait"=dword:00000258
"Reconnect"="TSEventReconnect"
"Disconnect"="TSEventDisconnect"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\wlballoon]
"DLLName"="wlnotify.dll"
"Logon"="RegisterTicketExpiredNotificationEvent"
"Logoff"="UnregisterTicketExpiredNotificationEvent"
"Impersonate"=dword:00000001
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000001

3. After you paste the above commands, please close the Notepad window. Choose Yes when you are prompted to save the file.
4. Click Start, Run, type: C:\fix.reg and press Enter to run the commands we have pasted.

5. A dialog box will pop-up saying "Are you sure you want to add the information in C:\fix.reg to the registry?". Click Yes on this dialog box
6. Reboot the machine.
7. After the machine reboots use Windows Update and see if the problem has gone away.

chuket · Answer

Every update d/l'd from the Windows catalog executed with no problem. Belarc showed 12 updates before I started and now shows 3 (recommended) which I have yet to install. The 9 critical and moderate installed OK that way (manually).

chuket · Answer

RoHe   Good find and fix. I tried step 1 and it updated and installed a fix with no hitches. Will try the rest later.

RoHe · Answer

Update:
After installing the October updates using MS's "Step 1" method (see my previous post), I also compared the registry keys in their "Step 2" fix.reg file with the actual registry on my 8400.

Keys ...\igfxcui and ...\SSOExec listed in fix.reg are MISSING from my registry. All the other keys in fix.reg are correct in the registry. Absence of those 2 keys may be causing the 0x80240020 error message (missing or corrupt registry keys) that appears in my Windows Update log.

If you find a similar error message in your Windows Update log, you may want to compare fix.reg with the registry on your PC for a potential solution. I'm awaiting a response from MS about the need to import the missing keys into my registry, and I'll post back when they reply.

Ron

joe53 · Answer

RoHe:

Step 1 didn't work for me. but the info in step2 reminded me of changes I made long ago in Spybot S&D. which I just reversed, andf which allowed the updates to install. Too late to post the info tonite, will post details tomorrow. Thanks!

joe53 · Answer

Some of the regfix files mentioned in RoHe's post reminded me of entries in Spybot 1.4> Tools> System Startup that I had unchecked (but not deleted) because I couldn't find any info on them at Pac's Portal, back in the summer when these entries first appeared.

So I rechecked these entries in System Startup:

After rebooting, I went to the Windows Update site, and all downloaded successfully. I suspect one of those wlnotify.dll (part of WinLogon) were needed after all!

They are all legitimate Windows files.

RoHe · Answer

Joe53,
Those recently showed up in Spybot on my machine too and I was afraid I'd gotten infected because a nasty trojan with name very similar to crypt32.dll is circulating. I left them checked so that wasn't the cause of my update failure.

Microsoft advised me to import the fix.reg file because 2 of keys in that file are missing from my registry. So the recommendation is, even if step 1 (renaming the log file) allows you to install the latest updates, you should probably import fix.reg in case one or more keys are missing or damaged.

Ron

Message Edited by RoHe on 11-16-2005 11:00 PM

Windows General

XP updates failed

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