Windows update problem.

My friend who has a HP computer, WinXP, using high speed cable, & has just installed ZoneAlarm Pro - has a problem with getting to the updates page. This is the error message she receives:

"Windows Update Error" - Windows Update has encountered an error and cannot display the requested page."

We went to the Microsoft troubleshooting page and tried some of the suggestions - Suggestion #1 does not apply as she does not run any of the software mentioned. Suggestion #2 - Did not do this as it worked fine until ZAP was installed. Suggestion #3 - Did all that & nada!! Suggestion #4 - Not sure I knew how to do this for her as I was afraid to mess up her computer. Suggestion #5 - Same error messages occurred. Suggestion #6 - Do not think it applies to her computer and really have no idea what it means.

Problem Description:
User receives a 0x80072F76 error when visiting the Windows Update Site. The Windows Update.log file will have error entries similar to the following:
2002-11-25 23:25:11 04:25:11 Error IUCTL Failed to download iuident.cab
from http:// windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v4/ to C:\Program Files\WindowsUpdate\V4\temp
(Error 0x80072F76)


Resolutions:
This is a blocking issue. The client computer is unable to connect to a component of the Windows Update site. Most likely this is due to misconfigured proxy/firewall settings,
incorrect DNS entries or some application running on the client computer that interacts with Web connections and is blocking the connection. Here are a few ways to try to resolve this issue:

Suggestion 1
===========

Check your HOSTS file (it may also be called HOSTS.SAM) and make sure you don't have any static IP entries for the Windows Update web site listed in the file. If you are running Win98/ME, the HOSTS file will be in this
folder:

C:\Windows

If you are running WinNT/2K/XP, it will be in this folder:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc

You can use Notepad to open the HOSTS file. You may need to "tell" Windows to use Notepad to open the file.

Applications like web accelerators, TweakMasterDNS, etc. can add static IP entries for the Windows Update site into your HOSTS file and when this happens you will get the 0x80072F76 error message.

Suggestion 2
===========

Check your firewall/proxy settings and also try disabling your firewall. This error is the result of your PC's inability to connect to a component of the Windows Update site. Disable all 3rd party applications (including anti-virus) before accessing the site.

Suggestion 3
===========

You may be able to resolve this issue by adding the following Web sites to
the trusted sites list in Internet Options:

http://Windowsupdate.microsoft.com
http://V4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com
https://v4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com (Note: The https is correct)
http://Download.Windowsupdate.com

To add these web sites to the list, follow these steps:

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click "Tools," and then click "Internet Options."
3. Click "Security."
4. Click the Trusted Sites icon.
5. Click "Sites."
6. Clear the check box "Require server verification (httpsfor all sites in
this zone."
7. Add all four sites listed above.

Suggestion 4
===========

This issue may be resolved by adding the Windows Update sites to the exceptions list in the Internet Options Proxy Settings.
To access the Exceptions settings:

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click "Tools" and then click "Internet Options."
3. Click "Connections" and then click "LAN Settings."
4. Click "Advanced" and add windowsupdate.microsoft.com;
v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com, and download.windowsupdate.com to the
exceptions list.If you run other proxy/firewall software, then add the sites
to the exception list for those applications as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suggestion 5
===========

As a test, try this link:

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v4/iuident.cab

When you click this link, you should see a popup message asking if you want
to Open the file, or Save it to your computer. If you are unable to connect
to this link and see a Page Cannot Be Displayed-type error, then this
confirms that some aspect of your Internet connection is preventing you from
reaching the Windows Update site.

Suggestion 6
===========

This error may also occur with Mailgate from http://www.mailgate.com/
previous to version 3.5.171 beta where the issue seems to have been
corrected.
The excerpt below is from the release notes for the MailGate 3.5.171 Beta:

1.1 SDR0137 - Added support for the HTTP HEAD command in the Web proxy. This
command is used by the Microsoft Windows XP update service.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue Applies To:
a.. Windows 2000
a.. Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition
a.. Windows Millennium Edition
a.. Windows XP


I believe we have her ZAP configured properly but has anyone any suggestions how I can add Windows Update to her ZAP Program Control and safe sites as methinks this may be where the problem lies. Thanks in advance.

 

Have you tried to disable zone alarm long enough to try to get the updates yet. That way you can see if it is ZA blocking the updates.

 

Hi Bigc - I have ZAP and do not have to disable it to get the downloads - I have no problems at all. Apparently prior to installing her ZAP she was able to access the site but all her downloads failed.... now it's nada so that is why I feel that there has to be something I missed when we put in ZAP and configured it.

 

It may be best to disable ZAP just to make sure that the issue is with ZAP don't ya think?

 

It sounds like your friend has an ongoing problem and ZA just compounded it. I wish I could teleport to the problem pc's . It sure would be easier to diagnose.

 

Hi Bigc - I have ZAP and do not have to disable it to get the downloads - I have no problems at all. Apparently prior to installing her ZAP she was able to access the site but all her downloads failed.... now it's nada so that is why I feel that there has to be something I missed when we put in ZAP and configured it.
This bothers me that all of her downloads failed before ZAP. You do know that Windows Update is filtered thru Akami now? It is Akami is it not BigC?

