How to Limit Updates

[MACINWWWV]

I'm brand new to this forum, so please excuse my ignorance. My situation is a bit unusual. I have Windows 7 Ultimate, and because of some other problems, Windows Update has quit working completely. Everything else works fine. And since this happened recently, I have everything updated through the February 2016 patch date. So what I would like to do is use this program to install updates since February 2016, and in addition, there are a couple of updates I'd like to exclude (the Windows 10 nag update, for example). In looking at the list of updates in the Client folder, it occurred to me that I might simply be able to delete all the old ones (or the ones I don't want) before running the update installer. But that seems too simple to work. So my question is, can I delete some of the updates from the Client folder and/or subfolders, and by so doing avoid their installation? And if not, is there a way to install only selected updates? Any help appreciated.

[boco]

Good News: The WSUSOU update installer will only install Updates that are missing on the target system. The directory contains all updates, since WSUSOU is designed for updating multiple target systems with differend patch levels.
Good News: WSUSOU does only contain security-critical updates. The Nag and WinX Updates are optional/recommended.

Bad news: In order to determine missing updates on the target system, WSUSOU requires a working Windows Update. So it might not work at all, for you.


Possible solutions:
1. Using an Update Pack like the Simplix Update Pack.
2. From a command line with Admin rights, use the "sfc /scannow" command for checking and repairing the system.
3. There's a Windows Update Troubleshooter from MS you could try, to repair Windows Update.
4. If everything fails: Do a web search for "How to do a Repair Install". Repair Install will keep your programs/settings but reset the OS components to a working state. It is basically a new OS, so the chance of success is very high.

[aker]

"Windows 7 Inplace Upgrade" entered into a search engine like Google will show the required steps to do a repair install, too.

[boco]

Possibly because it is exactly the same?

[MACINWWWV]

Good News: The WSUSOU update installer will only install Updates that are missing on the target system. The directory contains all updates, since WSUSOU is designed for updating multiple target systems with differend patch levels.
Good News: WSUSOU does only contain security-critical updates. The Nag and WinX Updates are optional/recommended.

Bad news: In order to determine missing updates on the target system, WSUSOU requires a working Windows Update. So it might not work at all, for you.


Possible solutions:
1. Using an Update Pack like the Simplix Update Pack.
2. From a command line with Admin rights, use the "sfc /scannow" command for checking and repairing the system.
3. There's a Windows Update Troubleshooter from MS you could try, to repair Windows Update.
4. If everything fails: Do a web search for "How to do a Repair Install". Repair Install will keep your programs/settings but reset the OS components to a working state. It is basically a new OS, so the chance of success is very high.

Thanks for the information. Sounds like I need to explain in a bit more detail. First, I've tried everything I could find to get Windows Update working, and nothing has worked. However, it may be important to know how I got to where I am. About a month ago, I suffered a hard drive failure. I purchased and installed a new hard drive, then set about restoring a recently created image of the C drive. That worked fin, but the system wouldn't boot (I have since learned that booting Windows 7 is not the straightforward process that Windows XP was. I tried everything I could to get Windows to boot without success. Finally, in desperation, I wiped the drive clean, then installed Windows from the installation disk. Once it was installed, and running, my logic was that it would recreate the boot process, after which I could then restore my image. So I did that--restored the image and then booted, but the boot failed again. However, this time, I used the Windows 7 install disk, and asked it to repair, and it said it found problems in the boot process and fixed them. Lo and behold, Windows booted normally, and I thought I was home free. Everything seemed to be working. But a couple of hours later, up popped a message that Windows was not genuine. I spent a lot of time trying to resolve this, and found that the Microsoft online procedure to resolve this problem (which I presume was caused by changing the hard drive that had Windows on it) took me in circles. In desperation, I contacted Dell, and one of their technicians worked for two hours (and charged me $136) to "fix" the problem. However, notwithstanding that the Genuine Advantage Diagnostic program (the one I could never find a place to submit the results to Microsoft for) and the computer properties both showed my version of Windows as "Genuine" Which if course, I know it actually is, the pop up continued to appear saying that this version of Windows was not genuine. Dell, called back and said that the only solution they could offer was a totally fresh installation of Windows. Of course, I didn't want this, since I would have lost a lot of data, and it would have been a huge task to get me even close to back where I was, and in addition, didn't feel like paying $136 for that advice. So Dell refunded my money. I subsequently found a way to kill the popup box (I might have felt a twinge of guilt had I not been absolutely certain that the installation WAS genuine). But then I found 3 problem. 1. IE 11 lost its cache, and I couldn't download anything and of course it was very slow. After struggling with that for a while, I gave up and installed Chrome which is working fine. 2. The Search function from the start menu would show results, but if you clicked on the MORE RESULTS link (which would normally bring up a Windows Explorer window, would not work. 3. Windows Update would not work. If I click on the Check for Updates button, nothing happens, and if I click on the Installed Updates link, it shows nothing (Updates DO however appear in the Add/Remove Programs and Windows Features program.)

