Windows Updates failing

[otakar]

Terraholics, I am hoping someone can give me an idea here. I have 90 Windows updates lined up and they just fail to install. The nightmare started with Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB3000869) with Error Code 80070643. The next failure was Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2984972) with Error Code 80071A91. Several updates have installed fine since, but since November 2014 they have all failed with the exception of Security Essentials Definition Updates and a couple of others. It takes forever when I shut down while the updates are trying to install only to be rolled back. Also, my log file is just growing huge, filling up the SSD drive. I have tried all possible troubleshooting steps that I was able to google up. I do not want to rebuild this system if at all possible. I have customized a lot of stuff, moving my profile and file storage to the secondary HD, it would not be fun to recreate all that and having to reinstall all apps.

Windows version is 7 Home Premium (64-bit) SP1.

Thanks!

[Upon Infinity]

I think I had the same problem not too long ago.  I was in the middle of one of my system resets that I've done in the last year or so.  I think the only way I solved it was to do a factory restore from the restore partition.  I think the problem stemmed from doing things "out of order".  I don't think windows was particularly designed have all those updates done all at once and while updating / installing other programs that were designed modernly.  The last restore I did worked quite well, and my advice is to use the same strategy; start from factory reset, and allow windows to update itself naturally (set updates to automatic) and it will search for and install them itself (which will take 0.5-1 week-ish).  It should start with a couple of small updates, work its way up to service packs and then do a large scale catch-up of 100+ updates. Also, reset the computer after every single update or program installation no matter how small.

Otherwise, you could attempt to install the updates a few at a time by going into the detailed list and restricting which updates will be installed.

Let me know what works.

[otakar]

Thanks, I do not have a restore partition, but I will try the individual update, altough that's one thing I may have attempted before, can't remember. Thanks for the ideas, really appreciate it. It's been driving me nuts for a long time now.

[otakar]

As expected doing just one update at a time still results in the same error. Will try to reinstall .NET Framework as that is what Microsoft is asking for addressing the 80070643 error, their Fixit download did nothing. I think I tried that before as well though... whatapain....

[Upon Infinity]

Another option you could try is to uninstall all previous updates, and programs, and try to update from there (if that option is available in win7).

Of course, you could just bite the bullet and upgrade to win10...

[masonspappy]

Of course, you could just bite the bullet and upgrade to win10...

I've upgraded 2 of my PC's to Win10 (and two more still to do).   Wasn't quite the cakewalk Microsoft made it out to be.  Thunderbird mail disappeared, system wouldn't restart correctly, etc).   
I wondered why MSoft would pour millions into Win10 development and then give it away - it's becuase Win10 is just a huge shopping cart that gathers tons of biometric data which MSoft sells to other company's so they in turn can use Win10 to sell to you. 

[Upon Infinity]

Yeah, they gots to make money, somehow.  Preferably through a way that's less insidious, though.  You can lock down a lot of that stuff through the OS, however.

[otakar]

Hm, the upgrade is an alternative, I guess. Will need to look into that, thanks.

[otakar]

Facing a new issue, running out of disk space on the 120GB SSD. I have been observing the shrinking disk space, but now I am at 1GB free space and it's getting critical. Found the culprit in the Winsxs folder which has grown to 90GB!!! Tried the disk cleanup tool, tells me I can free up 3.6GB in Windows Updates, but it does not free anything even after a reboot. I fear I now have too litttle free space to work with for Disk Cleanup to work correctly.  I have nothing left to remove, other than installed apps. Already ran CCleaner and cleaned all I could. All user data are on the secondary drive. What a mess!

[Upon Infinity]

Usually, there are dump files that can be deleted. They are typically created when Windows has an error or there are temp files created and something interrupts Windows from getting around to deleting them. I'd track down where the memory is piling up and get at those files and wipe them out.  It shouldn't affect OS operation.

[otakar]

Just in case someone encounters this, I tracked the lost space to the Winsxs/PendingRenames folder which is sitting at oer 70 GB (!) now. Apparently, when Windows Update runs and the updates fail, it does not cleanup this folder and now that I have over 90 failed updates, the folder just keeps growing everytime Windows Update runs. Another source for the bloat is a SFC scan. TrustedInstaller just does not do its job.

You can't blow away the folder unless you are ready to brick your system. I will see if I can install updates individually and if that releases any space at all.

[Kadri]

Looks like you have seen this but just in case:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/itmanagement/en-US/cbeea1a1-77da-4e0e-a357-f36be1a60f16/when-to-the-files-in-cwindowswinsxstemppendingrenames-get-processed?forum=w7itprogeneral

[otakar]

Thanks Kadri, I did try the Telnet Client install but it did not help. Seems that is only relevant for files created during the SFC scan. I have not yet tried to enter safe mode and launch TrustedInstaller from there.