Better method to update Win7, new install? Solved!!!

[EvilHorace]

I still have the original HDD with Vista on it. Don't want to try installing Win7 over that considering what's going on now with this drive. Don't have Spinrite and it's not exactly cheap just to try it so what else can I try?

[Executioner]

If it still hangs with Autopatcher, then I agree with FP that it's probably your HD. If you don't have Spinrite, and If you know the make of the HD, the mfg's site should have a free utility to check the drive. Another option is if you have a spare HD to try the install again. If it works, then you know the other hard drive has some bad sectors.

[EvilHorace]

Although it boots slow with the old HDD, it still works. No updates with Vista, must be totally unsupported. I still have a desktop link that will install Win8 and it ran great with Win8, 8.1. If I install Win8 on it over Vista (upgrade), is 8.1 still a free upgrade?

The SSD is a 120 GB Crucial M4. About 4 yrs old (when I replaced the original HDD.

[Executioner]

You know, that sounds almost like the same problem I had with my SSD last year. It was running very slow. I checked and replaced the usual stuff. So for the hell of it, I put in a spare HD and restored an image that I had. The replacement HD worked fine. So I contacted tech support to send the SSD back since I had it for less than 6 months. The guy sent me a secure erase utility for the drive that I booted from. I used that and then put back my image and it's still working fine. So maybe this is your issue also. I still have a copy of the secure erase program. I can try to send it to you via email.

[FlyingPenguin]

Do a chkdsk full sector scan. Its what spinrite does, although spinrite does more. This will take several hours:

https://askleo.com/checking-and-repairi ... th-chkdsk/

[EvilHorace]

Checkdsk didn't find any problems but I did a google search on this topic and it turns out I'm not alone. Trying various things but the first link on Toms Hardware seems to have a cure so I'm trying that.

https://www.google.com/search?q=new+ins ... 8&oe=utf-8

http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-278 ... pdate.html

[FlyingPenguin]

Chkdsk won't necessarily find a problem, since most errors or internally repaired by the drive. But by scanning the whole drive it forces the drive to correct any bad sectors. Try installing the first update now and see what happens.

[FlyingPenguin]

This topic came up on Security Now last week, coincidentally. While I still think something's wrong with your drive because you seem to have more than just Update issues, there's a lot of people having trouble getting updates started on a clean install.

Someone with a reputation for these things on an MS Forum posted what people describe as the definitive guide for performing a clean Win7 OS install, and it seems to work for most people. He walks you through it step by step here. I'll try this myself soon on this charity PC I need to setup. After performing the procedure below, you should be able to save time and do the Win7 SP1 Convenience Rollup (KB3125574) instead of letting Windows Update download 200+ updates if you want.

I notice he recommends NOT using automatic updates. I never have on my Win7 systems. I've always had it prompt me to download and I install it when good and ready, usually 2 weeks after they're released.

Windows 7 Update solution:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... d0c?auth=1

We emphasize that for this to work, you must follow exactly as this describes.

There are two main types of Windows 7 installations: 32 bit or 64 bit. You need to know what is installed in your computer. Click the Start globe, type system in the box. Choose System information in the list. The techie shorthand for 32 bit is x86 and for 64 bit is x64

1. Start Windows Update and change the Setting to Never check for updates. Close the Windows Update window. Some members recommend you return the setting to what ever you used before this operation, after you complete Windows Update. IF you do leave the setting at NEVER, Windows Update will no longer be automatic. From this point onwards, you are responsible for starting and installing updates. We recommend you do that a few days following the 2nd Tuesday each month.

2. Restart your computer.

3. The process starts by ensuring that there is nothing running that will prevent the update from working properly. Click on the Start globe and type services into the text box. Click on Services in the list that pops up. In the window that then pops up (its alphabetic), find Windows Update. Right-click on it (left-click if your mouse is set for left-handers) and choose Stop.

4. You are now going to download and install either one or two updates manually. In most cases only the first (KB3172605) of these is needed. If that produces a result that says the update is not appropriate for you computer, you need to first install the 2nd of these (KB3020369), then install the first (KB3172605). Choose the one that is for your machine -- 32 bit (X86) or 64 bit (X64).

KB3172605:

32 bit

https://download.microsoft.com/download ... 05-x86.msu

64 bit

https://download.microsoft.com/download ... 05-x64.msu

KB3020369:

32 bit

https://download.microsoft.com/download ... 69-x86.msu

64 bit

https://download.microsoft.com/download ... 69-x64.msu

5. After restarting your computer, wait about 10 minutes until Windows Update completes its tasks. Do not use the computer for any other purpose during this wait period.

6. Start Windows Update. It will take only a few minutes (unless, of course it has been many months since the last update) to come up with a list and download the updates you select. The process is quite normal as it always was from this point onward.

If your computer has not been updated for a long time, it may take longer.

[EvilHorace]

Well, first thing today was that after it was endlessly doing a "search for updates", a page came up saying that I needed to call in to Authenticate Windows. It had a bunch of #s and used my phone to complete 9 sets of #s, then said it was Genuine.
Still wouldn't update. So, back to to the link I posted earlier from Toms Hardware and about half way down, this guy suggested this and it worked. (2 patches, first installed w/o the network after DLing it). Ran into an error code, googled, solved that but now it's DLing 222 updates.

This is what fixed it:

bigdadblair 9/12/16
Hi I had this same problem but it can e fixed easy, fist you need to dl this update https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?i... this is for 64 bit, before you run this you need to disconnect your wifi, and LAN and unclick the box in you internet settings where is will automatically connect when windows starts, then restart you PC. Once its back up and running, run the update your just DL(make sure not to connect to internet until update has finished . Now that you have that done you should update the updater here is the link for the DL https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/kb/949104. Now when this is done reboot your PC and goto update and this time it should find updates, still may take a little time, but usually get fist couple in 10 15 mins

[EvilHorace]

....Not sure it's completely working right yet. Says it's DLing now (didn't before), saw a progress bar where it shows % of DLs but then it stopped. "Try again". Rebooted, tries but..........showing no progress.

More later......

[EvilHorace]

Well, it looked good at first, DL'd a few updates but then it's back to the same old BS but now slightly different. Sometimes it'll find updates but can't begin to DL them. Sometimes it'll say "No updates available, up to date" but then I look at the update history and see that most were "cancelled" or some failed, with error codes.

I'll play with it more tonight. Maybe try unchecking the failed boxes and see if it'll then DL, install the others. Must be MSs method to force people into upgrading to Win10?

[Executioner]

Did you try that secure erase utility?

LOL - your last comment. I thought of this also.

The 2 fresh installs that I did, I was using an ISO that was less than 2 years old. I do have my original win 7 disk, but it does not even have SP1 installed with it. Did you try it with a different HD to rule that out? What about RAM? Did you test your RAM sticks for any errors?

[FlyingPenguin]

Uncheck recommended updates, and updates for other microsoft products. I've seen a stupid update for office get stuck and prevent anything else from updating until its cleared.

To be fair the issue is mostly that Win7's update engine is outdated and MS has no incentive to overhaul it.

Win8 and 10 use a much more robust update engine.

[EvilHorace]

"Did you try that secure erase utility? " Not yet because then I'd be back to square 1 and I've made some progress, not to mention that Windows Authentication BS. So far, the stuff I've been reading about this has had nothing to do with another clean install.
The same PC works fine when I use the original HDD running Vista. Otherwise, I don't have any other HDDs for it.

I'll mess with it more tonight but I'll throw this out for now. When I tried using Autopatcher (many times too), it installed about 30 updates according to the update files found in the program that removes programs. What's odd about that is that Windows update doesn't see those files on my PC at all.

Windows update added about 9 updates before it stopped. It also sees those updates were installed. Before I got update to work last night, it said that it never installed any updates.

So later I'll see if any of those that are shown in the programs list are perhaps those that are causing problems with update. Strange stuff.

[Executioner]

Before you put 10 on it, you should have made an image. There are some free imaging utilities. One that I just used a few months back was:
http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx