Windows Update Gone Missing...

[Deb]

Well, this is a weird one. I run Windows XP and have
faithfully installed all updates. I have things set to
automatically update, when an update is downloaded and
ready, I get the notification, click the icon in the
system tray and it updates.

Today I read about some critical updates on CNN.com so I
tried to manually start Windows Update. I had an icon on
my Start Menu for Windows Update. I clicked on it and a
window popped up showing Computer Management. Huh? When
I closed that window, the icon on my Start Menu that used
to say Windows Update, now said Computer Management.

So...I go to www.microsoft.com, click the link to Windows
Update, it goes to Windows Update, it takes forever for
anything on the page to load (the status bar says
it's "opening page
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com") and when the page
finally loads, or at least it appears to load everything,
I see: "Checking for the latest version of the Windows
Update software...." and it just hangs. The status bar
says "Done." Nothing happens.

If I go to close this window using the X in the upper
right corner of the window, I am informed that "This
program is not responding." So I "End Now."

I have run Windows Updates manually many times by going
to the Microsoft site and clicking on the Windows Update
link as well as letting the automatic functions do their
thing.

If I go to Add/Remove Hardware, let the list populate, I
see any number of XP hot fixes so I know it's worked in
the past.

I also checked Help & Support on my computer, searched
for Windows Update help, clicked from that display to go
to Windows Update - same thing.... nada...

I have not changed a thing on my system.

Anyone have any ideas about what is going on here?

 

[Jane]

Hi Deb
The hotfixes are listed in Add or Remove Programs, not
Hardware - probably just a slip of the fingers on your
part. ;-)

You can download the patches from here, save them to disk
and have them for use now and in the event you need them
in the future. http://tinyurl.com/6n3w
Under "Search for a Download, Keywords", enter the KB
numbers - one download at a time.
The patches are: KB837009, KB831167, KB837001, KB828741
and KB835732, for machines running Windows XP 32-bit and
Internet Explorer 6.0Sp1.

Windows Update is very busy now, I believe - probably the
cause of some of your problems. BTW you can access
Windows Update by looking under the Tools menu of
Internet Explorer.

 

[Deb]

Yep, I DID mean Add/Remove PROGRAMS, not hardware!
Thanks for your reply, I will be checking the info you
provided later today...