Cannot install win 7 sp1 update. Help!

[jungleexplorer]

Okay guys, here is a tough one. I bought a my dad a laptop a few years ago and since then he stopped using his desktop. So the desktop sat for years turned off. The other day he decided he wanted the power of his desktop back (I custom built it for him for video editing) so he started to use it, but Windows update kept failing, so he brought it to me.

In the last three days, I have spent countless hours trying to figure out why windows update keeps failing. The primary problem appears to be the SP1 update. Aside from the fact that it won't update, the system runs perfect. I have tried every online guide I can find to fix the problem with no results. Here is what I have tried.

1. I have tried installing SP1 by itself from the windows update console. FAIL!
2. I have downloaded the 2Gb SP1 Update .ISO file and burned it to a DVD and tried that. FAIL!
3. I have run the Microsoft Windows Update FIX IT tool many times. CANNOT FIX ERRORS!
4. I have tried to run the System Update Readiness Tool. IT WON"T INSTALL
5. I have run the SFC SCANNOW command (As Administrator). CANNOT FIX ERRORS!
6. I have ran the Win 7 install disk and chose UPGRADE. FAIL!
7. I have followed some other guides that had me turn off services, rename file from the command prompt and then turn the services back on. FAIL!

I have tried all of this over and over again. I have tried it from regular boot. I have tried it from a Clean Boot state. I have tried it in Safe Mode and Safe Mode with Networking. I have completely uninstalled the antivirus. NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK!

The problem here is this, I can't fix the problem because everything that I have tried cannot do what it's supposed to. For instance. Each time I look up the error code I get when the SP1 update fails, it takes me to a Microsoft article about fixing this problem by ruining the System Update Readiness Tool. The problem is that, the System Update Readiness Tool itself will not run. When I try to run the SFC / SCANNOW command, it says, cannot fix errors. So not only is the SP1 Update failing, the tools to fix the problems that are causing the SP1 Update to fail, are failing as well.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I have tried restoring the system countless times, even in safe mode. Nothing!

I don't know what to do. I am at my ropes end and ready to load the shotgun.

 

[mcnumpty23]

wouldnt it have been quicker just to clean install windows?

 

[Shaun o]

It is in fact a lot easier of a solution than you think.

First of all as much as windows firewall and checking the settings.
If the update was applied at any point to windows security center for windows 7 you should check how high the settings are set in it.

Lower the settings to at least medium if the more new windows security center options of windows 7 are installed and running on the machine.

The second problem is to do with the actual user account type.
If you created a user profile for logging into your system for your data such as User: Dad.

Then it may have limited access rights to launch programs or install them that require them to be installed.
With an Administrator account on the system.

Administrator is always, or should be the first account on any windows 7 based system.

Any account created after it can be a standard user account where administration limits apply.

As said to running and installing programs including the MS SP1 install for windows 7.

If you right click on the executable file for example to setup or install windows 7 Sp1 and you are not allowed to run the program as an administrator, and it is grayed out preventing you from selecting the option.

Then you need to login to the system as the administrator.

Right click again on the MS sp1 executable setup and install and select run as admin.

Limited user account permissions are the cause if more than one user account exist on the system or a secondary user account can be used.

The visual hint is when using a standard user account more often than not when the file or files are executed by left clicking on the setup or install are.

1. Install quits after a second and returns back to the desktop, or midway through the install the installation hangs or stops completely in relation to the percentage install display bar.

2. Or simply no setup window showing at all.

It tells you straight away that the user account you are using is not elevated to Admin status.
And is also limited to running or installation, setup of programs or software, including as said any microsoft system updates or service patches.

 

[jungleexplorer]

wouldnt it have been quicker just to clean install windows?

Hindsight is always 20/20 my friend. 😉 But a clean install also requires days of work, because there of years of windows updates that have be installed. Then there are the drivers and programs. So, while a clean install might be the solution, it is a very long drawn out solution that takes at least a day to complete. And there is no guarantee that it will fix the problem. I have done clean installs and had windows update fail again at some point during the installation of the three million updates.

I pose this question because this is not the first time I have run into this problem. I had have seen this problem on other systems as well, and yes, in the end a clean install of windows was the only solution, but there has to be a reason why this is happening. If you do a search on this subject, you will find that it is quite common. And like me, many people that try the solutions mentioned, also run into the same problems I did.

 

[jungleexplorer]

Sounds like the hard drive is failing. Use a SMART tool to see if your drive has errors.
http://hddscan.com/

Running as we speak.

 

[jungleexplorer]

It is in fact a lot easier of a solution than you think.

First of all as much as windows firewall and checking the settings.
If the update was applied at any point to windows security center for windows 7 you should check how high the settings are set in it.

Lower the settings to at least medium if the more new windows security center options of windows 7 are installed and running on the machine.

The second problem is to do with the actual user account type.
If you created a user profile for logging into your system for your data.
Then it may have limited access rights to launch programs or install them that require them to be installed.
With an Administrator account on the system.

Administrator is always, or should be the first account on any windows 7 based system.
Any account created after it can be a standard user account where administration limits apply.
As said to running and installing programs including the MS SP1 install for windows 7.

If you right click on the executable file for example to setup or install windows 7 Sp1 and you are not allowed to run the program as an administrator, and it is grayed out preventing you from selecting the option.

Then you need to login to the system as the administrator.
Right click again on the MS sp1 executable setup and install and select run as admin.

Limited user account permissions are the cause if more than one user account exist on the system or a secondary user account can be used.

The visual hint is when using a standard user account more often than not when the file or files are executed by left clicking on the setup or install.

