# Windows updates won't install

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-updates-wont-install/460190>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 16, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-updates-wont-install/460190 "2008-08-16T04:23:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-updates-wont-install/460190/1 "2008-08-16T04:23:01Z")

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I’ve got about seven Windows updates downloaded, but they won’t install. I don’t have Norton or McAffee (although I never had a problem when I did). I’m running Windows XP with service pack 3.

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**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-updates-wont-install/460190/2 "2008-08-16T05:53:45Z")

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What are the updates that are failing to install? What error code is it giving you upon failure?

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-updates-wont-install/460190/3 "2008-08-16T15:14:23Z")

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[This page](http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144) might help. I had the problem of updates not installing a week or so ago – but that was after I’d had a crash, and the PC repair guy loaded up a new HD with most of my data. In my case, I went through the steps to register the Wups2.dll file.

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**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-updates-wont-install/460190/4 "2008-08-17T18:26:18Z")

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[QUOTE=Ice Wolf]  
[This page](http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144) might help. I had the problem of updates not installing a week or so ago – but that was after I’d had a crash, and the PC repair guy loaded up a new HD with most of my data. In my case, I went through the steps to register the Wups2.dll file.  
[/QUOTE]

That fixed it. I have no idea why it stopped working since I didn’t do anything, but as long as it’s working now…