Giveaway of the Day Forums

1. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   Problem: Auto update or visiting the MS update site, searching for updates maxes svchost at 100% CPU with no search results [seems stuck in a loop].

   Why: Seems ie8 needs updated for MS update to work, but the ie8 updates are included in the updates you can't find because update won't work.

   Fix: Download & install the updates manually, which unfortunately is harder than it should be because MS says to use their broken update site. What I did...

   I found this page that lists the contents of their update DVD ISO -- http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=41137

   Under Details it lists the updates -- clicking on the KB heading take you to the svc bulletin page -> clicking on the link for it pros takes you to another page where you can click on the link for your Windows version. The one exception I found was a 404 page error for KB2868626 -- the link for the XP version is http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40915

   Note that you may have to kill svchost in Task Mgr if it's maxed out in order to manually install [or during install of] updates -- instead you might want to temporarily turn auto updates off, though it may take a restart to prevent svchost from maxing out the CPU.

   The updates I added manually, after which MS update worked fine -- KB2888505, KB2868626, KB2900986 -- YMMV, you may not need all 3 as I didn't try MS update after installing each one.

   Note also that optional win7 update KB2830477 breaks the win7 Virtual PC host.

   Posted 10 years ago #
2. 

   litemotif
   Member

   Thanks, Mike! I was wondering why the update screen was just sitting there, spinning its wheels; thought something was broken in my system. I'll try your method.

   Posted 10 years ago #
3. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   Got my fingers crossed it works for you.

   I noticed the problem 1st with updating the virus definitions for the Security Essentials Beta that I run in my XP Mode VM. Then the Windows update wouldn't work -- as you said, it just sat there. My guess is that MS updated the code on their update site at the same time as they made the updates live -- otherwise updating Security Essentials Beta wouldn't have suddenly become a problem.

   There has to have been a better way for MS to do it, to handle the update, but then they're likely Very Eagerly anticipating the end of XP support next spring -- they just do not like us any more, *Us* being XP users. :(

   FWIW, once I had the updates downloaded I followed the same procedure, installing them 1st before hitting up the update site in my regular XP Pro SP3 install -- worked like a charm.

   Posted 10 years ago #
4. 

   Suze
   Member

   Thanks for the tip, mike! I run XP SP3 on IE8, and ever since MS' August updates, I've had to download the updates via the taskbar "shield" instead of via the MS Update site, because that page would just hang forever.

   I had originally set it up so that I'd only get notified whenever there were updates (via the taskbar "shield"). Then, I always visited the MS Update site to read each update before deciding to download and install. But since that page now hangs, I have to use the "shield" method to download and install. I'll see if that works today, as an alternative to the fix you suggested, and then report back . . . Wish me luck ;-)

   Update: Success! It took 14 minutes to download & install the 8 updates to my computer.

   Posted 10 years ago #
5. 

   litemotif
   Member

   Sorry, forgot to report back. Your method worked for me, Mike. I downloaded the 3 updates you said you installed, and after installation the MS update site performed its proper function. Thanks!

   Posted 10 years ago #
6. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   Cool! :)

   Posted 10 years ago #
7. 

   Whiterabbit-uk
   Games Guru

   Thanks for the update Mikiem, as always much appreciated.

   Posted 10 years ago #

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