Windows Tip Sheet
Windows Update Woes
The all-too-familiar errors of Windows Update's ways calls for a quick fix.
This is supposed to just work: I point my WinXP computer (same
thing happens on Win2003, by the way) at the Microsoft Windows Update
Web site (same thing happens with a Windows Software Update Services,
or WSUS, server). I try to download and install updates, and get an error:
0x800704DD and 0x80240020. You know what those mean, right?
Ugh. Knowledge Base article 910341
does, and it's a doozy involving the usual warnings about editing
the registry. Start by logging onto the computer as a local Admin. Use
Runas.exe to run Internet Explorer as a local Admin. Try Windows Update
again. If it works, then you need to fix the registry for non-admin users.
Open Regedit and find HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\SensLogn.
You need to verify several keys and values:
| Key |
Type |
Value |
| Asynchronous |
DWORD |
00000001 |
| Disconnect |
String |
SensDisconnectEvent |
| DLLName |
String |
WlNotify.dll |
| Impersonate |
DWORD |
00000001 |
| Lock |
String |
SensLockEvent |
| Logoff |
String |
SensLogoffEvent |
| Logon |
StringSensLogonEvent |
|
| MaxWait |
DWORD |
00000258 |
| PostShell |
String |
SensPostShellEvent |
| Reconnect |
String |
SensReconnectEvent |
| Safe |
DWORD |
00000001 |
| Shutdown |
String |
SensShutdownEvent |
| StartScreenSaver |
String |
SensStartScreenSaverEvent |
| StartShell |
String |
SensStartShellEvent |
| Startup |
String |
SensStartupEvent |
| StopScreenSaver |
String |
SensStopScreenSaverEvent |
| Unlock |
String |
SensUnlockEvent |
|
This is the sort of that makes you totally lose faith in the registry
as a place to store configuration information -- how did this get messed
up on my machine? The workaround, by the way (should the above not fix
the problem) is to not use the Web site. Seriously. You're supposed
to just let Automatic Updates do the work, which is fine, except that
it won't download optional updates you may want. So, let's hope the above
registry changes fixes things for you.
About the Author
Don Jones is a multiple-year recipient of Microsoft’s MVP Award, and is Curriculum Director for IT Pro Content for video training company Pluralsight. Don is also a co-founder and President of PowerShell.org, a community dedicated to Microsoft’s Windows PowerShell technology. Don has more than two decades of experience in the IT industry, and specializes in the Microsoft business technology platform. He’s the author of more than 50 technology books, an accomplished IT journalist, and a sought-after speaker and instructor at conferences worldwide. Reach Don on Twitter at @concentratedDon, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ConcentratedDon.