Why won't Windows Update work?

BrianInEngland · Jul 20, 2022

Running Release Preview, clean install of Windows 11 22621.1 on June 29th, using MS ISO.
Updated to 22621.105 no problems.
Updated next day to 22621.169, no problems

Last week I couldn't install 22621.232, it appears to install but fails/rolls back during restart
Did an in-place upgrade using the 22621.232 ISO.
Switched to Beta channel today, tried to install 22622.436 KB5015888. Fails during install 0x800f081f error.
Checked DISM and SFC - no problems found
Reset Windows Update using Brink's script. Doesn't fix it.
Tried to install using the .CAB file with DISM - same error.

Windows Update will successfully install Defender definitions but no Windows updates will work.

Getting annoyed now, I don't want to be doing a full UUP Dump install every time there's a new CU released.

Fabler2 · Jul 20, 2022

BrianInEngland said:
Running Release Preview, clean install of Windows 11 22621.1 on June 29th, using MS ISO.
Updated to 22621.105 no problems.
Updated next day to 22621.169, no problems

Last week I couldn't install 22621.232, it appears to install but fails/rolls back during restart
Did an in-place upgrade using the 22621.232 ISO.
Switched to Beta channel today, tried to install 22622.436 KB5015888. Fails during install 0x800f081f error.
Checked DISM and SFC - no problems found
Reset Windows Update using Brink's script. Doesn't fix it.
Tried to install using the .CAB file with DISM - same error.

Windows Update will successfully install Defender definitions but no Windows updates will work.

Getting annoyed now, I don't want to be doing a full UUP Dump install every time there's a new CU released.

Sometimes Core isolation memory integrity causes issues. Try with it turned off and Microsoft vulnerable driver block list.

BrianInEngland · Jul 20, 2022

Fabler2 said:
Sometimes Core isolation memory integrity causes issues. Try with it turned off and Microsoft vulnerable driver block list.

Core Isolation has never been enabled

x BlueRobot · Jul 20, 2022

Could you please provide the CBS log from:

Rich (BB code):

%systemroot%\Logs\CBS

You'll also want to run the following to gather the rollback logs - SetupDiag - Windows Deployment

x BlueRobot · Jul 20, 2022

BrianInEngland said:
Reset Windows Update using Brink's script. Doesn't fix it.

Just to note, that script is only applicable in very specific circumstances, particularly when there is an issue downloading an update rather than installing one.

BrianInEngland · Jul 20, 2022

x BlueRobot said:
Could you please provide the CBS log from:

Rich (BB code):

%systemroot%\Logs\CBS

You'll also want to run the following to gather the rollback logs - SetupDiag - Windows Deployment

CBS log CBS.log

SetupDiag doesn't appear to do anything

BrianInEngland · Jul 20, 2022

x BlueRobot said:
Just to note, that script is only applicable in very specific circumstances, particularly when there is an issue downloading an update rather than installing one.

OK thanks for the info

glasskuter · Jul 20, 2022

Try enabling .net 3.5. from Control panel-programs and features-on left side click turn features on and off-put check by .net framework 3.5-ok

BrianInEngland · Jul 20, 2022

glasskuter said:
Try enabling .net 3.5. from Control panel-programs and features-on left side click turn features on and off-put check by .net framework 3.5-ok

Did that, even that wouldn't install that way, failed with error during restart and rolled back. I got them enabled using the command prompt and they are showing Enabled

BrianInEngland · Jul 20, 2022

OK I deleted the CBS.log file so it was 'clean' before trying the update again. For some reason the log file is 60MB, I've no idea why that is.

glasskuter · Jul 20, 2022

This seems to be a common problem with cumulative updates no matter if one is running an insider version or release. To make matters worse, what fixes it for one doesn't work for another. There's no rhyme or reason to it. I run the release version and got stuck last month. A repair install fixed mine. Others have restored an image to get it to work. The bad thing is that once one cumulative fails, all cumulatives afterwards will fail until it is fixed.
One would think that after umpteen years designing operating systems that MS would be able to get a handle on windows updates...not. They've been a thorn for as long as I can remember.

