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Cannot run Windows Update: "no longer registered or installed on your computer"

When I run Windows Update I get this error on the Microsoft site:

"Files required to use Windows Update are no longer registered or installed on your computer. To continue register or reinstall the files for me now (Recommended)"

So I do that by clicking the button to reinstall the files. The Update installer downloads and installs on my machine (as indicated by the on screen messages). But when I run Update again, I find myself back at the same error message as above.

What can I do to fix things and get out of this loop?
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war1
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Greetings, michaelnorth!

Clear your cache.  Delete all temporary internet files and cookies.  Make sure your system time and date is correct.

Windows Update Trouble Shooter
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxWindowsUpdate.htm

Alternative way to download Windows and other updates. Use Bigfix.

http://www.bigfix.com/download/download.html


Cheers!
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michaelnorth

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Tried deleting cache, temp files, and cookies.

Also, all the steps at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/193385/ with the exception of deleting the Windows Update folder. This machine does not have a Windows Update folder under Program Files as MS suggested. Yet, somehow, the MS site shows what appears to be a correct listing of the update history, most recently July 15.

Anyhow, No luck. Same looping error message as before.

I had to reinstall East-tec Eraser recently (http://east-tec.com/eraser/index.htm), wonder if that has screwed something up. Never had a problem with it for the last two years.
If you disable or uninstall recent installed problems (like East tect Eraser), will update stop looping?

You can try a system restore back to a date when Windows Update worked propertly.
war1,

I already uninstalled Eraser a few days ago, well before I noticed this Update problem.

Let me explain . . . I was attempting to install a blogging application today called "ecto" -- it requires the latest .Net Framwork -- something that is available through Windows Update.

When I tried running Update to get .Net, I found Update wasn't working, as I described. But it could be that the problem with Update has been present for a little while and I just didn't notice it. So I can't be certain that Eraser is the cause.

And unfortunately, even though I am very diligent on running BitDefender anti-virus and CounterSpy anti-spyware, an apparent keylogger application slipped through and embedded itself in the restore files -- at least that's what BitDefender reported.. Per BitDefender's instructions, I had to disable then enable the Restore function to clear out the dissease. That deletes the restore points, so I have no known-good restore point to return to. This happened a few days before the discovery of the Update problem.  
I did not know you removed the keylogger. In removing the keylooger files, you may have corrupted some Windows Update files.

Run System File Checker and see if you restore the files. Go to Start > Run and type sfc /scannow

Are we talking about the same keylogger? See reference below which popped up in BitDefender as an infected file that could not be automatically removed because it was in the Restore system:

C:\System Volume Information\_restore{4031CCAB-813D-4847-A99B-F163093DE3DA}\RP92\A0010273.exe=>(RAR Sfx o)=>winbpkhk.dll      Infected Trojan.Spy.Perfectkeylogger.147

Ran sfc /scannow , no reported problems.

Tried Windows Update again, but get the same error.

Getting concerned :-((  

Is my system hosed?
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In the end, I had to do a repair install of the system, upgrade the installer itself, and then go through mulitple rounds of downloading and applying various updates from the Microsoft site. Something was definitely screwed up at a deep level. Cause unknown. After I finished with the system, I reloaded Eraser . . . lo and behold, it worked fine. So did .Net, and everything else it seems. Thanks for your help.

Glad the problem is fixed.
Hi All.
I feel I must comment on this long discussion, since it's the first result on google for the error string.

The solution - official Microsoft and one that actually works for me, is to click Start|Run... and type in:
regsvr32 msxml3.dll

It's amazing how roundabout the solution was - I needed to view the source for the file, find out the decimal error code, convert it to hex (8024401), and find out that Microsoft has a knowledge base article describing the fix.

Man, I was about to reinstall everything.  I hope it helped.
Faloola...you just saved me hours of work.  I was about to reinstall for this issue and then ran across your comment.  Excellent work, thanks so much.
I had this same problem, and even though I re-registered msxml3.dll that still didn't fix it.

I had to downlaod and  re-install of Microsoft XML Parser (MSXML) 3.0 Service Pack 5 (SP5)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=4a3ad088-a893-4f0b-a932-5e024e74519f
Since this gets hits on Google, I wanted to also add that my problem was fixed by the comment from Faloola:

The solution - official Microsoft and one that actually works for me, is to click Start|Run... and type in:
regsvr32 msxml3.dll


I don't know why this problem started, but this solution fixed it.

