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Solved *ahem* Windows Update?

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Nick

Professional moneywaster
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Sep 2, 2016
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Washington, USA
I just clean-installed Windows XP on that infamous Dell Inspiron 8000 (had Windows 2K Pro before) and I need to run Windows updates because even though I know it's no longer supported, I've been able to get Windows XP updates on my XP virtual machines, and I was able to get XP updates on my other XP laptop (Dell Precision M90) even after the date of no more support. Also, it's my understanding that Windows released an update that even included XP for the WannaCry ransomware, so there has to be a way to get my updates somehow. Old guides just say to go to "Windows Update" in the start menu and it'll bring you to a website that you can install the updates from (like this):
79982.image0.jpg

But now when you try that, it opens up to this, which there is obviously no way of installing XP updates from. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12373/windows-update-faq. I thought on my Precision M90 there was an actual Microsoft program installed to update the machine, but I can't find that on my Inspiron 8000. Does anyone know how to resolve this?
 
I haven't been able to update my XP computer since October 2016. (Thanks MS for breaking something that was working!) I have Office 2007 installed and it does get patches until October of this year. Previously I was offered the monthly patches.

It's funny that I can update MS Security Essentials and it works but Windows update just runs and runs and nothing happens. I tried it earlier this week and left it run for more than an hour with the bar going back and forth.

I eventually just manually installed the WannaCry patch. I manually install all the Office 2007 updates too almost every month.
 
Ok so I've done the registry edit and installed 360 Total Security, and nothing is updating.... what is going on? Can I have an actually useful recommendation for this?
 
Ok so I'm now on a different XP machine and I did the registry hack and opened Windows Update from the start menu, chose express installation, and now it's just stuck here...
upload_2017-7-1_17-43-13.png

Any help?
 
My XP for some reason stopped working in October 2016. I have Office 2007 installed and it is updated through Oct. of this year. I got tired of looking at that thing for hours with nothing happening. I opened Task manger and it showed nothing was using CPUs. I expected to see svchost doing something.

I gave up and now I manually install the XP updates, including the one MS issued in May KB4012598.
 
I'm confused as to why the registry hack just doesn't work at all anymore. I'll install that 360 Total Security App to get up-to-date on all the Windows XP updates, but it looks like I won't be getting my POSReady updates.
 
Hey Nick,

Do you have any of the following keys in your registry?

Code:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\WindowsEmbedded

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\WEPOS

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\WES

If so you'll need to boot onto a Live CD such as WinPE or ERD commander CD and remove them as you can't remove them on an already booted OS. Those keys prevent you from receiving updates as POSReady.
 
LOL! For some reason, this thread is still open (my bad) but I'll use that to my advantage.... I launched Windows Update yesterday and it actually found like, 72 updates that I had yet to install, so I let them install. It kept freezing up every now and then, so I just stopped the updates and restarted them until I was able to get all of the updates I wanted. Windows Update just seems to be a bit buggy, but it makes sense because that Windows Update interface is quite old.
 
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