Repair Windows Server Update Services

Updated: March 24, 2009

Applies To: Windows SBS 2008

Problem   One or more of the following:

• Updates are not being applied to the server that is running Windows SBS 2008 or to domain-joined client computers.

• On the Home tab, in the Network Essentials Summary, the Updates status is Not Available.

• On the Security tab, the Updates status does not display any data, or there are warning messages saying that update information cannot be obtained.

• After generating a report, on the Reports tab, if you click the report no data is displayed.

Solution   Do the following:

1. Verify that the following services are running. If any of them are not running, restart them. For instructions about how to verify whether a service is running and to restart it, see the procedure titled “To verify that a service is running” later in this document.

   • Update Services

   • Windows Internal Database (Microsoft##SSEE)

   • World Wide Web Publishing Service

2. Determine whether you have Internet connectivity: In the Windows SBS Console, click Network, click Connectivity, and then verify that the Internet Connection status is Connected. If it is not connected, click Fix my network, and then complete the wizard.

3. Reinstall and reconfigure Windows Server Updates Services (WSUS). For instructions about how to do this, see the procedure titled “To manually recover Windows Server Update Services” later in this topic.

To verify that a service is running

1. Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Services.

2. On the User Account Control page, click Continue.

3. In the Services (Local) list, find the service that you want to verify, and then check its status. If it is stopped or paused, restart it by right-clicking it and then clicking Restart.

To manually recover Windows Server Update Services

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Programs, and then click Programs and Features.

2. Verify whether Microsoft Windows Server Update Services <version x> is listed, where <version x> is the version that you are running (for example, 3.0 SP1). If it is listed, skip to Step 4.

3. Verify that a WSUS subdirectory does not exist on any of the server volumes. If there is a WSUS subdirectory, delete it, and then do the following:

   1. Create a directory called WSUS on the C: partition.

   2. Insert Windows SBS 2008 Disc 2 (Component Technologies for Server Repair) into the server that is running Windows SBS 2008.

   3. Open an elevated command line prompt, type <DVD Drive>:\CMPNENTS\wsus\wsussetup.exe /q DEFAULT_WEBSITE=0 CREATE_DATABASE=1 CONTENT_LOCAL=1 CONTENT_DIR=C:\WSUS WYUKON_DATA_DIR=C:\WSUS, where <DVD Drive> is the DVD drive for the computer, and then press ENTER.

Note

It may take up to 10 minutes for the process to finish.

4. Apply the Windows SBS 2008 configuration settings for software updates by doing the following:

   1. Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Microsoft Windows Server Update Services <version x>, where <version x> is the version that you are running (for example, 3.0 SP1).

   2. On the User Account Control page, click Continue.

   3. In Update Services, expand the name of the server that is running Windows SBS 2008, and then click Options.

   4. Click Products and Classifications, and then, on the Products tab, verify that all check boxes are selected.

   5. In the Products and Classifications dialog, click the Classifications tab, and then verify that the following check boxes are selected:

      • Critical Updates

      • Definition Updates

      • Security Updates

      • Service Packs

      • Update Rollups

   6. Click OK.

   7. In Options, click Update Files and Languages, and then verify that Store update files locally on this server and Download update files to this server only when updates are approved are selected.

   8. Click the Update Languages tab, select Download updates only in these languages, and then verify that English is selected.

      You can also select any additional languages that you want to use for synchronizing software updates.

   9. Click OK.

   10. In Options, click Synchronization Schedule.

   11. In the Synchronization Schedule dialog, click Synchronize automatically, and then, in First synchronization, change the time to 10:00:00 P.M.

   12. Set the Synchronizations per day to 1, and then click OK.

   13. In Update Services, expand Computers, click All Computers, and then, in Actions, click Add Computer Group.

   14. In the Add Computer Group dialog, type Update Service Excluded Computers, and then click Add.

   15. In Actions, click Add Computer Group, type Update Services Client Computers, and then click Add.

   16. In Actions, click Add Computer Group, type Update Services Server Computers, and then click Add.

5. Create three Group Policy objects by doing the following:

Note

If any of these Group Policy objects already exists, do not recreate it, but verify its settings.

1.  On the server that is running Windows SBS 2008, click **Start**, click **Administrative Tools**, and then click **Group Policy Management**.

