Vista Will Not Update

before i start i will say....yes i am aware windows vista is no longer supported,

it just came to mind a day or two ago that i have not seen my computer do updates in forever,

went to control panel > windows updates and checked things out,

automatic updates are still turned on like normal,

i checked when the last update was and it was in July 2016....certainly there have been updates since then that i have not received???

i clicked the button that says "check for updates"

it then says "checking for updates" with the green bar going across but this process will never finish,

i have left it at this stage for 12 hours overnight, and it does not finish,

any advice?
 

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
Besides reinstalling the OS, really not worth it. There are update issues for Vista and 7 like this. To be honest, I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Besides reinstalling the OS, really not worth it. There are update issues for Vista and 7 like this. To be honest, I wouldn't worry about it.

do you think if i did a system restore to a point previous of my last update that would fix the problem?
 

Jiniix

Well-Known Member
Go to "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\" and delete all the content of the folder. You can only do this if you boot Safe Mode or entirely shut down the Update service. Easiest to do in Safe Mode (spam F8 while turning PC on).
Windows Update is a turd in terms of speed for any OS these days (except Windows XP and 10).
Recently updated a Windows 8.1 from fresh, took 22 hours to find initial updates.
Windows 7 won't find updates for 72+ hrs unless you install three patches offline.
These are ISO's supplied from Microsoft today :)
 
Go to "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\" and delete all the content of the folder. You can only do this if you boot Safe Mode or entirely shut down the Update service. Easiest to do in Safe Mode (spam F8 while turning PC on).
Windows Update is a turd in terms of speed for any OS these days (except Windows XP and 10).
Recently updated a Windows 8.1 from fresh, took 22 hours to find initial updates.
Windows 7 won't find updates for 72+ hrs unless you install three patches offline.
These are ISO's supplied from Microsoft today :)




thanks.....i will try this
 

Jiniix

Well-Known Member
While you are in Safe Mode, it doesn't hurt to do a "cleanmgr.exe" from the Run tool and check all boxes.
 
Go to "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\" and delete all the content of the folder. You can only do this if you boot Safe Mode or entirely shut down the Update service. Easiest to do in Safe Mode (spam F8 while turning PC on).

did this.....and still a no go.....

when i click on check for updates i just get the green bar constantly going across and i says "checking for updates" however this never stops.....i have left it for over 12 hours overnight,
 
if i wipe the drive and reinstall vista will it do automatic updates still to the point were it was discontinued?.....or will i have to install all the updates manually?
 

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
It still may have the update issue. Nobody can guarantee that you won't have any issues with updates after a fresh install. With it not being supported anymore, most likely will have issues getting updates.
 

Jiniix

Well-Known Member
Windows XP still lets you use Windows Update in 2017, that I can say for sure.
Otherwise, try PortUp. It's an isolated updater and works with Vista. On Windows 8.1 it took 14 hours to find updates, while Windows Update took 22 hours.
 
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