Why is my home PC trying to update Windows Update via WSUS?

[Unknown]

I've been having major problems with Windows Update "breaking" every few days
requiring me to boot into Safe Mode, delete the SoftwareDistribution folder,
reregister all the WU .dlls and reboot, after which WU will work for a day or
two and "break" again with error 0x8024001B.

I ranted about this a bit along with a snippet of my WindowsUpdate.log and a
nice fellow pointed out these lines in my log:

2008-09-23 14:21:01:078 1100 aa8 Setup ** START ** Setup: Downloading
client CABs
2008-09-23 14:21:01:078 1100 aa8 Setup *********
2008-09-23 14:21:01:078 1100 aa8 Setup * Main CAB URL:
http://download.windowsupdate.com/v8/microsoftupdate/a/selfupdate/WSUS3/x86/Other
2008-09-23 14:21:01:078 1100 aa8 Setup * MUI CAB URL:
http://download.windowsupdate.com/v8/microsoftupdate/a/selfupdate/WSUS3/x86/Other

...which is followed by the dreaded:
2008-09-23 14:21:01:547 1100 aa8 Agent * WARNING: Skipping scan,
self-update check returned 0x8024001B
2008-09-23 14:21:01:594 1100 aa8 Agent * WARNING: Exit code = 0x8024001B

...after which WU refuses to update itself or Windows until I "fix" it, then
it works briefly (but long enough to fetch whatever critical updates are
required.)

So, my question is, why is my home PC that's never been part of a corporate
network or run anything but good ol' XP Home, trying to update WU via WSUS
instead of the Microsoft Update server?

I'm guessing this is perhaps related to the reason for WU's continued
failure on my PC.

Thanks in advance for any input anyone here might have!

-Todd Allcock
MS MVP - Mobile Devices
Certified Dummy - Windows Update

[Harry Johnston [MVP]]

Todd Allcock wrote:

> 2008-09-23 14:21:01:078 1100 aa8 Setup * Main CAB URL:
> http://download.windowsupdate.com/v8/microsoftupdate/a/selfupdate/WSUS3/x86/Other
> 2008-09-23 14:21:01:078 1100 aa8 Setup * MUI CAB URL:
> http://download.windowsupdate.com/v8/microsoftupdate/a/selfupdate/WSUS3/x86/Other

> So, my question is, why is my home PC that's never been part of a corporate

> network or run anything but good ol' XP Home, trying to update WU via WSUS
> instead of the Microsoft Update server?

I see that over in the windowsupdate group PA Bear has already corrected
himself, but for the reference of anybody else reading on this newsgroup: these
lines don't indicate that the PC is using WSUS, but simply reflect the fact that
the URL for the latest version of the Windows Update Agent (the self-update
installer, that is) happens to contain the string "WSUS3".

Harry.

[Lawrence Garvin]

"Todd Allcock" <(elecc...@AnoOspamL.com)> wrote in message
news:CC870768-93D2-46C2...@microsoft.com...

> I've been having major problems with Windows Update "breaking" every few
> days
> requiring me to boot into Safe Mode, delete the SoftwareDistribution
> folder,
> reregister all the WU .dlls and reboot, after which WU will work for a day
> or
> two and "break" again with error 0x8024001B.
>

[***]

>
> So, my question is, why is my home PC that's never been part of a
> corporate
> network or run anything but good ol' XP Home, trying to update WU via WSUS
> instead of the Microsoft Update server?
>
> I'm guessing this is perhaps related to the reason for WU's continued
> failure on my PC.

Harry has addressed the issue of the confusion over whether WSUS is or is
not involved.

Let me try to shed some possible light on why your system seems to keep
"breaking".

===== 0x8024001b - WU E SELFUPDATE IN PROGRESS =====

The error message indicates that a selfupdate is "in progress". Now, why it
may or may not be taking so long on your PC is probably the real core issue
to be resolved, but one thing's for certain. Everytime you trash the
SoftwareDistribution folder and reregister the WU dlls.... you simply cause
the selfupdate requirement to be restarted from scratch.

So, the first question would be: What version of the Windows Update Agent is
installed on this machine? (This information, along with the required
version, are available from the WindowsUpdate.log.)

Then, the second question -- assuming you've got an old version installed
and it is legitimately trying to selfupdate -- is: Why isn't the selfupdate
working?

For the sake of this diagnostic effort, if you would do the following Todd,
we might be able to sort some of this out.

1. Stop the Automatic Updates service (net stop wuauserv), or from the
Services.MMC the "Automatic Updates" service.

2. Rename the WindowsUpdate.log file to WindowsUpdate.log.save

3. Reboot the PC.

After the reboot, the Automatic Update service will restart, initialize a
new WindowsUpdate.log, and should iniitate a detection and/or selfupdate
attempt shortly thereafter.

If it doesn't, issue the command 'wuauclt /detectnow', wait 30 minutes, and
then post the entire contents of this fresh WindowsUpdate.log file, and
we'll go from there.

--
Lawrence Garvin, M.S., MCITP(x2), MCTS(x5), MCP(x7), MCBMSP
Senior Data Architect, APQC, Houston, Texas
Microsoft MVP - Software Distribution (2005-2008)

MS WSUS Website: http://www.microsoft.com/wsus
My Websites: http://www.onsitechsolutions.com;
http://wsusinfo.onsitechsolutions.com
My MVP Profile: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Lawrence.Garvin