I have tried everything to get Windows Update working that I could find. Nothing worked. And, of course, technically, at least some part of Windows still thinks it is not genuine (killing the popup box almost certainly did not "fix" that problem, just got rid of the nag about it.

All of that said, the one thing you mention that I have NOT tried is the Repair Install you refer to. Do you know whether or not the problem with the genuine advantage issue would prevent that procedure from working? Do you think it is possible that it could also fix the other two problems (the one with IE 11 and the one with the Search function)? What would you say that the risk of doing the Repair Install is for me to lose everything?

I really do appreciate your help, and I do fully realize that this goes beyond simply dealing with the WSUS program and how to use it. But I hope you will share any insight to this problem that you have. Thanks again for your help.

[boco]

The "Non-Genuine" popup is due to the Validation (not Activation) failing. In case you can still uninstall/install patches manually, try to remove KB971033 and reinstall it. Then run the validation again, using IE.

It sounds like you then used a "hacktivation" tool like RemoveWAT or HAL9000, both do corrupt your Windows install for good (by tampering with important Windows system files). Usually the MGADiag results show if you have corrupted files.

The Repair Install essentially is an In-Place Upgrade - it installs a fresh Windows and migrates all Programs and settings into it. It almost certainly will fix the corrupt files (and there's a very good chance it will fix the other problems caused by corrupt files). The process could take a fair while, however.
While doing an In-place-Upgrade is a safe process, having a backup is always a good idea.

[MACINWWWV]

The "Non-Genuine" popup is due to the Validation (not Activation) failing. In case you can still uninstall/install patches manually, try to remove KB971033 and reinstall it. Then run the validation again, using IE.

It sounds like you then used a "hacktivation" tool like RemoveWAT or HAL9000, both do corrupt your Windows install for good (by tampering with important Windows system files). Usually the MGADiag results show if you have corrupted files.

The Repair Install essentially is an In-Place Upgrade - it installs a fresh Windows and migrates all Programs and settings into it. It almost certainly will fix the corrupt files (and there's a very good chance it will fix the other problems caused by corrupt files). The process could take a fair while, however.
While doing an In-place-Upgrade is a safe process, having a backup is always a good idea.

I very much appreciate your continued assistance (and knowledge). I did read the instructions on the Win 7 forum for performing a Repair Install, but there were a couple of things about it that I didn't understand. My system is a Dell, purchased in 2010, and it came (I have no idea why) with what appear to be two identical Windows 7 installation disks. I used one of them (and of course, now I'm not sure which one--hindsight is 20/20) to do the install before restoring my C drive image file. But that was before SP 1. So I'm not sure from the instructions whether I can use that disk to do a Repair Install or not.

In regard to getting rid of the "not genuine" pop up, I didn't use any tool. However, what I did may have done the same thing. I removed the WAT folder (it only had 4 files), and put it on an external hard drive under a different name. I never delete anything that I think I may have to put back, so I could put it back where it was, since I still have it. The only obvious effect was to get rid of the pop up. I have run sfc /scannow, and the only file it finds is a file named tcpmon.ini which it says the source file is also corrupt. It did not flag or put back the four files in the WAT folder. Googling the tcpmon.ini file, apparently lots of folks find that this file is flagged by sfc, but does not cause a problem.

I did check for the KB971033 update, and I do have it (says it was installed in 2010). Catch is, if I remove it, then how do I reinstall it? Remember, Windows Update doesn't work, and IE can't download anything.

On a related issue, do you know where WSUS checks for installed updates? The reason I ask is that though Windows Update shows the last update as Never, and shows no installed updates, the Programs and Features item in Control Panel, if I click the Show Updates link, does in fact show them all (several hundred of them).

