W7 Auto update working fine but task bar has Alert flag with red cross.

d.stinson · Apr 13, 2013

My W7 automatic updates work fine. Yet for a long time now (months) I have a persistent Action Alert flag in the bottom right hand corner of task bar (white flag with red circle with white cross) which states

"Windows could not check for updates automatically (Important)".

I have tried the Microsoft Fix-It which says it has repaired two errors but if I run it again I keep getting the same message and the alert remains.

I have run SFC /scannow but it did not find errors.

I downloaded and run System Update Readiness Tool for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB947821) [February 2013]. I attach the log file. View attachment CheckSUR.persist.log.

Any help would be appreciated.

tom982 · Apr 14, 2013

Hello d.stinson, welcome to Sysnative!

Your latest log from the System Update Readiness Tool (SURT) shows that it has been interrupted before it completed, did you close it early by any chance?

Code:

=================================
Checking System Update Readiness.
Binary Version 6.1.7601.21645
Package Version 18.0
2013-04-12 22:26

Checking Windows Servicing Packages

Checking Package Manifests and Catalogs
(f)    CBS MUM Corrupt    0x00000000    servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-IE-Hyphenation-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~~~10.2.9200.16437.mum        Expected file name Microsoft-Windows-IE-Hyphenation-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~neutral~~10.2.9200.16437.mum does not match the actual file name
(f)    CBS MUM Corrupt    0x00000000    servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-IE-Spelling-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~~~10.2.9200.16437.mum        Expected file name Microsoft-Windows-IE-Spelling-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~neutral~~10.2.9200.16437.mum does not match the actual file name

Checking Package Watchlist

Checking Component Watchlist

Checking Packages

Checking Component Store

Try running it again but leave it to run to completion this time please. It might appear to hang at times but I assure you this is perfectly normal, it can take several hours to complete sometimes, depending on the scale of the corruption. When it finishes running, post the new log please:

C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CheckSUR.persist.log

Tom

d.stinson · Apr 14, 2013

Thanks Tom.
I have rerun surt and it reached the end properly. I attach the log files. With my very limited knowledge things look pretty similar in the logs but I can't say I understand them.

David

tom982 · Apr 14, 2013

Hi David,

You're spot on there, they are exactly the same. I just wanted to make sure nothing was making the SURT hang before we moved on. Your latest CheckSUR log shows two errors:

Code:

=================================
Checking System Update Readiness.
Binary Version 6.1.7601.21645
Package Version 18.0
2013-04-14 16:31

Checking Windows Servicing Packages

Checking Package Manifests and Catalogs
(f)    CBS MUM Corrupt    0x00000000    servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-IE-Hyphenation-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~~~10.2.9200.16437.mum        Expected file name Microsoft-Windows-IE-Hyphenation-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~neutral~~10.2.9200.16437.mum does not match the actual file name
(f)    CBS MUM Corrupt    0x00000000    servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-IE-Spelling-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~~~10.2.9200.16437.mum        Expected file name Microsoft-Windows-IE-Spelling-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~neutral~~10.2.9200.16437.mum does not match the actual file name

Checking Package Watchlist

Checking Component Watchlist

Checking Packages

Checking Component Store

Summary:
Seconds executed: 1539
 Found 2 errors
  CBS MUM Corrupt Total count: 2

Unavailable repair files:
    servicing\packages\Microsoft-Windows-IE-Hyphenation-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~~~10.2.9200.16437.mum
    servicing\packages\Microsoft-Windows-IE-Spelling-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~~~10.2.9200.16437.mum
    servicing\packages\Microsoft-Windows-IE-Hyphenation-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~~~10.2.9200.16437.cat
    servicing\packages\Microsoft-Windows-IE-Spelling-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~~~10.2.9200.16437.cat

These can safely be ignored as they are being falsely reported.

Can you take a screenshot of the message that Action Centre is displaying then attach it to your next post please?

Tom

d.stinson · Apr 14, 2013

Happy to do so. Do you have a "standard" way to capture the screen?

