Win 7 Pro 32 Bit - Update KB2845187 Error Code 80073712

[Reech]

Windows update reports error code 80073712 when trying to run update KB2845187.

I used:
[h=1]System Update Readiness Tool for Windows 7 (KB947821) [May 2013]
[/h]and read some articles and forum posts on the web but i am much too tired to remember them all.

I understand that Microsoft are insinuating something is missing or corrupted in my Component Store???

I'm fairly advanced user with Comptia A+ & Cisco Essentials but I'd appreciate some help please.

I've tried the advice here: Error Code 0x80073712 occurs in Windows Update or Microsoft Update

but none of the 4 methods helped at all. 'Upgrade' repair option wouldn't complete; something to do with having newer version already, I think?

Can anyone tell me if I can safely ignore this, thanks to Microsoft's 'wonderful' false alerts or, if not, how I go about restoring the missing elements, update packages etc.

Thanks in advance

Some log files are attached FYI.

 

[Reech]

Fixed it ! \0/

Tips that worked for me:

I copied the missing .mum, .cat & .msu (package files) from my laptop which also runs Win 7 Pro, and is uncorrupted.

The files are located in subdirectories below %windir% (a system variable that usually equates to 'c:\Windows'). See the following examples:

*.mum files are located in %windir%\servicing\packages\

*.manifest files are located in %windir%\winsxs\manifests\

Package*.cat files are located in %windir%\servicing\packages\


The easiest way to do it is to navigate to 'C:\Windows\' on another Win 7 machine then do a search for the missing files BUT only use the first part of the file name listed in the CheckSUR.txt file.

For example, the message:

'(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'

indicates a missing file (Microsoft-Windows-IE-Hyphenation-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~neutral~~10.2.9200.16437.mum). Now, because the file name is incorrect, in this example, I just searched for 'Microsoft-Windows-IE-Hyphenation-Parent-Package-English' and all the correct files are listed, i.e. .cat AND .mum files. Just copy all the files found in search results and paste into the relevant folder on the corrupted machine; the correct folders are:

C:\Windows\Temp\CheckSUR\servicing\Packages - for all .mum & .cat files.

C:\Windows\Temp\CheckSUR\winsxs\Manifests - for all package installers.

In this example I then had to rename the incorrectly named files to the expected filename, i.e. Expected file name Microsoft-Windows-IE-Hyphenation-Parent-Package-English~31bf3856ad364e35~neutral~~10.2.9200.16437.mum does not match the actual file name. I just made extra copies and then renamed them as the 'expected file name' mentioned in the error report, placing both originals and renamed copies into relevant folder on corrupted machine.

Once all missing files had been renamed, as appropriate, and placed into the relevant folders on the corrupted machine, I simply re-ran the System Update Repair Tool and the issues were fixed.

Worked for me.

I really hope this helps someone else to understand the simplicity of something that seems very complicated at first look.

 

[Reech]

btw

Before implementing the above solution, it is assumed that one has run the System Update Repair utility first; both in order to generate the 'CheckSUR.txt' error report and to create the Temp files that are required to re-install the missing files.

See: What is the System Update Readiness Tool?

 

[Tekno Venus]

Hello,

Whilst I am not an expert on this, I have had lessons on this and would like to stress something for anyone in the future who reads this thread.

It is NOT recommended to source files from another computer. If you are going to perform a manual replacement of a Windows Update file according to a SURT report, it is highly recommended to source the file from the appropriate Knowledge Base article on the Microsoft website. This way you know you are going to get a compatible, non corrupted file to replace it with.

It is also important to note that it is rarely as simple as you described it. Whilst you were lucky that it was only a few simple replacements needed and it worked properly, more often than not there are many files. Some files have to be renamed in a specific way in some cases also.

Also note this technique does not always work!

If you are having a similar issue to the one described in this thread, please register here at Sysnative (it's free and only takes a few minutes) and start your own topic. Our experts can give you a hand with your problem. We have tools and techniques to make this job a lot easier too!

Kind regards,
Stephen

PS - Reech, if you are interested in learning a little more about fixing Windows Update issues, please send me a PM. :)

 

[niemiro]

Welcome to Sysnative!

Well, you've hit upon the right solution for all but two of the errors, so that's a good start, and the remainder of the errors were fixed in the right way (there's a very dangerous pitfall which many people fall into but you didn't, so fair play there :) ), so that's actually a great start! The only problem is that you don't have access to the same information that we do, and this caused a problem. This one:

(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

This one must NOT be fixed. The bug is in the System Update Readiness Tool, not a corruption on your computer. SURT isn't yet IE10 compatible, and almost every single IE10 installation will generate these errors - it's completely normal, and the exceptions to the rule are normal too. If you attempt to fix these errors, you will actually be introducing a corruption.If you don't believe me, I will if necessary prove this to you, but I urge you to rename those two files back, causing SURT to error, but saving you IE10 installation issues in the future :)

The deal is, those two packages do not have a locale set or explictly not set in the name, and they are the only two components ever released by Microsoft not to have. However, SURT was created before the days of IE10 (and we're currently waiting on a promised fix), and believes that every component must have an explicit "neutral" - so it attempts to add it to the name. This is where the problem comes in, as now the package names don't match the registry. Before, you had a SURT error but no real corruption, now you've tricked SURT but have orphaned files & registry components missing files, which will cause you Windows Update problems. Rename them back :)

Richard

P.S. This is far from an isolated complication with SURT - be wary, as things are never as simple as they seem!