Finally, you may not know the answer to this (can't expect you to know everything, though so far you're doing pretty well), but I have what is called XP Mode installed in Windows 7--XP running in a virtual machine. It is still running fine, but I'm not certain that it is still available to download if I should have to reinstall it. Do you know if a Repair Install will leave it intact?

Once again, many thanks for both your patience, and your willingness to help.

[boco]

First, the directory/files you removed is/are probably

Code: Select all

c:\windows\system32\wat
C:\Windows\system32\wat\watadminsvc.exe
C:\Windows\system32\wat\npwatweb.dll
C:\Windows\system32\wat\watux.exe
C:\Windows\system32\wat\watweb.dll

These files ARE KB971033, and are all required for Validation. That's why it fails: The Windows Component Store tells the Validation that KB971033 is installed (otherwise you are prompted for installation), yet you removed its payload, leaving it non-functional. If you really want to get rid of KB971033, move the WAT directory back and uninstall it the normal way. As for reinstallation of that update, can you still install updates manually (from .exe or .msu)?

Alternatively, after moving the directory back, run watadminsvc.exe once with Admin rights, to put it back into operation. Then try Validation again, using IE, to clear your bad Cached Online Validation Code or HrOnline result.


Note that if IE is non-operational, too, then a repair install is the only way without losing data.

The XP Mode is run by Windows VirtualPC (now obsolete and replaced by Hyper-V). I don't know for sure (I'm using VirtualBox) but the repair install should retain all programs and settings, including Windows VirtualPC.

Download seems to be possible, still: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downloa ... px?id=8002

[MACINWWWV]

First, the directory/files you removed is/are probably

Code: Select all

c:\windows\system32\wat
C:\Windows\system32\wat\watadminsvc.exe
C:\Windows\system32\wat\npwatweb.dll
C:\Windows\system32\wat\watux.exe
C:\Windows\system32\wat\watweb.dll

These files ARE KB971033, and are all required for Validation. That's why it fails: The Windows Component Store tells the Validation that KB971033 is installed (otherwise you are prompted for installation), yet you removed its payload, leaving it non-functional. If you really want to get rid of KB971033, move the WAT directory back and uninstall it the normal way. As for reinstallation of that update, can you still install updates manually (from .exe or .msu)?

Alternatively, after moving the directory back, run watadminsvc.exe once with Admin rights, to put it back into operation. Then try Validation again, using IE, to clear your bad Cached Online Validation Code or HrOnline result.


Note that if IE is non-operational, too, then a repair install is the only way without losing data.

The XP Mode is run by Windows VirtualPC (now obsolete and replaced by Hyper-V). I don't know for sure (I'm using VirtualBox) but the repair install should retain all programs and settings, including Windows VirtualPC.

Download seems to be possible, still: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downloa ... px?id=8002

I'm sorry to be so obtuse. But I'm not understanding. Maybe I haven't adequately explained what I did. First, the files you list are indeed, the ones that I moved to an external drive. Before I did this, I tried everything I could find to try to get Windows recognized as genuine. When the box popped up, there was a link to a web site, but when I clicked it, it tried to validate, and failed. Then it told me to get the MGADiag program and to run it, then send it to Microsoft. I got it, ran it, (at the very top it said Windows was genuine), but then could not find a way to send it to Microsoft--the web site it said to use sent me to another web site, which sent me to a third, which sent me back to the first--a vicious circle. I must have worked on this for at least a couple of weeks, to no avail. Finally, in desperation, I moved the WAT folder, which did stop the popup, Now about the KB971033. I've never removed it (mostly because I have no idea how to reinstall it). So it is sitting there, presumably as you say, non-functional. However, all of the so-called failures occurred BEFORE I moved the WAT folder.

About IE. IE is marginally functional. It will run (slowly) but it has no cache, and I cannot download anything with it, and its temporary internet files folders are empty.

I honestly don't know if I can install updates using msu or exe files, since I don't know how to GET the msu or exe files to install. I did look in the client folder of WSUS, and though there are some .msu files there, most of the files are .cab files, though many (most) of them do have KB numbers in their names (which are very long). Clearly, without understanding better what the files are, I don't want to just go experimenting with trying to install them (and have no idea how I would install the .cab files if I wanted to).

I do apologize for my ignorance. And I appreciate your continued patience, and assistance.

[boco]

Mentally prepare for a repair install, then. There seem to be very serious problems regarding core system components. IE, Windows Update and the Licensing not working correctly should be more than a subtle hint to that fact.

Did you check the disk for errors, already?