The Windows update problem got a bit worse as there were now 10 updates that failed to install.

I had a look at the windows update log file and there were a load of 0×80004002 errors splattered about. Did a search for that error and found all sorts of help including the re-registering of several dll’s which worked but Windows update still failed, even after rebooting. I then tried something called Dial-a-fix which is a collection of known fixes from Microsoft Knowledgebase articles. Running that isn’t for the faint hearted but the updates still didn’t work.

One of the other suggestions was to run System Function Check to make stable the installed Windows files. Did that but the updates still failed. Next I read that I should try and delete the downloaded windows updates, stop the Windows Update service and get a new version of the Windows Update Agent. The agent I was able to download but when I tried to run it it said that it was already installed. Re-ran it from the command line with the /wuforce parameter and that did then install.

I then re-ran Windows Update and of the 10 updates one actually installed, I think it was some kind of update for Office 2003. Re-ran Windows Update and selected just the oldest update to install and that worked. Confidence was high, well sorta. Re-ran Windows Update and I let it attempt to install all of the remaining 8 updates and, waddayaknow, they installed correctly.