AstroSkipper

Here is the official instruction from Microsoft how to reset Windows Update. I've crossed out instructions that aren't referring to Windows XP or 2000. Furthermore I've added steps I found that they are missing or could be helpful. Make a backup if you want to perform this. In any case read carefully! Manually reset Windows Update components (KB971058) Important: Follow the steps in this section carefully! Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Before you modify it, back up the registry for restoration in case problems occur! To reset the Windows Update components, follow these steps: 1. Open a command prompt. To do this, use one of the following methods, depending on your version of Windows: Windows 8.1 and Windows 8: From the Start screen, swipe in from the right side to display the charms, select Search, and then search for cmd. (Or, if you are using a keyboard and mouse, type cmd at the Start screen.) In the search results, press-and-hold or right-click Command Prompt, and then select Run as Administrator. Windows XP and earlier versions: Press the Windows logo key + R, type cmd in the Run box, and then press Enter. Right-click cmd, and then select Run as Administrator. 2. Stop the BITS service, the Windows Update service, and the Cryptographic service. To do this, at a command prompt, type the following commands. Make sure that you press Enter after you type each command. net stop bits net stop wuauserv net stop appidsvc net stop cryptsvc 3. Delete the qmgr*.dat files. To do this, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press Enter: Del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\qmgr*.dat" 4a. If this is your first attempt at resolving your Windows Update issues by following the steps in this article, you should skip step 4 and go to step 5. You should follow step 4 at this point in the troubleshooting only if you cannot resolve your Windows Update issues after you follow all steps except step 4. (Step 4 is performed by the "Aggressive" mode of the Fix it Solution that was mentioned earlier.). Rename the softare distribution folders backup copies. To do this, at a command prompt, type the following commands. Make sure that you press Enter after you type each command. Ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak Ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak 4b. Reset the BITS service and the Windows Update service to the default security descriptor. To do this, at a command prompt, type the following commands. Make sure that you press Enter after you type each command. sc.exe sdset bits D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU) sc.exe sdset wuauserv D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU) 5. At a command prompt, type the following command, and then press Enter: cd /d %windir%\system32 6. Reregister the BITS files and the Windows Update files. To do this, at a command prompt, type the following commands. Make sure that you press Enter after you type each command. regsvr32.exe atl.dll regsvr32.exe urlmon.dll regsvr32.exe mshtml.dll regsvr32.exe shdocvw.dll regsvr32.exe browseui.dll regsvr32.exe jscript.dll regsvr32.exe vbscript.dll regsvr32.exe scrrun.dll regsvr32.exe msxml.dll regsvr32.exe msxml3.dll regsvr32.exe msxml6.dll regsvr32.exe actxprxy.dll regsvr32.exe softpub.dll regsvr32.exe wintrust.dll regsvr32.exe dssenh.dll regsvr32.exe rsaenh.dll regsvr32.exe gpkcsp.dll regsvr32.exe sccbase.dll regsvr32.exe slbcsp.dll regsvr32.exe cryptdlg.dll regsvr32.exe oleaut32.dll regsvr32.exe ole32.dll regsvr32.exe shell32.dll regsvr32.exe initpki.dll regsvr32.exe wuapi.dll regsvr32.exe wuaueng.dll regsvr32.exe wuaueng1.dll regsvr32.exe wucltui.dll regsvr32.exe wups.dll regsvr32.exe wups2.dll regsvr32.exe wuweb.dll regsvr32.exe qmgr.dll regsvr32.exe qmgrprxy.dll regsvr32.exe wucltux.dll regsvr32.exe muweb.dll regsvr32.exe wuwebv.dll And following added by me (@AstroSkipper): regsvr32.exe mssip32.dll 7. Reset Winsock. To do this, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press Enter: netsh winsock reset 8. If you are running Windows XP, you have to configure the proxy settings. To do this, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press Enter: proxycfg.exe -d If you are running other versions of Windows, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press Enter: netsh winhttp reset proxy 9. Restart the BITS service, the Windows Update service, and the Cryptographic service. To do this, at a command prompt, type the following commands. Make sure that you press Enter after you type each command. net start bits net start wuauserv net start appidsvc net start cryptsvc 10. Windows Vista only: Clear the BITS queue. To do this, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press Enter: bitsadmin.exe /reset /allusers 11. Install the latest Windows Update Agent. 12. Restart the computer. Article ID: 971058 - Last Review: 12/08/2015 06:57:00 - Revision: 42.0 Applies to Microsoft Windows Update Here is a link of the original document: https://web.archive.org/web/20160307084624/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/971058 And here is the the latest Windows Update Agent: http://download.windowsupdate.com/windowsupdate/redist/standalone/7.6.7600.320/WindowsUpdateAgent-7.6-x86.exe. It's version 7.6.7600.256. Supposedly all these steps should be done by a Microsoft Fixit Tool. No guarantee! Not tested! Here is the link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/r98pvby076rub6j/Mats_Run.WindowsUpdate.exe/file Although I am not a friend of automatisms, I also offer a another tool here to perform this reset of Microsoft or Windows Update automatically. Anyway, I recommend to backup your system partition completely at first. This tool called Reset Windows Update Tool (Script) is said to be working properly, but it has not been tested by me, so no guarantee of success and use at your own risk. The last XP compatible version is 10.5.3.7: https://www.mediafire.com/file/k48ll6e41eypogy/ResetWUEng10.5.3.7.zip/file and a less recent version 10.5.3.4 with a help file included: https://www.mediafire.com/file/wl0yrq98me8dfkj/ResetWUEng10.5.3.4.zip/file Have a lot of fun! Kind regards, AstroSkipper