You did your repair install before you switched to the beta channel. You might try a repair install for beta, or restore an image if you have one for Release Preview. Sorry, I don't have anything better to suggest.

BrianInEngland · Jul 20, 2022

glasskuter said:
This seems to be a common problem with cumulative updates no matter if one is running an insider version or release. To make matters worse, what fixes it for one doesn't work for another. There's no rhyme or reason to it. I run the release version and got stuck last month. A repair install fixed mine. Others have restored an image to get it to work. The bad thing is that once one cumulative fails, all cumulatives afterwards will fail until it is fixed.
One would think that after umpteen years designing operating systems that MS would be able to get a handle on windows updates...not. They've been a thorn for as long as I can remember.

You did your repair install before you switched to the beta channel. You might try a repair install for beta, or restore an image if you have one for Release Preview. Sorry, I don't have anything better to suggest.

No worries, thanks for trying. As I said, it worked going from clean install RP 22621.1 > .105 > .169 from an MS ISO.
To get to .232 I had to use UUP Dump.
Guess I'll be stuck doing that every time now

glasskuter · Jul 20, 2022

Yes, I'm curious to see if August update Tuesday is going to be more of the same with the Aug. cumulative. If I was a betting woman (oh wait, I am) I think we'll see it happen to some of us again. Last month I got into an update loop with mine. I've started making full backups every 3-5 days instead of every 10-14 days.

x BlueRobot · Jul 20, 2022

BrianInEngland said:
OK I deleted the CBS.log file so it was 'clean' before trying the update again. For some reason the log file is 60MB, I've no idea why that is.

Could you please provide the latest CBS log then? There appears to be a number of hydration errors in your previous CBS log because of corrupted or missing payload files.

x BlueRobot · Jul 20, 2022

glasskuter said:
This seems to be a common problem with cumulative updates no matter if one is running an insider version or release. To make matters worse, what fixes it for one doesn't work for another. There's no rhyme or reason to it.

There is - you need to read the CBS log. And there is no common fix for Windows Update issues, they all have to individually examined like with BSOD crashes.

glasskuter said:
One would think that after umpteen years designing operating systems that MS would be able to get a handle on windows updates...not. They've been a thorn for as long as I can remember.

I've never had Windows Update issues with any machines and most people don't. The Windows Update servicing stack has massively improved as well.

baskhara · Jul 20, 2022

I was having the some problem updating Windows to version .232 the other day (although it could be my unsupported CPU) it just says Downloading 10% and then back to Download to Install button again in Settings, but I was able to update it without using Windows ISO.

I downloaded the .CAB files from UUP Dump and using this script from GitHub to make it into an .MSU package: PSFX_MSU_2.zip

Put all the .CAB & .PSF files from UUP Dump into the same folder as the extracted script and then execute the script.
Once done, do the DISM command

DISM /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:"Full path to the .MSU file"

It reboot successfully to the new version on my laptop.

BrianInEngland · Jul 20, 2022

OK, here's what I just did. In-place upgrade (downgrade from .232) using the MS ISO, that installed 22621.105

Uninstalled Malwarebytes Free (just in case)
Checked for updates, 22621.232 now installed. I was worried it would fail at the restart like last time but it went through with no errors.

All good now, until next time maybe!
I'm wondering if the update to .169 caused problems with future updates, even to the point that repair install of .232 didn't fix it. Or maybe the MWB caused it. I'll guess we'll never know.

BrianInEngland · Jul 20, 2022

glasskuter said:
Yes, I'm curious to see if August update Tuesday is going to be more of the same with the Aug. cumulative. If I was a betting woman (oh wait, I am) I think we'll see it happen to some of us again. Last month I got into an update loop with mine. I've started making full backups every 3-5 days instead of every 10-14 days.

I make daily backups!

BrianInEngland · Jul 20, 2022

x BlueRobot said:
Could you please provide the latest CBS log then? There appears to be a number of hydration errors in your previous CBS log because of corrupted or missing payload files.

This one is straight from deleting the log file and then attempting the update again