Install quits after a second and returns back to the desktop, or midway through the install the installation hangs or stops completely in relation to the percentage install display bar.

Or simply no setup window showing at all.

I don't think there is a higher administrator access then you can get then in Safe Mode, but I will look at this.

 

[Shaun o]

I think you may be surprised.
Make sure that you are in normal windows mode though and not safe mode.

After what I have told you.

 

[jungleexplorer]

I think you may be surprised.
Make sure that you are in normal windows mode though and not safe mode.

After what I have told you.

Let me make sure I understand what you are saying.
1. "Log in as administrator." Everything listed above was done while logged in as administrator (this is kind of a no brainier for me).
2. "Lower the system security settings". This I have not tried.
3. "Left click and select, Run as Administrator".

Is that correct?

 

[jungleexplorer]

Okay. Nothing is working. Time to go in a different direction. Does anyone know of a good guide to create an updated win 7 install disc with sp1 and all available updates?

 

[mcnumpty23]

i used to use RT Se7en Lite to make a slipstreamed disk--updates--service packs--drivers--silent installers

cant remember if i got all the updates other than service packs using wsus offline or not

 

[jungleexplorer]

i used to use RT Se7en Lite to make a slipstreamed disk--updates--service packs--drivers--silent installers

cant remember if i got all the updates other than service packs using wsus offline or not

The download links are dead on the RT Se7en site.

 

[mcnumpty23]

try majorgeeks they should have it on their servers as well as the original links that are down

 

[mcnumpty23]

and it may have changed name to ntlite--theres a free and paid version the free one hopefully will do what you want

https://www.ntlite.com/download/

 

[jungleexplorer]

and it may have changed name to ntlite--theres a free and paid version the free one hopefully will do what you want

https://www.ntlite.com/download/

I used ntlite years ago to build an SP3 version of XP corporate. It worked good. But I just found a program call WinToolKit. It looks like it might be the trick. It has a built in feature to download all the windows updates automatically. With it a I should be able to build a fully updated Win 7 install disk. Hope it works.

 

[mcnumpty23]

good luck --havent heard of that one but there were a lot of tools to do it

just havent used 7 in so long lost track of them all

 

[jungleexplorer]

good luck --havent heard of that one but there were a lot of tools to do it

just havent used 7 in so long lost track of them all

Thanks. I hope so too.

I my opinion, Win 7 was the best Desktop OS Microsoft ever produced. 7 was made for the desktop style computing. It was made with serious computing in mind. Win 8 and beyond have been designed around the idea of a one size fit all OS, so that people are using the same style of OS across all their devices. But smartphones, tablets and all-in-ones were not made for serious computing. They are basically fun devices for moderate computing, games and social networking. Desktops and laptops can be used for these fun things, but they are designed with hard core computing in mind. There is no better interface for hardcore computing then a mouse and keyboard. Win 8 was designed for touch interface devices, and then when that failed miserably, MS tried to correct the problem by adding back more keyboard and mouse support in 8.1. The problem is that, at their foundation, Win 8 thru 10 are design for touch interface devices that are meant to operate mostly on a web style interface.

All I am saying here is, I am a huge fan of the Desktop Computer. I love local computing on a powerful machine. I hate cloud computing for serious computing task. As all computer techs know all to well, your system is only as fast as the weakest link. The weak link in cloud computing is your internet connection. I see the writing on the wall that Microsoft and everyone else wants to move towards cloud computing and touch interface, but I will hold on to my Desktop, fulls size keyboard, mouse, and locally installed non-cloud dependent software until the last breath.

Microsoft wants a one-size-fits-all OS, but they should learn from history. When you try to make a on-size-fits-all product, all you get is a product that does not fit anyone. Solution; Make a Desktop only OS and a Touch interface OS. Wow! How easy is that?

 

[corb345]

I had trouble with Windows 7 Updates not working and tried many of the same things you tried plus more.

This is what worked for me. Hope it helps.

download.wsusoffline.net

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2895050/windows-update-checking-updates-stuck-forever.html

 

[jungleexplorer]

good luck --havent heard of that one but there were a lot of tools to do it

just havent used 7 in so long lost track of them all

Well, after a lot of trial and error, I finally got my fully updated Win 7 64 installer made. I juts installed it on the computer and it works good and all the updates are there. Problem though. Now windows can't check for updates. I ran the Windows Update Troubleshooter and it finds three problems that it says it fixed, but each time windows update fails and I run the tool, it finds the exact same problems.

Here is a screenshot

 

[mcnumpty23]

at least you got fixed

just the update issue now but cant see your screenshot

 

[jungleexplorer]

Wasting so much time and effort on a laptop with a bad HDD...

I am working on a custom built DESKTOP, not a laptop, AND I have run several test on the HDD and it is totally fine.

 

[jungleexplorer]

at least you got fixed

just the update issue now but cant see your screenshot

After as few tries and restart, Windows Updated started working again. All is well in the world now and the people are rejoicing. LOL!

 

[jungleexplorer]

Thanks for all the help. This thread can be marked solved. None of the above suggestions worked in fixing the current installation of Windows 7. The solution here was to build a fully updated SP1 version of Windows 7 64bit using a program called Win Toolkit and do a clean install. Win Toolkit can be downloaded here:

http://www.wincert.net/forum/files/file/5-win-toolkit/

 

[mcnumpty23]

Thanks for all the help. This thread can be marked solved. None of the above suggestions worked in fixing the current installation of Windows 7. The solution here was to build a fully updated SP1 version of Windows 7 64bit using a program called Win Toolkit and do a clean install. Win Toolkit can be downloaded here:

http://www.wincert.net/forum/files/file/5-win-toolkit/

well glad you got there in the end