-----Original Message-----
Has anybody encountered this error when running Windows
Update to check for needed security updates. If so, what
did you do?
.
Bill,
With e-mail support from MS, I repaired the problem
through a time consuming trial and error proceedure. The
final answer was to re-register dll. files for IE. I am
cut and pasteing an article that I found after a
successful repair that mirrors the instruction from MS on
the proceedure to retore the funcntionality for Windows
Update.
Good luck and proceed at your own risk!!
Because Windows Update depends on a great many
interrelated Windows technologies, it can sometimes fail
for obscure reasons. This tip explores the reasons behind
one of the most common failures, also known as
the "0x800A138F" problem, because of the cryptic (and
wholly uninformative) error code that Windows Update
returns during many of its errors.
1. The computer's clock is set incorrectly. Windows
uses the clock to determine the validity of the digital
certificates used in Windows Update. If the clock on the
computer attempting to access Windows Update is set wrong
(by days, not minutes!), Windows Update will fail. (Note:
When setting up non-bulk-licensed editions of Windows XP
on workstations, make sure the system clocks are correct
in BIOS before starting the installation or the system
will require Product Activation to be triggered if Windows
Update is contacted.)
2. Make sure no antivirus, firewall or other programs
are blocking SSL access. SSL uses TCP port 443, and SSL is
required to make Windows Update work.
3. The ActiveX control for Windows Update is not
working correctly. The ActiveX object reports back on what
components are or are not installed and determines what
Windows Update would need to download. Try clearing out
the Internet Explorer cache, which will force the
component to be reloaded on the next visit to the Windows
Update site. Also try deleting the files in the folder
Program FilesWindowsupdate and Program
FilesWindowsupdateV4 -- except for the file iuhist.xml in
that folder. Now open Internet Explorer and try the
Windows Update site again.
4. A language setting for IE is missing or damaged.
Make sure that the English-United States language option
is available in IE (in Tools | Internet Options | General
| Languages). If not, you can add it manually. This is due
to a known bug in the XMLHttp component of the XML 2.6
parser.
5. Insure that there are no references to
microsoft.com or akamai.net in the HOSTS file. Akamai
hosts many of the files used for Windows Update, but many
programs that block spyware apps also silently block
Akamai. If you are using an anti-spyware, pop-up blocker,
ad killer or firewall, make sure it is not blocking Akamai
addresses.
6. IE components are not properly registered. This is
a common problem for IE in general: one or more of the
components that IE needs to work correctly become
unregistered. To fix this problem, type in the following
commands (or run them as a batch file) and reboot:
regsvr32 urlmon.dll
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
regsvr32 mshtml.dll
regsvr32 browseui.dll
Systems with the Microsoft Java VM present, type: regsvr32
msjava.dll
