Windows Update error c80003fa

[danlarocque]

thread1726-1680043

Hi All, after a few years , i am back here to find a fix to the same old problem that effect my PC, Windows update not working at all. I have never been able to use that PC for that reason so, I have decided to take another chance and maybe someone can help me resolve that issue. For more info on the problem , see the thread number at the start of my post. I still have the same PC, it's a brand new/fresh install of WIndows 7 ULTIMATE 64 bits and all the solutions brought me to a dead end.
Any of the fix tools suggested by Microsoft did not work, i've even tryed to update IE8 to IE11, still having that damned error: C80003fa.

Any ideas what could be wrong with that PC?. Thanks in advance for your comments.

Daniel

 

[rclarke250]

Has any kind of diagnostics been run on the hard drive?

 

[goombawaho]

Has any kind of diagnostics been run on the hard drive?

Hey, that's normally my line of questioning, but is mysteriously absent this time. Can never hurt especially where file system errors are seen in chkdsk.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[cdogg]

Very good point. Didn't even think to suggest that! Especially after a clean install, problems like this can certainly be due to a failing hard drive.

 

[goombawaho]

So, if I may summarize and prioritize next steps:
1. Manufacturer's hard drive diagnostic test
2. CDogg's lengthy suggestion
3. WSUS offline update
4. Give up

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[danlarocque]

Hi all,

Here is an update on the situation;
1- I ran Windows's check disk an fond no error on HD. Not the manufacturer's one. I will run it.
2- cdogg's instructions did not do any good even if REPOSITORY came out CONSISTENT.
3- WSUS offline update installation was a success, but did not change a thing about Windows update

No more options left, so I think that I will let this PC rest for a long while,

Thank you all for your help ! Much appreciated.

Regards

Daniel

 

[goombawaho]

If the WSUS offline update worked, keep using the computer!! You're up to date so nothing to worry about UNLESS you run the manufacturer's HDD test and it shows any problems.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[cdogg]

Right, and don't forget that you can format the CBS.log into a readable format using the instructions at that link above.

 

[danlarocque]

Hi goombawaho

The WSUS offline update installation was installed with no errors, but should all the updates be seen in the update history. All i see is only 2 updates ?? Is there a way to know if all the updates were installed correctly ?
Thanks.

 

[rclarke250]

Yep, you can go to windows update in control panel, and on the left side panel, click on show history.

 

[danlarocque]

Hi rclarke250,

Updates History is completely empty. Obviously there is a major problem with this PC that i can't resolve, so that`s it folks. Thanks again for your help. THE END !

 

[rclarke250]

in the history pane, if you read the information, there should be a link to click to show installed updates, are you saying that, the link to show installed updates is missing?

 

[cdogg]

Also, any luck with running a thorough hard drive check in the BIOS (or using the manufacturer's software)? It might be as simple as replacing a faulty hard drive to resolve the issue.

[tab]Note: Chkdsk is not the same as running a hard drive self-test that is more advanced and focused on the hardware

If the hard drive test passes with flying colors, then studying the CBS.log would be the next step. We would need to see why SFC /SCANNOW was failing.