I thought that Windows Update problems are a thing of the past, as they were quite a widespread source of complaints even in Windows 7. Guess what, they’re still alive and kicking in Windows 8. The forums are being overrun by users complaining about update-related problems and, yes, there are a lot of solutions for a lot of issues.

Here are the top workarounds and troubleshooting steps:

- Did you install KB277143? It’s an update to Windows Update! Usually it gets served automatically and will be installed upon a reboot. However, if your PC is stuck at a previous update, KB277143 may never get installed at all. So this is why you should go to “Windows Update” (Control Panel, “System and Security”), uncheck all other updates and make sure that KB277143 is the only scheduled update and install it.

- Disable all 3rd party services: Fire up “msconfig”, check “Selective startup” and uncheck “Load system services” and “Load startup items”. This’ll make sure that no 3rd party services and startup applications interfere with Windows Update.

- Run the FixIt! Solution: Microsoft developed its own fix, which will reset Windows Update components back to default. Get it here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949358

Good luck!

Sandro 

http://www.itworld.com/sandro-villinger