-- Rob --

Same here, faloola.  Registering that .dll did the trick-- much thanks!
the msxml3.dll fix didn't work for me....really don't want to do a reinstall of the OS....this is our exchange server.
JConchie:

Maybe an alternative would be to have an SUS server provide the updates instead?  I've used SUS with great success, but not for circumventing a problem like this.  The idea being your Exchange Server can contact a local machine for the updates rather than the web site.  It might bypass the issue for you.  Just a thought.
" Comment from jasonclamb
Date: 09/08/2005 07:18AM PDT
      Comment       

I had this same problem, and even though I re-registered msxml3.dll that still didn't fix it.

I had to downlaod and  re-install of Microsoft XML Parser (MSXML) 3.0 Service Pack 5 (SP5)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=4a3ad088-a893-4f0b-a932-5e024e74519f"

The above fixed it for me....thanks Jason. Please respond if you are still around and I will post some points for your answer.    Seems like you must have done a fair bit of research to get there. :-)



The following from http://help.lockergnome.com/index.php?showtopic=37477 also seems worth a try:

UOTE(goretsky @ Aug 20 2005, 03:28 AM)
Hello,

Just to verify, you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer as your web browser, correct?

If so, it sounds like some of the services or the files (or both) which are required for the Windows Update service to run are no longer running or registered with the system.

Let's try stopping the services, re-registering the files used and restarting the services used for Windows Update and see if that makes a difference.

Create a new text file using Notepad or your favorite text editor and copy and paste the following lines into it:


      %windir%\system32\net.exe stop bits
      %windir%\system32\net.exe stop wuauserv
      %windir%\system32\regsvr32.exe %windir%\system32\atl.dll
      %windir%\system32\regsvr32.exe %windir%\system32\jscript.dll
      %windir%\system32\regsvr32.exe %windir%\system32\msxml3.dll
      %windir%\system32\regsvr32.exe %windir%\system32\softpub.dll
      %windir%\system32\regsvr32.exe %windir%\system32\wuapi.dll
      %windir%\system32\regsvr32.exe %windir%\system32\wuaueng.dll
      %windir%\system32\regsvr32.exe %windir%\system32\wuaueng1.dll
      %windir%\system32\regsvr32.exe %windir%\system32\wucltui.dll
      %windir%\system32\regsvr32.exe %windir%\system32\wups.dll
      %windir%\system32\regsvr32.exe %windir%\system32\wuweb.dll
      %windir%\system32\net.exe start bits
      %windir%\system32\net.exe start wuauserv

Save the file with a name of "WUREPAIR.CMD" someplace you will remember such as your Desktop or a directory like C:\TEMP including the quotation marks in the filename so the text editor doesn't accidentally save it with a .TXT file extension.

Run the WUREPAIR.CMD file from the Command Prompt (filename: CMD.EXE ) or by double-clicking on it.

Try accessing the Windows Update web site once more and let us know what happened.  Although this change to the system should take effect immediately, you may need to reboot the system if it does not work.  If it still does not work after rebooting, let us know.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
Yep.. Still kicking arround...
The WU problem actually happend on our Exchange server as well so I was pretty motivated to fix it.
I tried the "WUREPAIR.CMD" method of re-registering all of the services but that didn't help.

Glad I could help.

The solution - official Microsoft and one that actually works for me, is to click Start|Run... and type in:
regsvr32 msxml3.dll

Many thanks
Lenny
JasoncLamb

Please go to: https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/21595363/Pts-for-jasonclamb.html

Have posted some points for you in recognition of the research you did.  Your solution was what solved the issue for me...unlike the accepted answers here........which for anyone else trying to solve this issue, really have nothing to do with solving the problem.
Jason,
After some question by others, the PTB have ruled that giving you points in this context is perfectly ligitimate.  Please go to
 https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/21595363/Pts-for-jasonclamb.html
Regards
Nothing worked for me but :

15073819

Tried dozens of solutions on this

Thanks!
I have tried all of these "fixes" to no avail.  What is the solution?
Thanks for the suggestion about the XML parser but I have tried that as well.  Yikes