 

I didn't know that but I very seldom use winupdate. I usually do it manually.

 

Yep, thats Akamai:

http://www.akamai.com

Is there nothing tweaked on that machine?

 

Thanks for the accurate info. Perhaps the site is blocked by HOSTS file? Maybe spyware preventing software?

 

Hi all - no she does not have spyware in her computer. We did both a Spybot & Ad-aware scan .. nada. I also have SpywareBlaster and IE-Spyad installed in her computer. Her updates are all current. She uses Norton as her AV. Last virus she had was Netsky and I coached her how to clean it out. As far as I can determine her computer is free of any viruses altho it is running very slowly for being on high speed internet.

akamai is news to me .. shall pass that on to her and see if she has any luck through there. Hosts file explain please. I'm a person who learns on a need to know basis so now I need to know.

Oh by the way, prior to ZAP she had ZA free and could get to the update site but not now. She said that her downloads went on for a couple of hours and never did complete.

I am truly stumped where and how the block is occuring. Well and good to disable ZAP but it does not solve the problem once ZAP is enabled.

I have just plucked out a thread by LWM showing how to configure ZAP and have forwarded it to her for comparison.

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=3899

I just remembered that her computer takes a long time to bring up her cable server's homepage. Prior to my arriving at her house, her computer diconnected itself from the internet and she did nothing to cause this ... it just suddenly happened. We phoned the cable company and he had her pull the cable, reconnect and she was back online again but she cannot figure out why it happened in the first place as her cable connection was firm in the first place.

 

http://accs-net.com/hosts/how_to_use_hosts.html

 

Is it windows XP? If so try this.
The value for the CSDVersion in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows
needs to be changed to 0. If you are comfortable editing the registry, follow the instructions below.
Click "Start," and then click "Run." In the Open box type regedit and click "OK." Browse in the left frame to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows In the right frame you will see the key CSDVersion. Double click this key. Change the value to 0 and click "OK." Restart the computer.

Remember to back up the registry.

 

Hi Notageek - I have printed your suggestion out and will check the registry for her. I do not think she will know how to do a backup or what to do and would only end up messing up her computer.

geradwll - thanks for the link re Hosts. I do not think this applies in this case but it is useful information for me and I always enjoy learning something I did not know before. Re Akami, I do not see where there is a link to windows update or am I missing it somehow.

My friend would not know what is meant by tweaking. I personally think because of ongoing problems with her computer,it should be completely cleaned out and do clean instals of what she uses. Her HP came factory loaded with spyware and other crapware which interferred with her computer use. I got rid of most of it for her but the performance of her computer which is more powerful than mine is extremely poor in comparison.

I have given her a link to this thread and hopefully she is reading it and maybe post a question or two.

I thank each and everyone who responded and cookies to all. Anymore ideas, suggestions are always welcome.

 

What I mean is that one of her "spyware prevention" programs may be blocking the site. I didn't mean that she had spyware. If a "spyware prevention" program is set to block a site then any program that needs to go thru that site will also be blocked.

 

Peaches, its not hard to back up the registry. Here's what I do. Open the registry to where I posted earlier and chighlight the Hkey and click on export and save it in a folder or somewhere and name it like before tweak or something. Now when you want to replace the reg file just double click on it and click yes at the promp and it will restore to the place you exported it from. HTH

 

Thanks Pal - I knew how to back up a registry, have done my own, just hate to mess around someone else's computer that is not working properly. However, I will be seeing my friend shortly and will have a peek and see what mess is there and go for it.

 

Good luck. I hope you can fix it for your friend.

 

Hi all,
I've got the same error message 0x80072F76 trying access windows update site and I'm on a LAN... disabling my ZAP firewall it works but how can I configure ZAP to access winupdate without disabling ZAP?
I've also tryed the suggestion to try reach windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v4/iuident.cab and surprise... I reach it!!!

any suggestions

thanks
Skabuby

 

Can't say darling Peaches that this is going to be a real Techy answer to your friends problems but....When I had ZA it would just do it's own thing like a psychotic Guard Dog....no matter how I configured it's settings it had a mind all of it's own. At that time I didn't know Zip about comps etc., and so I thought it was my lack of intelligence until one day the 'light came on' and I realised it was ZA causing me all these problems.....I dumped it and got Lovely, Lovely Agnitum Outpost FW....which listens intently to everything I tell it and then carries out my orders to the letter....Outpost and I are now an 'Item' ....but don't let it get around I told you

Just a thought to consider...

Byeee, Cochise,

PS. ZA also made my OS run slow while it was taking it's time to think!!!!

 

Incredible! ZoneLabs have solved my problem!
They told me to turn off ALL the privacy settings in ZAP and I finally reach windows update... now the problem is microsoft!
ZoneLabs told me that adding in the site list the windows update's related sites and setting privacy off for that sites it should be work but probably microsoft don't tell all the sites involved in the windows update process because adding the 4 sites specified in the windows update troubleshooting page it still not working!

Hi all
Skabuby

 

akamai