Specific solutions: 1. Restoring of the AU notification popup shield in Windows XP by @AstroSkipper Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1216512 2. All options of the Automatic Updates (AU) applet are greyed out Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1217286 3. An experimental solution for the error code 0x80072F78 while accessing the WU/MU website Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1217616 4. A Less-than-ideal solution for the error code 0x80072efe or 0x80096010 caused by the AU client in Windows XP Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1217704 5. A temporary solution to grant access to MU/WU using the nginx method due to the interference of an AV or firewall Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1218247 6. Solution for the error code 0x80072f8f while accessing the WU/MU website using ProxHTTPSProxy or HTTPSProxy Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1219879 7. Solution for the error code 0x800b010b while trying to install Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 POSReady updates from WU/MU Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1224383 8. Solution for the error code 0x80244004 while accessing the WU/MU website using ProxHTTPSProxy or HTTPSProxy Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1249238 Additional resources: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1216513

General solutions: 1. Manually reset Windows Update components (KB971058) Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1216508 2. Complete guide for restoring IE's access to WU/MU website using ProxHTTPSProxy or HTTPSProxy in Windows XP Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1216509 3. Restoring WU/MU by using the WSUS + WUMT method Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1216510 Status: Unknown 4. Restoring WU/MU by using the nginx method Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1216511 Status: Unknown 5. Restoring WU/MU by using the patch + proxy method Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1218875 Status: Working. Checked in January 2025 6. Legacy Update - An alternative to Microsoft or Windows Update Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1229685 Status: Working. Checked in August 2024 7. Restoring AU/MU/WU using a proxy server https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1239823 Status: Not working. Checked in January 2025 Additional resources: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1216513

