Stuck on "Checking for updates..."

[SuperJX]

Running Vista x86 sp1. The Windows Update UI has been sticking on the
"Checking for updates..." screen whenever I tell it to check for updates
since early June. Each time it shows the green bar, but never gives a result
set or an error message. Figured I'd wait until Win7 to bother with it, and
ignore the warning that Windows can't check for updates from the task bar,
but now my Zune drivers are stuck and I need to run update for new ones.
Funny thing is that there have been Defender definitions and .net framework
updates successfully installed by the automatic update process over the last
few months according to the update history. But when I select "Installed
Updates" from the Windows Update left nav bar I get zero results.

Tried manually installing the Windows Update client via KB support article
949104 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949104), after stopping the BITS and
Windows Update services, but it fails to install with a "Windows Update Agent
Installer Fatal Error-- Windows Update Agent Installer encountered
unrecoverable error." Also tried Microsoft Fixit 50202 on normal settings
and had no noticeable change.

Suggestions for things to try next? Or other information that is needed to
diagnose?

Thanks!

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)?
What third-party firewall (if any)?

Has a(another) Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on this
machine (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought
it)?

Is Automatic Updates enabled & working (as far as you know)?

[SuperJX]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I'm running Avast Home Edition 4.8 and it's up to date (dlded today in
fact). Has its standard Network Shield and Web Shield apps running at a
normal setting. Have been running Avast since I built the machine in 2007
and have not changed the settings since well before Update started to act up.

No Norton or McAfee have ever been on this machine. Built it myself in Aug
2007.

Automatic updates have been installed and working through the summer-- at
least for Defender.

Since my initial post, I re-ran the Fixit on "Agressive" settings. It
deleted my Update config and reset the settings. Now have no history for
updates, but the search activity does generate a Code 80070246 error instead
of endlessly sitting with an empty progress bar.

One other note-- update has been broken since I tried to manually install
Vista sp2. In the course of the install, update had to upgrade itself. Then
the sp2 install failed for some reason and rolled back to the last restore
point. I'm thinking update may be stuck in some sort of partial upgrade
state. But I can't understand why I can't manually force an Update reinstall
using the package linked in my initial msg.

Thanks!

[SuperJX]

Did some searching on that error code here and found a link that you had
provided to others for a Windows System Update Readiness tool. Downloaded
the SUR tool and ran it successfully. Then just tried another Windows Update
and this time it appears to have completed successfully and found 41 updates.
I'll see how they install and report back in the morning. For now though,
it looks like the SUR tool may have fixed it.

Thanks!

[SuperJX]

Well, it did fix the problem. The SUR tool appered to "unstick" my update
and all 41 installed properly. Then it proceeded to suggest a sp2 install,
whch also worked.

Thanks PA Bear for the help! Your answers to others provided me with a
means of fixng the problem.

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

YW & thanks for your persistence and feedback.