Windows update issues and troubleshooting steps

Ensuring Windows Update Functionality for Saner CVEM

Ensuring the resolution of Windows Update issues is imperative, as Saner CVEM relies on Windows update-related services and APIs for downloading and installing patches.

Here are several troubleshooting steps and solutions that can be implemented on affected devices experiencing issues with Windows update-related services:

1. Remove WSUS Registry Entries

For devices with WSUS registry entries enabled, deploy or manually execute the following registry script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]

"WUServer"=- 
"WUStatusServer"=- 
"EnableWindowsUpdateAutoUpdate"=-

For further details, refer to the KBA: Deploy reg files to disable WSUS in the registry editor (zendesk.com).

2. Reset Windows Update Components

Run the following commands to reset Windows Update components:

net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc 
net stop bits 
net stop msiserver 
ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old 
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old 
net start wuauserv 
net start cryptSvc 
net start bits 
net start msiserver

Save this as a .bat file and execute it manually or deploy it via EM.

3. Alternate Reset Method

If the above script does not work, try the following steps:

net stop wuauserv 
net stop cryptSvc

Then rename the update folders:

ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old 
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old

If the folders already exist, append .old.old to create new ones.

Restart the services:

net start wuauserv 
net start cryptSvc

4. Verify GPO and Local Policies

Ensure that no GPO policies or local policies are enforced that might interfere with updates. These settings should either be Not Configured or Disabled. Screenshots can be referenced for further clarification.