General and specific solutions for problems regarding AU/WU/MU in Windows XP List of used abbreviations: AU = Automatic Updates AV = Antivirus IE = Internet Explorer KB = Knowledge Base MDL = My Digital Life Forums. Link: https://forums.mydigitallife.net/ MKB = Microsoft Knowledge Base MU = Microsoft Update OS = operating system OSs = operating systems WU = Windows Update WUMT = Windows Update MiniTool We all are well informed about restoring WU/MU in Windows XP. A lot of threads and solutions to get access to WU/MU website. But we are here in a Windows XP forum. Therefore, this thread is targeted on Windows XP only and is meant to collect and provide solutions for general or specific problems which can occur after or while restoring update functionality. The main WU/MU related thread, which is targeted on Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista, is totally bloated and completely out of control, many post are definitely off-topic. To find general or specific solutions, you have to be a Sherlock Holmes or you'll need a lot of time to read tons of posts with no or low quality of information. And a lot of solutions are simply missing. I am no longer interested in posting new solutions or self-created fixes which can never be found again in such threads. From now on, I rather try to avoid posting in threads where people are talking permanently off-topic. Therefore, I decided to create my own one. Anyway, this main thread can be found here: https://msfn.org/board/topic/178377-on-decommissioning-of-update-servers-for-2000-xp-and-vista-as-of-july-2019/ The second post of this thread contains a numbered list of general solutions for problems regarding AU/WU/MU and methods of restoring WU/MU functionality in Windows XP. After performing these general solutions and methods, users are able to exclude errors or misconfiguration relating to AU/WU/MU in their Windows XP system. It is senseless to solve a specific problem if there is a general one. If WU/MU can't be restored generally and a user thinks about a reinstallation, the general solutions listed in second post can be tried first. There are different solutions to do this restoring successfully. General solutions: Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1216506 The third post of this thread contains a numbered list of specific solutions for problems regarding AU/WU/MU in Windows XP. These specific solutions will be provided with a meaningful title and a link to the creator's post in this thread. Specific solutions: Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1216507 The ninth post of this thread contains a numbered list of additional resources which can be helpful or informative to find an efficient solution for a specific problem. I'll only add resources relating to the topic of this thread. Additional resources: Link: https://msfn.org/board/topic/183498-general-and-specific-solutions-for-problems-regarding-auwumu-in-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1216513 More solutions or resources can be added by posting in commenting zone. The idea is one solution, one post. The same applies to additional resources. Today I start to post some general solutions and methods, a brand-new specific solution and an additional resource. If you want to post an AU/WU/MU related solution or an additional resource in this thread, you can use the commenting zone to do this. Please post it by choosing a meaningful headline in bold and font size 18 for better visibility! If it seems to be a real solution (it's not my job to test them all) or an interesting resource, I will list it in second, third or ninth post with a link to the member's original comment for better overview. Due to the modular character of this thread each posted solution or resource can be upvoted or liked separately with credits to their poster. Any discussions or questions about these solutions or resources are explicitly welcome. But one thing must be totally clear, everything should relate to this topic. That means please stay on-topic! If you enjoyed this thread or maybe you found it interesting and helpful, we would be pleased about any reaction by liking or upvoting and of course commenting. Kind regards, AstroSkipper

Sorry, no. Ignoring off-topic comments, especially if violating MSFN rules? No way. I am a man having a point of view and sometimes one has to say what has to be said. And then it's ok and we can make our decisions what to do next. For me, that's the way. I don't want to bust my head in the sand. I am not an ostrich! But anyway, thanks for your point of view!

Thanks for replying! This thread had been an interesting and informative one in the past. It made fun to read solutions how to restore functionality of Microsoft's Update Servers, to discuss them and to assist each other. But some weeks ago the number of totally off-topic comments was increasing extremely. For me it doesn' t matter what kind of content and quality these comments provide. BTW in most cases rather low. Anyway, this is a thread about the Update Servers of WU and MU, nothing else. All is about updating the OSs Windows 2000, XP and maybe Vista. But some especially new members killed this thread by polluting it with totally off-topic content and requests. And it seems I'm one of the few members to voice this grievance or maybe the only one.

May I kindly ask you if this thread has been changed its title to "How to activate Windows XP with a key of doubtful or rather illegal origin"? The last three pages are about activation problems with such keys. I thought the title of this thread is "On decommissioning of update servers for 2000, XP, (and Vista?) as of July 2019". Do the poster of these contents really know that? I don't think so. This thread is totally bloated and polluted with off-topic comments. I am no longer interested in posting new solutions or fixes here in this thread. PS: BTW I think there are other places to talk about such kind of stuff!

Thanks for reporting! Sorry for delayed reply! As you know I was engaged in troubleshooting AU related problems and forgot totally your comment. I already found this proxy weeks ago but it's no solution for old computers running Windoes XP. You have to install a software called Docker, to create a container and so on. A modern OS is needed, therefore I didn't report my find at all. But thanks anyway!

@maile3241 No further information required anymore! Unfortunately, as usual, problem solved by myself. Now notification shield appears if important updates are available. Without any proxy! ProxHTTPSProxy or HTTPSProxy is not required for connecting via Automatic Updates client. And this is a screenshot with my AU client doing automatically its job even after restarting my system:

Thanks for your reply! Such statements like "Correct" or "Yes, it works" are very helpful! Now I really know what the problem is! But now, joking aside! A bit more detailed, please! That's my request! I need some information about your settings and the way you get the AU notification shield. In my system it doesn't appear anymore and I don't know why. PS: You know if you have problems or you are looking for solutions, I always tried to assist you as much as I could. That means full information or complete solution as detailed as possible.

