Problems With XP Updates
- The most common reason for updates to fail is the presence of viruses on your computer. Update your anti-virus software and perform a complete scan of your system. If you do not have any anti-virus software installed or are not satisfied with the software you are using then subscribe to a service. You can also perform a free scan of your system by visiting Microsoft Windows Live Scan online.
- If you face update problems immediately after repairing Windows XP by using the Windows XP CD then the reason is a missing registry entry. During repair, Windows replaces all the system files with the corresponding files from the CD and restores the Windows registry. While repairing, the registry entry corresponding to the "Wups2.dll" file required by the Windows XP update program is deleted. This can cause the updates to fail.
- If you do not know which edition of Windows you are running, then go to "Start," click on "Run," type "msinfo32.exe" in the open box and click on "OK." In the "System Information" dialog box that opens up, review the value for "System Type." For 32-bit editions of Windows, the System Type value is "x86-based PC" and for 64-bit editions of Windows, the System Type value is "x64-based PC." If you are running the 64-bit edition of Windows then skip to the next section.
To register the Wups2.dll file for Windows XP Professional x86 Edition, go to "Start," click on "Run," type "cmd" in the open box and click on "OK." At the command prompt, type "net stop wuauserv" and press "Enter." This stops the Automatic Updates service running on your computer. Again, at the command prompt, type "regsvr32 %windir%\system32\wups2.dll" command, and then press "Enter." This registers the Wups2.dll file. Click "OK" on each verification message that you receive. After the completion of the file registration, type "net start wuauserv" at the command prompt, and press "Enter." This starts the automatic updates service. To exit the command prompt, type "exit" and press "Enter." - To register the Wups2.dll file for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, go to "Start," click on "Run," type "cmd" in the open box and click on "OK." At the command prompt, type "net stop wuauserv" and press "Enter." This stops the Automatic Updates service running on your computer. Again, at the command prompt, type "regsvr32 %windir%\syswow64\wups2.dll" command, and then press "Enter." This registers the Wups2.dll file. Click "OK" on each verification message that you receive. After the completion of the file registration, type "net start wuauserv" at the command prompt, and then press "Enter." This starts the automatic updates service. To exit the command prompt, type "exit," and then press "Enter."
- The Windows Update Agent lets you manage which updates will be installed on your computer. To download and install the Windows Update Agent on your computer, go to www.update.microsoft.com. When you visit the website, the latest version of the Windows Update Agent will automatically be downloaded and installed.
