Fresh installed Windows XP refuses to update

Microsoft support has a KB related to this error KB836941 I have also seen this error and even with no changes, the updates work at a later time. As @ahmed notes, it might be a good idea to update to IE 8 directly first and then try Windows Update again. Also, download the latest service pack directly if you have not done so manually Service Pack 3 Download

I work for an IT company that specializes in business support. I've had a few of my clients that needed fresh installs of XP recently. This one was a bit of a pain to cut down but I was able to find what I think is the minimum amount of updates needed to be installed in order to get Automatic Updates working again.

I took the time to write a blog post on my website with detailed instructions. I'll also post some more details below.

After doing a fresh install of Windows XP Pro SP3 I downloaded and installed the following updates:

1. Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 (or Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service pack 1 (Full Package))

2. Internet Explorer 8

3. Update for Windows XP (KB927891)

4. Windows Update Agent 3.0...scroll down to Step 2: Download and install Windows Update Agent (WUA) 3.0. Or instead use these direct links to x86 installer or x64 installer.

5. Security Update for Windows XP (KB2510531)

6. Security Update for Internet Explorer 8 for Windows XP (KB2797052)

7. Security Update for Internet Explorer for Windows XP (KB2799329)

8. Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 8 for Windows XP (KB2898785)

Hope this helps you guys out, if you didn't have to do a fresh install then you might only need the last 4 IE8 updates, Windows Update Agent 3.0, etc.

Here are the steps on what order and how to install these updates.

I recommend installing the updates in order; some updates are required to be installed before you can move on to the next update.

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5: The first update you’ll install is Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5. Accept the agreement and press next until it starts installing. This update can take some time to install so please be patient.

Internet Explorer 8: The next update you’ll install is Internet Explorer 8. Most fresh installs of Windows XP SP3 come with Internet Explorer 6 by default. You’ll need to make sure you “uncheck” install updates as searching for updates is still non-functional at this point in time. I suggest you reboot your PC after the installation of Internet Explorer 8.

Update for Windows XP (KB927891): This is the update to fix or prevent the SVCHOST.exe 99% CPU usage issue. First thing you need to do is make sure your Automatic Updates is set to off. To check the status of your Automatic Updates go to your Control Panel, switch to Classic View, double-click on Automatic Updates and make sure it’s checked to off. If you had to turn Automatic Updates off, I recommend rebooting your PC. After the reboot go ahead and install this update. I would leave Automatic Updates off until the end of this fix; once you have Windows Updates working again I’ve not had issues turning it back on.

Windows Update Agent 3.0: Install Windows Update Agent 3.0. This update will fix the error you get when trying to run Windows Updates. If you attempt to run windows Updates again you’ll be prompted to install the latest addition of Windows Update. Go ahead and proceed with this update. The update will install successfully but you may notice that Windows Update will continue to loop while searching for updates. If that’s the case you can proceed with the next set of updates.

Internet Explorer 8 Security Updates: If you’re still having issues with Windows Updates looping while checking for updates you should continue with the installation of the remaining 4 Internet Explorer 8 security updates. After installation of all updates you should now have a working Windows Update session.

I too had this problem but after installing IE 8, worked for me like a charm. You could also try that and disable the security software temporarily if you have any.

Or this issue can be due to corrupted/incorrect version of IUCTL.dll file. Follow this article.

Hope it helps.

Fresh install of Win XP SP2, then update IE to 8, then install SP3: Windows Update failed to work.

So first I ran MS Fix it for Windows Update and then Thanks to Jon Egerton, I just downloaded and ran: http://download.windowsupdate.com/WindowsUpdate/redist/standalone/7.4.7600.226/WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe

Fixed the problem...

As of December 2013, here's what was necessary to get a Windows SP2 system to clear all the issues with Windows Update.

On another system, manually download and burn to a CD

1. Windows XP SP3
2. Internet Explorer 8
3. The latest Month's Internet Explorer 8 Rollup.

Install in that order.

1. Windows XP SP2 has dead components that need to be replaced and a root cert list that's mostly expired

2. Windows XP uses IE6 which is long dead and it's rotten stinking corpse no longer works well enough to upgrade.

3. IE updates keep resurrecting the SVHOST 100% CPU Useage issue which means it takes forever on single CPU systems to get updates unless you install the last monthly IE Rollup update.

After applying all these, you might have to go muck with one of the fixit's out there for Windows Update issues, don't bother beforehand because you're attempting to fix the unfixable.

Is the date and time on the computer correct? I've had websites, Citrix products, etc. go crazy all over the date and time being off. (Most likely cause being the date set to like 2004 or something, throwing off all the certificates that websites or Windows Update may use.)

I tried all of the earlier answers, and still got the same error, although the Fixit tool claimed to fix two of the three items (couldn't fix the service).

I then just went to Automatic Updates in Control Panel, turned it off and clicked Apply, then turned it back on. Resolved - although the 'checking for updates' stage is very, very slow.

Add the following URLs to the Trusted Sites Zone in IE:

http://*.microsoft.com
http://*.windowsupdate.com
https://*.microsoft.com
https://*.windowsupdate.com

Then in in the Advanced tab in IE options enable TLS 1.0 and disable SSL 2.0.

Then it worked fine for me.