[SOLVED] [10v1703b15063 x64] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

[Hutch]

My laptop is functional except that recent updates repeatedly report “Requires a restart to finish installing” even when I try to manually reinstall the missing updates; it is stuck on Windows 10 winver 1703 OS Build 15063.674.

In an attempt to investigate the problem I have run sfc /scannow, which “found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them”.

So then I ran DISM.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. The first time I tried it worked its way through to 100% then hung. Subsequent attempts to run DISM again lead to it quickly freezing again, after reporting the image version but before even showing 0%. Rerunning sfc /scannow subsequently still produces the same output to the screen.

I then tried sfcfix.exe without any script. Unfortunately this almost immediately crashes.

So then I examined the CBS.log by running findstr /c:"Cannot repair" %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log
The output from all runs of sfc is similar; here is that from the latest:

2017-11-26 18:02:04, Info CSI 00020051 [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:9]'MSDTC.LOG' of Microsoft-Windows-COM-DTC-Runtime, version 10.0.15063.0, arch amd64, nonSxS, pkt {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35} in the store, hash mismatch
2017-11-26 18:02:04, Info CSI 000200c6 [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:9]'MSDTC.LOG' of Microsoft-Windows-COM-DTC-Runtime, version 10.0.15063.0, arch amd64, nonSxS, pkt {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35} in the store, hash mismatch

But I attach the full CBS.log compressed.
I would be very grateful for some help please.

There is some extra background that may be relevant. The laptop is quite new, but was crashing regularly. After some weeks I worked out that it was a hardware fault making it crash when gentle pressure was applied to one particular spot on the underside. So the motherboard was replaced two weeks ago by a DELL technician, who provided a new Windows license for the new board. But I am concerned that the repeated crashing earlier may have corrupted some files. I subsequently had some overnight crashes, but these have stopped once I disabled hibernation. I supposed that the source of that problem was likely an old driver, so I updated a number of them and the BIOS, and I also have disabled the fingerprint scanner (because device manager indicated some possible problems).

Many thanks for any advice. It seems to be a wonderful service that you provide.

 

[BrianDrab]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Hello and welcome

Due to the precise nature of your corruption, you will receive help from a user named SleepyDude. He's one of our senior trainees here who's in his final phase of his studies and needs to gain some real world experience in specific areas of Windows Update. This means that he'll be assisting you, but that I will first need to double check and approve his fixes before he posts them to you. If anything this is a good thing for you because it means that you've got at least two of us watching over your thread, but it will unfortunately add a slight delay between each reply. I hope that you understand and can accept the need for us to train up new members in this way in order to carry on doing what we do here, however, if for any reason you object to this setup, I will happily take on your thread myself.

Thank you very much for your understanding. We'll be with you very shortly.

 

[Hutch]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Thanks for getting back so quickly. A slight delay is absolutely no problem. Unlike many others who ask for help, I do have a computer that is fully usable. I am glad to have two of you on my side.

Hello and welcome

Due to the precise nature of your corruption, you will receive help from a user named SleepyDude. He's one of our senior trainees here who's in his final phase of his studies and needs to gain some real world experience in specific areas of Windows Update. This means that he'll be assisting you, but that I will first need to double check and approve his fixes before he posts them to you. If anything this is a good thing for you because it means that you've got at least two of us watching over your thread, but it will unfortunately add a slight delay between each reply. I hope that you understand and can accept the need for us to train up new members in this way in order to carry on doing what we do here, however, if for any reason you object to this setup, I will happily take on your thread myself.

Thank you very much for your understanding. We'll be with you very shortly.

 

[SleepyDude]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Hello Hutch, nice to meet you.


Lets take care of that file...


SFCFix Script

!!! WARNING !!! The following fix is only relevant for this system and no other, applying this fix on another computer will not work and most likely will cause problems...

• Download SFCFix.exe (by Niemiro) and save it to the Desktop
• Download the file SFCFIX.ZIP, attached below, and save this to your Desktop
• On your Desktop, make sure you have the two files:
  
  SFCFix.exe and
  
  SFCFIX.zip
• Drag the file SFCFIX.zip onto the file SFCFix.exe and release it
• The SFCFix tool will process the script
• Upon completion, a log file SFCFix.txt should be created on your Desktop
• Open the SFCFix.txt log and copy & paste the contents to your post

Please let me know if you have any trouble executing the fix.

 

[Hutch]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Thanks SleepyDude.
That all worked seamlessly and I attach the requested file. I have yet to experiment further what output sfc.exe produces and whether that solves the update problem, but I await your further comments/instructions.

Hello Hutch, nice to meet you.


Lets take care of that file...


SFCFix Script

!!! WARNING !!! The following fix is only relevant for this system and no other, applying this fix on another computer will not work and most likely will cause problems...

