Windows update - various errors - even after sfcfix, sfc, etc.

[eddiez]

Hoping that you can help with these errors. I've managed to get a number of the Windows updates installed after trying several things including sfc /scannow (multiple times over months), chkdsk, the utility to repair Windows Updates/Installers from Microsoft (which repair the ocx registrations, etc), but there are several updates that report reboot pending and some that just refuse to install. I can manually try installing them, but since there are so many missing, I wanted to try to make sure that they install in a stable environment. This PC is running Windows 8.1 and has had Windows Update problems since I got it brand new with Windows 8.0. There was a brief period of a few months where everything seemed to be working, then it stopped again. It's been scanned for viruses with mulitiple tools including McAfee Stinger, Kaspersky and a couple others and comes up clean. If you need any technical details, feel free to hit me up with anything - I'm a Windows admin.

 

[windows8mypc]

Does DISM report a clean bill of health?

 

[eddiez]

I ran DISM a few months ago and it cleaned up a couple things and I believe the udpdates were working at that time. I'm not a DISM expert, though - I'm familar with the DISM commands to fix corruption. Is there a DISM command option that simply does a check? Based on what I've read in this forum, it's best to only make changes based on the results of the log review and so forth - thx.

 

[windows8mypc]

eddiez,
I would go ahead and run the restore health command, but if you want to check it first then use the /ScanHealth switch. FWIW, below is a list of the commonly used commands;


1.) Open an elevated command prompt.

2.) In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below that you want to use.


Available Switch Options:

/CheckHealth - This switch option only checks to see if a component corruption marker is already present in the registry. It is just a quick way to see if corruption currently exists, and to inform you if there is corruption. It does not fix anything or create a log. This should be finished almost instantaneous.

/ScanHealth - This switch option does not fix any corruption. It only checks for component store corruption and records that corruption to the log file. This is useful for only logging what, if any, corruption exists. This should take around 5-10 minutes to finish.

/RestoreHealth - (recommended) This switch option checks for component store corruption, records the corruption to the log file, and FIXES the image corruption using Windows Update. This should take around 10-15 minutes up to a few hours to finish depending on the level of corruption.

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth


​

My experience has been that I could never get SFC clean until DISM was clean. Once DISM reports all is well then move back over to the SFC utility. Also it would help me if you attached the SFCFix.txt file that is generated when you run the SFCFix.exe utility. If you dont already have it you can get it here.

 

[eddiez]

I've run the Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth command, however, I had run sfcfix previously with no errors just a couple days ago. It seems a bit odd, but now after running the DISM command, it reported some errors were fixed and then after running sfcfix after that, it *does* report errors now. The results are attached. I recall having run this command a long time ago, and that it fixed errors. Perhaps there is a particular sequence that these repairs need to be done? This process is really interesting - I wish understood more what is actually being repaired - the messages in the output screens are rather vague.

 

[windows8mypc]

Eddiez,

Ok, lets see if we can get your SFC clear first. Download the attached file to repair the 2 remaining corruptions (Although you may have more yet). Here are the usual instructions;


Warning: this fix is specific to the user in this thread. No one else should follow these instructions as it may cause more
harm than good. If you are after assistance, please start a thread of your own.

1. Download SFCFix.exe (by niemiro) and save this to your Desktop.
2. Download View attachment SFCFix.zip, and save this to your Desktop. Ensure that this file is named SFCFix.zip - do not rename it.
3. Save any open documents and close all open windows.
4. On your Desktop, you should see two files: SFCFix.exe and SFCFix.zip.
5. Drag the file SFCFix.zip onto the file SFCFix.exe and release it.
6. SFCFix will now process the script.
7. Upon completion, a file should be created on your Desktop: SFCFix.txt.
8. Copy (Ctrl+C) and Paste (Ctrl+V) the contents of this file into your next post for me to analyze please - put
tags around the log to break up the text.
9. After you have completed this re-run "sfc /scannow"
10. After you have completed the "sfc /scannow" please run "sfcfix.exe" again, only this time do NOT drag the "sfcfix.zip" file onto it. Just run SFCFix.exe alone and copy the new contents of the SFCFix.txt file to your reply. This way we will know if all of the problems are well and truly fixed.

Regards.

 

[eddiez]

Hello,

I hope we can continue working on this despite the delay. Here are the results from the output from step 6:

************************************ LOG *************************

Using .zip script file at C:\Users\Ed\Desktop\SFCFix.zip [0]




PowerCopy::
Successfully took permissions for file or folder C:\WINDOWS\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-u..ed-telemetry-client_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17747_none_90df8130dac08ee0\telemetry.ASM-WindowsDefault.json
Successfully took permissions for file or folder C:\WINDOWS\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-u..ed-telemetry-client_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17747_none_90df8130dac08ee0\utc.app.json

Successfully copied file C:\Users\Ed\AppData\Local\niemiro\Archive\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-u..ed-telemetry-client_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17747_none_90df8130dac08ee0\telemetry.ASM-WindowsDefault.json to C:\WINDOWS\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-u..ed-telemetry-client_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17747_none_90df8130dac08ee0\telemetry.ASM-WindowsDefault.json.
Successfully copied file C:\Users\Ed\AppData\Local\niemiro\Archive\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-u..ed-telemetry-client_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17747_none_90df8130dac08ee0\utc.app.json to C:\WINDOWS\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-u..ed-telemetry-client_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17747_none_90df8130dac08ee0\utc.app.json.

Successfully restored ownership for C:\WINDOWS\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-u..ed-telemetry-client_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17747_none_90df8130dac08ee0\telemetry.ASM-WindowsDefault.json
Successfully restored permissions on C:\WINDOWS\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-u..ed-telemetry-client_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17747_none_90df8130dac08ee0\telemetry.ASM-WindowsDefault.json
Successfully restored ownership for C:\WINDOWS\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-u..ed-telemetry-client_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17747_none_90df8130dac08ee0\utc.app.json
Successfully restored permissions on C:\WINDOWS\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-u..ed-telemetry-client_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17747_none_90df8130dac08ee0\utc.app.json
PowerCopy:: directive completed successfully.




Successfully processed all directives.
SFCFix version 2.4.3.0 by niemiro has completed.
Currently storing 2 datablocks.
Finish time: 2015-05-12 22:19:08.969
Script hash: JZrwR+EkCnMcPCKxi9/S5DlvgZ6WfZj3etpR0U3C20o=
----------------------EOF-----------------------

************************************ LOG *************************

I will proceed to Step 9 now.

 

[eddiez]

The sfc /scannow completed and reported that it found corruption and repaired it. The sfcfix.exe results are pasted below. I'm a bit concerned because this has been the ongoing pattern. Run sfcfix, no errors, run dism - it fixes some errors. Run sfc, it then reports errors and fixes them. Then run the sfcfix and it then reports errors. I will follow the instructions provided here to the letter regardless. I'm just hoping that progress is being made and I'm just not seeing where the improvement is happening. Should I retry running Windows update or wait? -- Thank you for the assistance with this squirrely issue!

SFCFix version 2.4.3.0 by niemiro.
Start time: 2015-05-12 23:24:48.876
Microsoft Windows 8.1 Update 3 - amd64
Not using a script file.




AutoAnalysis::
SUMMARY: No corruptions were detected.
AutoAnalysis:: directive completed successfully.




Successfully processed all directives.
SFCFix version 2.4.3.0 by niemiro has completed.
Currently storing 2 datablocks.
Finish time: 2015-05-12 23:25:08.934
----------------------EOF---------------