2.  On the **User Account Control** page, click **Continue**.

3.  Expand **Forest**, expand **Domains**, and then expand the domain name of the server that is running Windows SBS 2008.

4.  Right-click **Group Policy Objects**, and then click **New**.

5.  Type **Update Services Client Computers Policy**, and then click **OK**.

6.  Right-click **Group Policy Objects**, and then click **New**.

7.  Type **Update Services Common Settings Policy**, and then click **OK**.

8.  Right-click **Group Policy Objects**, and then click **New**.

9.  Type **Update Services Server Computers Policy**, and then click **OK**.

6. Verify the Group Policy settings for Update Services Client Computers, Update Services Common Settings, and Update Services Server Computers by doing the following:

   1. Click the Update Services Client Computers Group Policy object, which you created, and then click the Settings tab.

   2. Right-click Computer Configuration, and then click Edit. The Group Policy Management Editor is displayed.

   3. Expand Computer Configuration, expand Policies, expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Components, and then click Windows Update.

   4. Double-click Configure Automatic Updates, and then, in the Configure Automatic Updates Properties dialog, do the following:

      1. For Configure Automatic Updates, click Enabled.

      2. For Configure automatic updating, click 4 – Auto download and schedule the install.

      3. For Scheduled install day, click 0 – Every day.

      4. For Scheduled install time, click 03:00.

      5. Click OK.

   5. Close the Group Policy Management Editor.

   6. In the Group Policy Management Console, click the Update Services Common Settings Group Policy object, which you created, and then click the Settings tab.

   7. Right-click Computer Configuration, and then click Edit. The Group Policy Management Editor is displayed.

   8. Expand Computer Configuration, expand Policies, expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Components, and then click Windows Update.

   9. Double-click Configure Automatic Updates, verify that Configure automatic updating is set to 2 – Notify for download and notify for install, and then click OK.

   10. Double-click Automatic Updates detection frequency, and then do the following:

       1. Click Enabled.

       2. For Check for updates at the following interval (hours), type 1.

       3. Click OK.

   11. Double-click Allow non-administrators to receive update notifications, click Enabled, and then click OK.

   12. Double-click Allow Automatic Updates immediate installation, click Enabled, and then click OK.

   13. Double-click Delay Restart for scheduled installations, and then do the following:

       1. Click Enabled.

       2. For Wait the following period before proceeding with a scheduled restart, type 5.

       3. Click OK.

   14. Double-click Specify intranet Microsoft update service location, and then do the following:

       1. Click Enabled.

       2. For Set the intranet update service for detecting updates, type https://<computername>:8530, where <computername> is the name of your server that is running Windows SBS 2008.

       3. For Set the intranet statistics server, type https://<computername>:8530, where <computername> is the name of your server that is running Windows SBS 2008.

   15. Double-click No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations, click Disabled, and then click OK.

   16. Double-click Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations, and then do the following:

       1. Click Enabled.

       2. For Wait the following period before prompting again with a scheduled restart (minutes), type 10.

       3. Click OK.

   17. Double-click Reschedule Automatic Updates scheduled installations, and then do the following:

       1. Click Enabled.

       2. For Wait after system startup (minutes), type 1.

       3. Click OK.

   18. Close the Group Policy Management Editor.

   19. In the Group Policy Management Console, click the Update Services Server Computers Group Policy object, which you created, and then click the Settings tab.

   20. Right-click Computer Configuration, and then click Edit. The Group Policy Management Editor is displayed.

   21. Expand Computer Configuration, expand Policies, expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Components, and then click Windows Update.

   22. Double-click Configure Automatic Updates, verify that Configure automatic updating is set to 3 – Auto download and notify for install, and then click OK.

   23. Close the Group Policy Management Editor.

7. In the Group Policy Management Console, do the following:

   1. In the tree pane, click the domain name.

   2. In Results, verify whether the Group Policy objects that you created in Step 5 are listed as Linked Group Policy Objects.

   3. If they are not linked, in the tree view, right-click the domain name, and then click Link an Existing GPO.

   4. Click one of the Group Policy objects that you created, and then click OK.

   5. Repeat Steps 7b-7d until all Group Policy objects are linked.

To read the most recent version of this topic, see the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/FWLink/?LinkID=147048). The most recent version might contain additional information that was not available when Windows SBS 2008 was released.