• Download SFCFix.exe (by Niemiro) and save it to the Desktop
• Download the file SFCFIX.ZIP, attached below, and save this to your Desktop
• On your Desktop, make sure you have the two files:
  
  SFCFix.exe and
  
  SFCFIX.zip
• Drag the file SFCFIX.zip onto the file SFCFix.exe and release it
• The SFCFix tool will process the script
• Upon completion, a log file SFCFix.txt should be created on your Desktop
• Open the SFCFix.txt log and copy & paste the contents to your post

Please let me know if you have any trouble executing the fix.

 

[SleepyDude]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Hi,

Please execute the following:


Scan with DISM

Press

+ X and click Open Command Prompt (Admin)
Type or Copy & Paste:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Export the CBS folder

1. Open the folder C:\Windows\Logs
2. Right-click on the CBS folder, and select Copy
3. Go back to your Desktop, right-click on it, and select Paste. You should now see a copy of the CBS folder appear on your Desktop called CBS
4. Right-click on this new folder, and navigate through Send to, and select Compressed (zipped) folder
5. A new file, also called CBS (CBS.zip), but this time with a different icon, will be created
   If zip file is too large to upload to the forum please share the file using a service like Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. or upload to SendSpace and just provide the link for the file here

 

[Hutch]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

I did this, but it is still running after 3 hours and I suspect it is stuck. The last entry in the dism.log was over 2 hours ago. I did look at the log in notepad about 10 min after that last entry, which I hope did not disrupt things.
I attach a zipped version of the cbs.log, as requested, but also the dism.log.
Many thanks!

Hi,

Please execute the following:


Scan with DISM

Press

+ X and click Open Command Prompt (Admin)
Type or Copy & Paste:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Export the CBS folder

1. Open the folder C:\Windows\Logs
2. Right-click on the CBS folder, and select Copy
3. Go back to your Desktop, right-click on it, and select Paste. You should now see a copy of the CBS folder appear on your Desktop called CBS
4. Right-click on this new folder, and navigate through Send to, and select Compressed (zipped) folder
5. A new file, also called CBS (CBS.zip), but this time with a different icon, will be created
   If zip file is too large to upload to the forum please share the file using a service like Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. or upload to SendSpace and just provide the link for the file here

 

[SleepyDude]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Hi,

Until further instructions let dism run please and make sure the computer doesn't enter sleep mode.

 

[SleepyDude]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Hi,

Any change? If it didn't complete please cancel.

Try to do a Clean Boot and then attempt it again.

 

[Hutch]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

My apologies, I somehow missed your last message asking whether it completed and have been patiently waiting for it to do so. No it hasn't completed, but it does seem periodically to be producing novel output in the CBS.log and DISM log. I attach the CBS.log just in case that is of any use to you, but will now kill DISM and try a clean boot. Thanks for you perseverance with me.

Hi,

Any change? If it didn't complete please cancel.

Try to do a Clean Boot and then attempt it again.

 

[Hutch]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Following your instructions I set up to do a clean boot. While shutting down, Windows tried and failed again to update, so the original symptom is still there. However, it did successfully update Microsoft Office.
After the clean reboot I ran DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth again. The clean reboot made a difference in that it now reported a % progress. However, it seems to have frozen at 14.5% (it has been at this for 10 or 11 hours). I attach the CBS and DISM logs.
Meanwhile I can work away as normal, no crashing or other failures in performance, except the failure to update.

My apologies, I somehow missed your last message asking whether it completed and have been patiently waiting for it to do so. No it hasn't completed, but it does seem periodically to be producing novel output in the CBS.log and DISM log. I attach the CBS.log just in case that is of any use to you, but will now kill DISM and try a clean boot. Thanks for you perseverance with me.

 

[SleepyDude]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Hi,

Please cancel the scan and revert the changes you did to get a Clean Boot and Boot Normaly.


We need to take a look to your system by collecting other logs, please execute the following.

Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST)

• Download FRST or FRST x64 and save it to the Desktop.
  (Please pick the version that matches your operating system's bit type. If you don't know which version matches your system, try FRST if it say that is not compatible with your OS you have to use FRST64
• Execute FRST/FRST64 right click on the icon
  
  and choose Run as Administrator. Make sure all other windows are closed.
  (When the Tool opens for the first time you must click Yes on the disclaimer.)
  
  
• Press Scan button.
• It will produce a log called (FRST.txt) in the same directory the Tool is run from.
• The first time the Tool is run, it makes also another log (Addition.txt).
• Please attach both logs to your post.

 

[Hutch]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Thanks for the new instructions. It took a while to reboot because Windows tried to update again. Then Farbar ran smoothly and produced the two files, which I attach.
Unfortunately some of the text output is in German; it is a German copy of Windows (I am a Brit but living in Germany), although I think that I have all possible options switched to English (except the keyboard). Farbar automatically produced its menu in German, which there was no obvious way to alter. If the language causes problems for you maybe there is a way to fool Farbar to run in English.
Thanks again.

