Update fails, and WaaSMedic runs for hours …

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LANGALIST By Fred Langa Windows 10/11’s built-in WaaSMedic agent is supposed to automatically detect and repair problems with Windows Update. But some
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Cee Arr, rc primak, lmacri, abbodi86, doriel

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Best way how to make updates work again is to stop service “Windows update”
Rename SoftwareDistribution folder to SoftwareDistribution.old and run the service again. Windows tools seem .. unfunctional to me.

I cant remember when sound, network or update troubleshooter found and solved the problem. Only CHKDSK still works 🙂

Dell Latitude E6530, Intel Core i5 @ 2.6 GHz, 4GB RAM, W10 20H2 Enterprise

HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29

PRUSA i3 MK3S+

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I have had much better luck than this. In Windows 10, I can’t run Windows Defender Offline scans. (I couldn’t do that on my older NUC-PC either — both are dual-boot with Linux.) But most other built-in Troubleshooters will run. Occasionally they have found errors to fix and things got fixed and up and running again.

Best way how to make updates work again is to stop service “Windows update”
Rename SoftwareDistribution folder to SoftwareDistribution.old and run the service again.

If the standard Troubleshooter tools don’t sort things out, yes, this method can be used and it is usually successful.

I did have a sound issue and a Thunderbird 3 Dock USB issue which did not respond to Windows troubleshooting. Device Manager was helpful in identifying the issues, but it was not easy to tease out exactly which drivers needed to be upgraded or reinstalled, and exactly how to do this and in which sequence. But things got (mostly) sorted out one way or another.

Windows Update seems to work most smoothly if the updates are not paused, and if the Registry and group Policies are left alone. But this results in getting the updates when they are offered, not when they are proven safer.

-- rc primak

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doriel

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Maybe I was just unlucky, or my problems were much deeper, than built-in tools can handle. I still recommend users to use those tools , but my troubleshoot rate with Windows built in troubleshooters is like 5%.

Device / peripherials issues can be solved mostly by reinstalling drivers. Windows updates issues can be solved by clearing the queue.

Built in troubleshooters are usefull, but above average user should know few tricks how to achieve goals quickly.

Dell Latitude E6530, Intel Core i5 @ 2.6 GHz, 4GB RAM, W10 20H2 Enterprise

HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29

PRUSA i3 MK3S+

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rc primak

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