AstroSkipper

Please upload the Windows Update Log of Windows 7 only to have a look into! No screenshot, log file only!

This article is referring to Windows Vista.

You said some posts before you have copied the Wsus3setup.cab from Windows XP which contains the missing files wsus3setup.cat and wsus3setup.inf. Try them! PS I have looked inside of wsus3setup.inf and I think it's only for Win XP, Win 2000 and undefined x64. But most likely it won't work.

That's fine. But at first read what this fix does and create an image of your system partition only in case the fix fails and has harmed your system.

Ok, here you can see the same as in my Windows 7 Professional notebook. Unpack wsus3inf.cab in both folders and try again but I don't think it'll work due to the fact that there had never been a web site vesion of Microsoft Update. But nobody knows it's a trial and error too.

If you want my opinion then take a screenshot of folders WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\SelfUpdate\Default\ and WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\WebSetup\ in your Windows 7 system using a file manager like Total Commander with hidden system files and extensions enabled. Windows Explorer is pants. PS I think you really shouldn't spoof your user agent. MU has to know which system is yours to provide the suitable updates for it.

@Dave-H I've got for you an interesting site to fix Windows Update problems. It is called Reset Windows Update Tool (Script). Here it is: https://github.com/ManuelGil/Script-Reset-Windows-Update-Tool. The last XP compatible version is 10.5.3.7. I've uploaded for you: https://www.mediafire.com/file/k48ll6e41eypogy/ResetWUEng10.5.3.7.zip/file and version 10.5.3.4 with an help file included: https://www.mediafire.com/file/wl0yrq98me8dfkj/ResetWUEng10.5.3.4.zip/file

I don't think so, KB3072630 is an update of MSI Installer of 2015.

This link works http://thehotfixshare.net/board/index.php?/files/file/10247-windowsxp-kb968730-x86-enuexe/

@Dave-H Look at this one http://thehotfixshare.net/board/index.php?/files/file/10247-windowsxp-kb968730-x86-enuexe/. It's an update of crypt32.dll, version 5.131.2600.5779 of 2009. The version in my systen32 folder is more recent, it's version 5.131.2600.6459 of 2013.

Maybe in Explorer options you have hidden system files and extensions.

Sorry, I can't see the mentioned files in your folders. I see only the file wsus3setup.cab in first screenshot but in second one none of them. And don't hide your extensions of files. They are important to have a look at.

Error code 0x8007000D means Error_invalid_data. Therefore I think using the XP version won't fix it probably. You have to find another version if it exists at all. Did you copy wsus3setup.cat too? Without it won't work. Both files wsus3setup.inf and wsus3setup.cat are included in cab file wsus3setup.cab.

@maile3241 I've checked the location of wsus3setup.inf once again. The file exists in two folders, one copy is in folder WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\SelfUpdate\Default\ and the other in WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\WebSetup\. Both files have been accessed by WU. Maybe you missed one location.

Maybe the file version of wsus3setup.inf is incorrect. Search for a version related to Windows 7. Maybe within a normal Window 7 system. wsus3setup.inf is located in folder SoftwareDistribution. But I've never used MU web site in Windows 7 so it is only a guess.

Error code 0x80070002 means ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND i.e. the System cannot find the file specified. You have to check your Windows Update Log to see which file can't be found and why.

What is your current error code? Is it 0x80070002?

Where did you read in MDL that KB3072630 should fix "the certificate error"? And which certificate error do you mean? The only post I could find mentioning the update KB3072630 is: But it's referring to Server 2003 or XP x64 and KB3072630 is an older update related to MSI Installer of 2015. The last update of the files msi.dll, msiexec.exe and msihnd.dll was in 2019. Therefore I wonder what this old MSI Installer update should do to fix @Dave-H's Windows Update error code 0x80072f8f.

Maybe you really used it before. I already recommended it some posts before:

You're absolutely right. I mixed up the date with Windows ME. I've checked my earliest image and it must have been created in 2004 but it doesn't exist any more. I had deleted all old images below Service Pack SP3. So my earliest version is of 2009. It had been a long time ago. Sorry for causing confusion!

By the way I have to tell you that the last time I had reinstalled Windows XP Professional was in 2004. Most of all errors I fixed in my system by myself. I hate errors and I have to get rid of them.That's my philosophy. Since 2004 I used constantly images to restore system partition only if nothing helped. Maybe that is a reason I've got some certificates and files in my system you do not have.

If you extract winUpRestore!v28.exe you see what it does. After performing you have to set up Trusted Zone once again. Only the three mentioned urls related to MU. The tool is the latest one. The web site of the author doesn't exist anymore. I think that too but I am not absolutely sure.

Did you use it before? I thought you did only the manual way I posted under "Manually reset Windows Update components (KB971058)".

Ok, due to the fact I've never had this error I forgot the exact wording of the displayed message. Have you tried the method "Turning back time" more than once? Maybe MU actually considers a certificate as invalid and we need the date and time where it was valid. Go back to my provided date in April of 2019 and try once again! If it doesn't work turn back to 2018. Try it more times. And I agree the wording "an update certificate" is misleading and can be interpreted in different ways. I have to think about that. And there is nothing to lose. Try the tool winUpRestore!v28! I have used that and it helped me. Then install the latest WU agent and after that Restore_WU_XP_2003. Only a few steps if "Turning back time" doesn't work again. While researching internet articles related to error code 0x80072F8F I've read consistently this error appears due to invalid SSL certificates used by the Windows Update site and therefore it is suggested to reregister some dll files I posted before. Here is a quotation from original Microsoft knowledge base document: Hope will never die!

Where did you see the message "an update certificate"? I am a bit confused. Here is the link of winUpRestore!v28 if interested: https://web.archive.org/web/20120711072701/http://download.mshelper.de/mshregs/winUpdRestore!v28.exe