Hi,

Please cancel the scan and revert the changes you did to get a Clean Boot and Boot Normaly.


We need to take a look to your system by collecting other logs, please execute the following.

Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST)

• Download FRST or FRST x64 and save it to the Desktop.
  (Please pick the version that matches your operating system's bit type. If you don't know which version matches your system, try FRST if it say that is not compatible with your OS you have to use FRST64
• Execute FRST/FRST64 right click on the icon
  
  and choose Run as Administrator. Make sure all other windows are closed.
  (When the Tool opens for the first time you must click Yes on the disclaimer.)
  
  
• Press Scan button.
• It will produce a log called (FRST.txt) in the same directory the Tool is run from.
• The first time the Tool is run, it makes also another log (Addition.txt).
• Please attach both logs to your post.

 

[SleepyDude]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Hi,

Yes there is a way to force FRST to use English, please rename FRST64.exe to EnglishFRST64.exe and do a new scan please.

 

[Hutch]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Yup that worked. Interesting and, to me, novel way of changing the language.
Reguested files attached. Thanks.

Hi,

Yes there is a way to force FRST to use English, please rename FRST64.exe to EnglishFRST64.exe and do a new scan please.

 

[SleepyDude]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Hi,

Sorry for the delay, it was a consequence of failed communication between me and my Teacher...

There are some evidences in the logs that the Symantec Endpoint Protection you have creates problems with the most recent Windows 10 Editions see here. The Symantec recommendation that you can read here is to completely remove the product, Upgrade to latest Windows 10 and then install the latest version of Symantec Endpoint Protection 14 RU1 (14.0.1) that is presently the version with full support for Windows 10 Fall Creators.

Like other vendors Symantec provides a tool to completely remove Symantec Endpoint Protection Uninstalling Symantec Endpoint Protection with the CleanWipe utility

 

[Hutch]

Re: [W10v1703b15063] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

My sincere apologies, you must think me most rude. In fact I thought that I had replied on Wednesday, where I also explained that I would be travelling with only sporadic internet access. Now that I again have the chance to check, I see that the message did not get sent and now I have lost what I wrote. I will be back home on Monday afternoon, so will be a more reliable correspondent after that, but probably I will be connected again tomorrow evening also.
As instructed, I deinstalled Symantec, both using the usual Windows method and then the tool which you alerted me to. Since it was the ITs at work that installed this program, I have no password to install the later version, so I installed Avast Free to replace it. I then checked for Microsoft updates. It did install an update of Excel and the usual attempted update of Windows (KB40408954) produced its usual message that it required a restart to finish installing. But after a restart, still the same version level as ever was reported. When I tried this again it also tried to install version 1709; it had only tried this once before, on 17th Nov. As before the Update History reports first that it failed to install and then that it requires a restart to finish installing. Still, after a restart, the version number in unchanged. So, I'm sorry but no progress to report, except that it seems Symantec was not the problem.
Do you think it would be worth trying DISM again, now that Symantec is removed?

Hi,

Sorry for the delay, it was a consequence of failed communication between me and my Teacher...

There are some evidences in the logs that the Symantec Endpoint Protection you have creates problems with the most recent Windows 10 Editions see here. The Symantec recommendation that you can read here is to completely remove the product, Upgrade to latest Windows 10 and then install the latest version of Symantec Endpoint Protection 14 RU1 (14.0.1) that is presently the version with full support for Windows 10 Fall Creators.

Like other vendors Symantec provides a tool to completely remove Symantec Endpoint Protection Uninstalling Symantec Endpoint Protection with the CleanWipe utility

 

[SleepyDude]

Re: [W10v1703b15063 x64] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Hi,

No Problem.

Yes try to run DISM again but also make sure you temporarily disable Avast shields, this should help making the process faster.

After this export the CBS folder like you did on step #6

 

[Hutch]

Re: [W10v1703b15063 x64] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Great news. DISM ran successfully to completion (without needing me to Clean Boot).
A restart resulted in a change of the version number reported by WINVER: it reported 1703 OS Build 15063.726. However, I did then receive a pop-up note saying that Windows couldn't finish installing updates.
Then I ran Check for updates and 1709 installed.
So, it looks like full success to me. Besides the mstc issue, the key was uninstalling Symantec, which allowed DISM to do its work.
I do attach the compressed CBS folder, just in case it is of any academic interest to you. Ah, but now I see that it is probably not because the old log file seems to have been replaced with the installation of version 1709. Sorry about that.
Very many thanks indeed to you both for your patience and wise counsel. What a great service!
Hutch

Hi,

No Problem.

Yes try to run DISM again but also make sure you temporarily disable Avast shields, this should help making the process faster.

After this export the CBS folder like you did on step #6

 

[SleepyDude]

Re: [W10v1703b15063 x64] MSTC.log unable to fix; perhaps causing failure to update

Hi,

That is very good news.

Good job :thumbsup2: