Windows Update does not work (80073712)

Peter329 · Jan 2, 2015

Hi,

I am new here, so I hope I do follow the instructions on how to post a problem correctly. :)

I run Windows 7 SP1, 64bit version.

For quite a while now, Windows update does not work (80073712). I have checked that out as far as I could: the reason seems to be, that my registry branch "HKLM/Components" has vanished completely - for unknown reasons. Here is the log of your Scanfix:

SFCFix version 2.4.1.0 by niemiro.
Start time: 2015-01-02 11:20:57.393
Not using a script file.

AutoAnalysis::
WARNING: Failed to check store directories with return code 1 and error code ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND. COMPONENTS hive may be corrupt.

SUMMARY: Some corruptions could not be fixed automatically. Seek advice from helper or sysnative.com.
CBS & SFC total detected corruption count: -7515
CBS & SFC total unimportant corruption count: 0
CBS & SFC total fixed corruption count: 0
SURT total detected corruption count: 1
SURT total unimportant corruption count: 0
SURT total fixed corruption count: 0
AutoAnalysis:: directive completed successfully.

Successfully processed all directives.

Failed to process registry database in location 2 with error code ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND.
WARNING: Failed to process registry database in location 3 with error code ERROR_INVALID_HANDLE.
Failed to process registry database in location 4 with error code ERROR_INVALID_HANDLE.
Failed to process registry database in location 4 with error code ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND.
Failed to process registry database in location 4 with error code ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND.
Failed to process registry database in location 4 with error code ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND.

SFCFix version 2.4.1.0 by niemiro has completed.
Currently storing 0 datablocks.
Finish time: 2015-01-02 11:33:19.831
----------------------EOF-----------------------

As instructed, I have attached the CBS.zip file too.

Kind regards
Peter

mmullen2 · Jan 2, 2015

Just fyi ... I do not a HKLM/components and my computer is fine.

Try some of the later suggestion about renaming the xml files in the post at
error code 80073712 - Microsoft Community

Deejay100six · Jan 2, 2015

Hi, :wave:and welcome to Sysnative.

I found another thread here about a similar issue with exactly the same error message.

Here is the initial response, thanks to Go The Power. :thumbsup2:

This is not a good error to see

Code:

AutoAnalysis::
WARNING: Failed to check store directories with return code 1 and error  code ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND. COMPONENTS hive may be corrupt.

Can you please go the following location C:\Windows\System32\config and look for the following files:
-COMPONENTS
-Any other files that start with the word COMPONENTS
-Or any files that have a similar name to COMPONENTS (it could be spelt different, have a number, a symbol etc)
If you find any please create a folder on your desktop and copy and paste all these files into this folder.
Next can you please zip this folder and upload them for me to analyze? The file may be too big to attach to this post, please use either Dropbox or One Drive.

Click on the

button. Inside the search box type in CMD
Right click on CMD => Choose Run as Administrator
Inside the Command Prompt windows copy and paste the following commands
dir %systemroot%\System32\config >1&&notepad 1
Please post the contents of the notepad file back into this thread

After that, it may be best to wait for one of the analysts to take a look, I'm just helping to move things along.

mmullen2 · Jan 2, 2015

My apologies I do have HKLM-Components

Go The Power · Jan 3, 2015

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I have moved this thread to the Windows Update forum.

Please provide the information that Deejay100six has requested and lets hope there is still something we can recover from :)

Alex

Peter329 · Jan 3, 2015

Hi,

thanks for your replies !

As I had problems to even access the specified "config" directory, I have now solved the problem, by resetting my computer to the factory state. I then had to run windows update for a period of some three years, and so I could learn a lot about it.

I think I now understand the nature of the problem: The hive "Components" is not always present! It seems to be built up by WindowsUpdate while collecting applicable fixes. When your WindowUpdate is then actually executed, the information contained in registry hive "COMPONENTS" is then mapped against the contents of the folder: C:\Windows\System32\config\COMPONENTS

Once WindowsUpdate has completed, the hive COMPONENTS in the registry seems to be removed again. This is why sometimes you can see COMPONENTS and sometimes not ! However these two COMPONENTS data sources in the registry and on C-disk can get desyncronised.

In my case, a certain entry in the Registry was expected, but could not be located and so WindowUpdate crashed with Error Code 80073712. Obviously it is not so easy to get this problem fixed ... ! If wrong entries are entered into the registry, you may change things from bad to worse!

So from now on, I will take a backup of the registry every weekend. And I will keep the last three images. If a problem like this pops up, I will simply fall back to the last good copy. Of course it is important to keep system and private data separated, because otherwise your work would be lost. I hope I have understood the problem correctly! :)

Thanks for your support! And have a nice day everybody!

Peter

Deejay100six · Jan 3, 2015

Hi Peter, glad to see you got it sorted! :thumbsup2:

This is an old, tried and tested app, be sure to read the FAQ about running it on Windows 7, it may not suit you but would save you having to remember to backup.

ERUNT and NTREGOPT

Good luck!

Go The Power · Jan 5, 2015

Just to clarify some information:

Peter329 said:
Hi,

thanks for your replies !

As I had problems to even access the specified "config" directory, I have now solved the problem, by resetting my computer to the factory state. I then had to run windows update for a period of some three years, and so I could learn a lot about it.

I think I now understand the nature of the problem: The hive "Components" is not always present! It seems to be built up by WindowsUpdate while collecting applicable fixes. When your WindowUpdate is then actually executed, the information contained in registry hive "COMPONENTS" is then mapped against the contents of the folder: C:\Windows\System32\config\COMPONENTS

Once WindowsUpdate has completed, the hive COMPONENTS in the registry seems to be removed again. This is why sometimes you can see COMPONENTS and sometimes not ! However these two COMPONENTS data sources in the registry and on C-disk can get desyncronised.

In my case, a certain entry in the Registry was expected, but could not be located and so WindowUpdate crashed with Error Code 80073712. Obviously it is not so easy to get this problem fixed ... ! If wrong entries are entered into the registry, you may change things from bad to worse!

The COMPONENTS hive is (and should) always located inside %windir%\System32\config\. You are right about the fact that WU calls on the COMPONENTS hive during update, good job working that out :). Once Windows updates has finished making all of its changes WU will "Unload" the registry hive COMPONENTS from HKLM\COMPONENTS. Now the file %windir%\System32\config\COMPONENTS is the exact same file that is loaded into HKLM\COMPONENTS. Every single registry hive (like COMPONENTS, SOFTWARE, SYSTEM etc) actually has a psychical file on the HDD and what the Registry does is read the contents of these files.

Alex

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Windows Update does not work (80073712)

Peter329

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mmullen2

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Deejay100six

Sysnative Staff