Windows – Attempting to Install MSU hotfixes results in “Searching for updates on this computer…” to last forever

updateswindows 7

I am attempting to install two hotfixes manually from Microsoft – one addresses the svchost.exe extreme memory usage problem, and the other addresses the slow Windows Update problem.

This system is a freshly installed Windows 7, and I have the two MSU updates saved locally to my desktop, but it is never actually finding such updates, and therefore never actually installs the two fixes.

Is there a way to force Windows Update Standalone Installer to just install the single update and not look for all the updates?

Best Answer

The message is misleading. It searches if the update can be installed or if the update is no longer needed (superseded). 

Line #, DPC/ISR, Process, Stack Tag, Stack, Count, TimeStamp, % Weight
10, , , ,   wuaueng.dll!CUpdatesToPruneList::PopulateSupersedenceInfo, 31521, , 43,72
11, , , ,   wuaueng.dll!CUpdatesToPruneList::AddSupersedenceInfoIfNeeded, 31521, , 43,72

WUSA.exe, which is used to install MSU updates, is just a wrapper to Windows Update. After Windows Update installed an update it hangs again in a loop to check if updates apply or not and those checks are useless after an install and this loop blocks you from installing other MSU updates.

To speedup the Installation, stop the WindowsUpdate service via GUI (services.msc) or via elevated (running as admin) command line (net stop wuauserv). Now the loop is stopped and updates install faster.

Install the first MSU update, stop WindowsUpdate service again and install the 2nd MSU file.

I also created a script with enums all MSU files in the same folder as the CMD and installs them and stop WU service on it's own everytime to speedup setup.

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