2022-04-07 23:52:16:544 1084 f4 Agent ** START ** Agent: Finding updates [CallerId = AutomaticUpdates] 2022-04-07 23:52:16:544 1084 f4 Agent ********* 2022-04-07 23:52:16:544 1084 f4 Agent * Online = No; Ignore download priority = No In your WindowsUpdate.log the AU client reported your are not online. Can you explain what's going on in your system? You aren't online but you are searching for updates? Very strange! In my logs the AU client always reports that I am online: 2022-04-08 02:05:29:584 1128 1294 Agent ** START ** Agent: Finding updates [CallerId = AutomaticUpdates] 2022-04-08 02:05:29:584 1128 1294 Agent ********* 2022-04-08 02:05:29:584 1128 1294 Agent * Online = Yes; Ignore download priority = No

Ok, now I understand what you mean with 0 bytes. You're absolutely right, AU does not trust its own file, therefore it can't be stored i.e. no file. no bytes. No errors in my event log too but the shield doesn't appear anymore. PS: Thanks for uploading your logs! I love to read a million of these f**king logs!

Just to clarify, you said it works perfectly in your Windows XP system. Even now?

I'm able to download them, size 20 KB. But what is BFilter? Do you mean the BFilter, a filtering web proxy?

Thanks for this information! I had success once yesterday but after restarting system it didn't work anymore. No idea why!

Yes, it works perfectly. Thanks for reply! What's your version of crypt32.dll? Under which conditions do you run AU? If AU works perfectly in your system, then there has to be a significant difference from my system to your. Maybe we can find it. I think there is a problem with the certificate of wuident.cab. It can't be verified. In XP the signature is not valid. A timestamp is missing and it's not counter-signed.

Is AU still working in your Windows XP system despite error codes in WindowsUpdate.log?

@maile3241 What kind of patch did you mean in your comment from January? Was it patched wuaueng.dll?

Is it really working anymore? After restarting and without accessing MU or WU web site? I don't believe that. Can you post a proof?

In my system AU and notification shield worked exactly one Windows session. After restart it didn't work anymore. I have to find out what's going wrong here. Therefore one question. Which version of crypt32.dll do you have currently in your Windows XP system? My version is 5.131.2600.6459 from Oktober of 2013.

AFAIK for SHA-2 support in Windows XP update KB2868626 was required (Oktober of 2013). This update contains crypt32.dll in version 5.131.2600.6459.

Thanks for reporting! Glad it works for you. In my case it worked only one Windows session. After restart it didin't work anymore. I have to find out what's going wrong here.

Hi @xpandvistafan, can you clarify why installing windowsserver2003-kb2868626-x86-xxx.exe is necessary for restoring MU web site functionality? You know I was the person who found out that wuaueng.dll didn't install properly due to SFC. I restored MU web site version in January. Today I did a deeper examination of MU/WU related files in my system and found out that the update windowsserver2003-kb2868626-x86-deu.exe wasn't installed properly too, although MU web site is working flawlessly in my system. Both files, crypt32.dll and w03s3407.dll, weren't copied in folders c:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache and c:\WINDOWS\system32. I still have the original Windows XP files. crypt32.dll in version 5.131.2600.6459 (xpsp_sp3_qfe.131005-0434) is from 04-14-2020 and w03s3409.dll in version 5.2.3790.3959 (srv03_sp2_rtm.070216-1710) is from 02-18-2007. Your provided crypt32.dll is in version 5.131.3790.5235 (srv03_sp2_qfe.131004-1550) from 10-07-2013 and the file w03s3407.dll doesn't exist in mentioned folders at all. And I definitely know that I executed your install.cmd at that time. My conclusion is either your script didn't work properly at that time or SFC did its job once again. Nonetheless my question remains to be clarified: Why do we need to install the update windowsserver2003-kb2868626-x86-xxx.exe at all? Kind regards, AstroSkipper

Did you read my post above? Try if it works for you! In my system no problems so far.

@Dave-H I did a deeper examination of AU related problems. It seems we do not need to patch other files. And it doesn't matter if error 0x80096010 occurs in WindowsUpdate.log. In my system following steps are working to get AU notification shield: 1. Enable ProxHTTPSProxy. 2. Set AU to 'Notify but don't automatically download or install them'. 3. It's not necessary to set proxy system-wide by command proxycfg -u. 4. Execute following command: wuauclt /resetauthorization /detectnow. (I had to execute this command only once. After disabling AU notification shield disappears and subsequent enabling it appears again if ProxHTTPSProxy is enabled permanently). 5. AU notification shield appears if important updates are available. Here is a proof: Cheers, AstroSkipper