David

d.stinson · Apr 14, 2013

Or will this do...

tom982 · Apr 14, 2013

Hi David,

That's great, thanks. What happens when you click Check for updates?

What anti virus and firewall are you running?

Tom

d.stinson · Apr 14, 2013

Both manual and Automatic updates work fine. I am using Windows Firewall and Microsoft Security Essentials. All pretty standard. I can switch the alert off, but it would be nice to have an alert when the updates really DON'T happen, instead of all the time.

David

tom982 · Apr 15, 2013

Hi David,

MSE and the Windows Firewall shouldn't be causing any problems here then. Can you try running this fixit in aggressive mode please:

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9767096&entrypointid=MATSKB

Tom

d.stinson · Apr 15, 2013

Thanks for your help.
I've run the above Fix-it link in normal mode (no change) and aggressively mode (again, no change). Rebooted immediately after aggressive run but, again, no change. The white flag with red circle and a cross in it still exists as does the error as shown in my first screen capture. The Fix-it link says it repaired both times, attached is a screen shot after the aggressive run of Fix-it.

I then adjusted the automatic update time to see if an automatic update would run normally, but for some reason it did not do it, possibly because it had already run today. So although that particular automatic update did not run as planned, I am confident that THEY DO RUN, as the history of the updates shows.

It's a strange little problem this. I have searched the internet for a solution, but other than vaque references and a complete re-install type solution, I have not found a lot.

Where to now?? Is it more effort than it's worth, do you think?

David

d.stinson · Apr 16, 2013

I can confirm that the automatic update ran today (though with nothing new to install). So why am I getting this error message and flag?

tom982 · Apr 17, 2013

Hi David,

I've asked for a second opinion on this as it's a very strange problem indeed, something I've never seen before I'm afraid.

Tom

niemiro · Apr 17, 2013

Hello David :)

This is a really strange problem! In all honesty, I have not seen it before either. However, I would like to take some logfiles.

Please copy the C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\ folder to your Desktop.

Copy into that folder the following two additional files:

C:\Windows\WindowsUpdate.log
C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\ReportingEvents.log

Now right click on the CBS folder on your Desktop > Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder, and upload it here.

Thank you!

Richard

d.stinson · Apr 18, 2013

Richard, I attach the logs requested. Note, that the CBS.log file did not copy (Open error, access in denied).

Thanks for your help.
David

niemiro · Apr 20, 2013

Hello again David :)

Thanks for those logs. I have been investigating this issue further, and have narrowed down two possible registry keys which could be corrupt. I would like to take a registry export, and see if either of these look to be broken in some way on your computer. However, I suspect that we may instead find a sporadic detection failure, which could be a curious issue to solve

We shall just have to wait and see though.

So, please...

Click on the Start

button and in the search box, type regedit.
When you see regedit on the list, right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
When regedit opens, single click on any entry in the left pane, and once selected, click File > Export....
In the Selected Branch text box towards the bottom of the window, copy and paste in exactly:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate
Name this file RegistryExport1.reg and save it to your Desktop.

Now please repeat for HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Action Center and RegistryScript2.reg.

Then please zip up and upload both registry scripts. Thank you!

Richard

d.stinson · Apr 21, 2013

Thanks Richard. I've followed your clear instructions, and here are the zipped files. Let's hope we get a bit of luck with these.
David

niemiro · Apr 21, 2013

This is indeed a very weird problem. I need a little longer to think, please.

Richard

d.stinson · Apr 24, 2013

niemiro said:
This is indeed a very weird problem. I need a little longer to think, please.

Richard

Any further thoughts, Richard?

JF3_MBC · Aug 16, 2013

I have this exact same problem and this is the only thread in existence that I have found that discusses it.

Was this ever resolved by chance ? I'm completely stumped. I've tried everything I can think of.

If I should just make a new thread somewhere, please let me know.

Thanks in advance.

d.stinson · Aug 16, 2013

It was never solved for me and I am still living with the issue.

W7 Auto update working fine but task bar has Alert flag with red cross.

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