amanda wrote:
> please can anyone assist , i have been downloading
> windows updates but they have failed to installon several
> ocaisions, can anyone give me some advice
>
> ps i have downloaded them before and they installed ok ,,
> dont know what to do
Hi Amanda,
If AOL is your ISP, make sure you only use Internet Explorer to get to Windows Update website.
You make your usual AOL connection, then....bring up Internet Explorer & go to this site
[url]http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com[/url]

Insure your pc & Windows shows the correct month/day/year & time.

You are having an install failure ---which can be of many different varieties.
The update log file would indicate if & why each failed ---should have error code + some text ---again, for each 1.
You need to find & "isolate" the section of the log for that "fail date".
Use Windows' Notepad to open this log:
C:\Windows\Windows Update.log (for Win XP & Win98/Me)

Having found the "error" , then do a "search" on this MS page. See MS Windows Update Troubleshooter
[url]http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/troubleshoot/[/url]

Then do the remedies outlined on that page.

Follow these steps & this article for cleanups and Insure you do not have a leftover "Catroot2" sub-folder ! :

Bring up Windows Explorer / Tools / Folder Options/ select VIEW Tab and look at all of settings listed.

"CHECK" (turn on) Display the contents of system folders.

Under column, Hidden files and folders----choose ( *select* ) Show hidden files and folders.
Next, un-check Hide extensions for known file types.
Next un-check Hide protected operating system files.

Next 3 lines are only for Win2000 / XP (skip IF on Win98 or Me):
Use Windows Explorer. Go to C:\Windows\System32

If you have a sub-folder called * Catroot2 * (not Catroot) rename the
folder to CR2OLD. Or delete everything in that folder. Just make sure you do the right one.

Find the folder \WUTEMP & empty out all its contents. Then retry Windows Update. If it still fails, do the section below.

This is for all editions of Windows. Just follow section for your version:
Read, study, and do what this article recommends. One of the things you will do
is to *very carefully* remove some files from the C:\Program Files\WindowsUpdate\V4 folder ; plus some more.

WINUP: Error Message: "Software Update Incomplete, This Windows Update Software Did Not Update Successfully
<[url]http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;[/url][LN];319585>

If still failing, & if you have Win XP, do this:
Select Windows Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
At the command prompt, type the following commands, pressing ENTER after each line:
net stop cryptsvc
net start cryptsvc

Retry Windows Update.

If still failing, attach a copy of the Windows Update.log file --- but really try to only get the entries for the "date" of this failure.
Look at the bottom end of that file.
--
Maurice N
MVP Windows - Shell / User
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