 

[Tekno Venus]

Welcome to Sysnative!

Well, you've hit upon the right solution for all but two of the errors, so that's a good start, and the remainder of the errors were fixed in the right way (there's a very dangerous pitfall which many people fall into but you didn't, so fair play there :) ), so that's actually a great start! The only problem is that you don't have access to the same information that we do, and this caused a problem. This one:

(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

This one must NOT be fixed. The bug is in the System Update Readiness Tool, not a corruption on your computer. SURT isn't yet IE10 compatible, and almost every single IE10 installation will generate these errors - it's completely normal, and the exceptions to the rule are normal too. If you attempt to fix these errors, you will actually be introducing a corruption.If you don't believe me, I will if necessary prove this to you, but I urge you to rename those two files back, causing SURT to error, but saving you IE10 installation issues in the future :)

The deal is, those two packages do not have a locale set or explictly not set in the name, and they are the only two components ever released by Microsoft not to have. However, SURT was created before the days of IE10 (and we're currently waiting on a promised fix), and believes that every component must have an explicit "neutral" - so it attempts to add it to the name. This is where the problem comes in, as now the package names don't match the registry. Before, you had a SURT error but no real corruption, now you've tricked SURT but have orphaned files & registry components missing files, which will cause you Windows Update problems. Rename them back :)

Richard

P.S. This is far from an isolated complication with SURT - be wary, as things are never as simple as they seem!

And that's why you're the expert on this....

Stephen

 

[Reech]

First point: I already tried all the conventional methods to obtain the original package details etc. and understood what I was doing along the way but they were not successful so it was either a fresh install or what I did. I don't regret it.

Second point: Yes, the error pointed out IS a known MS issue but I fixed it. I fixed it! So ????


Thanks for your comments.

I'm not professing to be a genius or to steal anyone's thunder but, at the end of the day, this worked for me and it might help someone else.

I didn't claim to be one of your experts, or to have all the answers but I do know what I'm doing and, personally, I think it's a bit stupid having technical understanding & knowledge if it can't be simply explained to others, which is what I try to do; keep it as simple as possible.

 

[Reech]

I don't use IE. I have backed up all files for future reference and made notes to remind myself so I should be able to put things back how they were, if necessary.

For me, it was better to do what I did than to have constant update failures.

 

[niemiro]

First point: I already tried all the conventional methods to obtain the original package details etc. and understood what I was doing along the way but they were not successful so it was either a fresh install or what I did. I don't regret it.

Second point: Yes, the error pointed out IS a known MS issue but I fixed it. I fixed it! So ????


Thanks for your comments.

I'm not professing to be a genius or to steal anyone's thunder but, at the end of the day, this worked for me and it might help someone else.

I didn't claim to be one of your experts, or to have all the answers but I do know what I'm doing and, personally, I think it's a bit stupid having technical understanding & knowledge if it can't be simply explained to others, which is what I try to do; keep it as simple as possible.

I don't use IE. I have backed up all files for future reference and made notes to remind myself so I should be able to put things back how they were, if necessary.

For me, it was better to do what I did than to have constant update failures.

Hello again :)

As I said above, I have absolutely no problem with what you did. I said that what you did was exactly the right fix for all but two of the files - I couldn't have done it better myself! I then told you what and why I would change what you did on those last two files.

I am partially responsible for what is posted on this forum. Please understand & accept that I would like to put a rebuttle against advice I see as making the problem worse. I don't want future readers to follow that advice. The point is, if they did, and they didn't specifically tell me what they had done, I would have a Windows Update error code which demands SURT to be run, but when I run it, I would get no error. Fixing based off the absense of an error is harder to spot than the error itself. It would potentially create a very difficult thread.

It doesn't matter that you don't use IE. You aren't going to break IE. You're going to potentially break updates to IE. My fix allows you to have working updates now and in the future. You've got a fix which gives you working updates now, but potentially not in the future, with the only upside that you've suppressed what was already an incorrect error. That is not a good outcome IMO.

I have absolutely no problem with the technically knowledgeable you doing what you did: it was great work. But I do want a rebuttle in here so other's don't follow what I see as dangerous advice. I hope you can understand that.

Richard

 

[Tekno Venus]

I would like to apologise and also echo Richard's thoughts.

Sorry if my post came across as insulting, I'm not trying to sound better than you or like a know-it-all, because I am far, far, far from it!! I know little about this subject.

You did do a good job with the replacements - all I did was say that future posters should always try to get updates from MS KB articles because they may not have a computer that has the exact copies of the file. There are different versions of updates depening on service pack version, processor architecture and windows version and they are not interchangable. Hence why people should avoid getting copies from a local machine - it can cause all kinds of issues.

All I was saying was just a note to future readers of this thread - not an insult against you. You did do a good job with the replacement.

Sorry for any offence I may have caused!

Kind regards,
Stephen