Hi;
First, you must be logged in with an Administrator-level account to install
the updates. If that doesn't fit the account you are using, you will need
to reboot into an Admin-level account. Does the friend own the laptop or is
it perhaps a loaner from work? If not owned by the friend, you could be on
tricky legal ground here if you make any radical changes.
Second, check the Control Panel/Network section. Verify that Client for MS
Networks is installed. If not, install it, then do a reboot and try MS
Update again.
Third, on the Start/Run line enter "services.msc" and when that opens check
that Automatic Updates is set to Automatic, BITS is set to either Manual or
Automatic (it should not be Disabled; some systems seem to need Automatic so
you may want to try that) and that Event Logging is also set to Automatic.
Before leaving the Services list, click the BITS one, and select the Start
option. If it starts, that is good. If you get any sort of error messages,
write those down and post back here with that info.
Last, check for malware, spyware, and of course virus infestations. Update
whatever AV software is on that system (or install the Free AVG one,
removing any old ones first) and do a full scan of the system. Next, do a
quick scan for parasites by visiting this website
(
http://aumha.org/a/noads.htm), noting any results. Then download/install
AdAware from LavaSoft
(
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php), get all the
updates for it, then run it. Delete everything it finds. Reboot the
system and try WU again.
HTH
--
....Sky
Tom "Sky" King
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